Did you know that 90% of Amazon sellers fail within their first year? Usually, it’s not because of a lack of effort, but a lack of awareness of the common mistakes new Amazon sellers often make.
Selling on Amazon isn’t easy, especially when you’re just starting out. Most new sellers run into problems because the platform is complicated and hard to manage alone.
That’s why it helps to know the most common mistakes early on before they drain your time, money, and motivation. But if you’ve already made some of them, don’t worry because there are ways to fix them.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the biggest mistakes new sellers make. We’ll also show how our Amazon agency can help you avoid or fix these issues so you can grow faster.
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Why Do Most New Sellers Struggle on Amazon?
Most new sellers struggle on Amazon because the platform is more complex and competitive than it seems. Without a clear understanding of fees, policies, and best practices, they end up making costly mistakes that slow down growth or cause them to quit early.
With over 9.7 million sellers on Amazon, it’s easy to assume there’s a clear path to success on the platform. But what most new sellers don’t realize is how hard it is to get started on Amazon, especially with high fees, strict policies, listing problems, and constant updates.
What makes it worse is that new sellers often don’t understand how the platform really works. Because of that, they end up making mistakes that hurt their chances of growing fast.
Instead of building momentum, they waste time and money fixing problems that could’ve been avoided. And in many cases, they give up before seeing results, just because they didn’t have the right support from the start.
12 Common Mistakes New Amazon Sellers Make
New Amazon sellers often make costly mistakes that can stall or even kill their business if not caught early. Knowing these common pitfalls helps you avoid them before they impact your sales and growth.
1. Not Reviewing Amazon Policies Thoroughly
New sellers get excited to launch their products on Amazon because they see the platform’s huge potential. But in that rush, many forget to review Amazon’s policies and end up breaking rules that lead to listing suppressions or even account suspensions.
That’s why it’s critical to read through all of Amazon’s policies, especially the ones that apply to your specific product categories.
By doing this, you avoid violations that can cost you sales, hurt your metrics, or get you kicked off the platform.
2. Poor Product Research
Coming up with a product idea can feel exciting, especially if it seems unique or solves a real problem. But if you skip proper research, you could end up selling a product that brings more headaches than profit.
That’s why product research is a must, even if the idea sounds great at first. Using research tools helps you understand demand, competition, profit margins, and potential red flags, so you don’t waste time and money on the wrong product.
3. Expecting Instant Results
When you expect too much too soon, it often leads to major disappointment, and the same applies to Amazon selling. Yes, some new brands hit big right away, but those cases are rare and not something you should rely on.
Most of the time, success on Amazon takes patience, testing, and a long-term mindset. If you give up just because sales aren’t what you hoped in the first month, you miss the chance to build real momentum and long-term growth.
4. Weak Listing Optimization
New Amazon brands often assume their product will sell itself, either because it’s high quality or priced lower than the competition. But that means nothing if your listing is weak and doesn’t show up at the top of customer searches, especially since 70% of shoppers never go past page one.
That’s why poor product listing optimization is a big no for anyone serious about selling on Amazon. You need to fully optimize your title, bullets, images, and backend keywords using best practices to get seen and convert traffic into sales.
5. Inventory Mismanagement
Many new sellers don’t realize how much damage running out of stock can cause until it’s too late. Not only do you miss out on sales, but you also lose your organic rank and visibility, giving your competitors a chance to take your spot.
On the other hand, overstocking can crush your cash flow and rack up fees fast, with aged inventory surcharges reaching up to $6.90 per unit. That’s why daily tracking and smart inventory planning with the right tool is essential to stay in control and avoid unnecessary risk.
6. Not Enrolling in Brand Registry
Many new sellers skip Brand Registry because they think it’s only necessary for big brands or later stages of growth. But by putting it off, they open the door to hijackers, listing edits, and counterfeiters who can easily undermine their listings.
Without Brand Registry, you have little control over your product detail pages and limited protection if someone tries to steal your brand name or ASIN. Getting your trademark filed and enrolling early helps lock down your listings, prevent IP complaints, and make it much harder for bad actors to mess with your brand.
7. Paying for Reviews
It’s frustrating when you’ve finally got buyers, but your product still isn’t getting any reviews. This leads a lot of new sellers to grow impatient and take shortcuts that can put their entire brand at risk, like paying for fake reviews.
Buying reviews is a major violation of Amazon’s policies and can get your account permanently suspended without warning. Instead, focus on review generation strategies that follow Amazon’s rules, like using the Request a Review button or improving your post-purchase experience to naturally earn feedback.
8. Picking Between SEO and PPC
To get traction for their products, new sellers often assume they need to choose between SEO and PPC, but by doing that, they miss out on the power of combining both. SEO builds your long-term visibility while PPC gives you that immediate push, and ignoring either can slow your growth.
These two strategies are not enemies since they work best when used together. So instead of picking one, use SEO to create optimized listings and PPC to boost your rank faster, especially for competitive keywords.
9. Panicking Over the Unexpected
Part of selling on Amazon is learning to expect the unexpected, but new sellers often don’t understand that. So when something throws off their business, like a sudden suspension, a listing takedown, or account health alerts, they panic and make impulsive decisions that hurt them more.
There are always going to be curveballs: policy changes, system glitches, inventory delays, or even global events that impact shipping and demand. The key isn’t to avoid problems, it’s to stay calm, learn fast, and adapt your strategy so you can keep moving forward.
10. Missing Out on Important Events
Of course, for new Amazon sellers, it’s easy to be unaware of key events in the Amazon calendar like Prime Day, Q4 sales spikes, and Lightning Deal submission deadlines, but missing these is a costly mistake. These events can be massive opportunities to boost visibility, drive traffic, and rack up sales in a short window.
So do your homework and start tracking these events early, even before your first product launch. Knowing the timing lets you plan inventory, pricing, and marketing strategies that actually align with buyer behavior.
11. Thinking that Amazon Cares
New sellers often fall into the trap of thinking Amazon has their back just because they’re using the platform to grow a business. But the truth is, Amazon is your competitor on its own platform.
To make matters worse, Amazon doesn’t care about your margins; it imposes fees that can eat up over 50% of your revenue, especially when you factor in storage, fulfillment, and returns. And when issues pop up, don’t count on Seller Support because they’re slow, inconsistent, and rarely offer real solutions.
12. Trying to DIY Everything
There’s nothing wrong with doing everything on your own, especially when you’re just starting out and trying to save costs. But when things get complicated or you’re facing tasks that are clearly outside your expertise, it’s time to recognize the value of getting help.
Getting expert support from professionals, like a full-service Amazon agency, can make your growth process faster and way less stressful. So consider bringing in help if you’re spending too much time, getting overwhelmed, or constantly hitting roadblocks.
The Solution: Hiring a Full-Service Amazon Agency
Amazon agencies provide essential services that help new sellers avoid common mistakes and speed up their growth on the platform. By offering expert support in areas like account audits, listing optimization, and advertising, these agencies make selling on Amazon simpler and more profitable.
Services Offered By Amazon Agencies to Solve New Seller Mistakes
Amazon agencies exist to help sellers overcome challenges and avoid costly mistakes early on. They offer a range of services that make selling on Amazon more manageable, efficient, and profitable.
Here are some of the key services Amazon agencies offer:
Account Audit
An Amazon agency can perform a full account audit to identify weak points in your listings, SEO, ads, and account health before they lead to bigger problems. This service helps new sellers avoid costly mistakes by ensuring their account is optimized, compliant, and set up for long-term growth.
Listing Optimization
Amazon agencies help new sellers avoid poor conversions and low traffic by optimizing listings with strong titles, bullet points, descriptions, backend keywords, and high-quality images. This service ensures listings are built to perform, boosting visibility, click-through rate, and ultimately, sales.
Advertising and Marketing
New sellers often waste ad spend chasing clicks that don’t convert; Amazon agencies fix that by building PPC campaigns that are focused on profitability, not vanity metrics. With expert keyword targeting, ongoing optimization, and strategy tailored to each product, agencies help sellers avoid common advertising pitfalls and scale sales the smart way.
Amazon SEO
Amazon SEO helps new sellers avoid common mistakes by ensuring their listings are optimized with the right keywords and search terms to improve organic rankings and product visibility. This expert, step-by-step approach prevents missed opportunities and keeps listings competitive as Amazon’s search algorithms and marketplace evolve.
Troubleshooting
Amazon agencies typically offer troubleshooting services to help new sellers fix common issues such as UPC errors, listing problems, and catalog discrepancies. These services not only resolve immediate problems but also help identify potential pitfalls early, preventing future mistakes that can impact sales and account health.
Trademark Registration
Amazon agencies help new brands secure registered trademarks, which is essential for enrolling in Amazon Brand Registry. This registration gives sellers control over their listings, access to advanced brand protection tools, and the ability to fight hijackers who try to misuse their brand name.
Your Best Bet: My Amazon Guy
There are plenty of Amazon agencies out there, but if you’re a new seller, My Amazon Guy is your best bet. Our agency combines deep Amazon expertise with personalized support designed to help you hit the ground running.
We offer services tailored to each seller’s unique needs, especially new sellers who need guidance navigating the Amazon marketplace. With our help, you can avoid common pitfalls or quickly fix issues before they hurt your business.
From SEO and trademark registration to troubleshooting and growth strategies, we cover the key areas new sellers struggle with. Our goal is simple: to give you the tools and support to build a strong, profitable Amazon business from day one.
FAQs About New Amazon Seller Mistakes
Outsmart the Mistakes of New Amazon Sellers
Being aware of the most common mistakes of new Amazon sellers gives you a serious advantage when you’re just starting out. It helps you steer clear of costly errors that can delay growth or even get your account flagged.
Whether it’s skipping trademark registration, ignoring SEO, or mishandling inventory, these early missteps are avoidable. The more you know upfront, the smoother your Amazon journey will be.
Don’t let these common pitfalls derail your Amazon dream. Download our FREE New Amazon Seller Launch Kit for foundational knowledge, then book a consultation to see how we can help you sidestep these costly mistakes from day one!
