The Ultimate Guide to selling shoes on Amazon FBA

If selling shoes is an avenue you want to explore for your Amazon FBA business, there are some important things you need to consider first. Whether this is deciding the type or style of shoe you want to sell, or whether you want to break into popular categories like branded sneakers, it’s important that you know your market first.

In this guide, the online arbitrage experts at SourceMogul have put some excellent advice that tells you everything you need to know about starting to sell in this lucrative category.

Why sell shoes on Amazon?

Footwear of all types is a really popular category on Amazon. Amazon has thousands of different styles, colors and sizes of shoes for sale – and customers can also be sure that they’ll get excellent customer service and are covered by Amazon’s easy to manage returns process should they need to return their purchase.

This incredible choice of product combined with hassle-free returns, means customers have more options available to them when shopping than they would from visiting a bricks and mortar shoe store. This often makes Amazon the first place they will look when trying to find the perfect pair of shoes.

From a sellers perspective, footwear is a great category to sell because shoes are needed by consumers all year round, so if you can find the right type of shoe to sell, you don’t need to worry about spiky seasonal sales and can be pretty sure of consistent revenue all year round.

How to choose the right shoes to sell on Amazon

As with most products the key to success when selling any type of footwear on Amazon is to do some thorough research. It’s really important that you have a good understanding of what is already available on Amazon first. Below we’ve put together some top tips on what you should look for.

Market research

The first thing you should do before selling shoes on Amazon is to do some thorough market research to identify popular shoe categories and trends. One of the best places to start when doing this is by taking a look at Amazon’s Best Sellers or Trending Products lists.

By filtering down to the footwear category in either of these lists, you should get a good idea of what is already selling well and any potential niches that aren’t covered by other sellers.

Ideally you should be aiming to find the balance between footwear that is popular enough to sell, without appearing against a huge array of other sellers. Consider selling shoes in a specific niche or category, such as sports shoes, formal footwear, or eco-friendly footwear. This type of niche product can help you stand out in a crowded marketplace.

You should also carefully consider the sizing of your shoes before purchasing your inventory. It’s a good idea to do some research about the most popular sizes of shoes. For example the average size shoe in the US for a woman is 9, whilst for men it’s 10-11. You are more likely to sell shoes in this range because these will be the most common sizes potential customers are looking for, but you will also face greater competition.

However, if you happen to see that there is a niche for size 6 womens formal shoes, where there aren’t many other sellers, you might want to consider trying to try selling some products in this category.

Although research can be time consuming there are ways you can make your life easier during this crucial stage. Using a product sourcing tool such as SourceMogul can be a great way of identifying profitable products to sell on Amazon.

SourceMogul allows you to search for similar products that are already for sale on Amazon and identify useful sales information, which can help you more effectively discover the profitability of your chosen footwear. We’re offering a free 7 day trial of SourceMogul which you can access at the link below.

Sourcing your stock

If you’re arbitraging shoes on Amazon you’ll want to look at sourcing your products from online retailers. This can be an excellent way to source your chosen shoes, especially if you can pick up desirable footwear at a discounted price in a clearance sale.

Some of the bigger retailers such as Target and Costco will often have sizable discounts available on footwear, clothing and accessories, so they should always be considered when considering where to buy your inventory.

There are a couple of downsides to this model. Firstly, you’re always going to be restricted to the quantity of product you can buy and will be reliant on how much of each line your chosen retailer has for sale. This can make it difficult to maintain consistent stock levels.

You will also find that the reason some footwear appear in clearance sections or at a cheaper price through major retailers is that they are less popular sizes and colors, and the retailers themselves have had trouble selling them. This might mean you also struggle to move them on.

An alternative to this is that FBA sellers turn to wholesaling to get hold of stock. Doing this means you can often find shoes which you can buy in bulk for a discounted price and still maintain a consistent supply of your chosen product. In fact to sell certain types of footwear, including branded footwear, you have to use a reputable wholesale supplier. We cover this in a bit more detail later in this article.

Avoid high-risk footwear.

What do we mean by this? High-risk footwear is anything that is likely to generate you a higher number of returns, and by this we’re really talking about products that can easily be damaged or products that people are likely to use once and then return. Having a high number of returns can have a big impact on your overall seller rating, so this should be avoided at all costs.

As with most products you’re going to sell on Amazon, you need to make sure that your product is durable enough that it won’t be easily damaged or broken during shipping and handling. This is even more important with footwear, as customers are more likely to return shoes if they show signs of minor damage or wear, than they would with other types of product. So it’s important that the footwear you decide to sell is able to stand up to the occasional knock or bump without getting damaged.

Footwear such as sandals and flip-flops can also be a high risk item by their nature. This type of shoe is more susceptible to breaking during day-to-day use and if this happens within Amazon’s 30-day return period, you’re likely to see a higher number of returns.

Another type of high-risk footwear are shoes that are likely to be worn once and then returned. It’s an unfortunate fact that because Amazon has such a flexible returns process, some customers are inclined to abuse it – particularly with dress footwear. If a customer needs a pair of shoes for one event, and are unlikely to need them again, it’s possible they’ll wear them once and then return them.

Where possible you should avoid selling high-risk footwear and stick to more durable day-to-day shoes. It’s important to remember that not only do returns hurt your seller rating, they also cost you money, so think carefully about your product.

Consider seasonality

Although most types of footwear can be used all year round, there are obviously other types which are more suited to certain seasons. For example sandals or winter boots. It’s important to consider this when deciding which type of footwear you intend to sell. For example, when you start your initial research into popular categories, you’re more likely to see sandals trending if it’s summer.

Due to this, it’s really important that you try and look at historical sales of the product through your seller central account to see what the sale rate of that particular product is over a longer period. You ideally want to find shoes that consistently sell well all year round.

That being said, there is nothing stopping you from having seasonal items included in your range, you just have to consider the implications of storing those items if they don’t sell.

Consider selling footwear from gated categories.

Selling branded footwear such as sneakers or sports shoes from brands like Nike can be a profitable way to sell shoes on Amazon. For a start they can be much easier to sell because customers already know of the product or brand, meaning half of the work merchandising your products has already been done.

The other benefit to selling branded footwear on Amazon is that you will need to work with a recognized wholesaler to source your products. This means you can often find the products you want to sell at a much lower price, than you would by sourcing your products in other ways such as online arbitrage.

Obviously selling branded shoes from gated categories does require a little more effort from you before you can start selling your chosen footwear, however it’s definitely worth it. Let’s take a look at how you do this next.

How to sell branded footwear on Amazon.

If you’ve decided that you want to venture into the profitable world of selling branded footwear on Amazon, it’s not just as easy as choosing your brand, buying your inventory and listing it for sale. There’s a few steps you need to go through first.

Unlike other types of footwear, there are more stringent rules about how you can source your products when selling branded shoes. In order to maintain brand consistency and to prevent the risk of counterfeit products from being sold, many brands will require that you source their products from a reputable wholesaler.

Once you’ve decided on the type of branded shoe you want to sell, you’ll have to find a wholesaler that sells that product. One of the easiest ways of doing this is through a quick search on Google, which should provide you with a list of wholesalers. You can then approach these wholesalers directly, to find out useful information such as unit pricing and if there is a MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) of that product that you need to order.

The next thing you need to do is apply to sell that product on Amazon. To do this you need to go through the following steps:

• Log in to your seller central account, click “Inventory”, and select “Add A Product”.
• Search for the shoe brand you want to get ungated in.
  Find the shoe SKU from the search results.
• Click on the “Listing Limitations Apply” button across from the item.
• Click on the “Request Approval” button to begin the process.

In most cases, to access a gated category, you will need to show Amazon that you have purchased at least 10 units of one product from a reputable wholesaler before they will let you sell that product. You will need to prove this by providing Amazon with an invoice.

Providing you have a healthy seller account, with a low amount of returns and a good sales history, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting approval to sell in gated footwear categories.

We’ve also written a guide on how to get ungated on Amazon, which is well worth reading before you attempt to start selling any types of gated product.

The final thing to consider when selling branded goods on Amazon is to avoid counterfeit goods at all costs. You can proactively prevent selling counterfeit goods by avoiding suppliers from China. Although many wholesalers located in China may state that the goods they are offering are genuine, in most cases they are cheaper reproductions that don’t carry the same quality and standards as the real products.

If you are caught selling counterfeit goods on Amazon, it’s likely that you will have your seller account suspended or closed meaning you will be unable to run your Amazon FBA business. So even if you think you might be able to make a larger profit margin selling counterfeit goods, it’s really not worth the risk.

Top tips for selling shoes on Amazon

Once you’ve got a better understanding of how to choose the right type of shoe to sell for your business and you’ve selected your chosen footwear, you can get to the important business of selling. Here’s some top tips compiled by our experts to make sure you can keep those sales rolling in.

Provide sizing guides.

Pay attention to sizing and fit details on the shoes you’re selling and if possible provide an sizing guide. Accurate size charts and clear sizing descriptions can help to increase overall sales, reduce return rates, and improve customer satisfaction.

Include a variety of product images.

Use high-quality images to showcase the shoes you’re selling from different angles and in different circumstances. If possible, use pictures of the footwear being used alongside suitable clothing, this will help customers visualise how they might be able to wear the shoes themselves in a real life situation, which in turn will make them more likely to purchase from you.

Provide detailed product information.

You should try and make your product information as detailed as possible. Include relevant information such as the materials the footwear is made of, any features, such as how they’re fastened, and any special care instructions needed to keep the shoes in their best condition. Including this type of information will make a sale more likely and will also minimize the chance of returns.

Nurture customer reviews.

Encourage positive reviews by delivering high-quality products and exceptional customer service. If a customer asks a question about your footwear, you should try and answer it as soon as possible. Not only will this make them more likely to purchase from you, but it will also give you a better chance of getting positive reviews from your customers.

Practise good inventory management.

Once you start selling your shoe lines, it’s really important that you maintain adequate stock levels to prevent you running of popular sizes and colors. You should ensure you monitor your inventory and the sales tools and reports found in your seller central account. This will help you to predict demand and ensure that you’ve always got a steady supply of inventory going into your FBA warehouse.

Wrapping things up.

Selling shoes and footwear on Amazon, can be a profitable avenue to explore when running your own Amazon FBA business, but as with all types of products, it’s really important that you do thorough research before investing in any stock.

Make sure you understand the types of footwear you’re likely to be able to sell, avoid selling lines which can become easily damaged in transit, avoid selling shoes that are likely to be used once and then returned, and try to sell within gated categories if you can.

Once you’ve started selling it’s important that you merchandise and optimize your listing properly, by including accurate product information and images, and making sure you keep an adequate stock of popular lines.

If you follow the advice in this article, you’ll have no trouble selling shoes on Amazon and you will start to grow your Amazon FBA business in no time.

Frequently asked questions about selling shoes on Amazon

Is selling shoes on Amazon profitable?

Selling shoes on Amazon can be very profitable. However, it really does depend on the type of footwear you want to sell, and how cheaply you can buy your inventory in the first place. Branded shoes can be one of the most profitable types of footwear to sell because they can often be purchased from a wholesaler at a lower price, and sold for a much higher price than non-branded shoes.

Can you sell shoes on Amazon with no box?

It is possible to sell shoes on Amazon if they don’t have a box, but Amazon has very clear instructions on how these must be packaged. Their guidelines state that all footwear must be securely packaged in a box or polybag with no part of the footwear itself exposed. Ideally a box is the preferred method of selling shoes, as it prevents damage. However, some footwear such as flip-flops can be dispatched without one as they’re less likely to get damaged in transit.

Can you sell used shoes on Amazon?

No you can’t. Although Amazon does allow some types of used product to be sold on their platform, shoes are not one of them. Obviously, because of their function, shoes can become easily damaged or soiled, which can be unhygienic. As such, Amazon will only allow the sale of new footwear.