Seller Central vs Vendor Central: Which Is Right for Your Brand in 2025?
Quick take
Seller Central gives you control and higher potential margin, but you handle more of the work.
Vendor Central is wholesale to Amazon, which is simpler, but you give up control and margin.
Many brands do best with a hybrid plan that mixes both.
What is Seller Central
You sell to shoppers on Amazon as a third-party seller. Many brands use FBA for fast shipping.
Why brands like it
You set price, promos, and catalog structure.
Better unit economics after fees, especially on higher AOV items.
Faster testing with bundles, variations, images, A+, and coupons.
Access to retail data that helps improve ads and content.
Tradeoffs
You own operations, FBA prep, returns, customer messages, and chargebacks.
Cash flow follows Amazon disbursements.
You must manage ads, SEO, and compliance or hire a partner.
Best fit: brands that want control, care about brand protection, or need to test new SKUs quickly.
What is Vendor Central
You sell to Amazon at wholesale. Amazon lists and ships the items.
Why brands like it
Simple PO based model.
Strong shopper trust and Prime shipping by default.
Access to some retail promotions.
Tradeoffs
Lower margins because of wholesale pricing, co-op, and potential chargebacks.
Less control over pricing and inventory.
Slower change cycles for titles, bullets, and images.
PO risk around seasonality.
Best fit: brands with clean wholesale margins and limited desire to run marketplace operations.
The hybrid plan that works for most established brands:
Keep core winners on Vendor if the terms are healthy.
Launch and manage new or long-tail SKUs on Seller for speed and control.
Use Seller as an in-stock buffer when POs run light.
Maintain Brand Registry and an approved reseller policy so pricing stays clean.
Four questions that make the decision easier
Margin: which model protects contribution margin after all fees.
Control: do you need to control price and assortment.
Ops: can you run FBA and ads, or will a partner do it.
Channel: how will Amazon affect retail partners, MAP, and your own site.
If control and testing matter, start with Seller. If you want wholesale simplicity and the math works, Vendor can fit. If you want both, run hybrid.
30, 60, 90 day pilot
Days 1 to 30
Brand Registry and a quick catalog audit.
Listing SEO, images, A+, and Brand Story.
Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands structure with negatives.
FBA plan and restock targets.
Days 31 to 60
Variation cleanup and review velocity plan.
Storefront pages and navigation.
Ad refinement by match type and intent.
Test a coupon vs SBV video on the top ASIN.
Days 61 to 90
Add subscribe and save, and 2 or 3 high value bundles.
TACOS tuning, defense on branded terms, and seasonal planning.
Decide on Seller, Vendor, or hybrid based on the actual data.
Target metrics: sessions, conversion rate, unit session percentage, TACOS or ROAS, Buy Box percentage, repeat rate.
Checklist you can copy
Brand Registry active
7 images and 1 video per ASIN
A+ and Brand Story in place
Titles and bullets mapped to real search terms
Storefront with clear nav and a deals or new arrivals section
Ad structure for SP, SB, and SD with negatives
Inventory plan with buffer for seasonality
Compliance reviewed for claims and packaging
Simple FAQ
Do I need FBA on Seller
No, but FBA can often improves conversion and Buy Box stability.
Can I switch models later
Yes. Plan the change around inventory and catalog control.
Is A+ available in both models
Yes, once you have Brand Registry.
What this means for your brand
If you want speed, testing, and control, Seller is usually the better starting point. If wholesale is your comfort zone and margin is strong, Vendor can work as long as you accept less control. Many midsize brands end up hybrid because it protects margin and keeps options open.
Want help deciding
We offer a free 10 ASIN micro audit with quick wins on rank, conversion, and ad efficiency. If you want that one pager, book a short consult and we will send it ahead of time.
