Amazon Wants Sellers to Go Global Without Starting From Scratch

Key points

• Only 30% of Amazon sellers currently list products in more than one country.
• Sellers operating internationally earn 70% more revenue on average, according to Amazon.
• New compliance tools can let sellers submit one test for multiple countries, with pilot sellers reporting up to 60% lower compliance costs.
• Amazon’s Global Warehousing and Distribution service is expanding to eight countries by the end of 2026.
• The company is also building tools that bring listings, inventory, compliance, logistics, and AI assistance into a more connected system.

Going global sounds like a big opportunity for a small business, but it can also mean dealing with a long list of new problems. Sellers may need separate listings, inventory plans, product certifications, packaging rules, currencies, and shipping arrangements for every country they enter.

Amazon says that complexity is one reason only 30% of its sellers currently list products in more than one country. On September 24, the company announced a new set of tools aimed at changing that by making international expansion part of the normal selling process instead of something sellers have to build separately for every market.

There is a clear financial reason behind the push. Amazon says sellers operating in more than one country earn 70% more revenue on average than those selling in only one. The company is now working toward a system where sellers can create a product listing once and prepare it for multiple Amazon stores, with localization, compliance guidance, and other requirements built into the process.

One of the biggest changes involves product compliance. Different countries can have different rules for safety testing, packaging, labeling, and ingredients, creating extra work before a product can even be sold. Amazon is starting with toys and says sellers can submit one test that satisfies certification requirements in multiple countries, rather than repeating the process separately.

Early sellers in Amazon's pilot program reported savings of up to 60% on compliance costs through the one-submission approach. The company plans to expand the system to electronics and baby products by the end of the year, followed by additional categories in 2027.

Amazon is also trying to simplify the logistics side of international selling. Its Global Warehousing and Distribution service currently connects to the U.S. and is set to expand to the UK, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Canada by the end of 2026.

The idea is fairly simple. Instead of sending separate batches of inventory to individual countries, sellers can send one manufacturing run to an Amazon-operated facility and allow inventory to move toward countries where demand actually appears. Amazon says storage costs through GWD can be up to 45% lower than its U.S. Amazon Warehousing and Distribution service, while replenishment into Fulfillment by Amazon can be up to five days faster.

The company is also expanding its unified seller dashboard. Amazon says sellers will be able to see potential markets, demand, economics, and the steps needed to begin selling in different countries from one place. Future versions are expected to bring listings, inventory, and orders together so sellers can make changes without repeating the same work country by country.

AI is another part of the plan. Amazon's Seller Assistant is gaining supply chain capabilities that can flag issues such as aged inventory and inbound planning. The company says it eventually wants the assistant to act as a more personalized advisor for a seller's international operations, explaining problems and recommending actions based on available data.

Most of these changes are rolling out gradually, so Amazon's broader vision is not fully available yet. Still, the direction is clear. The company wants international expansion to require less separate planning, paperwork, inventory management, and technical work.

For smaller sellers, that could make entering another country less of a major operational project. For Amazon, it could also mean more sellers listing products in more markets, giving customers a wider selection while increasing the amount of business flowing through its marketplace and logistics network.