Amazon Seller vs BigCommerce

Amazon Seller or BigCommerce? An Expert E-commerce Comparison

Stop researching and start deciding. Our feature-by-feature comparison of Amazon Seller and BigCommerce gives mid-market Australian businesses the clarity they need - in minutes, not hours.

Features compared

50+

Clients advised

98%

Client retention

12+

Years experience

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Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature analysis for Amazon Seller and BigCommerce.

Store customisation

Amazon Seller

Amazon Seller manages orders, products, inventory, shipments and 4 more object types

BigCommerce

Headless commerce support with a robust API allows developers to build custom storefronts using any frontend framework

BigCommerce highlights store customisation as a core strength. Amazon Seller offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

Product management

Amazon Seller

Access to hundreds of millions of active buyers gives unmatched reach for product-based businesses looking to scale quickly

BigCommerce

Built-in B2B features including customer-specific pricing, quote management, and purchase orders suit wholesale and trade businesses

Both platforms are strong here. Amazon Seller emphasises this as a core strength, and BigCommerce also invests heavily in product management. Review each platform's approach to see which aligns with your team's workflow.

Payment processing

Amazon Seller

Amazon Seller provides payment processing functionality, popular with Retail & E-commerce businesses

BigCommerce

No transaction fees on any plan regardless of payment gateway, which sets it apart from Shopify and saves margin on every sale

BigCommerce highlights payment processing as a core strength. Amazon Seller offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

Shipping and fulfilment

Amazon Seller

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) handles storage, packing, shipping, and returns, letting sellers focus on sourcing and marketing

BigCommerce

BigCommerce provides shipping and fulfilment functionality, popular with Retail & E-commerce businesses

Amazon Seller highlights shipping and fulfilment as a core strength. BigCommerce offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

SEO and marketing tools

Amazon Seller

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) handles storage, packing, shipping, and returns, letting sellers focus on sourcing and marketing

BigCommerce

Limitation: Marketing and SEO tools are functional but less polished than Shopify, and some features require third-party apps to match

Amazon Seller highlights seo and marketing tools as a core strength. BigCommerce offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

Mobile commerce

Amazon Seller

Amazon Seller offers a mobile experience. Check the vendor site for current mobile app capabilities

BigCommerce

Headless commerce support with a robust API allows developers to build custom storefronts using any frontend framework

BigCommerce highlights mobile commerce as a core strength. Amazon Seller offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

Multi-channel selling

Amazon Seller

Multi-country selling through unified Seller Central allows expansion into US, UK, European, and Asian marketplaces from one account

BigCommerce

Native multi-currency and multi-language support without requiring paid apps, making international selling more accessible

Both platforms are strong here. Amazon Seller emphasises this as a core strength, and BigCommerce also invests heavily in multi-channel selling. Review each platform's approach to see which aligns with your team's workflow.

Inventory management

Amazon Seller

Limitation: Account suspension risk is real with strict policy enforcement that can freeze inventory and funds with limited recourse

BigCommerce

Built-in B2B features including customer-specific pricing, quote management, and purchase orders suit wholesale and trade businesses

BigCommerce highlights inventory management as a core strength. Amazon Seller offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

Analytics and reporting

Amazon Seller

Brand Registry programme offers enhanced content, brand analytics, and intellectual property protection for registered brands

BigCommerce

BigCommerce includes analytics and reporting capabilities. Feature depth varies by plan tier

Amazon Seller highlights analytics and reporting as a core strength. BigCommerce offers the capability but does not position it as a primary differentiator.

App and plugin ecosystem

Amazon Seller

Amazon Seller connects with 47+ tools natively, offering one of the broadest integration ecosystems in its category

BigCommerce

Limitation: App ecosystem is smaller than Shopify with approximately 1,000 apps versus 8,000+, so niche functionality may require custom development

BigCommerce has a broader native ecosystem (62+ integrations) compared to Amazon Seller (47+). Both connect via automation platforms like Zapier and Make.

Ease of setup

Amazon Seller

Amazon Seller provides onboarding resources. Setup complexity depends on your configuration requirements

BigCommerce

BigCommerce provides onboarding resources. Setup complexity depends on your configuration requirements

On paper ease of setup looks similar across Amazon Seller and BigCommerce, but the admin experience, reporting, and permission model tend to be the real differentiators.

Value for money

Amazon Seller

Individual plan: $0.99 per item sold. Professional plan: approximately $60/month (AUD). Referral fees: 6-45% depending on category (most categories 8-15%). FBA fees: variable based on size and weight. Storage fees: monthly and long-term rates apply.

BigCommerce

Standard from approximately $45/month, Plus from approximately $130/month, Pro from approximately $450/month, Enterprise custom pricing (AUD). No transaction fees on any plan. Annual revenue caps apply per tier.

Pricing models differ significantly. Compare the total cost of ownership including add-ons and per-user fees, not just the headline price.

Pricing Comparison

General pricing information for each platform.

Amazon Seller

Prices shown are approximate and may differ based on your plan, team size, and billing cycle. Verify directly with the vendor for current AUD rates.

BigCommerce

Pricing is indicative only and subject to change. We recommend contacting the vendor for a tailored quote based on your Australian business needs.

Pros & Cons

An honest look at the strengths and limitations of each platform.

Amazon Seller

Pros

Access to hundreds of millions of active buyers gives unmatched reach for product-based businesses looking to scale quickly
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) handles storage, packing, shipping, and returns, letting sellers focus on sourcing and marketing
Amazon Advertising platform provides sponsored products, brands, and display ads directly where buyers are already shopping
Brand Registry programme offers enhanced content, brand analytics, and intellectual property protection for registered brands
Multi-country selling through unified Seller Central allows expansion into US, UK, European, and Asian marketplaces from one account

Cons

Fee structure is complex with referral fees (6-45% by category), FBA fees, storage fees, and advertising costs eroding margins significantly
Amazon owns the customer relationship and restricts direct communication, making it difficult to build brand loyalty or remarketing lists
Intense competition including from Amazon own-brand products means margins are constantly under pressure in popular categories
Account suspension risk is real with strict policy enforcement that can freeze inventory and funds with limited recourse

BigCommerce

Pros

No transaction fees on any plan regardless of payment gateway, which sets it apart from Shopify and saves margin on every sale
Built-in B2B features including customer-specific pricing, quote management, and purchase orders suit wholesale and trade businesses
Headless commerce support with a robust API allows developers to build custom storefronts using any frontend framework
Multi-storefront capability lets businesses run multiple branded stores from a single BigCommerce backend and inventory pool
Native multi-currency and multi-language support without requiring paid apps, making international selling more accessible

Cons

Annual revenue thresholds on each plan force upgrades as you grow, which can feel punitive for high-revenue, low-margin businesses
App ecosystem is smaller than Shopify with approximately 1,000 apps versus 8,000+, so niche functionality may require custom development
Theme customisation uses Stencil framework which has a steeper learning curve than Shopify Liquid for frontend developers
Marketing and SEO tools are functional but less polished than Shopify, and some features require third-party apps to match

Best For

Which tool suits which use case.

Choose Amazon Seller if you need

✓ Online store management
✓ Complex data models (orders, products, inventory and more)
✓ Retail & E-commerce businesses
✓ Multichannel selling
✓ Manufacturing organisations

Choose BigCommerce if you need

✓ Teams needing extensive third-party integrations
✓ Complex data models (orders, products, customers and more)
✓ Real-time data sync across platforms
✓ Multichannel selling
✓ Online store management

Expert Verdict

Our Harvard-educated consultants' take on this comparison.

Clever Ops Recommendation

Choose Amazon Seller if product-based businesses seeking massive reach and willing to accept marketplace fees and rules in exchange for access to Amazon built-in buyer traffic and fulfillment infrastructure. Choose BigCommerce if growing e-commerce businesses that need B2B features, multi-storefront capability, and want to avoid transaction fees, particularly those considering headless commerce architecture. Avoid Amazon Seller if businesses wanting full control over customer relationships, branding, and pricing, or low-margin products where the fee stack makes profitability difficult. Avoid BigCommerce if small businesses just starting out who need a large app ecosystem for plug-and-play functionality, or non-technical teams who want the simplest possible theme customisation. If you are still weighing the trade-offs, Clever Ops offers a free assessment where our Harvard-educated consultants map your requirements to the right platform.

Migration Notes

What to know about switching between Amazon Seller and BigCommerce.

Migrating Between Amazon Seller and BigCommerce

Migrating between Amazon Seller and BigCommerce involves transferring orders, products, inventory and mapping custom fields. Clever Ops follows a structured migration process: discovery, data mapping, test migration, verification, and cutover. We typically complete migrations within 4-8 weeks. Historical data is preserved, and we run parallel systems during the transition to minimise risk. Post-migration, we provide 3 months of support to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Amazon Seller vs BigCommerce FAQ

ROI depends on three factors: how well the platform is configured, how thoroughly your team adopts it, and how tightly it integrates with your other tools. Amazon Seller delivers value through Access to hundreds of millions of active buyers gives unmatched reach for product-based businesses looking to scale quickly. BigCommerce delivers value through No transaction fees on any plan regardless of payment gateway, which sets it apart from Shopify and saves margin on every sale. A poorly set-up tool delivers less value than a well-implemented one, regardless of platform. Clever Ops focuses on maximising your return through proper implementation and ongoing optimisation.

If both tools are in the same category, you typically choose one as your primary system. However, some businesses run both during migration periods or for different teams. Amazon Seller and BigCommerce share 3 common data types, making integration feasible. Clever Ops can sync them so your data stays consistent across both platforms.

Yes. Amazon Seller provides a REST API and BigCommerce provides a REST + Webhook API, so automations can be built via Zapier, Make, or custom integrations. Common automated workflows include syncing orders, products, inventory between both platforms. Clever Ops builds these automations for mid-market Australian businesses, saving teams 8+ hours/week on average.

Yes. Amazon Seller provides a REST API and BigCommerce provides a REST + Webhook API, so we can build reliable integrations between them. Common sync patterns include orders, products, inventory. Our integrations include error handling, retry logic, and monitoring. Clients typically save 8+ hours/week once the integration is live.

Both Amazon Seller and BigCommerce serve Manufacturing businesses. Amazon Seller is also popular with Retail & E-commerce organisations, while BigCommerce is widely used in Retail & E-commerce. Clever Ops can advise based on what we have seen work for businesses like yours.

Amazon Seller limitations: Fee structure is complex with referral fees (6-45% by category), FBA fees, storage fees, and advertising costs eroding margins significantly. Amazon owns the customer relationship and restricts direct communication, making it difficult to build brand loyalty or remarketing lists. BigCommerce limitations: Annual revenue thresholds on each plan force upgrades as you grow, which can feel punitive for high-revenue, low-margin businesses. App ecosystem is smaller than Shopify with approximately 1,000 apps versus 8,000+, so niche functionality may require custom development. Understanding these trade-offs in the context of your specific workflows is critical. Clever Ops can help you weigh which limitations matter most for your business during a free assessment.

Amazon Seller is generally simpler to set up. BigCommerce typically requires more configuration and may benefit from expert implementation support. Clever Ops provides implementation services for both platforms, typically completing setup within 2 weeks.

We audit your current workflows, team size, budget, and growth plans, then recommend the platform that fits. Our advice is vendor-neutral: we do not earn commissions from Amazon Seller, BigCommerce, or any vendor. Our Harvard-educated consultants have helped 50+ businesses make informed technology decisions over 12+. Book a free assessment to get started.