Introduction
Selling Partner API (SP-API) is a REST-based API that helps Amazon Selling Partners programmatically access their data on orders, shipments, payments, and much more. Applications using the SP-API can increase selling efficiency, reduce labor requirements, and improve response time to customers, helping Selling Partners grow their businesses. SP-API allows Amazon Sellers to programmatically access thier data on listings, orders, payments, reports and more.
- Increase selling efficiency, reduce labor requirements, and improve response time to customers.
- Gain real-time access to critical data and features necessary for managing an Amazon business efficiently.
- Efficiently monitor and update inventory levels and availability, create and manage product listings programmatically, dynamically adjust prices, and more
An API, which stands for application programming interface, is a mechanism that enables two software components to communicate with each other using a set of definitions and protocols.
In the context of APIs, the word Application refers to any software with a distinct function. Interface can be thought of as a contract of service between two applications. This contract defines how the two communicate with each other using requests and responses. Their API documentation contains information on how developers are to structure those requests and responses.
How to create a private application
Before creating a private application, you must first be registered as an Amazon Seller using Amazon Seller Central. Only Professional Selling Accounts can register to develop or integrate with Selling Partner API. Individual accounts are not eligible. You can upgrade your account to a professional plan at any time.
You must be a primary account user to complete registration.
Go to Solution Provider Portal and register for a solution provider account. The Solution Provider Portal (SPP) is Amazon’s centralized hub for developers. It simplifies the process of developing and managing solutions for Amazon’s selling partners.
- Private application: An application that is available only to your organization and is self-authorized. A private developer builds application(s) that integrate their own company with Amazon APIs.
- Public application: An application that is publicly available and is authorized by a selling partner. A public developer builds and offers publicly available applications that are used by other companies.
Review the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), the Data Protection Policy (DPP) and the Amazon Services API Developer Agreement requirements before submitting your profile.
Answer the questions under Security Control to provide information about how your organization meets these requirements, and choose the roles that your application requires. A role is the mechanism used by SP-APIs to determine whether a developer or application has access to an operation or resource. As a developer, you must request and qualify for a particular role to access the operations and resources grouped under that role. To understand more about SP-API roles please refer to the roles guide here.
In order to call the different SP-API endpoints, you will need to create a private SP-API application. You can achieve this by adding a new client on the Solution Provider Portal with all the required roles. This will create a draft Selling Partner API application.
You can self-authorize your application in draft status; there is no need to publish a private application.
Explore code samples to help you get started
After the set-up is completed, you are now good to execute a sample SP-API call. For this purpose, we recommend using Postman and making a call to one of our sandbox endpoints.
Once your integration is up and running, you can start automating your Amazon business processes!
Video Tutorials
View more videos on the SP-API Developer University YouTube channel