Selling on Amazon Australia vs Amazon US: Which Should an Australian Seller Start With?

For most Australian sellers, Amazon.com.au is the easier place to start and Amazon US is a second step. Australia means A$ fees, local FBA centres and Australian tax rules you already deal with. The US means a new tax interview, importing stock into another country and currency risk. Amazon US Professional costs US$39.99 a month, compared with A$49.95 a month excluding GST in Australia. Facts are as of October 2026, and US figures can change.

How do the two marketplaces compare at a glance?

Amazon says the Australian referral fee has no minimum or maximum. The two stores are separate marketplaces. Offers created in one do not appear automatically in the other, so you create offers in each marketplace.

Is the US a bigger opportunity?

The US is a different market, and many sellers assume it is better. This page does not make a size claim, because Amazon publishes no comparable, current, seller-facing figure for both stores. Without a source, a number would be marketing. What can be said:

• Competition is a function of your product, not the country. A crowded product is crowded in both.
• A bigger audience does not help if your stock cannot reach it at a profit. Freight, duty and fees come first.
• Amazon.com.au has "millions of customers who search Amazon.com.au every day", according to Amazon. That is a claim by Amazon about its own store, with no number.

The practical test is margin per unit on each store with real fees. Run it before judging by audience size.

What does it cost to register?

Registration on either store needs ID, a chargeable card, a bank account and tax information. Amazon.com.au lists a chargeable credit card, government ID, tax information, a phone number and a bank account. Verification for Australia usually takes four business days or less, per Amazon. For Amazon US, you select the country where your business is registered, and you do not need a US bank account, but the account must be in your or your business's name. Full steps: selling on Amazon US from Australia and Amazon Australia seller registration.

A merged global Professional account costs the equivalent of US$39.99 a month, split across each country with an active listing and charged in local currency. So adding the US to an Australian account does not necessarily double the subscription. Check what Seller Central shows you.

How do tax and currency differ?

In Australia, you already know the framework: ABN, GST and BAS. Start with GST for Amazon sellers and ABN for Amazon sellers.

On Amazon US, Amazon collects tax information in Seller Central. Amazon's global-selling page does not cover US sales tax or Australian GST, and it tells sellers to consult tax and regulatory advisers. US marketplace sales tax treatment is not covered here. Ask a registered tax agent and, for US matters, a US-qualified adviser. This is general information, not tax or legal advice.

Currency: the Amazon Currency Converter for Sellers supports 19 currencies including AUD, USD, GBP and EUR. You may only receive payment to a bank account in a country and currency the converter supports. Conversion costs are shown in Seller Central, not on public pages, so price in a buffer.

How does fulfilment differ?

Amazon.com.au FBA runs from fulfilment centres in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane. Your stock arrives from a local supplier or from an import with an Australian importer of record.

For FBA US, products must be imported into the US and Amazon is not responsible for customs duties and taxes on FBA inventory. All shipments must use Delivered Duty Paid terms. That makes you or your forwarder the party handling US customs. Compare importer of record in Australia. The alternative is fulfilling each order from Australia yourself, which is slow and expensive for US buyers. Check current US duty and tariff rules with a broker; they change often and are not covered on Amazon's public pages.

How does brand protection compare?

Brand Registry needs a trade mark issued by a country with a corresponding Amazon store. An IP Australia mark gets you Australian Brand Registry; the US store needs its own recognised mark. See trade mark for Brand Registry.

Amazon's US page on Transparency says that although Australia is a supported store, brands from Australia "aren't eligible to enroll". That page is on the US site and may change, so check before you plan around it.

What about events, ads and customer support?

Amazon.com.au runs its own sales calendar. Prime Day 2026 ran from 12:01am AEST on Tuesday 7 July to 11:59pm AEST on Monday 13 July 2026. Deal creation needs a Professional plan. See the Amazon Australia sales calendar.

Amazon Ads campaigns are set up per marketplace, and Amazon says you need an active Professional seller account for them. Bids, budgets and search terms in one store do not carry into the other, so a US launch means a fresh ad budget. Time zones matter too: an Australian seller answering US buyer messages and cases works against a US business day, and Amazon's page notes seller fulfilment needs local-language customer support.

Which should you start with?

Sellers who add the US later usually do so after the Australian listing, reviews and cash flow are stable. That is a judgement, not an Amazon rule. See Amazon global selling from Australia for the multi-country set-up.

FAQ

Is Amazon US better than Amazon Australia for sellers? Not automatically. Fees, freight, duty, tax and competition for your product decide it. Amazon US Professional costs US$39.99 a month against A$49.95 excluding GST in Australia, but subscription is a small part of total cost.

Can I sell on Amazon US with an Australian business? Yes. Amazon's US registration guide says you select the country where your business is registered, and you do not need a US bank account. You still need tax information, a chargeable card and identity verification.

Do I need a separate account for each Amazon marketplace? Amazon says global registration merges North American, European, Japanese and Australian accounts, and you can switch between stores in Seller Central. You still create offers in each marketplace.

Is the subscription charged twice if I sell in both stores? For a merged global Professional account, Amazon says the equivalent of US$39.99 a month is split across each country with an active listing. Confirm the exact charge in Seller Central.

Who pays customs duty on FBA stock sent to the US? You or your provider act as importer of record. Amazon says it is not responsible for duties and taxes on that FBA inventory. Ask a customs broker for current US rules.

Is selling in the US riskier? Often, because you handle imports, a foreign tax regime and currency movement on top of marketplace competition. The risk depends on product and structure. Start with the numbers for your own product.

Deciding your first marketplace

If you are still deciding, read is Amazon FBA in Australia worth it and compare fees on Amazon Australia seller fees. Blooprint, an Amazon SPN verified partner, can help with Amazon account management in Australia. The Australia hub lists the rest of the guides.