The Ultimate Amazon, Reselling & Business Glossary

If you want to be a pro in your industry, you need to be able to understand and speak the language of pro’s in that industry.
When I first started selling on Amazon & online in general, it was tough for me to understand a lot of conversations my peers were having in online communities or for me to understand the information that was being provided as lots of it contained industry lingo or short hand terms that clear definitions were not readily available for online.

It is for this reason that I have put together what I am calling the ULTIMATE glossary of terms when it comes to Amazon, reselling & business in general.

This is meant to help you understand the jargon used on a day to day basis in our industry & to hopefully help you better navigate our space.

I’ve put a lot of time into this list but it is very likely I have forgot some things or completely missed them. If you notice anything is wrong or if I am missing something please reach out to me! You can find me under SerendipityOA on pretty much any social platform or you can email me directly at: support@serendipityoa.ca

I will update this periodically to ensure it maintains the status of the Ultimate glossary.

Last updated: November 18, 2023.

Short Hand/Term	Full Term	Definition & Notes
Amazon Business Models
OA	Online Arbitrage	The practice of buying products at a lower price from online retailers and then selling them for a profit on other online marketplaces, specifically Amazon.
PL	Private Label	A business model where products are manufactured by a third-party manufacturer and sold under a retailer's own brand name.A common method is having products that are already manufacturered overseas via vendors like Alibaba relablled under your own brand, and then having them shipped to Amazon.
RA	Retail Arbitrage	The practice of buying products from physical retail stores at discounted prices and then selling them for a profit on Amazon.
WS	Wholesale	The business of buying large quantities of goods directly from manufacturers or distributors and then reselling them on Amazon.
Amazon Specific
1P	Vendor Central	Amazon's platform for manufacturers and distributors to sell their products in bulk directly to Amazon.
30 Up Labels		A sheet of 30 labels used for standard inkjet or laser printers for Amazon FNSKU/barcode labels.
3P	Seller Central	Amazon's platform for third-party sellers to list and sell their products directly to consumers.
A to Z		Amazon's A-to-Z Guarantee that protects customers when they purchase items sold and fulfilled by third-party sellers.
ACOS	Advertising Cost of Sales	The percentage of direct sales you made from an ad compared to how much you spent on that ad.
ACPC	Average Cost Per Click	The average amount paid for each click in a Pay-Per-Click advertising campaign.
Amz	Amazon	A common abbreviation for Amazon.
ASIN	Amazon Standard Identification Number	A unique identification number assigned by Amazon to products on its platform.
ASP	Average Selling Price	The total revenue produced (sales) divided by the amount of units sold. This will give you the average revenue or selling price of each unit that you have sold.
AWS	Amazon Web Services	Amazon's subsidiary offering cloud computing services.
BB	Buy Box	The box on an Amazon product detail page where customers can add items for purchase to their cart.
BL	Bulk List	A bulk list is a list of retailer URL's pointing to certain categories in their catalog (such as "Toys" or "Clearance") this is then used in place of Easy Bulk categories inside of software like Tactical Arbitrage.
Brand Registry		Amazon's program that provides tools to protect registered trademarks and brands on Amazon.
BSR	Best Sellers Rank	A rank showing how well a product is selling in its category on Amazon.
Bundle		When 2 or more different products are bundled together and sold as a single unit/under a single ASIN
CPA	Cost Per Aciquisition	The cost to acquire one customer through advertising efforts.
CPC	Cost Per Click	The cost paid when a user clicks on an ad.
CTR	Click Through Rate	The percentage of people who click on an ad after seeing it.
CX	Customer Experience	Part of the "Voice of The Customer" page where you can see potential issues with your products.
DG	Dangerous Goods	Items that might be hazardous during shipping. Many of these items have special shipping requirements and cannot be sent through Amazon's partnered shipping.
FBA	Fulfillment by Amazon	A service where Amazon handles storage, packaging, and shipping on behalf of sellers.
FBM	Fulfillment by Merchant	When sellers handle their own storage and shipping processes.
FC	Fulfillment Center	Amazon's large warehouses where products are stored, packaged, and shipped.
Feedback		Ratings and comments left by customers after a purchase directly to a seller (your feedback rating).
FNSKU	Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit	A unique identifier assigned by Amazon to products stored in its fulfillment centers.
FTL	Full Truckload	Shipping a full truckload of products.
Gated		Categories or products on Amazon that require approval to sell.
GB	Generic Brand	A product in Amazon's catalog that does not have a brand attached to it and is listed simply as a "Generic" brand. Many name brand items may be listed as generic along with general generic products.
HAZMAT	Hazardous Materials	Dangerous goods that have regulations for shipping and storage.
IPI	Inventory Performance Index	A score provided by Amazon reflecting how efficiently and productively you manage your inventory at Amazon's fulfillment centers.
ITR/Turn Rate	Inventory Turn Rate	How often inventory is sold and replaced over a certain period.
Lead List		A list that is sold or provided from a business to Amazon sellers of vetted products that meet a set minimum criteria.
Lightning Deal		A promotion on Amazon in which a product is offered at a discount for a limited time.
LTL	Less Than Truckload	Shipping that is less than a full truckload, typically palletized shipments.
MCF	Multi Channel Fulfillment	Using Amazon's fulfillment network to ship products sold on other platforms.
MFN	Merchant Fulfillment Network	Another term for FBM, where sellers handle their own order fulfillment.
mSKU	Merchant Stock Keeping Unit	An identifier chosen by the seller to keep track of their inventory.
Multi Pack		Multiple units of the same product being sold as a bundle.
MWS	Marketplace Web Services	Amazon's suite of APIs for sellers to programmatically access Amazon features.
NCX	Negative Customer Experience	The NCX rate is the number of recent orders for which the customer reported a product or listing issue divided by the total number of recent orders. Product or listing issues can be reported through returns, refunds, customer service contacts, and one-star product reviews.
ODR	Order Defect Rate	The percentage of orders that have received negative feedback, a chargeback, or been part of the A-to-Z guarantee.
PDP	Product Detail Page	The page on Amazon where customers can see details about a specific product.
PPC	Pay Per Click Advertising	An online advertising model where advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their ad.
Prep Center		A third-party service that prepares products to be sent into Amazon FBA.
Prime		Amazon's subscription service offering benefits such as free two-day shipping.
Prime Day		An annual (or sometimes semi annual) deals event exclusively for Prime members.
Rating		The average number of stars given by customers for a product.
Repricer		Software used by sellers to automatically adjust product prices based on predefined criteria.
Reviews		Feedback provided by customers about a product displayed directly on the product page.
ROAS	Return on Advertising Spend	The revenue earned from ads relative to the amount spent on those ads.
SAFE T		Amazon's system for resolving transaction disputes between sellers and customers.
Sales Rank		See BSR.
SC	Seller Central	The online interface used by brands and merchants to sell products directly on Amazon.
Seller Wallet		An account where Amazon deposits a seller's earnings.
SP	Sponsored Products	Ads for individual product listings on Amazon.
SPD	Small Parcel Delivery	Shipment of small packages (typically individual boxes sent via UPS), typically used for FBA shipments.
SS	Seller Support	Amazon's support network for sellers on the Amazon platform.
Stock Out		When an item is no longer available in stock.
STR	Sell Through Rate	The percentage of inventory sold over a specific time period.
TACOS	Total Advertising Cost of Sales	A metric that compares advertising spend to total sales.
Thermal Labels		Heat-sensitive labels used for printing shipping or FBA barcodes.
Variation		An Amazon listing that has different versions of the same product (e.g., size or color).
VC	Vendor Central	Amazon's platform for first-party vendors selling directly to Amazon.
Vine		Amazon's program where trusted reviewers get products for free in exchange for honest reviews.
General Business
3PL	3rd Party Logistics	A service that allows businesses to outsource operational logistics, including warehousing, transportation, and order fulfillment.
Asset		A tangible asset that holds value, such as inventory.
B2B	Business to Business	Commercial transactions between businesses.
B2C	Business to Customer	Commercial transactions directly between a business and end-consumers.
Balance Sheet		A financial statement that summarizes a company's assets, liabilities, and equity at a specific point in time.
Cash Flow		The net amount of cash and cash-equivalents being transferred into and out of a business.
CB	Charge Back	A return of funds to a consumer, forcibly initiated by the issuing bank or credit card provider.
CBS	Cross Border Service	A service facilitating trade across national borders.
CC	Customs Clearance	The process of getting approval to move goods across international borders.
CEO	Chief Executive Officer	The highest-ranking executive in a company.
CFA	Chartered Financial Analyst	professional designation given by the CFA Institute that measures the competence and integrity of financial analysts.
CFO	Chief Financial Officer	The executive responsible for managing a company's financial actions.
COG	Cost of Goods	The direct costs attributable to the production of goods sold by a business.
COGS	Cost of Goods Sold	The total cost associated with making or acquiring any goods sold during a particular period.
CPA	Chartered Professional Accountant	A designation for qualified accountants who have passed the CPA exam.
CRM	Customer Relationship Management	A strategy or system designed to improve relationships with customers.
CTA	Call to Action	A prompt on a web page that tells the user to take a specific action.
DDP	Delivery Duty Paid	A delivery agreement where the seller assumes all responsibilities and costs for delivering goods.
DIN	Drug Identification Number	A number assigned by the Canadian government to a drug product to identify its legitimacy.
Distributor		A company that buys large amounts from one or more manufactuers and resells them in smaller quantities to merchants.
DS	Dropshipping	A retail method in which the seller doesn't hold products in stock but instead transfers customer orders to a supplier.
DTC	Direct to Consumer	Selling products directly to customers without going through traditional retail channels.
Duty		A tax imposed on imports and exports.
EAN	European Article number	A barcode standard for retail product labeling primarily used in Europe.
EIN	Employer Identification number	A unique number assigned by the IRS for business tax reporting purposes.
Equity		The value of an ownership interest in property or a business, net of liabilities.
Expense		Money spent or cost incurred in an organization's efforts to generate revenue.
FF	Freight Forwarder	A company that organizes shipments for individuals or corporations.
FOB	Free on Board	A shipping agreement where responsibility is transferred from seller to buyer once the goods are shipped.
Gross Profit		Total sales revenue minus the cost of goods sold.
GS1	Global System of Supply Chain Standards	An international organization that develops and maintains supply chain standards. This is a common place for Private Label sellers to obtain UPC's/barcodes.
GST	Goods & Services Tax	A tax on goods and services sold domestically.
GTIN	Global Trade Item number	A globally unique identifier for products used in trade.
HST	Harmonized Sales Tax	A combination of a federal tax and a provincial tax used in certain Canadian provinces in place of GST and/or PST.
Income Statement		A financial statement that shows company revenues and expenses over a specific period.
ISBN	International Standard Book Number	A unique identifier for books (similar to a UPC).
ITC	Income Tax Credit	A credit that can be used to offset tax liabilities.
ITIN	Individual Taxpayer identification number	A tax processing number for individuals without a Social Security number. This typically applies to residents of the US.
Liability		A company's financial debt or obligation.
LLC	Limited Liability Corporation	A business structure that offers limited liability to its owners.
LTD	Limited Company	A business structure used in many countries that limits owner liability to their shares.
Manufactuer		An entity that makes products.
MAP	Minimum Advertised Pricing	The lowest price retailers can advertise a product for sale.
Margin		The difference between the cost of producing a product and its selling price.
MOM	Month over Month	A comparison of a metric's performance from one month to the next.
MOQ	Minimum Order Quantity	The smallest order amount a supplier is willing to provide at a certain price.
MSRP	Manufactuers Suggested Retail Price	The price a manufacturer recommends retailers sell a product for.
MTD	Month To Date	Typically used to express figures like sales or profit for the current month.
NARF	North American Remote Fullfillment	A method of fulfilling orders in North America (typically the US) & being able to offer those products in Mexico & Canada from the US FBA warehouses.
Net Profit		Total revenue minus total expenses.
NPN	Natural Product Number	A number assigned to natural products for sale in Canada to indicate they have been reviewed and approved.
OEM	Original Equipement Manufactuer	A company that makes parts or equipment that may be marketed by another company.
OOS	Out of Stock	A situation in which goods are unavailable for purchase.
OTC	Over the Counter	Products that can be sold directly to consumers without a prescription.
P&L	Profit & Loss	A financial statement summarizing the revenues, costs, and expenses incurred during a specific period.
Partnership		A business entity in which partners share profits or losses.
PCP	Pesticide Compliance Program	A program ensuring that pesticides meet safety standards.
PO	Purchase Order	A commercial document issued by a buyer to a seller indicating products, quantities, and agreed prices.
PQ	Package Quantity	The number of individual items in a package.
PST	Provincial Sales Tax	A tax levied by Canadian provinces on the sale of goods and services.
Q1	1st Quarter of the Year (Jan to Mar)	The period from January to March.
Q2	2nd Quarter of the Year (Apr to June)	The period from April to June.
Q3	3rd Quarter of the Year (July to Sep)	The period from July to September.
Q4	4th Quarter of the Year (Oct to Dec)	The period from October to December.
QST	Quebec Sales Tax	A sales tax specific to the province of Quebec, Canada.
ROI	Return on Investment	A measure used to evaluate the profitability of an investment.
SaaS	Software As A Sevice	A cloud-based service where consumers pay to use software hosted online.
SEO	Search Engine Optimization	The practice of increasing the visibility of a website in search engine results.
SKU	Stock Keeping Unit	A unique identifier for each distinct product and service that can be purchased.
Sole Prop	Sole Proprietorship	A business owned and operated by one person without any separate legal entity.
SOP	Standard Operating Procedure	A set of step-by-step instructions to achieve a particular outcome.
Supplier	Supplier	An organization or individual that provides products or services to another entity.
Tarriff		A tax or duty to be paid on imports or exports.
UPC	Universal Product Code	A barcode symbol used primarily in the retail industry.
VA	Virtual Assistant	An independent contractor who provides administrative services from a remote location.
VAT	Value Added Tax	A tax on the added value of a product at each stage of production or distribution.
YOY	Year over Year	A comparison of a metric's performance from one year to the next.
YTD	Year To Date	Typically used to express figures like sales or profit for the current year.
Miscellaneous
ACO	Auto Checkout	A software or tool that automates the checkout process for online shopping.
AIO	All In One	When it comes to reselling, AIO typically means a software/bot/program that can do many different tasks.
API	Application Programming Interface	An application programming interface is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other.Typically this means you can access the companies functionality via computer programs/software.
Ask		In terms of reselling, ask is the price a seller is willing to sell their product for.
ATC	Add To Cart	The action of placing an item into an online shopping cart.
ATL	All Time Low	The lowest historical price or value of a particular item or asset.
Bid		In terms of reselling, bid is the price a buyer is willing to pay for a product.
BIN	Buy It Now	A feature on online auction sites that allows a buyer to purchase an item immediately at a set price.
BNIB	Brand New In Box	An item that is in its original packaging and has never been opened or used.
BNWT	Brand New With Tags	A brand new item with the tags still attached
BOLO	Be On The Lookout	An alert for something of interest or value, often used in reselling communities.
Brick		Items that are bought for the purpose of reselling (typically sneakers) that end up not being as profitable as originally thought.
Cash Out		In terms of reselling, this typically means that another company or person will pay you a set price above retail to "cash you out". These typically apply to hard to obtain items that either businesses want to obtain to resell or collectors want to obtain for themselves.
CB	Cash Back	A reward system where consumers receive a small percentage of their purchase back in cash.
CBP	Cross Border Pickups	A service facilitating the pickup of goods purchased across Canada and US borders.
CC	Credit Card	A card issued by banks that allows users to borrow funds to pay for goods and services.
Cop		Slang for purchasing or acquiring an item, especially in sneaker culture.
Draw		A type of lottery system where winners are randomly selected, often for purchasing limited items. The same as a raffle.
Drop		The release of a new product.
DS	Deadstock	Items that were never sold to or used by consumers and often refers to vintage clothing or old product inventory.
DYOR	Do Your Own Research	A reminder to individuals to conduct personal research rather than relying solely on information provided by others.
ETA	Estimated Time of Arrival	The date and time a delivery is expected to arrive.
ETC	Estimate Time of Completion	The anticipated time a task or project will be finished.
Forex		The foreign exchange market where currencies are traded.
Jig/J1g		Manipulating information or a system to gain an advantage, often in online shopping or signing up for offers. (Such as jigging your address or credit card).
Listing Error		A mistake in a product's listing details, often regarding price or description.
Lowkey		When it comes to reselling, Lowkey typically means leads or products that fly under the radar of the main stream/most other resellers. These are items that are not as hyped as other items but typically still have a solid sell through and margins.
MSDS	Material Safety Data Sheet	A document providing information on the safe handling, use, and potential hazards of a material or chemical.
NFT	Non-Fungible Token	A unique digital certificate verified using blockchain technology representing ownership of a specific item or piece of content.
NWT	New With Tags	An item that has never been used and still has its original tags.
OBO	Or Best Offer	A statement by a seller indicating they're willing to accept an offer close to the listed price.
OTP	One Time Password	A password that is valid for only one login session or transaction.
Price Error		A mistake in the listed price of a product, often much lower than the intended price.
Raffle		A type of lottery system where winners are randomly selected, often for purchasing limited items. The same as a draw.
Resale		The expected resale price of a product.
Retail		The retail price of a product/the price expected to pay at retail stores.
Retailer		A business that sells goods directly to the consumer. Example: Walmart
RSS	Really Simple Syndication	A web feed allowing users to access updates to online content in a standardized format.
SDS	Safety Data Sheet	A document that provides detailed information about the potential hazards of a substance and guidelines for its safe use.
TCG	Trading Card Game	A game played using specially designed sets of playing cards. Example: Pokemon, Magic The Gathering etc.
UPS	United Postal Service	A global package delivery company.
VPN	Virtual Private Network	A mechanism for creating a secure connection between a computing device and a computer network, or between two networks, using an insecure communication medium such as the public Internet.VPN's are regulalrly used to keep your internet connection secure if utilizing a public network & is often used by overseas VA's to be able to better access North American websites.
XPath	XML Path Language	A query language that selects nodes from an XML document. This is the primary language used by scraping websites such as TA that provides information such as product images, pricing etc.
YMMV	Your Mileage May Vary	A disclaimer suggesting results or experiences may differ among individuals.
Software
2DWF	2D Workflow	A software developed by Watchmeamazon that streamlines the packing and shipping process (similar to ScanPower).
3C	Three Colts	An investment company that buys and combines many different softwares for Amazon sellers including TA.
A2X		A software that can automatically export your Amazon sales data, COGs etc to your account software (such as QBO or Xero).
Arbisource		Similar to TA - A software that can scan retailers websites and compare those products against the Amazon catalog. It will then list the products you have your criteria set for your review.
ASINZen		The company that owns AZInsight.
Aura		An automatic repricing software.
AZInsight		An on screen calculator software that can easily display things like estimated profit, ROI etc that also comes with additional features.
BBP	Buy Bot Pro	An on screen calculator software that can easily display things like estimated profit, ROI etc that also comes with additional features.
BQ	BQool	An automatic repricing software.
C6	Carbon6	An investment company that buys and combines many different softwares for Amazon sellers including ScanUnlimited, SoStocked etc.
DS	DS Amazon QuickView	A chrome extension that overlays on the Amazon search page and provides additional information such as BSR, how many sellers are on a listing, if Amazon is on the listing etc.It is only free for US users. Users outside of the US can purchase the extended/premium version for a small one time fee.
Get IDA		A service provided where a team of people review your account for discrepancies such as missing & damaged units that you have not been reimbursed for. They then manually submit cases to Amazon on your behalf to try to recover some of this lost revenue & charge you a set % based on the amount they recover.
H10	Helium10	A multi-tool software primarily used by PL sellers.
IL	Inventory Lab	A listing & accounting software that is a standard in the Amazon space however it is not currently available for sellers outside of the US.
IP Alert		A chrome extension developed by Chris Grant that takes shared data from other Amazon sellers and combines it into one database. This is data from brands that are known to submit IP complaints on Amazon.
JS	Jungle Scout	Primarily used by PL sellers and US sellers, this software can gauage how many units specific brands or niches are selling on a monthly basis.
Keepa		A software that tracks and charts data from Amazon such as sales rank over time, seller stock counts etc. This is the onlymandatorysoftware for Amazon sellers as it helps us review data and make key buying and selling decisions.
KPF	Keepa Product Finder	A platform inside of Keepa where you can input all types of product details and parameters & narrow down results to help you source specific products/do product research.
OFX		A platform used for money transfers. Many Canada to US sellers utilize this service.
PP	PayPal	A common payment platform. Commonly used to pay suppliers, VAs etc.
PPP	Profit Protector Pro	An automatic repricing software.
QB	QuickBooks	Accounting/book keeping software.
QBO	QuickBooks Online	Same as QuickBooks.
RS	RevSeller	An on screen calculator software that can easily display things like estimated profit, ROI etc that also comes with additional features.
SA	SellerAssistant	An on screen calculator software that can easily display things like estimated profit, ROI etc that also comes with additional features.
SAS	SellerAmp	An on screen calculator software that can easily display things like estimated profit, ROI etc that also comes with additional features.
SB	SellerBoard	A popular multi-tool software that can provide you profit estimations, inventory management, account notifications etc.
SI	Seller Investigators	A service provided where a team of people review your account for discrepancies such as missing & damaged units that you have not been reimbursed for. They then manually submit cases to Amazon on your behalf to try to recover some of this lost revenue & charge you a set % based on the amount they recover.
Source Mogul		Similar to TA - A software that can scan retailers websites and compare those products against the Amazon catalog. It will then list the products you have your criteria set for your review.
SP	ScanPower	A software that streamlines the packing and shipping process (similar to 2DWF).
SS	Smart Scout	A software similar to other sourcing softwares (like TA) but this takes an approach more similar to the KPF.
SS	SoStocked	A software that tracks your selling data from SellerCentral and provides you estimates on how many units you should restock. It has additional inventory management capabilities such as tracking lead time, producing POs etc.
SS	SellerSnap	An automatic repricing software.
SU	ScanUnlimted	This is a software that you can upload wholesale catalogs via excel/csv format & it will scrape it and compare those products via UPC or title against Amazon's catalog & provide you results matching your criteria (such as profit, ROI, BSR etc.)
TA	Tactical Arbitrage	A software that can scan retailers websites and compare those products against the Amazon catalog. It will then list the products you have your criteria set for your review.
TaxOMate		A software that can automatically export your Amazon sales data, COGs etc to your account software (such as QBO or Xero).
TB	Tactical Bucket	A website that is run by Javier San Juan - here you can purchase professional custom Xpaths for retailer and wholesale websites to expand the functionality of TA further.
TE	Tactical Expander	A chrome extension that can extend the functionality of TA by providing the ability to scan additional websites that are not in TA's catalog, scrape ASINs from seller storefronts etc.
Wise		Similar to PayPal, a less common payment platform. Commonly used to pay suppliers, VAs etc.
Xero		Accounting/book keeping software.