How to Sell on Amazon from India: US and UK Expansion Guide for Indian Brands

Most Indian brands that try to go global fail in the first six months. Not because their products are bad. Because they go in without a plan. They set up an account, copy their Amazon India listings, run some ads, and then wonder why nothing is selling.

I have seen this pattern many times. A brand doing ₹50 lakh a month on Amazon India assumes that the same approach will work on Amazon US or UK. It will not. The market is different, the buyers are different, the competition is different, and the economics are different.

To sell on Amazon from India and actually make it work, you need a structured plan that accounts for documents, listings, fulfilment, advertising, and margin protection in that specific market. This guide covers all of it. Follow this in order, and you will avoid the mistakes that quietly kill most Indian sellers before they ever get traction.

Table of Contents

• Why Indian Brands Are Expanding to Amazon US and UK Now
• Should You Start With Amazon US or Amazon UK?
• What Documents Do Indian Sellers Need for Amazon Global Selling?
• How to Set Up Your Amazon Global Selling Account
• How to Build Listings That Convert in the US and UK
• Should Indian Sellers Use FBA or Self-Ship?
• How to Run Amazon PPC in a New Market Without Wasting Budget
• How to Protect Your Margin When Selling on Amazon Globally
• The 6 Mistakes That Kill Most Indian Global Sellers
• Frequently Asked Questions

Why Indian Brands Are Expanding to Amazon US and UK Now

Amazon Global Selling lists India as one of its fastest-growing exporter bases, with Indian sellers now active across 18 global marketplaces. Between 2015 and 2025, Amazon Global Selling enabled over $20 billion in cumulative ecommerce exports from India. The demand for Indian-made products in the US and UK is real, and it is growing.

Categories like home textiles, ayurvedic wellness, handcrafted décor, ethnic fashion, and kitchenware are seeing genuine organic demand from Western buyers. This is not just about cheaper manufacturing. Buyers in the US and UK are actively searching for origin-driven, quality products, and Indian brands that show up with strong listings and a credible brand story are winning.

The infrastructure has also improved significantly. Cross-border shipping programs, currency conversion directly into Indian bank accounts, and simplified registration through Amazon Global Selling mean you do not need a foreign company registration, a foreign bank account, or a warehouse abroad to get started.

The question is not whether to go global. The question is how to do it without burning money on a poorly planned launch.

Should You Start With Amazon US or Amazon UK?

Start with one market only. The brands that try to enter Amazon US, UK, and India simultaneously almost always underperform in all three. Pick one, prove the unit economics, then expand.

The instinct for most Indian brands is to go straight for Amazon US because of the market size. That is not wrong. Amazon US is the largest ecommerce marketplace in the world, and selling on Amazon US from India is the most direct path to a large English-speaking buyer base with high purchasing power. But a bigger market also means more competition, higher advertising costs, and more room for expensive mistakes.

Amazon UK is one of the largest ecommerce markets globally and is significantly less saturated than the US in most Indian product categories. You can rank organically faster, your ad costs are lower, and the compliance requirements, while different, are manageable. Many Indian brands use Amazon UK as a testing ground before committing to the US.

There is one important structural difference to understand. For Amazon US, you register for a North America account, which also gives you access to Canada and Mexico. For Amazon UK, you register for a separate UK account. Since Brexit, the UK marketplace is fully separate from the rest of Europe. You cannot use a single European account to sell on both amazon.co.uk and the EU marketplaces. Both are set up through Amazon Global Selling at sell.amazon.in.

What Documents Do Indian Sellers Need for Amazon Global Selling?

This is where most sellers lose weeks. They start the registration process and then discover they are missing a document that takes ten days to process. Get everything in order before you open Seller Central for global registration.

IEC (Importer Exporter Code). Mandatory for all exports from India. It is a 10-digit code issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). Apply online at dgft.gov.in. It typically takes 2 to 3 working days to process.

GST Registration and LUT (Letter of Undertaking). Exports are zero-rated under Indian GST, meaning you do not charge GST to foreign customers. File an LUT on the GST portal so that you can export without paying IGST upfront. Without an LUT, you will pay IGST on each export and then wait for a refund, which ties up cash flow. Renew your LUT annually.

AD Code (Authorised Dealer Code). A 14-digit code issued by your bank. It is needed for customs clearance and for repatriating export earnings back to India. Your bank issues it once you have your IEC. Make sure your bank account and IEC are in the same business name.

PAN card and identity proof. Your business PAN for company accounts, or your individual PAN if you are a sole proprietor. Amazon will also request a government-issued photo ID for identity verification.

International credit or debit card. Required during Amazon account registration for fee payments. Must support international transactions. Most major Indian banks offer international cards for business accounts.

GTIN or UPC barcodes. Amazon US and UK require a valid barcode for most product listings. Many Indian sellers rely on self-generated barcodes that are not GS1-registered, and these are not accepted on global marketplaces. You need to either purchase GS1-registered barcodes or apply for a GTIN exemption through Amazon for eligible brand-owned products. Sort this early. It is a common sticking point that delays launches by weeks.

For Amazon US: EIN (Employer Identification Number). A US tax identifier needed to complete the tax interview during account registration. It is free and you apply through the IRS website. As a foreign seller, you will complete a W-8BEN (for individuals) or W-8BEN-E (for companies) during the tax interview. This form establishes your tax status and determines what Amazon withholds from your payouts. Do not skip or rush this step.

For Amazon UK: VAT registration and EORI number. If you are storing inventory in UK fulfilment centres, you are legally required to register for VAT in the UK before your goods enter the country. The £85,000 VAT threshold applies to UK-established businesses only. As a non-UK seller using FBA, you must register for VAT from your first taxable sale. The EORI number (Economic Operators Registration and Identification) is required separately for customs clearance on goods entering the UK. Both are needed before you ship any inventory to UK warehouses.

Product compliance documents. Certain categories require additional clearances. Food and wellness products going to the US may require FDA registration. Electronics going to the UK require UKCA marking. Children’s products going to the US need CPSC compliance documentation. Research the compliance requirements for your specific product category before listing.

One more thing. Make sure that every document you submit has the exact same business name and address as your Amazon seller account. Mismatched details are the number one cause of account approval delays. Amazon’s verification system flags any inconsistency, and resolving it can add weeks to your timeline.

How to Set Up Your Amazon Global Selling Account

Go to sell.amazon.in and navigate to Amazon Global Selling. This is the program that connects Indian exporters to international marketplaces. Choose your target marketplace. From there the process has six steps, and each one matters.

Step one: Upload your KYC documents. Submit your IEC, PAN, GST certificate, proof of address, and bank details. Use clear, coloured scans. Black and white scans or photographs with glare are commonly rejected. Double-check that every document matches your account details exactly.

Step two: Complete identity verification. Amazon will typically request a video call of 5 to 10 minutes. Have your government-issued ID and address proof ready. This usually happens within 2 to 5 business days of your document submission. Do not miss the scheduled appointment. Rescheduling adds more time to an already slow process.

Step three: Complete the tax interview. For the US, you will file a W-8BEN if you are an individual or a W-8BEN-E if you are a company. Sellers who skip this step or leave it incomplete are subject to a 30 percent backup withholding rate on their US payouts. Take the time to fill it out correctly.

Step four: Protect your account health from day one. New Amazon global accounts from India are reviewed carefully. In your first 90 days, keep your account activity clean. Respond to any verification requests from Amazon within 24 hours. Do not make sudden changes to your account information. A suspension on a new account is difficult to recover from and can set your launch back by months. Most sellers do not think about this until it happens to them.

Step five: Set up your payment account. Amazon pays out in the local currency of each marketplace. If you have linked an Indian bank account, the conversion to INR happens at the time of transfer. Amazon operates a 14-day payment cycle. You can also connect payment solutions like Skydo or Payoneer if you want to hold funds in USD or GBP and convert on your own timeline, which can give you better forex rates and cleaner documentation for FIRA and eBRC that your CA will need for export compliance.

Step six: Enrol in Brand Registry. This is not mandatory to start selling, but do it as soon as you can. Brand Registry gives you access to A+ Content, Brand Analytics, Sponsored Brand ads, and the ability to protect your listings from unauthorised changes. You need a trademark to enrol, either registered or pending. Start the trademark application early because it takes time, and the sooner you have Brand Registry, the more tools you have to compete.

How to Build Listings That Convert in the US and UK

This is where Indian brands lose the most money, and they do not even realise it. They take their Amazon India listing, change the currency, and go live. Then they run ads, get clicks, and convert at 3 percent while wondering what is wrong with their product.

Nothing is wrong with the product. Everything is wrong with the listing.

US and UK buyers search differently, think differently, and buy differently. The keyword that works on Amazon India will often not work on Amazon US. The image that converts in India may confuse a US buyer. The bullet points that explain your product to an Indian audience may miss the questions an American buyer is asking before they add to cart.

Keyword research for global markets. Do not assume your India keywords translate. Use Helium 10, Brand Analytics, or Amazon’s own search term data to find what US or UK buyers are actually searching for. Focus on benefit-driven terms. US buyers in particular search for outcomes, not product names. A seller listing a cotton kurti on Amazon India may find that the US equivalent search is “Indian women’s tunic top” or “boho cotton summer blouse.” Different market, different language entirely.

Your main image needs to compete with page one. Pull up your top keywords on Amazon US or UK and look at the first page of results. Your main image needs to be better than what is there. Not different. Better. Cleaner, clearer, and more professional. If it is not, fix it before you spend on ads.

Write your title and bullets for the buyer, not the algorithm. The title should include your primary keyword in the first 80 characters and be readable by a human. Keyword-stuffed titles that no one can parse hurt conversion. Your bullet points should answer the five questions a buyer has before clicking Add to Cart: What is it? Will it fit or work for me? What is it made of? How is it different from the competition? Is it safe or reliable?

Use American English for US listings and British English for UK listings. This sounds obvious but is consistently overlooked. Colour versus color. Aluminium versus aluminum. Organise versus organize. These details affect how professional your listing appears to a local buyer.

Build A+ Content before you start scaling ads. If you have Brand Registry, there is no reason not to have A+ Content. It consistently improves conversion. Use it to handle the top objections from your one-star and two-star reviews, show lifestyle images of the product in use, and include a comparison chart if you have multiple products.

Get your first reviews before you scale ad spend. A listing with zero reviews in the US or UK converts at a fraction of the rate of one with even 15 reviews. Use the Request a Review button in Seller Central for every order. If you have Brand Registry, the Vine program lets you send units to Amazon reviewers in exchange for honest feedback. Do not use product inserts to ask for positive reviews specifically. Asking for honest feedback is within Amazon’s terms. Asking for five stars is not.

Should Indian Sellers Use FBA or Self-Ship When Entering a New Market?

Start with MFN self-ship for 30 to 60 days. Validate which products convert. Then move to FBA on your winners. That is the right sequence for most Indian sellers entering Amazon US or UK for the first time.

FBA means you ship your inventory in bulk to Amazon’s fulfilment centres, and Amazon handles storage, packing, delivery, and returns. MFN, or Merchant Fulfilled Network, means you ship individual orders directly to customers from India.

FBA gives you the Prime badge. That single change increases conversion meaningfully because Prime buyers trust fast, reliable delivery. Without the Prime badge, your listing is at a disadvantage on most searches. That is the main argument for FBA.

The argument against FBA at the start is cost and commitment. You need to ship inventory in bulk before you have proven demand in the new market. If the products do not sell, you pay storage fees while inventory sits in an Amazon warehouse. If you send too much of the wrong SKU, you are stuck. Starting with MFN removes that risk. Once you have real sales data, you move to FBA with confidence and the right quantities.

For shipping inventory to Amazon FBA, Amazon offers cross-border shipping options from India for eligible sellers and shipment types. For larger or more complex shipments, a freight forwarder who specialises in cross-border ecommerce will handle customs paperwork, HS code classification, and carrier coordination. Check your eligibility and shipment requirements in Seller Central before choosing your shipping method.

How to Run Amazon PPC in a New Market Without Wasting Budget

Before you run a single ad in the US or UK, calculate your break-even ACoS for that market. Take your gross margin after all costs, divide it by your selling price, and multiply by 100. That is the ACoS number at which you stop making money on every ad-driven sale. Without this number, you are guessing with your money.

The most common mistake Indian brands make when entering the US or UK is taking their Amazon India PPC strategy and applying it directly. The campaign structure may be similar, but the keyword CPCs, the competitive landscape, and the buyer intent are all different. What worked at home is a starting point, not a solution.

One practical difference you will notice immediately: keyword CPCs on Amazon US are significantly higher than on Amazon India. In competitive categories, a single click can cost $2 to $5. Plan your daily budget based on the actual CPC range for your category, not on what felt reasonable on Amazon India.

Here is the three-phase approach we use at SellerRoot for new market entries:

Phase 1: Discovery (first 30 days). Run auto and broad campaigns with a controlled daily budget. The goal here is data, not sales. You are learning which keywords and search terms actually trigger purchases from buyers in that specific market. Do not scale anything. Do not panic about a high ACoS at this stage. You are buying information.

Phase 2: Refinement (days 30 to 60). Pull your search term report. Find the terms that are converting with a manageable ACoS and move them into exact match campaigns with their own bids. Negate the terms that spent money and produced nothing. At this point your ACoS should start coming down as your campaign structure tightens around what actually works.

Phase 3: Scale (day 60 onwards). Now you have proof. Raise budgets on campaigns that are performing below your break-even ACoS. Add Sponsored Brand campaigns if you have Brand Registry. Expand to product targeting campaigns against competitor ASINs that are already converting traffic. Expansion follows proof, never the other way around.

How to Protect Your Margin When Selling on Amazon Globally

Before you go live on Amazon US or UK, calculate your full landed cost for that market. Global expansion can look exciting on a revenue dashboard and devastating on a profit and loss statement.

Landed cost = Cost of goods + freight to Amazon FC + import duties + FBA fees + Amazon referral fee + estimated ad spend per unit sold.

Your target should be a 25 to 30 percent net margin after every one of those costs. If the numbers do not work at your current product cost and selling price, do not launch and hope the volume makes up for it. It will not. Fix the unit economics first.

A few things that catch Indian sellers off guard when they first calculate this for a global market. Referral fees on Amazon US vary by category and can range from 8 percent to 20 percent or more depending on what you sell. Check the fee schedule for your specific category before you price your product. FBA fees per unit are in USD and can be significantly higher than equivalent fulfilment costs on Amazon India. Storage fees increase sharply during Q4. Your ad cost per unit sold needs to be factored into your unit economics, not treated as a separate marketing budget.

On payments: Amazon operates a 14-day payment cycle. If you have linked an Indian bank account, your payouts are converted to INR at the time of transfer. Plan your cash flow around this timeline, especially in the first few months when you do not yet have a predictable sales run rate.

Amazon collects and remits sales tax in the US and VAT in the UK on your behalf for sales made through the platform in most cases. You are still responsible for ensuring your product is correctly classified and compliant for your category.

The 6 Mistakes That Kill Most Indian Global Sellers

After working across multiple Amazon global accounts, these are the patterns that repeat consistently:

1. Sending too much inventory before validating demand. FBA storage fees in the US and UK are expensive. Running test sales with MFN or smaller FBA shipments before committing to a full container load is almost always the smarter move.

2. Copy-pasting India listings without localising. The keywords are different. The buyer language is different. The images that convert in India may not convert in the US or UK. Treat each market as a separate listing project.

3. Not knowing break-even ACoS before running ads. If you do not know the number, you will not know when you are losing money. Calculate it before you launch a single campaign.

4. Skipping GTIN registration. Many Indian sellers do not have GS1-registered barcodes. Trying to list on Amazon US or UK without valid GTINs or an approved exemption will block your listing entirely. Sort this before you register.

5. Trying to manage three markets at once from the beginning. India, US, and UK simultaneously means you are never giving enough attention to any single market to make it work. Get profitable in one, then expand.

6. Scaling ads before the listing converts. Ads bring traffic. A bad listing wastes it. If your conversion rate is low, every rupee you spend on ads is amplifying a problem, not solving it. Fix the listing first.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Short Version

Before you register: Get your IEC, GST LUT, AD Code, GTIN barcodes, and product compliance documents in order. For US, get your EIN. For UK, sort your VAT registration and EORI number before you ship any inventory. Do not start registration until everything is ready.

Before you list: Research keywords specific to the market you are entering. Do not assume India keywords translate. Localise your listing language, images, and bullet points for the target market. Get your first reviews before you scale ad spend. Build A+ Content before you run ads.

Before you scale: Calculate your break-even ACoS for the new market. Validate demand with MFN or a small FBA test before committing to large inventory. Run a 30-day discovery phase on ads before spending seriously. Fix conversion before you raise budgets.

Going global on Amazon is one of the highest-leverage moves an Indian brand can make. But the brands that win are the ones that treat each market as its own discipline, not as a copy-paste job. Do the work upfront. The margin will follow.

Building this correctly from the start is what separates brands that break even from brands that build real global revenue. That is what we do at SellerRoot. Request a free strategy review.