Selling Supplements on Amazon UK
Selling food supplements on Amazon UK
appears to be gaining in popularity.
There is no shortage of sellers attempting
to access this niche.
Many sellers are asking whether this is a good niche in which
to sell and what the best way is to get into
selling food supplements using FBA on Amazon.
Sales of Supplements are Soaring
The Covid-19 pandemic has seen sales of supplements
soar on Amazon this year.
It’s not surprising then that sellers have become increasingly
interested in getting in on the deal.
Food supplements are flying off the shelves
as people try to give their health and immune systems a boost.
It has got to the point where manufacturers
are battling to keep up with the demand.
It would be good if people continued to
take their health more seriously when we get to the other side
of this pandemic. Hopefully our brush with ill-health will leave us much
more aware of the need to stay healthy and keep in good shape.
After all this virus has been far harsher for people with
co-morbidities such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.
This should have highlighted for everyone the need to stay in shape.
It should come as no surprise that the US has had
such a hard time with the virus.
This is the most overweight society in the western world.
36% of the population has a body mass index of 30 or more obese in other words.
In 2019 the estimate of overweight people
in the US was around 70%. That means
that 7 out of 10 people are at greater risk
if they catch Covid-19.
All that extra weight is the main cause behind diabetes 2, high blood pressure
and a host of other health problems.
Perhaps the virus has happened to teach us to take our health
more seriously. We can’t keep loading on the fat,
or over eating on unhealthy sugary foods.
Supplements may be the answer to ensuring
that we get all the nutrients our
bodies require to stay fit and healthy.
I have experience as a user of food supplements. I have also helped sellers
to promote their products on Amazon UK
while staying within the tough safety
parameters that Amazon sets for this kind of product.
The Supplement Industry is Enormous
At 100 billion dollars globally, the supplement industry
is massive and the market
continues to grow. While this is a lucrative market,
getting certification is not easy.
Without certification you simply won’t get
an Amazon listing for your product.
It is also true that the supplements niche is one of the
most competitive markets on
Amazon. When you decide to sell in this market
you’ll come up against some long-
established players with many reviews, making it difficult to compete.
Because of the number of competitors there is less brand loyalty
among buyers, so you may make a big investment
and your customers may deviate to other sellers.
The click price for some of these products is also
sometimes very high, so it
becomes more difficult to make a profit.
That being said, if you really want to get into the market,
you can make it profitable, but you must have a plan.
The best way to succeed in this market
is to open your own online shop using Shopify,
optimise your SEO, use social media to
reach out to potential customers. Retarget your customers
using email campaigns.
You can continue to sell your product on Amazon
at the same time for the same
price. This ensures that you market your business
through a number of channels so
that you have more reach and a better chance of growing your business and
making a profit.
Margin Business has been helping customers
to make it big on Amazon for years. We have
all the expertise you require
to make your product succeed. We also know the
requirements for entering Europe with safety critical products like food.
Document requirements for selling
It is Amazon’s task to ensure that the products
that you offer to customers is of the
highest quality. For this reason, the organisation insists
that sellers provide proof
of compliance with regulations and government certifications.
Below is a list of documents that you may have
to supply before you’ll be permitted
to list your products on Amazon.
The requirements may differ depending
on which products you plan to sell and
where you plan to sell them. Different EU countries
apply different rules.
Documents that you may have to produce:
- Certificates
- Invoices
- Declarations
- Pictures of the product packaging
- Post office receipt subject to exceptions
Details of these documents appear below:
DOCUMENTS
(including for different EU countries)
🚀AECOSAN Notification — Before you can sell
food supplements in Spain you must inform the AECOSAN.
Proof of payment of the notification fee
to the manufacturer of first importer is sufficient proof.
Details:
http://www.aecosan.msssi.gob.es/
AECOSAN/web/seguridad_alimentaria/
subseccion/buscadores.htm
🚀 BVL Declaration Validation document (Germany) — Issued by
the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety
(Das Bundesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit – BVL)
the BVL serves as confirmation of notification about the product,
such as food supplements.
This is the only document that can serve as notification.
For details, visit:
https://www.bvl.bund.de/DE/
Home/homepage_node.html
🚀 German Certificate of Free Sale Validation — Issued by the German authorities,
this form serves as confirmation that the formulation and labelling of the
food supplement complies with the legislation.
For more details, visit the official German register of experts
and find ‘Nahrungsergänzungsmittel’.
🚀 German Lab Certificate — Issued by an EU approved authority,
this form confirms that the food supplement formulation of the food complies
with the legislation for sale in Germany.
To find approved Labs, visit the official EU website.
🚀 Food Product Declaration — Issued by AECOSAN, this form is required to sell
certain food products, such as infant formula, in Spain.
🚀 Invoice — The invoice serves as proof that product has been transferred
from the manufacturer or distributor to a reseller.
Amazon confirm the validity of the invoices with the suppliers.
🚀 Product Packaging Picture — Amazon will not accept computer generated images
or mock ups of packaging. They need a full set of packaging pictures
of the product or packaging to ensure
that it complies with EU labelling requirements.
🚀 Product Registration Validation or Teleicare Registration — The validation document
indicates that the seller or manufacturer has registered to sell
food products, including supplements in France.
For details, visit:
https://teleicare.dgccrf.finances.gouv.fr/
Home/SearchCA
🚀 Documents that will not be accepted as invoices:
- Proforma invoice – a pro-forma is an estimate of cost sent
before shipment and isn’t accepted. - Purchase or Sales Order
- Receipt or Order Confirmation
- Exceptions Clause – Amazon will accept Post Office receipts which show
the postmark that a declaration was received in the mail.
For more information about selling products
with selling restrictions, refer to Selling Restrictions on Safety Risk Products.
In conclusion
The advantages of entering the Supplements
UK market outweigh the disadvantages.
As long as you do your homework and understand
the environment along with its risks and benefits you can quickly
grow your business in an setting
that is a lot less competitive than the US online markets.
Once you have provided Amazon with all required documents above,
your documents will be verified and then
you’ll be able to sell dietary supplements on Amazon!
Overall, this process will take about 3-4 weeks. Enjoy your new category!
Once you are in, do not hesitate to contact us.
We will be happy to give you our best
pro tips and advices to rock your sales
with stunning pictures, graphics and listing copy!