Promotions · Beginner · 4 min read · 7 steps
How to create a coupon on Amazon, and what it really costs
A coupon is the cheapest-looking promotion on Amazon and the easiest one to underprice. The orange badge is free to admire. The discount comes out of your budget, and the fee comes out of your payments a couple of weeks later.
Here is the whole setup in the order Seller Central asks for it, plus the parts of the help page that decide whether your coupon actually shows up.
Part 01
Step by step
7 steps, in the order Seller Central asks for them.
- 01Check that you qualify
You need a Professional account and a Seller feedback rating of at least 3.5, or no rating yet. Products with 1 to 4 reviews need 2.5 stars or better; 5 or more reviews need 3 stars. New condition only, and the discount must land at least 5% below the Was Price or List Price.
- 02Open the Coupons dashboard
Go to Advertising, then Coupons. Pick Standard or Subscribe & Save in the Type menu, click Apply, then Create a new coupon. First-timers see Create your first coupon instead.
Sources: Sell on Amazon, Seller promotions, Seller Central Help, Create a coupon
- 03Add the products
Search on the left and click Add to coupon. One coupon can hold up to 2,900 child ASINs. If an ASIN already has a coupon on the same dates, the newer coupon is the one Amazon deactivates.
- 04Choose the discount
Percentage off has to sit between 5% and 50%. Money off is a flat amount. If a shopper buys two coupon items, the discount goes on the cheaper one.
- 05Set the budget and dates
The budget pays for discounts, not fees. The start date can be no more than three months after you create the coupon. Decide here whether to limit it to one redemption per customer.
Sources: Seller Central Help, Create a coupon, Seller Central Help, Coupon fees
- 06Write a title Amazon will accept, then submit
Titles can't mention discount percentages or events such as Prime Day or Black Friday. Click Submit coupon and give it four to six hours to activate.
- 07Edit up, never down
From the dashboard you can raise the budget, extend the dates (standard coupons up to 30 days) or increase the discount. You can't make it smaller. Deactivate if you must; shoppers who already clipped it get about 30 minutes to check out.
Part 02 Calculator
Try the numbers: Coupon cost calculator
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Part 03
The picture
The same facts, drawn. Each chart links to the Amazon page it comes from.
Source: Seller Central Help, Coupon fees
Data desk by XENA IntelligenceTotal coupon fee for three coupon sales totals Amazon uses on its fee page. The third one hits the cap.
Source: Seller Central Help, Coupon fees
Data desk by XENA Intelligence- Live and clippable 80%
- Held for clipped carts 20%
The coupon goes offline at 80% of budget. The last 20% covers shoppers who clipped it and haven't checked out yet.
Source: Sell on Amazon, Costs and budgets for coupons and promotions
Data desk by XENA IntelligencePart 04
Tricks the help page buries
The lines in Amazon's own documentation that most sellers scroll past.
- 1Coupons stack with deals, on purpose
Percentage off and Money off coupons combine with Lightning Deals, sale prices and Business prices. Amazon's example: a 20% Lightning Deal plus a 5% coupon is 25% off. The system won't flag the overlap, so you have to.
- 2Starting today costs $5 even if you cancel
Pick today as the start date and the upfront fee is charged right away. Cancel a coupon before a future start time and there's no fee at all.
Source: Seller Central Help, Coupon fees
- 3The budget is a speed limit, not a wall
Amazon says the budget isn't a hard cap. The coupon goes offline at 80%, and clipped coupons can still be redeemed for a short while after.
Source: Sell on Amazon, Costs and budgets for coupons and promotions
- 4Not for reviews
Coupons can't be used as an incentive for reviews. Keep the coupon and the review request in different conversations.
Part 05
Questions sellers ask
Tap a question to open it.
How much does an Amazon coupon cost a seller?
In the US, $5 per coupon plus 2.5% of the sales made with it, with the 2.5% part capped at $2,000. That's on top of the discounts, which come out of your coupon budget. Amazon charges the fee after the coupon runs, typically within 14 days of it ending, and shows it on the Payments Dashboard.
Source: Seller Central Help, Coupon fees
Why isn't my Amazon coupon showing on the product page?
Amazon lists the usual causes: it hasn't activated yet (allow four to six hours), it was deactivated, the offer isn't buyable, or your offer isn't the Featured Offer. Check the Coupons dashboard first, then check who holds the Featured Offer on that listing.
Can I lower a coupon's discount after it goes live?
No. Amazon only lets you edit a coupon to increase the discount. You can also raise the budget or extend the dates within limits, such as up to 30 days for a standard coupon. To go lower, deactivate it and build a new one.
Who is eligible to run coupons on Amazon?
Professional sellers with a Seller feedback rating of at least 3.5, or none yet. The product has to be new, discounted at least 5% below its Was Price or List Price, and clear a review floor: 2.5 stars with 1 to 4 reviews, 3 stars with 5 or more. Used, collectible and renewed items can't run coupons.
Sources
Every fact above comes from these Amazon pages, opened on . Amazon updates them; if a step looks different in your account, trust Seller Central.