How to Sell on AWS Marketplace? – AWS (Amazon Web Services) Marketplace was launched by Amazon in 2012. It provides a wide range of both commercial and free software solutions and services. A user can buy software that runs on AWS and then easily sell on AWS Marketplace. The preconfigured software can be launched with a few clicks and customers can choose the software solutions in AMIs (Amazon Machine Images), SaaS (software as a service) and other formats. Amazon oversees the sellers and products to ensure that they are reliable and secure. All billing and payment options are controlled by Amazon through AWS user information.

AWS Marketplace sells wide range of categories of software – operating systems, security, networking, storage, business intelligence, databases, SaaS subscriptions, etc. You will also get the developer tools as well as the professional services related to the software in the AWS Marketplace. Various pricing options are available including free trial, hourly, monthly, annual, and multi-year and get billed from one source. The billing and payments are handled by AWS where the applicable charges appear on the customer’s AWS bill.

AWS Marketplace can be used as a buyer (subscriber), seller (provider) or both. The user needs to have an AWS account in order to use AWS Marketplace as a buyer and he can register to become a seller. Following can be the sellers on the AWS Marketplace – an independent software vendor (ISV), consulting partner, managed services provider (MSP), individual who has something to offer that works with AWS products and services.

How to become a seller?

First you will need to register as a seller in AWS Marketplace. Review the different requirements for registration which are based on where you reside and what type of products you’re selling. The user can create a new account or use an existing AWS account for registration purpose. All the interactions in the Marketplace are linked to this account. A seller needs to follow the following steps for registration:

  • Creation of a public profile – this information is displayed in the AWS Marketplace to buyers telling them about the company name and logo. The user can sell products for free after creating the profile but to sell paid products they need to complete steps two and three.
  • The user needs to provide tax and VAT information to assess, report and withhold taxes (where applicable) on the paid sales.
  • Provide banking information so that AWS Marketplace can pay the user for their sales.
  • The user can enroll in the US tax calculation service which is optional. This is done to calculate the US state sales and use tax for products sold on AWS Marketplace.

After the completion of the registration process as a seller, create products to sell to the buyers through AWS Marketplace.

Requirements from seller side to publish free software products

If you’re selling only free products, you need not have to provide banking information to the AWS Marketplace. The customer charge is zero but there is a mutual contract between you and the customer for use of the product. You must do the following to create and sell free products in AWS Marketplace:

  • Start selling publicly available, full-feature production-ready software.
  • Keep a defined customer support process as well as support organization.
  • Keep the software regularly updated and free of vulnerabilities.
  • Follow best practices and guidelines while marketing your product.
  • Duly fulfill the requirements in the terms and conditions for AWS Marketplace sellers.

Following are the requirements for sellers of the paid products or those offering BYOL (Bring-Your-Own-License model) products:

The seller must be a permanent resident or citizen in an eligible jurisdiction, or a business entity organized or incorporated in one of those areas.