How to Sell on Amazon USA From Another Country
You don’t need to live in the US to sell on amazon.com. I run my wholesale business for the US marketplace from the Czech Republic. Here’s the setup, and the four steps that work differently when you live abroad.
Yes, you can. You set up the same way a US seller does: a US LLC, an EIN, a US business bank account, an Amazon seller account and a prep center. Four things work differently when you live outside the US: the state you form your LLC in, a registered agent service, getting your EIN by phone instead of online, and opening the bank account. Your prep center receives the stock, so you never have to be there.
If you live outside the US, you’ve probably wondered whether amazon.com is even open to you. It is. My mentees outside the US follow the same roadmap as everyone else, with four steps done a bit differently.
Can you sell on Amazon USA if you don’t live in the US?
Yes. You sell through a US LLC, your stock sits in a US prep center and in Amazon’s warehouses, and your customers are in the US. Where you live doesn’t change any of that. I sell this way from the Czech Republic: a prep center in the US receives my stock from suppliers and sends it to Amazon, so I never touch the products.
- Business email on your own domain
- Resale certificate from your LLC’s state
- Amazon seller account, Professional plan
- Prep center
- Distributor applications
- The state you form your LLC in
- A registered agent service
- EIN by phone, not online
- Opening the US bank account
What stays the same
Most of the setup doesn’t care where you live:
- Business email. A you@yourstore.com address. Suppliers take it seriously, a free Gmail address they don’t.
- Resale certificate. It comes from the state your LLC is in, same as for anyone. More in how to get a resale certificate.
- Amazon seller account. Same sign-up, same Professional plan. Have your passport ready. Here’s how the sign-up works.
- Prep center and distributors. Same applications, same online forms.
Setting up from outside the US and stuck on a step? Book a free call and we’ll go through your setup together.
The 4 things that work differently
1. The state you form your LLC in
Most non-US sellers use Wyoming. It costs about $100 to form and at least $60 a year after that, you file online, and there’s no state income tax. It also has a sales tax, which sounds bad but helps you: you can register for a sales tax permit there and get the resale certificate suppliers ask for.
Avoid states with no sales tax, like Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon. No sales tax permit means no state resale certificate. If you already know which prep center you’ll use, forming your LLC in its state works well too. Fees change, so check the current ones on the Wyoming Secretary of State’s website before you file.
2. A registered agent service
Every LLC needs a registered agent: someone with a street address in the LLC’s state who receives official mail for it. You don’t live there, so you pay a registered agent service. Formation services like Bizee usually include the first year, then it’s a yearly fee.
3. Getting your EIN by phone
Your EIN is your LLC’s tax number from the IRS, and it’s free. US sellers get it online in a few minutes. You can’t: the IRS online form needs a Social Security number or ITIN, and it isn’t for businesses based outside the US.
Fill in Form SS-4 first, then call the IRS at 267-941-1099. It’s not toll-free, and it’s open Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern time. The agent goes through your SS-4 with you and, if everything’s in order, gives you the EIN on the call. Never pay anyone to get it for you.
4. Opening a US business bank account
Chase and Bank of America are the easy choice for paying US suppliers by ACH or wire, but they usually want you in person at a US branch, with your passport, a second ID, your LLC papers and the EIN letter. Call the branch before you fly.
If you can’t travel, Mercury opens a US business account online. It’s a fintech, and your money sits at FDIC-insured partner banks. It doesn’t accept founders from every country, so check its eligibility list first.
The full LLC and EIN walkthrough is in how to get an LLC and EIN for Amazon wholesale.
In what order do you set it up?
The same order I give every student, with the steps that change for you marked:
Your prep center is your US address
This sounds like the hard part. It’s the easiest. Most distributors want a commercial address to ship to, and your prep center’s address is that address. The prep center receives your stock, labels and packs it to Amazon’s rules, and ships it into Amazon’s warehouses. You never see the products, and you don’t need to.
One thing to watch: if the prep center is in a different state than your LLC, some suppliers ask for a resale certificate that’s valid for the prep center’s state. More on what a prep center does in what is FBA prep.
What about taxes?
I’m not an accountant, and the answer depends on your country. Two things to bring up when you talk to one:
- The US side. An LLC owned by one non-US person is a foreign-owned disregarded entity in the eyes of the IRS. In years with reportable transactions between you and the LLC, it files Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120. The penalty for not filing is $25,000, so ask about it in your first year.
- Your home country. Your own country has its own rules for income from a US LLC. Find an accountant at home who has worked with US LLCs before.
Mistakes to avoid
- Picking a state with no sales tax. Then there’s no state resale certificate for your suppliers.
- Paying someone for the EIN. It’s free from the IRS, by phone.
- Details that don’t match. Type your business name and address on Amazon exactly as on your LLC papers. Mismatches are a common reason verification gets delayed.
- Mixing money. Keep business and personal money in separate accounts from day one.
- Waiting for the LLC. Set up your email and prep center while it’s processing.
Once your LLC, EIN and bank account are done, you’re in the same spot as any US seller. The next step is finding suppliers: how to find wholesale suppliers. For the full list of paperwork, see what documents you need for Amazon wholesale.
How the model works, finding real suppliers, getting approved, checking the numbers, and placing your first order. Free, no credit card.