- Start FBA in Australia by choosing a structure (sole trader or Pty Ltd), registering an ABN, getting an Amazon Australia seller account, and registering for GST when required. The compliance setup is what most FBA guides skip and what protects your margins.
- You must register for GST once your turnover hits A$75,000 in a rolling 12 months. But if you’re a non-resident importing and warehousing stock here, you can have a GST obligation regardless of turnover, since the goods are located in Australia.
- Amazon’s fees stack up: a A$49.95 monthly Professional plan, referral fees of roughly 6 to 15%, and FBA fulfilment fees, all with 10% GST on top. Model these before you price, or your margin disappears.
To start an Amazon FBA business in Australia, set the business up properly first: choose your structure (sole trader or Pty Ltd), register for an ABN, open an Amazon Australia seller account, and register for GST when you are required to. FBA, Fulfilment by Amazon, means Amazon stores your stock and ships your orders, which is convenient but triggers Australian tax obligations from the moment your inventory lands here.
Getting the structure and GST right at the start is what keeps your store compliant and your margins intact. This guide focuses on that setup rather than product-sourcing tactics.
How do you start an Amazon FBA business in Australia?
The setup is a sequence, and the order matters because each step feeds the next. Here is the path, with the compliance steps that generic FBA guides tend to gloss over built in.
- Choose your business structure: sole trader or Pty Ltd.
- Register for an ABN (and a company first, if you go the Pty Ltd route).
- Open your Amazon Australia seller account.
- Register for GST when required, which for FBA often means from the start.
- Set up bookkeeping so fees, sales and GST are tracked from day one.
The first two and the GST step are where the real risk sits, so the sections below give them the most attention. The Amazon mechanics themselves are straightforward by comparison.
Choosing your business structure
Your first decision is whether to trade as a sole trader or through a Pty Ltd company. A sole trader is the simplest and cheapest start: a free ABN, income taxed at your personal rates, and you and the business treated as one. The trade-off is unlimited personal liability, your personal assets are exposed if the business owes money.
A Pty Ltd costs A$636 to register with ASIC and adds compliance, but it is a separate legal entity that protects your personal assets and is taxed at a flat 25% (base rate entity). Many FBA sellers start as sole traders to test the waters, then incorporate once sales and stock holdings grow and the liability and tax position justify it. If you are holding significant inventory or scaling fast, a company is often worth it sooner. We compare the two in detail in our guide on sole trader versus company structures.
Sleek can register your business as a Pty Ltd and set up your ABN, TFN and GST in one go.
Registering your ABN and GST
Every Australian FBA seller needs an Australian Business Number (ABN). It is free, issued by the ATO via the Australian Business Register, and Amazon effectively requires it for Australian-based sellers. The ABN lets you issue tax invoices, which business buyers look for, and is a prerequisite for registering for GST.
GST is where FBA sellers get caught out. The general rule: you must register for GST once your turnover reaches A$75,000 in a rolling 12-month period, and then charge 10% GST on sales and remit it. But there is an FBA-specific trap for non-residents. If you’re a non-resident importing and warehousing stock in Australia, the goods are located here, which can create a GST obligation even before you hit A$75,000, and simplified non-resident GST registration isn’t available when you warehouse stock locally. The upside of registering is that you can claim back the GST on your business costs, including Amazon’s fees and your imports.
The bit most guides miss: for low-value imported goods (A$1,000 or less) sold through Amazon as an electronic distribution platform, Amazon collects and remits the GST, so those sales do not count toward your A$75,000 turnover. Get advice on your exact position before your first shipment.
Setting up your Amazon Australia seller account
With your ABN sorted, set up your seller account at sell.amazon.com.au. You will choose a selling plan, provide identification, your ABN and bank details for AUD payouts, and then enrol your products in FBA so Amazon handles storage and shipping.
There are two plans. The Individual plan has no monthly fee but charges A$0.99 per item sold, suiting very low volume or testing. The Professional plan is A$49.95 per month with no per-item fee and unlocks the tools serious sellers need. If you expect to sell more than about 50 items a month, the Professional plan is the sensible choice. For FBA specifically, you then send your inventory into Amazon’s fulfilment network.
Understanding Amazon’s fees
Amazon’s fees are the difference between a profitable FBA business and a break-even one, so model them before you set prices. As of mid-2026 the main fees for an Australian seller are below. Amazon adjusts these regularly, and notably reduced selected FBA fulfilment fees in June 2026, so confirm current rates on Amazon’s pricing page before relying on them.
|
Fee |
What it is |
Approx. (mid-2026) |
|---|---|---|
|
Professional plan |
Monthly subscription |
A$49.95/month |
|
Individual plan |
Per item sold (no monthly fee) |
A$0.99/item |
|
Referral fee |
% of each sale, by category |
~6% to 15% |
|
FBA fulfilment |
Pick, pack and ship per unit |
From ~A$4.55/unit |
|
Storage |
Per cubic metre, higher in Q4 |
Varies |
One easily-missed cost: Amazon charges 10% GST on its seller fees, including referral, FBA and your monthly plan. Build that into every margin calculation, because a model that ignores it overstates your profit by roughly 10%. If you are GST-registered you can generally claim that GST back, another reason registration often helps FBA sellers.
GST on your Amazon sales and imports
Once GST-registered, you charge 10% on your taxable Australian sales and report it on your business activity statement (BAS). On the import side, GST applies to goods you bring into Australia: for consignments over A$1,000 it is charged at the border with any customs duty, while for low-value goods the electronic-distribution-platform rules apply as described above.
The practical message for an FBA seller is that GST touches you at two points, on what you sell and on what you import, and registration lets you claim credits on the import and fee side to offset what you collect on sales.
Keeping your books in order
FBA generates a high volume of small transactions, sales, fees, refunds, storage charges, across multiple settlement reports, which is more than a spreadsheet handles well. Cloud accounting software such as Xero, connected to your Amazon and bank feeds, keeps it reconciled and your GST position visible in real time.
Good books are not just tidiness; they are what let you see your true margin after Amazon’s fees and GST, lodge an accurate BAS, and claim every credit you are entitled to. Setting this up at the start, rather than reconstructing a year of Amazon reports at tax time, is one of the highest-return decisions an FBA seller makes.
How Sleek helps you start compliantly
The hard part of FBA is not listing products, it is making sure the business behind the store is set up so tax does not erode your margin or land you with a surprise bill.
Sleek registers your business, whether sole trader or Pty Ltd, sets up your ABN, TFN and GST, and handles the ongoing accounting and BAS with Xero connected to your Amazon data. A dedicated accountant means your structure and GST are right from your first sale, and your books show what you are actually making after Amazon’s cut.
450,000
businesses worldwide.
from 4,100+ reviews.
FAQs on starting an Amazon FBA business in Australia
Do I need an ABN to sell on Amazon Australia?
Yes, in practice. Amazon effectively requires Australian-based sellers to have an Australian Business Number, and an ABN lets you issue tax invoices and is needed to register for GST. It is free to obtain from the ATO via the Australian Business Register. Overseas sellers are not always required to hold one but usually benefit from registering.
Do I need to register for GST as an FBA seller?
You must register once your turnover reaches A$75,000 in a rolling 12 months. However, if you’re a non-resident importing and warehousing stock in Australia, the goods are located here and you can have a GST obligation regardless of turnover, and simplified non-resident registration isn’t available when you warehouse stock locally.
How much does it cost to sell on Amazon Australia?
Amazon’s Professional plan is A$49.95 per month, or the Individual plan charges A$0.99 per item with no monthly fee. On top of that, referral fees of roughly 6 to 15% apply per sale by category, plus FBA fulfilment and storage fees. Amazon also charges 10% GST on these seller fees, which you should factor into your pricing.
Should I start my FBA business as a sole trader or a company?
A sole trader is cheaper and simpler to start, with a free ABN, but carries unlimited personal liability. A Pty Ltd costs A$636 to register and adds compliance, but protects your personal assets and is taxed at a flat 25%. Many FBA sellers start as sole traders and incorporate as sales and inventory holdings grow.
Does Amazon collect GST on my behalf?
For low-value imported goods (A$1,000 or less) sold to consumers through Amazon as an electronic distribution platform, Amazon collects and remits the GST, and those sales do not count toward your own A$75,000 turnover. But once you import and store stock in Australia for FBA, you have your own GST obligation on those goods, separate from Amazon’s role.
