To sell on Amazon India from the US, you add an India account to your Amazon.com Professional account through the Sell Globally dashboard, then choose between FBA and shipping orders yourself (FBM). The catch is FBA: Amazon’s US page says that “To sell in India using FBA, you will first need to connect with a trade compliance consultant using our Service Provider Network” (data checked 2026-10-03). The reason sits on Amazon.in, not on the US page: “The Indian regulations do not permit global entities to engage in direct B2C (business to customer) retail.”
This guide is for US sellers expanding into Amazon.in. Most “sell on Amazon India” search results cover the opposite direction, Indian sellers exporting to Amazon.com; Amazon’s guide for that is a separate page (sell.amazon.com/global-selling/india-to-usa).
Amazon India for US Sellers at a Glance
Every row comes from a public Amazon page (data checked 2026-10-03).
| Item | What Amazon publishes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Account | “If you already sell on Amazon.com with a Professional selling account, create an India account.” | sell.amazon.com India page |
| New sellers | Create “a North America and Brazil unified account” first, then add India from the Sell Globally dashboard | sell.amazon.com India page |
| Plan fee | “$39.99/month + selling fees”; linked accounts pay the USD 39.99 equivalent or the sum of regional plan fees, “whichever is lower” | sell.amazon.com India page |
| FBA | Connect with a trade compliance consultant on the Service Provider Network first | sell.amazon.com India page |
| Why | Indian regulations “do not permit global entities to engage in direct B2C (business to customer) retail” | sell.amazon.in FBA landing page |
| FBM | You will be “prompted to select an Amazon-approved partner carrier and share your carrier contract ID” | sell.amazon.com India page |
| Imports | Amazon “will not serve as the importer of record or ultimate consignee” on imported freight | Amazon.in FBA FAQ |
| Language | Listings and customer support “be provided in English” | sell.amazon.in FBA landing page |
| Amazon.in fees | Referral fees “Starts at 0%”; closing fees “starts at ₹ 2”; 18% GST on all fees | sell.amazon.in fees and pricing |
| Market size | “375+ million” expected ecommerce users by 2029; “$247” average spend per customer in 2024 | sell.amazon.com India page |
Opening an Amazon India Seller Account From Amazon.com
Amazon’s India page gives two entry routes (data checked 2026-10-03):
- You already sell on Amazon.com with a Professional plan. Open the Sell Globally dashboard in Seller Central and create an India account.
- You are new to Amazon. Amazon says to “first create a North America and Brazil unified account. Then use your Sell Globally dashboard in Seller Central to create an India account.”
The India account carries its own plan fee. Amazon says “There are separate Professional selling plan fees for an India account and North America and Brazil unified account,” but if you link the accounts, you pay the USD 39.99 equivalent or the sum of the plan fees, “whichever is lower.” Individual-plan sellers upgrade first (Individual vs. Professional). The US-side documents and identity checks are covered in our seller registration walkthrough.
Once the India account exists, Amazon says Amazon.com sellers “can use the Build International Listings tool to cross-list your products in our India store.” The FAQ on Amazon.in’s FBA landing page adds that you can list “all your North American products and for any new products, but certain categories are restricted and require prior approval.” For payouts, the US page links to Amazon’s automatic currency conversion program; our Amazon Currency Converter guide lists INR among its supported currencies.
Why FBA in India Starts With a Trade Compliance Consultant
On most Amazon marketplaces, a US seller with a new account can create an inbound shipment and ship it. India adds a step before that. The US page names the step and says “Your consultant will help you complete setup for FBA in India,” but not why. The answer is in the FAQ on Amazon.in’s Sell in India with FBA page (data checked 2026-10-03):
“The Indian regulations do not permit global entities to engage in direct B2C (business to customer) retail. Amazon India team assists brands by connecting them with an Indian 3rd party company who help with listing their selection in the FBA model.”
The same page lays out the working model: “To become an FBA seller for IN marketplace, you need to connect with a 3rd party company. The third party company will check your business verification documents and products and help you guide on the listing. You would need to work with these service providers to maintain your inventory in Amazon FCs and sell in India.”
So the “consultant” is more than an advisor you call once: an Indian company checks your documents, guides the listing, and works with you to keep inventory in Amazon’s Indian fulfillment centers. Amazon.in names two alternatives “Outside of this model”:
- Setting up your own entity “in line with the FDI norms.”
- “partnering with a distributor/Amazon in an outright purchase model,” meaning you sell inventory to a distributor or to Amazon rather than selling to Indian shoppers yourself.
In the page’s six-step process, the consultant comes before FBA registration: “Complete FBA account registration with service provider assistance.”
Imports are on you. Amazon.in’s FBA FAQ says sellers shipping from overseas “will need to arrange the import and customs clearance of the shipment and then arrange for the delivery to our facility. We will not serve as the importer of record or ultimate consignee on any of your imported freight. We will not be responsible for any duties, taxes or other charges associated with the importation of your freight.” Settle who acts as importer of record before you book freight; our import tariffs and landed cost framework shows how to price duty into your margin.
Amazon.in also advertises “special incentives of up to $500 for products inbounded in the first 90 days of launch subject to T&Cs of the program.” Our Service Provider Network guide covers what Amazon checks before listing a provider.
FBM to India: What Amazon’s Two Sites Say
Amazon’s US India page offers a second route: “Ship orders to customers directly using a suite of solutions we call Fulfilled by Merchant. We offer a network of vetted providers for global shipping that offer discounted rates.” The carrier choice is not open. Under account setup, the same page says: “If you’re planning to ship orders to India-based customers directly using Fulfilled by Merchant services, you’ll be prompted to select an Amazon-approved partner carrier and share your carrier contract ID” (data checked 2026-10-03).
That gives you two things to sort out before you create the India account: which carriers are on Amazon’s approved list, and a contract with one of them. Amazon does not publish the list on the page. Its “vetted global shipping providers” link opens the US Service Provider Network page, so start there and ask each provider whether it is an approved partner carrier for India.
The two Amazon sites do not line up here. The Amazon.in FAQ that explains the consultant step answers a question about FBA, but its first sentence is general: global entities may not engage in direct B2C retail. Amazon has not published how that applies when a US company ships each order to an Indian buyer itself. Amazon.in’s domestic registration guide shows what the India-side system expects of a local seller: “GST registration is mandatory to sell products on online marketplaces like Amazon,” and, for Easy Ship, “the pickup address should be located in the state where the GST is registered.” A US seller has neither a GST number nor an Indian pickup address.
We would put the FBM question to a trade compliance consultant before listing, not after the first order. Ask who is the seller of record, who clears customs on each parcel, and who pays duty at delivery. The general FBM trade-offs are in FBA vs. FBM.
What Selling on Amazon.in Costs
Amazon.in prices its fees in rupees, and the fees and pricing page breaks them into four parts (data checked 2026-10-03):
| Fee | Amazon.in wording |
|---|---|
| Referral fee | “Starts at 0%, varies based on product category” |
| Closing fee | “starts at ₹ 2, Varies by product price range and fulfillment channel” |
| Weight handling fee | “starts at Rs. 37 per item shipped, varies by item volume & distance” |
| Other fees | “Based on program/service” |
Amazon.in states: “We will apply 18% (eighteen percent) GST to all fees displayed above.” The same page announces that “Due to an increase in logistics costs, we are updating our closing fees, effective September 7, 2026,” so model closing fees from the current schedule, not an older screenshot.
Referral fees often switch at a price threshold. Sample rows from the same page:
| Category | Referral fee |
|---|---|
| Fashion Jewellery | 0.00% up to ₹1,000; 22.50% above ₹1,000 |
| Laptops | 6.00% |
| Mobile phones | 5.00% |
| Tablets | 0.00% up to ₹300; 6.00% above ₹300 up to ₹12,000; 10.00% above ₹12,000 |
On top of these sits the $39.99 Professional fee on the US side, plus whatever your consultant or partner charges. Amazon does not publish those service fees; get quotes from at least two providers.
What the Official Guide Does Not Tell You
Amazon’s US India page is short, and several of its links lead to pages written for a different seller. We followed each one on 2026-10-03:
- The “taxes and regulations” and “India tax and regulatory considerations” links both open an Amazon.in export compliance dashboard. Its “Tax Requirements in India” section covers “GST Treatment on Export Sales” and the Letter of Undertaking, for goods leaving India. That is guidance for Indian exporters, not for US sellers bringing goods into India. Its companion link, “US tax and regulatory considerations,” does what it says and covers the US side.
- The “Service Provider Network” link in the FBA paragraph points to Amazon.in’s SPN with filters set to trade compliance providers in India (
sellFrom=IN,sellIn=IN). That is the right directory, but you may need to sign in to Amazon.in’s Seller Central to search it. - The B2C rule that explains the consultant step appears only in the Amazon.in FAQ, not on the US page.
- English only. Amazon.in says it “requires the listings and customer support (delivery and product related) be provided in English.”
None of this makes India closed to US sellers. It means the US page is a starting point, and the Amazon.in pages describe the real requirements.
This is also not the same program as FBA Export, which ships Amazon.com orders from US fulfillment centers to buyers abroad. Selling on Amazon.in means a separate account, rupee pricing, and inventory or shipments under Indian rules.
Step-by-Step Checklist
- Confirm a Professional plan on Amazon.com, or open a North America and Brazil unified account if you are new.
- Create the India account from the Sell Globally dashboard. If you plan to use FBM, have an Amazon-approved partner carrier and its contract ID ready.
- Contact two or more trade compliance consultants through Amazon.in’s Service Provider Network. Ask about the partner model, the importer of record, GST, and their fees.
- Choose your model: Indian partner company, your own FDI-compliant entity, or outright sale to a distributor or Amazon.
- Check category approval for each product before cross-listing.
- Cross-list with Build International Listings and review the English copy and rupee prices.
- Model fees with the Amazon.in schedule plus 18% GST, freight, duty and partner fees.
- Ship inventory, or start FBM only after the consultant has confirmed the setup.
For comparison, our guides to Amazon UAE and Amazon Australia show how other marketplaces handle foreign sellers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sell on Amazon India from the US?
Yes, through Amazon Global Selling. Amazon’s India page tells Amazon.com Professional sellers to “create an India account” from the Sell Globally dashboard (data checked 2026-10-03). For FBA, you first connect with a trade compliance consultant on the Service Provider Network.
Why does Amazon India FBA require a consultant?
The FAQ on Amazon.in’s Sell in India with FBA page says “The Indian regulations do not permit global entities to engage in direct B2C (business to customer) retail,” so Amazon connects international brands with an Indian third-party company that helps list and manage their FBA selection (data checked 2026-10-03).
Do I need a GST number to sell on Amazon.in?
Amazon.in’s registration guide, written for Indian sellers, says “GST registration is mandatory to sell products on online marketplaces like Amazon.” The exception: “You can only sell GST-exempt products without a GST number by providing PAN details” (data checked 2026-10-03). For a US company, GST depends on the partner model your consultant arranges.
Does Amazon act as importer of record for India FBA?
No. Amazon.in’s FBA FAQ says “We will not serve as the importer of record or ultimate consignee on any of your imported freight” and that Amazon will not pay import duties or taxes (data checked 2026-10-03).
The Bottom Line
A US seller can add an Amazon.in account in a few clicks from the Sell Globally dashboard. Selling through FBA is the hard part. Indian rules bar global entities from direct B2C retail, so FBA runs through an Indian partner company found on Amazon.in’s Service Provider Network, your own FDI-compliant entity, or an outright sale to a distributor or Amazon. Amazon will not import your goods. FBM is offered on the US page and requires an Amazon-approved partner carrier, but Amazon has not explained how the B2C rule applies to it, so ask the consultant first. Budget for Amazon.in’s rupee fees plus 18% GST before you ship.