2026-06-11 · 7 min read
Amazon Individual vs Professional Selling Plan: Which Should You Choose
The difference between Amazon's Individual ($0.99/item) and Professional ($39.99/month) selling plans, including which features each unlocks and when to upgrade.
Amazon offers two selling plans when you create a seller account. The Individual plan charges $0.99 per item sold and has no monthly fee. The Professional plan charges $39.99 per month and eliminates the per-item fee. At 40 sales per month, both plans cost the same. Above 40 sales per month, Professional is always cheaper.
But the decision is not only about fee math. The two plans have significant feature differences that affect what you can actually do on Amazon.
Features available only on Professional
Access to Sponsored Products advertising. You cannot run PPC campaigns on an Individual account. If you want to launch a product and drive traffic to it from day one, you need Professional.
Bulk listing tools. Individual accounts can only create listings one at a time. Professional accounts can upload flat files with thousands of listings at once and use the inventory file upload and feeds for bulk updates.
Third-party integrations. Most repricing tools, inventory management software, and shipping apps require a Professional account. Individual accounts have a much more limited API access.
Sales in gated categories. Some categories (Toys and Games during Q4, Jewelry, Grocery, Health and Beauty) require Professional account status as a baseline requirement before you can even apply for category approval.
Custom shipping rates. Individual accounts use Amazon's default shipping rate table. Professional accounts can set custom shipping rates by product type, weight, or order size.
Buy Box eligibility. While Amazon has made efforts to extend Buy Box eligibility to Individual sellers, in practice Professional accounts win the Buy Box more consistently. This matters significantly for reselling products where multiple sellers share a listing.
Promotions and coupons. Creating digital coupons, Lightning Deals, and percent-off promotions requires a Professional account.
What Individual accounts can do
Create product listings on existing ASINs. Individual sellers can still join listings for products already on Amazon. You cannot create new listings for products that do not yet have an Amazon catalog entry, but you can sell on any existing ASIN where you have the right to sell.
Use FBA. Both plans allow FBA enrollment. You can send inventory to Amazon fulfillment centers and use Prime shipping with an Individual account.
Access basic reporting. Individual accounts have access to Sales reports and some inventory tools, though the reporting is significantly more limited than Professional.
When to start with Individual
If you are testing whether Amazon selling is right for you, starting with fewer than 40 units, and not ready to run advertising. Individual removes the monthly commitment. You pay only when you sell. It is the right plan for: selling off personal items you no longer need, testing product viability with small quantities before a full launch, or evaluating the FBA process with a pilot shipment before building out a full operation.
When to switch to Professional immediately
If any of the following apply: you plan to run Sponsored Products ads, you are listing multiple new products, you want to sell in gated categories, or you know you will sell more than 40 units per month. For any real Amazon business intention, start with Professional. The $39.99 monthly fee is a business cost, not a barrier.
Switching plans
You can switch between Individual and Professional at any time from your account settings. Downgrading from Professional to Individual does not affect your existing listings, FBA inventory, or order history. You lose access to the Professional features until you upgrade again. There is no penalty for switching.