Amazon FBA Listing Transfers vs. Account Transfers
Updated on May 6, 2020
Congratulations!
You are now either the proud owner of a new Amazon FBA business or have just sold your FBA asset on our newly redesigned marketplace.
Now that the deal is complete, the process to migrate the asset to the new owner begins. This is where things can get a bit tricky with Amazon FBA businesses.
Because this business model revolves around selling physical inventory, the migration process for Amazon FBA is a bit more complex than, say, a content site.
When migrating a content site, updating the account details and any affiliate or advertising links is usually a large portion of the work required to transfer it to a new owner. Amazon FBA, on the other hand, has a few more hoops to jump through before you can be sure that everything is complete.
When it comes to having our migration team exchange ownership of any Amazon FBA asset from seller to buyer, it is helpful to have an informed idea of what this entire process consists of.
What is the Amazon FBA Migration Process?
The migration of any Amazon FBA business starts the same day it is sold.
Once we have received the funds from the buyer for the business, we take the listing off the marketplace and notify our migrations team that they can start their work.
The entire process for migrating an Amazon FBA business can take anywhere from 4–12 weeks, depending on whether the asset will require a listing transfer or an account migration. This process can also take less time, depending on how prepared both the buyer and seller are for this part of the deal.
So, let’s find out just how long you can expect each process to take, what each method requires on both the buyer’s and seller’s part, and how you can be better prepared for this leg of the journey.
Amazon Account Migration
We will begin with the less complicated method for migrating an Amazon FBA business to a new owner, and that is with a complete Seller Central account acquisition.
In an account migration, the process will usually take about 4–8 weeks depending on the size of the business, and it requires less work compared to a listing transfer. Every Amazon FBA business will be different depending on the structure and backend setup the seller has decided to build their empire on, but a few basic steps will be followed for most assets that fall within these two different FBA acquisition methods.
To make it easier for you to come back to this article during the migration process, we have decided to outline this process for you as a list of key events that will usually take place in the following order during the migration period:
1. Notify Amazon using Our Script
When you begin the migration process for any Amazon FBA asset, both the buyer and seller will need to inform Amazon of the impending changes to their accounts.
If the buyer has an existing Amazon account, they will need to inform Amazon they would like to open a new account using a script we provide. If the buyer is new to Amazon, though, no further action is needed from them at this time.
The seller will need to inform Amazon that they will be making changes to their account as well by using a script that we provide which is meant to cover these changes based on what has been accepted in the past.
2. Changing the Account Details
Once Amazon has approved the seller’s request to make these account changes, the seller will update their Amazon Seller Central account to include the buyer’s information, including the following:
- Email account
- Phone number
- Bank account details
- Credit card
- Legal entity & Employer Identification Number (EIN or full name and SSN)
- Secondary phone number or authentication app
Recently, the process of obtaining secondary account approval has become much easier. At one time, Amazon required secondary account approval for buyers who already had an FBA account. Now, Amazon does not require this secondary account approval as long as the buyer uses a different legal entity than that on the older account. Both the buyer and seller will also need to inform Amazon before making these changes, so keep that in mind.
Tip: To speed up the entire process, have a legal entity and bank account (that is not already linked to an Amazon account) ready to be used for the buyer’s new account.
3. Digital Asset Transfer
After you have started changing the account details to those of the new owner, you will begin the process of transferring any other digital assets (business software accounts, subscriptions, etc.).
Social media accounts, email and push notification lists, and trademarks can all be transferred over to the buyer at this time. Keep in mind that transferring a US trademark will usually take about 60 days to be finalized; however, the receipt once the seller completes the application will be sufficient to continue the process.
After these steps are completed, the buyer has full ownership of the account and its assets, concluding the migration process.
Amazon Listing Transfer
If the seller can’t include their account with the business, or the account doesn’t meet the requirements to be eligible for an account migration, we will need to perform what is known as an Amazon listing transfer.
This process can take anywhere from 8–12 weeks, as it requires a few more steps than a simple account migration. Listing transfers include additional steps, as will be discussed, and due to the time required to complete each step, this method will usually take the longest to complete.
Having a better understanding of what is required from both the buyer and the seller during a listing transfer will help move the needle in a timely manner.
[Steps for Amazon Listing Transfer remain unchanged.]
Key Differences Between Each Method and Takeaways
Whether you are acquiring an Amazon FBA Seller Central account or performing an Amazon listing transfer, the opportunities within this business model are endless.
The key to building a successful Amazon FBA business will lie in finding a great quality evergreen niche product in a growing market, with minimal competition, above-average margins, and a well-optimized business backend with minimal effort required to maintain it.
With an Amazon Seller Central account migration you save time, as the process to perform this method is far less labor intensive when you compare the overall requirements to complete it to a listing transfer, where you will need to create a new account and enter the ASIN and PPC details for each product manually.
Whichever method you happen to be performing during your Amazon FBA business acquisition, we know the process will be smooth for you, as we have a dedicated team of migration analysts in place to ensure this outcome for you.
If you are ready to begin the next leg of your digital journey to successfully own your own Amazon FBA business, it all starts with setting up a buyer’s call with one of our business analysts to get you on your way to gaining that profitable exit you’ve always planned on.
