What Does It Actually Cost to Start Amazon FBA Arbitrage?
This is probably the first question on your mind, and the honest answer is: it depends on how you want to start. Some people jump in with a few hundred euros and build from there. Others invest a few thousand upfront to move faster.
The good news? You don’t need tens of thousands to get started. Amazon FBA arbitrage is one of the most affordable ways to build an e-commerce business, because you’re buying products that already sell well and reselling them at a profit. No product development, no brand building, no huge inventory risk.
Below, we’ll break down two realistic budget plans so you can pick the one that fits your situation.
Budget Plan A: Start Small With €500–€1,000
If you’re testing the waters or simply don’t have thousands to invest right now, this is your path. Plenty of successful Amazon sellers started exactly here. The key is to be smart about where your money goes.
What You’ll Spend This Budget On
- Amazon Professional Seller Account: €39.99/month. This is non-negotiable if you want to sell seriously. The Individual plan charges per item and eats into thin margins.
- Initial inventory: €300–€700. Start with 5–15 products you’ve verified are profitable. Don’t spread too thin.
- Sourcing tool (ProfitGo): ~€15–20/month. More on this below, but this is the tool that makes finding profitable products realistic on a small budget.
- Shipping & prep supplies: €30–50. Labels, poly bags, boxes for your first FBA shipments.
That’s it. With around €500–€1,000, you have everything you need to make your first sales. The goal at this stage isn’t to get rich. It’s to learn the process, prove the model works, and reinvest your profits.
Tools for This Budget: ProfitGo
When you’re starting on a budget, every euro counts. That’s why ProfitGo exists. It’s a Chrome Extension and Mobile App built specifically for beginners who want to find profitable products without spending hundreds on software.
Here’s what ProfitGo gives you:
- FBA fee calculator so you know your exact profit before you buy anything
- Barcode scanner (mobile app) for retail arbitrage in physical stores
- BSR & sales estimation so you can see how fast a product actually sells
- Reverse search to check any product against Amazon’s catalogue instantly
- WEEE registry check to avoid compliance issues in the EU
At ~€15–20 per month, ProfitGo costs less than a single dinner out. And it comes with a 7-day free trial, so you can test it before committing a single cent.
Budget Plan B: Scale Faster With €3,000–€5,000
If you have more capital available and want to move faster, this plan lets you skip some of the slow early phases and start with a stronger inventory and more powerful tools.
Where Your Money Goes
- Amazon Professional Seller Account: €39.99/month
- Initial inventory: €2,000–€3,500. More products means more listings, more data, and faster learning.
- Sourcing platform (ProfitPath): From €179/month (Starter plan). This is the full sourcing platform with 1,000+ suppliers and 200M+ products scanned daily.
- Prep & shipping: €100–200 for your first larger shipments
- Bookkeeping: €50–100/month if you outsource it (recommended once you’re making regular sales)
Tools for This Budget: ProfitPath
ProfitPath is the full online arbitrage sourcing platform. Instead of browsing shops manually for hours, ProfitPath scans 1,000+ suppliers across Europe and the UK and shows you exactly which products are profitable on Amazon.
What makes it powerful for sellers with a bigger budget:
- Supplier Search: Scan hundreds of online shops automatically, filtered by your profit targets
- Wholesale Scanner: Upload a supplier’s product list and find the profitable items in minutes
- Dealwatch: Price alerts that notify you when products drop to profitable levels at Amazon or supplier level
- Spy Search & A2A Search: See what other sellers are sourcing and find cross-marketplace arbitrage opportunities
- Built-in FBA video courses that walk you through everything from setting up your seller account to shipping your first order
ProfitPath also includes access to a Discord community with 400+ active sellers, weekly community meetings, and a product review service. The Starter plan begins at €179/month with a 14-day free trial. Check the current pricing here.
The Real Costs Nobody Talks About
Most "how to start FBA" guides only list the obvious expenses. But there are a few hidden costs that catch beginners off guard:
- Amazon referral fees: typically 8–15% of the selling price, depending on the category
- FBA fulfilment fees: based on product size and weight. Small, lightweight items are cheapest to fulfil
- Long-term storage fees: if your products sit in Amazon’s warehouse for more than 180 days, fees increase sharply
- Returns: some products will come back. Factor in a 2–5% return rate when calculating profits
- VAT & tax obligations: if you’re selling in the EU, you need to handle VAT registration. Talk to a tax advisor early.
When you add it all up, Amazon typically takes around 30-40% of your selling price in combined fees (referral + fulfilment + storage). That sounds like a lot, but it's completely normal for FBA and already built into the business model. This is exactly why a tool with an accurate FBA calculator matters. ProfitGo shows you the real profit after all Amazon fees before you buy a single unit. No guessing, no nasty surprises.
How to Find Profitable Products (Without Wasting Hours)
Finding products that actually make money is the core skill in arbitrage. There are two main approaches, and most successful sellers use both.
Retail Arbitrage: Your Starting Point
Retail arbitrage means buying discounted products in physical shops and reselling them on Amazon. It’s the most accessible way to start because you can find deals with zero upfront software cost, just your phone and the ProfitGo mobile app.
Here’s how it works in practice: walk into a shop like Argos, Boots, or Currys (or any clearance section at your local supermarket). Scan barcodes with ProfitGo’s barcode scanner. The app instantly shows you the Amazon selling price, fees, and your potential profit. If the numbers work, buy it and send it to Amazon.
The best categories for retail arbitrage tend to be health & beauty, toys, home & kitchen, and grocery. Look for clearance stickers, end-of-season sales, and multi-buy offers.
Online Arbitrage: The Next Level
Online arbitrage (OA) is the same concept, but you’re sourcing from online shops instead of physical ones. The advantage? You can scan thousands of products per hour instead of walking through aisles.
This is where ProfitPath really shines. Instead of manually checking prices on hundreds of websites, ProfitPath’s Supplier Search does it for you. Set your filters (minimum ROI, sales rank, category) and let it scan 1,000+ European and UK shops. You’ll have a list of profitable products in minutes, not days.
If you’re starting on a tight budget, begin with retail arbitrage and ProfitGo. Once your profits allow it, add ProfitPath to your toolkit and shift towards online arbitrage. That’s how most successful EU sellers scale.
5 Rules for Stretching Your Budget
- Only buy what you’ve verified. Never buy a product "because it looks good". Check the sales rank, competition, and fees first. Use ProfitGo or ProfitPath to run the numbers every single time.
- Start with fast sellers. Products with a BSR (Best Sellers Rank) under 100,000 in their category tend to sell within days, not weeks. When your budget is limited, fast cash flow is everything.
- Aim for at least 15% ROI. After Amazon’s fees, you want to clear a minimum 15% return. On a €20 product, that’s about €3 profit. Sounds small, but it adds up fast across dozens of units.
- Reinvest your profits. At least for the first 3–6 months, put every euro of profit back into inventory. This is how a €500 start turns into a €5,000+ monthly revenue business within a year.
- Avoid restricted categories early on. Some categories on Amazon require approval (ungating). Focus on open categories first and expand as you gain experience and sales history.
From Small Budget to Full-Time Business
Here’s a realistic timeline for what growth can look like:
- Month 1–2: Learn the basics, make your first 10–20 sales, understand Amazon’s system inside out
- Month 3–4: Consistent sourcing routine, €500–€1,500/month in revenue, start spotting patterns in what sells
- Month 5–6: Transition from retail to online arbitrage, consider upgrading to ProfitPath for faster product discovery
- Month 6–12: €2,000–€5,000+/month in revenue, explore wholesale, possibly hire a VA or use a prep centre
This isn’t a get-rich-quick story. It’s a real business that takes effort. But the beautiful thing about arbitrage is that the learning curve is short and the risk is low. You’re selling products that people already buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money do I need to start Amazon FBA arbitrage?
You can start with as little as €500 if you focus on retail arbitrage and use affordable tools like ProfitGo. A more comfortable starting budget is €3,000–€5,000 if you want to move into online arbitrage faster with a platform like ProfitPath.
Can I start Amazon FBA with less than €1,000?
Yes. Many sellers start with under €1,000 by focusing on retail arbitrage, keeping their initial inventory small (5–15 products), and using ProfitGo (~€15–20/month) to verify deals before buying. The key is to reinvest your profits consistently.
What tools do I need for Amazon FBA arbitrage?
At minimum, you need a way to check product profitability before buying. ProfitGo gives you an FBA fee calculator, barcode scanner, and sales estimation for around €15–20/month. As you scale, ProfitPath (from €179/month) adds automated supplier scanning across 1,000+ European and UK shops.
Is retail arbitrage still profitable in 2026?
Absolutely. Retail arbitrage remains one of the most accessible entry points into Amazon selling. Clearance deals, seasonal discounts, and price differences between shops and Amazon create consistent opportunities. The sellers who use scanning tools to verify deals before buying are the ones who stay profitable.
What’s the difference between retail and online arbitrage?
Retail arbitrage means buying discounted products from physical shops (like Boots, Argos, or Currys) and reselling on Amazon. Online arbitrage is the same concept but sourced from online shops. Online arbitrage scales better because you can scan thousands of products per hour using tools like ProfitPath, while retail arbitrage is limited by how many shops you can physically visit.
