What’s really the difference between the Individual vs Professional Amazon Canada seller accounts? And which one actually suits your business goals?
When creating a new account on Amazon.ca, you’re given two options: Individual or Professional. A lot of sellers just pick one without thinking it through, because they’re eager to list products and start selling ASAP.
But if you’re serious about building a sustainable business, this decision matters. Each plan comes with specific features, limits, and costs that can either help you grow or hold you back.
This article compares the Individual and Professional Amazon Canada seller accounts, breaking down their costs, features, and benefits. It helps sellers decide which plan suits their goals and sales volume for 2025.
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What Is an Individual Seller Account on Amazon Canada?
The Individual selling plan is a pay-per-sale option that works best for low-volume or occasional sellers. You only get charged when you make a sale, with a CAD 1.49 fee per item on top of standard referral fees.
This plan gives you access to basic listing tools, allowing you to match existing product pages or create new ones one at a time. Amazon sets the shipping rates for your orders, and you won’t be able to control delivery options or offer promotions.
The Advantages of an Individual Seller Account
There are a bunch of benefits you can get when you use an Individual selling plan, especially if you’re a low-volume or first-time seller. Here are the main benefits of using this plan on Amazon Canada:
- No monthly subscription fee.
- Pay-as-you-go model (ideal for low volume).
- Low upfront costs for new sellers.
- Easy to start with a basic setup.
- Great for testing the market.
The Disadvantages of an Individual Seller Account
Of course, there are also drawbacks to using an Individual selling plan, especially if you’re aiming to grow your business. Below are the main disadvantages you need to consider:
- Per-item fee adds up quickly (over ~20 sales/month).
- No access to advertising or promotions.
- Not eligible for the Buy Box.
- No bulk listing or inventory management tools.
- Manual Canadian tax handling required.
What Is a Professional Seller Account on Amazon Canada?
The Professional selling plan is a subscription-based account designed for sellers who move a higher volume of inventory. For CAD 29.99 per month, you can list and sell as many items as you want without paying the CAD 1.49 per-item fee.
This plan gives you access to advanced tools like bulk listing uploads, inventory reports, and order management feeds. It’s best suited for serious sellers or businesses that need efficiency, automation, and scalability built into their operations.
The Advantages of a Professional Seller Account
If you’re planning to grow your business or sell in higher volumes, the Professional plan gives you the tools to make it happen. Here are the benefits of using a Professional selling account on Amazon Canada:
- Cost-effective for higher sales volumes.
- Access to advanced listing and reporting tools.
- Eligibility for Buy Box placement.
- Ability to run ads and promotions.
- Automated Canadian tax calculation.
The Disadvantages of a Professional Seller Account
Just like the Individual plan has its downsides, there are also some drawbacks to using a Professional account. Knowing about them is important so you can plan ahead and avoid unnecessary costs or surprises.
- Fixed monthly fee charged even with no sales.
- Not cost-effective for very low sales volumes.
- Advanced tools may have a learning curve.
- The monthly fee doesn’t adjust with sales fluctuations.
- Ad campaigns can quickly increase expenses if not managed.
Key Differences Between Individual and Professional Seller Accounts
One of the first decisions you need to make is to choose between two seller account types, and they have key differences that matter. These differences affect your monthly costs, access to tools, and your ability to scale profitably on Amazon.ca.
| Individual Account | Professional Account | |
|---|---|---|
|
Monthly Fee |
None |
CAD 29.99 per month |
|
Per-Item Fee |
CAD 1.49 per sale |
None |
|
Best For |
Low-volume / casual sellers |
High-volume / scaling sellers |
|
Access to Tools |
Basic tools only |
Advanced tools (bulk uploads, reports, feeds) |
|
Promotions & Advertising |
Not available |
Full access (ads, deals, coupons, gift services) |
|
Buy Box Eligibility |
Not eligible |
Eligible for Featured Offer |
|
Eligible for Featured Offer |
Amazon sets the rates |
You can set your own (non-media products) |
|
Tax Automation |
Not available |
Available (GST/HST, PST, QST calculation) |
|
User Permissions |
Single-user access |
Multi-user access (teams, agencies, VAs) |
1. Selling Fees
With the Individual plan, you’re charged CAD 1.49 per item sold, no matter what you sell or how often. There’s no monthly subscription fee, which makes it ideal for low-volume or casual sellers.
The Professional plan, on the other hand, charges a flat CAD 29.99/month, but removes the per-item fee. If you sell more than 20 items a month, you’re already saving money with a Professional account.
2. Access to Advanced Tools
Professional sellers get access to powerful tools like bulk listing uploads, inventory feeds, and business reports. These tools make it easier to manage large catalogs and track performance over time.
Individual sellers don’t get access to these tools, which limits efficiency and visibility. If you’re planning to grow or sell in volume, you’ll feel the gap in features quickly.
3. Promotions and Advertising
Only Professional accounts can run Sponsored Products ads, create deals, offer coupons, or add gift services. Promotions are a key part of competing on Amazon and boosting sales velocity.
Individual accounts are stripped of these options, making it much harder to drive external traffic or convert browsers into buyers. If you want to scale, ads and promos aren’t just nice-to-haves because they’re necessary.
4. Buy Box Eligibility
Professional sellers are eligible to appear in the Buy Box, which is the default “Add to Cart” button placement that drives most conversions. Individual sellers are excluded from Buy Box rotation, meaning your listings show up less often and convert poorly.
This one factor alone can make or break your chances of being competitive on the platform. Without Buy Box access, even the best-priced products may struggle to get visibility.
5. Shipping Rate Control
Individual sellers must use Amazon’s pre-set shipping rates, which can sometimes eat into your profit. Professional sellers can set custom shipping rates (except for media products), giving them more control over their pricing strategy.
This is especially helpful if you sell large or heavy items or use your own fulfillment. More control over shipping equals better customer experience and margins.
6. Tax and Compliance Tools
Professional sellers can calculate Canadian sales tax (GST/HST, PST, QST) automatically through Amazon’s Tax Calculation Service. This is huge for staying compliant with CRA requirements and making tax time less painful.
Individual sellers don’t get this feature, meaning they’ll need to handle taxes manually, which is a risk if you’re not careful. For sellers trying to build a serious business, automation here is a game-changer.
7. User Access and Permissions
Professional accounts allow you to add multiple users with different access levels to your Seller Central account. This is critical if you work with a team or an Amazon agency.
Individual plans are limited to a single login, which can bottleneck your workflow and make it harder to scale operations. Delegating tasks like order handling or advertising is impossible without this feature.
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Individual vs Professional: Which Amazon Seller Account Suits You Best?
Even if you’ve learned the difference between the Individual and Professional seller accounts on Amazon Canada, it can still be confusing to know which one fits your needs. To help you out, we made this quick quiz to guide you in choosing the right Amazon Canada seller account for your current goals.
FAQs About Amazon Canada Seller Accounts
Choosing the Right Seller Account Matters More Than You Think
There are a lot of things to consider if you want to start selling on Amazon Canada, and picking the right seller account type is one of the most important. This decision can directly affect your profits, access to tools, and ability to scale; if you choose a plan that doesn’t suit your goals, it could end up costing you more than it should.
That’s why understanding how each selling plan works is a must. With this guide, we hope you now have a clearer idea of what each Amazon Canada seller account offers and which one fits your current business best.
Do you need help managing your Amazon Canada seller account? Reach out to our full-service Amazon agency today!
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