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Amazon sellers work across Seller Central dashboards, ad reporting, fulfillment workflows, and compliance tools that use dozens of platform-specific acronyms and terms. This glossary explains the language you'll actually see in catalog setup, advertising campaigns, account health notifications, logistics planning, and performance tracking.
Bookmark this page. You'll need it when Seller Support mentions something unfamiliar, when a new hire asks what TACoS means, or when you're decoding an account health alert at 11pm.
If you're new to selling on Amazon, start here. These are the terms that show up most often in Seller Central, ad dashboards, and day-to-day operations.
The full glossary below is grouped by where you encounter these terms in practice.
1P (First-Party) — Selling products wholesale to Amazon through Vendor Central. Amazon buys your inventory, sets pricing, and manages the customer-facing listing. You sell to Amazon; Amazon sells to the customer.
3P (Third-Party) — Selling products directly to customers through Seller Central. You control pricing, inventory, and the customer relationship. You sell to the customer on Amazon's platform.
Seller Central — The web dashboard where third-party sellers manage product listings, inventory, orders, advertising campaigns, and account health. This is the 3P seller's home base.
Vendor Central — The web dashboard where first-party vendors manage their wholesale relationship with Amazon. Amazon controls the retail side; vendors supply inventory.
Account Health — A Seller Central dashboard showing your compliance with Amazon's performance targets and policies. You see metrics like Order Defect Rate, cancellation rate, late shipment rate, policy violations, and intellectual property complaints here.
Voice of the Customer (VoC) — A Seller Central dashboard showing customer feedback, complaints, and product experience issues. Use it to spot quality problems and improve listings.
ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) — A unique 10-character ID Amazon assigns to every product in its catalog. When you create a new product or add to an existing product page, Amazon uses the ASIN to organize inventory and search.
Parent ASIN and Child ASIN — A product family structure. The parent is the base product; children are variations (sizes, colors, bundles). Customers see all children on one product detail page and select the variation they want.
SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) — Your internal inventory tracking code. You assign SKUs when you create listings in Seller Central. Amazon doesn't show this to customers, but it helps you manage which product is which in your catalog.
UPC (Universal Product Code) — The barcode printed on most retail products. Amazon requires a valid UPC (or EAN, ISBN, etc.) to create new listings unless you have a GTIN exemption.
GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) — The umbrella term for product identifiers like UPC, EAN, and ISBN. Amazon asks for a GTIN when you create a product listing.
FNSKU (Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit) — A unique identifier Amazon assigns to FBA inventory. Amazon uses this to track which seller's units are which in the fulfillment center. FBA labels include the FNSKU barcode.
BSR (Best Sellers Rank) — A product's sales rank within its category. Lower numbers mean higher recent sales velocity. You see BSR on the product detail page and in reporting.
Browse Node — Amazon's internal category structure. Products are assigned to browse nodes (also called categories or departments) that determine where they appear in search and browsing.
PDP (Product Detail Page) — The individual product page on Amazon that shows title, images, bullets, description, price, reviews, and the "Add to Cart" button. Also called a product listing.
FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) — A fulfillment program where you send inventory to Amazon warehouses, and Amazon picks, packs, and ships orders. FBA products are automatically Prime-eligible.
FBM (Fulfilled by Merchant) / MFN (Merchant Fulfilled Network) — A fulfillment method where you store inventory and ship orders yourself. FBM and MFN mean the same thing. Current Seller Central language uses FBM more often.
SFP (Seller Fulfilled Prime) — A program where you handle fulfillment yourself but meet Amazon Prime's speed and service standards. Your listings show the Prime badge even though you ship from your own warehouse.
FC (Fulfillment Center) — An Amazon warehouse where FBA inventory is stored and orders are processed.
IPI (Inventory Performance Index) — A score (0–1000) measuring how well you manage FBA inventory. Low IPI scores can trigger storage limits. Factors include excess inventory, sell-through rate, stranded inventory, and in-stock rate.
Stranded Inventory — FBA inventory sitting in a fulfillment center without an active listing. This happens when a listing is suppressed, deleted, or out of stock. Stranded inventory counts against your IPI score.
AWD (Amazon Warehousing and Distribution) — Amazon's bulk storage program where you send inventory upstream before it moves into FBA fulfillment centers. Designed to reduce long-term storage fees and improve replenishment speed.
3PL (Third-Party Logistics Provider) — An outsourced fulfillment partner that handles warehousing, picking, packing, and shipping for FBM sellers.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) — A freight shipping method for palletized shipments that don't fill an entire truck.
FTL (Full Truckload) — A freight shipping method where your shipment reserves the full space in a trailer.
BOL (Bill of Lading) — A shipping document listing all goods in a shipment, serving as a receipt and contract between shipper and carrier.
Buy Shipping — Seller Central's discounted shipping label tool. You can buy USPS, UPS, or other carrier labels directly from Amazon for FBM orders.
A-to-Z Guarantee — Amazon's buyer protection policy covering delivery issues and product condition problems. Customers can file an A-to-Z claim if an order doesn't arrive or arrives damaged. Too many claims hurt your Order Defect Rate.
ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sale) — Ad Spend ÷ Ad Sales, expressed as a percentage. Shows how much of your ad-driven revenue went to ads. Lower ACoS means more efficient ad spend.
TACoS (Total Advertising Cost of Sale) — Ad Spend ÷ Total Sales (not just ad sales), expressed as a percentage. TACoS shows how ads contribute to your entire business, including organic sales growth driven by ad visibility.
ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) — Ad Sales ÷ Ad Spend. The inverse of ACoS. ROAS = 5 means you made $5 in ad sales for every $1 spent.
PPC (Pay-Per-Click) — Advertising where you pay each time someone clicks your ad. Amazon Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display all run on PPC models.
CPC (Cost Per Click) — The amount you pay each time someone clicks your ad.
CTR (Click-Through Rate) — Clicks ÷ Impressions, expressed as a percentage. Measures how often people who see your ad click on it.
CVR (Conversion Rate) — Orders ÷ Clicks, expressed as a percentage. Measures how often people who click your ad or listing go on to buy.
DSP (Amazon's Demand-Side Platform) — A programmatic advertising platform for display, video, and audio ads both on Amazon and across the web. Typically used for awareness and retargeting campaigns.
Sponsored Products — PPC ads that promote individual product listings in search results and on product pages.
Sponsored Brands — PPC ads featuring your brand logo, a custom headline, and multiple products. Appear at the top of search results.
Sponsored Display — Display ads that retarget shoppers who viewed your products or similar products. Can run on Amazon and off Amazon.
OTT (Over-the-Top Video Ads) — Full-screen video ads shown on streaming TV services like Amazon Fire TV. Not clickable; built for brand awareness.
Attribution — Tracking which marketing channels (search, display, social, email) drive Amazon sales. Amazon Attribution is a tool that measures off-Amazon ad performance.
Brand Analytics — A set of reporting dashboards available to Brand Registry enrollees. Includes Search Query Performance, Search Catalog Performance, Market Basket Analysis, Repeat Purchase Behavior, and Customer Loyalty Analytics.
Search Query Performance — A Brand Analytics report showing which search terms shoppers use, how often your products appear in results, and how often they click and convert.
Search Catalog Performance — A Brand Analytics report showing which of your products appear for top search queries and how they perform.
Product Review — A customer review of a specific product, shown at the bottom of the product detail page. Verified reviews come from confirmed purchases.
Seller Feedback — Customer feedback about the buying and fulfillment experience (shipping speed, packaging, communication). Found by clicking "Sold by [seller name]" on the product page.
Brand Registry — Amazon's program for trademark holders that provides brand protection tools, enhanced content options (A+ Content, Stores), and access to Brand Analytics.
A+ Content — Enhanced product descriptions with images, comparison charts, and formatted text modules. Available to Brand Registry sellers. Formerly called Enhanced Brand Content (EBC).
Storefront / Amazon Store — A multi-page branded destination where you showcase your full product catalog and tell your brand story. Brand Registry required.
Vine — A program where sellers submit products to Amazon's trusted reviewer community (Vine Voices) in exchange for early unbiased reviews. You pay an enrollment fee per ASIN.
IP (Intellectual Property) — Patents, trademarks, copyrights, and other legal protections for your brand assets. Amazon enforces IP rights through Brand Registry and takedown tools.
POA (Plan of Action) — A written appeal explaining what caused an account issue, how you fixed it, and how you'll prevent it in the future. Required when Amazon suspends your account or restricts a product.
Suppression — When Amazon hides a listing from search and browse. Listings get suppressed for missing required attributes, policy violations, or pricing issues. A suppressed listing still exists but can't be found or purchased easily.
Suspension — When Amazon temporarily disables your selling privileges due to performance problems, policy violations, or restricted product issues. You must submit a POA to appeal.
ODR (Order Defect Rate) — The percentage of orders with negative feedback, A-to-Z claims, or credit card chargebacks. Amazon requires ODR under 1%. High ODR can trigger account suspension.
NCX (Negative Customer Experience) Rate — The percentage of recent orders with customer-reported problems (returns, refunds, one-star reviews). High NCX can hurt your Featured Offer eligibility.
Featured Offer — The default "Add to Cart" placement on a product page. Formerly called the Buy Box. Winning the Featured Offer dramatically increases conversion. Amazon awards it based on price, fulfillment speed, seller performance, and customer experience.
CR (Conversion Rate) — Sessions with purchases ÷ total sessions, expressed as a percentage. Measures how often people who view your listing go on to buy.
AOV (Average Order Value) — The average dollar amount customers spend per order.
ASP (Average Sale Price) — The average price at which a product sells over a given period.
KPI (Key Performance Indicator) — A measurable metric used to track business performance. Common Amazon KPIs include sales, ACoS, TACoS, conversion rate, and IPI.
COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) — The direct cost of purchasing or manufacturing products.
ROI (Return on Investment) — A profitability metric comparing what you earned to what you spent. ROI = (Revenue - Cost) ÷ Cost.
MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) — The lowest price at which a brand allows its products to be advertised. MAP policies help protect brand positioning and retail relationships.
TV (Target Velocity) — The target number of units you plan to sell per day.
SP-API (Selling Partner API) — Amazon's current API framework for third-party apps, integrations, and developer tools. Replaces the older MWS (Amazon Marketplace Web Service).
MWS (Amazon Marketplace Web Service) — Amazon's legacy API. SP-API is the current standard. If you're building new integrations, use SP-API.
Selling Partner Appstore — Amazon's directory of approved third-party apps and tools for inventory management, repricing, analytics, feedback, and advertising automation.
Seller Support — Amazon's help system where sellers open support cases for listing issues, policy questions, account problems, and product restrictions.
TOS (Terms of Service) — Amazon's rules governing seller behavior. Updated frequently. Violating TOS can result in suppression or suspension.
What does ASIN stand for?
Amazon Standard Identification Number. It's the unique 10-character code Amazon uses to identify every product in its catalog.
What's the difference between ASIN, SKU, UPC, and FNSKU?
What is the difference between FBA and FBM?
FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) means Amazon stores and ships your products. FBM (Fulfilled by Merchant) means you handle storage and shipping yourself. FBA products are automatically Prime-eligible.
What does ACoS mean?
Advertising Cost of Sale. It's Ad Spend ÷ Ad Sales, expressed as a percentage. If you spent $20 on ads and made $100 in ad sales, your ACoS is 20%.
What is the difference between ACoS and TACoS?
ACoS measures ad efficiency (Ad Spend ÷ Ad Sales). TACoS measures how ads impact your entire business (Ad Spend ÷ Total Sales). TACoS includes organic sales that may have been influenced by ad visibility.
What is Seller Central vs Vendor Central?
Seller Central is for third-party sellers who sell directly to customers. Vendor Central is for first-party vendors who sell wholesale to Amazon. Different dashboards, different business models.
What is an IPI score?
Inventory Performance Index. A score from 0 to 1000 that measures how well you manage FBA inventory. Low IPI scores can trigger storage limits.
What does ODR mean, and when does it become a problem?
Order Defect Rate. It's the percentage of orders with negative feedback, A-to-Z claims, or chargebacks. Amazon requires ODR under 1%. Exceeding 1% can trigger account suspension.
What is a Featured Offer? Is that the same as the Buy Box?
Yes. Amazon now calls it the Featured Offer. Older content and sellers still use "Buy Box." It's the default "Add to Cart" placement on a product page.
What is SP-API?
Selling Partner API. Amazon's current framework for third-party integrations, apps, and developer tools. It replaced the older MWS system.
What is Brand Analytics, and who gets access?
A set of reporting dashboards showing search term performance, market basket data, and repeat purchase behavior. Available only to sellers enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry.
You know the terms. Now put them to work. SupplyKick helps brands grow on Amazon with hands-on support for advertising, catalog optimization, compliance, and performance tracking. If you're spending time decoding dashboards instead of building strategy, let's talk.
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