Secrets to Winning the Amazon Buy Box – Everything You Need to Know

By Christopher Grant

Updated January 15, 2024


One of the common questions I get in Facebook groups and various training programs is...

"Chris, how can I win the buy box and keep it forever and ever?"

Well, my general response to this very common question is that it's not possible to just win the Amazon Buy Box and keep it forever, sadly, but there are quite a few things you can do to make sure you get your fair share of the Buy Box.

The reason everyone wants to win the highly coveted buy box for their Amazon listings is that it can be the difference between making a sale and not making a sale.

So at this point in time, if you have absolutely no idea what the Amazon buy box is and why it is so important, or you just want to know how you can improve your chances at winning the buy box, keep reading as I discuss the following:

What is the Amazon Buy Box?

We all know how obsessed Amazon is with customer satisfaction. And to be clear, they mean buyers, not sellers. Sure they might still care about us lowly Amazon sellers, but ultimately Amazon does whatever it takes to keep their millions of consumers happy. This, in turn, allows us to sell a ton of products to those customers.

So when it comes to the buy box, it's all about Amazon's mission to do the absolute best by their customer at all times and ensure they get the best value for money.

Amazon Buy Box Product Page Example

The Amazon buy box is the white box that appears on the right side of a product on a listing page, containing information about the product, such as the price, shipping time, whether it's in stock, who is selling the item, and the magical little Buy Now button that Amazon pioneered.


Why is The Amazon Buy Box So Important?

The seller that has this highly sought after white box on their listing page is ultimately the Buy Box winner, and this title means a LOT more than you might imagine.

Amazon See All Buying Options

This is how it looks when you DON'T have the Amazon Buy Box

According to our friends over at DataFeedWatch, 82% of sales go through the Buy Box with as much as 90% of Buy Box sales occurring on mobile.

The Amazon Buy Box makes it easy for customers to make their purchase but believe it or not, not all sellers are actually eligible to secure this Buy Box on their listing.


How Do You Win The Amazon Buy Box?

The Amazon Buy Box is algorithmically determined, and there are quite a few factors that Amazon takes into consideration when assigning the Buy Box to a seller.

Buy Box Eligibility

The first thing you need to do is make sure you're actually eligible for the Buy Box. FBA sellers automatically qualify for the buy box, but if you're not an FBA seller then the following conditions apply to your buy box eligibility status:

  • You must have a Professional Seller account
  • Stay on top of your  Order Defect Rate, Cancellation Rate, and Late Shipment Rate.
  • Order volume minimums are required, but it varies for different categories.


Competitive Landed Pricing

The cheapest price doesn't always win the Amazon buy box, but it certainly helps. If you are lacking in others areas then lowering your price might be the best option. Before we go on I should point out that you don't necessarily have to drop the price a penny lower than your fellow sellers but being completive with them is certainly helpful.

If you are performing well with all the other seller metrics then you could increase your price and still win or keep hold of the buy box.

When talking pricing and winning the buy box, you need to be looking at your landed price. This is your price that includes shipping (and VAT if you are in the EU).


Shipping Times

Customers want their purchases as soon as possible, so offering fast shipping times is a sure-fire way to increase your chances of winning the Buy Box.  This is also why there are regional buy boxes.  If your inventory is in Florida (where I live) then your item may be shown to me to purchase because of speed.  But another seller may have the buy box in California for the same item because they have inventory in Nevada and it will get to the customer faster and cost Amazon less money in shipping.

Usually sellers who use FBA or seller-fulfilled prime methods win this one. It's hard to compete with shipping times if you're an Amazon FBM seller.


Seller Rating

To appease Amazon's customer-centric mantra, make sure you maintain a high seller rating. In order to be eligible for the buy box in the first place you need to have a high seller rating anyway, so make sure you are providing excellent customer service and meeting (or exceeding) customer expectations at all times.


Stock Levels

Simply put, keep your stock levels up! If you run out of stock you will lose the buy box. Make sure you have enough inventory to meet customer demand and avoid losing the buy box.


Other Important Factors

The above mentioned factors are the most crucial when it comes to winning the Amazon buy box, but there's a bunch of other factors that contribute. Here they are:

  • Order Defect Rate
  • Valid Tracking Rate
  • Late Shipment Rate
  • On-Time Delivery
  • Feedback Score
  • Customer Response Time
  • Feedback Count
  • Inventory Depth
  • Cancellation Rate
  • Refund Rate

If you want to win the Buy Box, you need to make sure that your listing is competitive on all of these fronts. Keep in mind that Amazon’s goal is to provide the best customer experience possible and whilst a competitive price is very important, it is not the only factor that needs to be taken into consideration.


Losing The Amazon Buy Box - What Can You Do?

If you’ve lost the Buy Box, don’t panic! It's not possible to keep hold of the buy box permanently, there are a few things you can do to try and win it back and have your fair share.

Without a doubt, the most important factor in all of this however is to know your seller metrics well, and monitor them like a hawk. You can check your seller metrics inside your Amazon Seller Central account.

Amazon Seller Account Health

Account Health (Performance) in Seller Central Will Highlight Any Major Issues

As we've already discussed, there are a lot of factors at play but if you have lost the buy box then these are the most important metrics you should be checking first.

Check Your Prices

If your prices have increased, or your competitors have decreased theirs, this could be why you’ve lost the Buy Box.

The best way to manage your prices is to use an Amazon Repricer Tool. All you need to do is set your repricing strategy and the software does it's job around the clock. There is no better way to avoid losing the Amazon Buy Box.

Review Your Shipping Times

Customers want fast shipping, so make sure you are offering fast shipping times. You may need to adjust your shipping methods or speeds in order to win back the Buy Box.

Check Your Seller Rating

If your seller rating has decreased, this could be why you’ve lost the Buy Box. Focus on providing excellent customer service and meeting customer expectations to increase your seller rating and win back the Buy Box.

Check Your Stock Levels

If you’ve run out of stock, you will lose the Buy Box. Make sure you have enough inventory to meet customer demand and avoid losing the Buy Box.


The Easiest Way to Win and Keep the Amazon Buy Box

Amazon Sellers have to wear so many different hats when running the day-to-day of an FBA business, it's no wonder we struggle to grow and scale to the next level.

That's why I wanted to show you how the best sellers are winning the buy box and keeping their fair share of it, without sitting there doing everything manually.

The answer is simple: Amazon Repricing Software.

Now I know you might be hesitant to pay for yet another software subscription but if there's ever one that you need to have, it's an Amazon repricer tool.

I've written about the best repricer tools for Amazon in the past, but keep reading for my two cents on why they are crucial if you're serious about this business.


Winning The Buy Box with Amazon Repricer Software

A repricing tool like Aura Repricer is going to be your 24-hour assistant that monitors the movements of your competitors around the clock and makes pricing changes to your listings, without you lifting a finger.

Some of the repricing strategies you can deploy with a tool like Aura include the following:

  • Buy Box Targeting
  • Featured Merchant Targeting
  • Lowest Price Offer Targeting
Aura Repricer Pricing Strategies

In addition to the tried and tested pre-configured repricing strategies that Aura offers, sellers can also build out their own custom repricing strategy.

The best strategy by far involves what's called an "oscillation strategy", where the price of your listing is slightly reduced to win the buy box and then pushed back up to maximize profitably whilst still maintaining ownership of the buy box.

It's almost impossible to truly get your fair share of the Amazon buy box without using an Amazon repricer tool.


The Final Word on the Amazon Buy Box

Winning the buy box is not always easy, but it’s worth it, and by following the tips I've written in this article you'll be well on your way to winning more and more buy boxes.

I'm keen to hear from my readers on this topic. 

  • Have you been able to win the buy box by deploying any specific strategies?
  • Are you currently using an Amazon repricer to help win the buy box?

Let us know how in the comments below!

Thanks again for reading and don't forget to join the conversation and subscribe to my email list below.

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