What is Vendor Central (VC)? Vendor Central (VC) Review

Vendor Central (VC) is a platform launched by Amazon for suppliers. VC is invitation-based, which means that you will only be invited to register if Amazon takes a fancy to your product.

Entry requirements

1. VC accounts are invitation-only.

2. Amazon will only recruit investors when it needs to expand its product categories.

3. Monthly turnover must exceed 1 million US dollars.

Main Features

1. Listing

VC accounts can add three category nodes to their listings, while ordinary sellers can only add one node, which is equivalent to adding several more product entries for their products.

2. In-site advertising

There are three types of on-site advertising on Amazon. SC accounts without brand registration can only set up Sponsored CPC ads, while VC accounts can choose CPC, HSA, PDA and other advertising styles to increase product exposure.

3. Flash sale

In terms of flash sales, ordinary accounts need to pay different flash sales fees to Amazon based on different types and different flash sales periods, while VC accounts can apply to participate in various flash sales LD, BD and DOTD for free. However, LD has recently started charging VC sellers. Please consult Amazon for specific fees.

4. Zero Fees

There is no fee for sellers to join the VC program, no monthly store rent, and no VAT tax for European stores.

5. Delivery time is prioritized

Amazon Prime members get free two-day shipping, free shipping on orders over $35, and Amazon's 24-hour customer service and customer returns.

6. Amazon Pricing

The product prices of VC accounts are automatically adjusted by Amazon based on market data, so the profit margin of a single product may not be as high as that of SC products, and the collection period is relatively long, about 60 days, which requires sellers to have sufficient funds to ensure the normal operation of the account. There are also other additional charges for VC accounts, such as Co-Op Fee, and the sellers can only see the specific details of these charges after receiving the bill.

7. Registration conditions

Amazon US site needs to complete brand registration, but European site does not. Whether the application is approved depends on brand awareness and the performance of the 3pseller account.

Advantages

1. VC accounts can obtain sales data of various products on the platform, namely ARA data, product sales, purchase keywords, additional purchase keywords, etc., which are hyped by many intermediaries. It is very helpful to plan your own operation and promotion plan through these data. From the perspective of big data analysis, this is indeed a precious sales data.

2. VC accounts can follow other sellers’ products and have editing privileges after following other sellers, and can modify the listings at will. But at the same time, many times, your listings are inexplicably changed by others, which may be caused by VC accounts following other sellers’ products.

Pricing Standards

Vendor Central pricing and economics are largely based on wholesale costs and are controlled by Amazon.

Feature Comparison

The VC system integrates EDI (Electronic data interchange) functions, and users can also configure and connect to their own corporate EDI directly in the system. In addition to the complete management functions, suppliers can also use the rich promotion tools in the system by themselves: the Merchandising module integrates high-authority promotions such as Coupons, Promotions, Amazon Vine, A+ Detail Pages, Business Pricing Discounts, etc. These functions are unmatched by Seller Central or Vendor Express.