NEW: How Much Do Amazon Sellers Make? [2026 Data]
Many new entrepreneurs ask the same thing: how much do Amazon sellers really earn? It’s a fair question, and the honest answer is that the range is enormous.
Some sellers never move past a few hundred dollars a month. Others run businesses turning over millions. What separates them is usually product choice, marketing and the hours they put in.
This article pulls together what the survey data says about seller earnings, where those numbers come from, and what they can and can’t tell you about your own situation.
One thing to be clear about before we start: every figure below describes other sellers. None of it is a projection of what you will earn. But what does it take to start selling on Amazon and ensure profitability this year?
Most of the figures below come from Jungle Scout’s State of the Amazon Seller report, an annual survey of thousands of sellers. Where a number appears without a source, it’s from that report.
According to it, 49% of new Amazon sellers want to be their own boss, and 38% are seeking extra income. Those motivations matter, because someone building a side project runs their store differently from someone replacing a full-time income.
Let’s look at what the numbers actually show.
Why Amazon is the preferred destination for online sellers
Amazon puts your listings in front of an audience most standalone stores can’t reach on their own. Amazon makes it easy to get started with its user-friendly interface and simple registration process.
You can list your products and reach potential customers almost immediately. Plus, Amazon Seller Central provides tools to manage your listings, inventory, and orders seamlessly.
A remarkable 89% of US buyers prefer shopping on Amazon over other ecommerce sites.
Amazon boasts over 300 million active users.
Amazon also converts better than most standalone stores, because visitors arrive already intending to buy. Its search algorithm is built around that intent.
Additionally, Amazon fosters a supportive community of sellers eager to share knowledge and tips. That community is often the most useful resource a new seller has. Together, these are the reasons sellers give for choosing Amazon over building an audience from scratch.
Here’s how much an Amazon seller makes
Seller earnings spread across a very wide range, and the survey data shows that clearly.
Here are some intriguing Amazon sales figures to consider:
- About half of Amazon store owners report monthly sales between $1,000 and $25,000 – roughly $12,000 to $300,000 a year.
- Another 13% report between $25,000 and $250,000 a month.
- At the other end, 22% of sellers report less than $500 a month, and 3% don’t know what their monthly sales are.
Two things are worth noting. These are sales, not profit – what a seller keeps after Amazon fees, product costs and advertising is a different and much smaller number. And they’re self-reported by sellers who chose to answer a survey, which skews toward more active businesses.
The spread is the point: there’s no single answer to what an Amazon seller makes.
Figures cited describe other sellers and come from third-party survey data. They are not a projection of results for any individual. AliDropship does not guarantee any level of sales or income – outcomes depend on the products you choose, your marketing, and the time you put in.
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The profit potential for Amazon sellers
14% of Amazon sellers achieve lifetime profits of over $100,000
Starting an Amazon business? Sales are exciting, but profit is what really matters. Here’s why focusing on profits can help you succeed.
Why profits matter: Profits show how much money you’re actually making after all expenses. Understanding this helps you make better decisions to improve your business.
What margins look like: Around 65% of sellers report profit margins above 10%, and 32% report margins above 20%.
Not everyone is profitable: Not all sellers are profitable right away. About 8% are still working on it. Profit margins can change based on sales and expenses, so it’s important to keep track.
These are lifetime figures: These numbers come from sellers’ total lifetime profits on Amazon. They cover a seller’s whole time on the platform, not a first year – worth keeping in mind when comparing them to your own start.
AliDropship sellers: Two stories
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“It’s been a really exciting journey for me, for sure”
Veronice, a mother of three, came to AliDropship looking for something she could run alongside her family. She picked it because setup was simple and it cost little to start.
She works from home and fits the store around her schedule rather than the other way round — which, she says, was the whole point.
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“I knew nothing when I started”
Martin, from Denmark, launched his store during the pandemic, selling home exercise equipment and sporting goods — a niche he picked out of personal interest. He had no ecommerce background at all.
Learning new skills. Along the way he picked up digital marketing, social media and site management, areas he’d had little exposure to before. He says it added a dimension to his sales career and connected him with other people working in ecommerce.
What’s next. Martin has set himself a target of $10,000 in monthly profit and plans to open more stores. To expand onto Amazon, he added an AliDropship Turnkey Amazon business.
Figures cited describe other sellers and come from third-party survey data. They are not a projection of results for any individual. AliDropship does not guarantee any level of sales or income – outcomes depend on the products you choose, your marketing, and the time you put in.
How quickly can you start seeing profits from selling on Amazon?
How long it takes to turn a profit varies a lot. In the survey, 64% of sellers said they were profitable within their first year, with 21% reaching profit within three months, another 24% within 3 to 6 months, and 19% within 6 months to a year. Additionally, 11% achieved profitability between 1 to 2 years after starting.
The survey doesn’t capture sellers who stopped before reaching profit at all, so the real spread is likely wider than these numbers suggest.
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What is the initial investment required to start selling on Amazon?
One of the biggest concerns for new Amazon sellers is the perceived high cost of starting out. However, it’s essential to understand that investment doesn’t always mean just money — it can also involve time, essential data for informed decisions, or simply a strong determination to succeed.
Statistics reveal that nearly one-third (32%) of Amazon store owners launched their businesses with less than $1,000. The majority of sellers (69%) started with less than $5,000.
Here’s a breakdown of the costs:
- 17% spent less than $500
- 15% spent between $500 and $1,000
- 19% invested between $1,001 and $2,500
- Another 19% spent between $2,501 and $5,000
- 16% invested between $5,001 and $10,000
- 13% spent over $10,000
When starting an Amazon business, you might wonder where these funds are allocated. Initial costs typically cover product sourcing (including samples), Amazon fees, and promotional expenses. Detailed information on these startup costs can be found here.
The next question often concerns funding sources. Most sellers (82%) bootstrap, financing the business from personal funds. A smaller share take loans from banks, family or other sources.
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How much time investment is required to begin selling on Amazon?
Starting an Amazon business doesn’t have to consume all your time!
A significant majority of sellers (64%) spend fewer than 20 hours/week on their business. 16% spend less than 4 hours weekly.
The best part? You don’t have to wait indefinitely to launch your business. Most sellers (78%) were able to start their ventures within 6 months. Initially, you’ll likely invest more time to establish your business and find profitable products. Once a niche is set and products are selling, the work usually shifts from setup to maintaining listings and running promotions.
What new sellers report earning
New sellers in the survey reported an average of $11,671 in monthly sales – about $140,000 a year.
Applying the average reported margin of 21%, that works out to roughly $2,451 a month, or around $29,400 a year in profit. Among the 29% of sellers with margins of 21% or higher, monthly profit can run into five figures.
Averages hide a lot here. The same survey includes a small number of new sellers reporting upwards of $250,000 a month, and those outliers pull the average well above what a typical new seller sees.
The median would be more useful, but the survey reports the mean.
Figures cited describe other sellers and come from third-party survey data. They are not a projection of results for any individual. AliDropship does not guarantee any level of sales or income – outcomes depend on the products you choose, your marketing, and the time you put in.
Tips from top-performing Amazon sellers for a successful 2026
With the right knowledge, you can be on your way to success too. So, what can you learn from the top-performing Amazon sellers? Here are the key things to keep in mind:
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Some sellers move quickly
Around 45% of sellers reported turning a profit within six months, and 21% within three. A good share of them spend under 10 hours a week on the business. Speed isn’t guaranteed, but it isn’t unusual either.
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Most sellers say it takes real work
Sixty percent of sellers say success on Amazon takes sustained effort.
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Amazon stores on the rise
Many Amazon stores continue to grow, with 45% planning to introduce new products in the next year.
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Where Amazon fits
For most sellers Amazon works as one channel among several, rather than the whole business.
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Access the right resources and tools
Sellers consistently name the same two factors: time to commit, and access to reliable information and tools. Neither guarantees anything, but their absence is the most common reason stores stall.
Start selling on Amazon with AliDropship
AliDropship gives you a ready-made dropshipping store plus the Amazon Business Package – the setup side of everything described above, at no cost to start.
With AliDropship, you get:
- A ready-made dropshipping store, set up for you
- An import file to list your products on Amazon
- Access to a catalog of Amazon best-sellers
- 24/7 customer support
AliDropship exists to take the setup work off your plate – the store, the listings, the order processing – so the part you spend time on is selling.
If you’ve read this far, you’ve got a realistic picture of what selling on Amazon involves — the range, the timelines, the effort. The setup is the part we can hand you. Start with a free store and the Amazon Business Package.
Get Started
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