How much money you need to start Amazon wholesale depends mostly on your supplier’s minimum order and on your other costs: Amazon fees, shipping to Amazon, prep and tools. Plan for the whole cost, not just the stock, and keep some cash back so you can reorder what sells.
Quick answer: Add the supplier’s minimum order, shipping and prep, your Amazon selling plan, a research tool and a cash buffer for reorders. With our $1,000 minimum order, that is your starting point; the rest depends on your setup.
What Your Budget Needs to Cover
| Cost | What it is |
|---|---|
| Inventory | Your first order, at least the supplier’s minimum |
| Shipping to Amazon | Getting stock into FBA warehouses |
| Prep | Labels and poly-bags, unless the supplier does it |
| Amazon fees | Selling plan, referral and FBA fees (taken from sales) |
| Tools | Research tools such as Keepa |
| Cash buffer | Money to reorder before your first payout |
Amazon’s referral and FBA fees come out of each sale, but you still need to plan for them in your profit. See how to calculate Amazon FBA fees.
Worked Example: A $1,000 First Order
Our minimum first order is $1,000. Here is one way a seller might split it:
- 5 products, about $200 each
- Each product passes the seller’s ROI and sales checks
- We label, poly-bag where needed and ship the cases to Amazon FBA in 3–7 days
The seller then adds their own costs: the Amazon selling plan, a research tool and a buffer for reorders. Spreading the order across several products lowers the risk if one sells slower than expected.
How Many Units to Order Wholesale for Amazon
A simple way to decide:
- Estimate your monthly share of sales for each product: listing sales divided by competitive FBA sellers.
- Pick a sell-through target, for example 30 to 60 days for a first order.
- Order that many units, rounded to the supplier’s case pack.
Example: your estimated share is 40 units a month and your target is 45 days → about 60 units. If the case pack is 12, order 60 (5 cases).
Order less of a product with many sellers, a falling price or seasonal demand. Order more only after it proves itself.
Make Every Dollar Count
- Only buy products that meet your minimum ROI; see what makes a good ROI for Amazon wholesale.
- Reorder winners instead of testing many new products at once.
- Keep stock levels steady to avoid low-inventory and storage fees.
For the full research process, see how to find profitable wholesale products.
Start With Us
Apply for a wholesale account to get our price list and plan your first $1,000 order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I start wholesale with less than $1,000?
Some suppliers have lower minimums. Very small orders limit how many products you can test and can make shipping costs a larger share of each unit.
Should I spend my whole budget on the first order?
No. Keep cash back so you can reorder products that sell, because Amazon pays out on a schedule after sales.
How many products should my first order include?
Several, so one slow product does not sink the order. Fewer products with enough units each usually works better than many products with a few units.