Tagada
Ecommerce OS · Supplements6 min readUpdated October 26, 2026

Amazon or Your Own Store: Where Should a Supplement Brand Sell?

Amazon or your own store for a supplement brand: fees, 2026 testing rules, customer data, subscriptions and how to run both channels.

Nick Bonnassies, CMO at Tagada · checked against 7 sources

Article summary

TL;DR

Sell on Amazon to capture buyers who already search for your product, and on your own store to keep the margin, the customer data and the subscriptions. Amazon takes a 15% referral fee on items over $10 and, since January 2026, requires third-party verification for every supplement. Most brands that last use both, with a clear role for each.

  • Amazon charges a 15% referral fee on health and personal care items over $10, 8% at $10 or less, plus $39.99 a month on the Professional plan (October 2026).
  • Since January 2026, Amazon requires all supplement sellers to prove FDA labeling and cGMP compliance through an approved third-party provider.
  • Bodybuilding, joint health, sexual enhancement, sports nutrition and weight management products must also meet NSF/ANSI 173-2023 or equivalent.
  • On your own store, the gatekeeper is your payment processor: Stripe prohibits nutraceuticals that are unsafe or make harmful claims.
  • Amazon owns the customer relationship; your store lets you run reorder emails, subscriptions and upsells.
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This comparison is part of our playbook on the best ecommerce platform for supplement brands. For the store options themselves, see best ecommerce platform for supplement brands.

Amazon vs. your own store, side by side

AmazonYour own store
DemandBuyers already searchingYou create it with ads, content, email
Main fee15% referral fee above $10, 8% at $10 or less1Amazon, Selling fees, Beauty, Health and Personal Care referral fee and Professional plan, read October 26, 2026Payment processing, plus your platform plan
Monthly fee$39.99 Professional plan1Amazon, Selling fees, Beauty, Health and Personal Care referral fee and Professional plan, read October 26, 2026Platform plan
Entry gateThird-party verification of labeling and cGMP2SupplySide Supplement Journal (Epstein Becker Green), Amazon's third-party supplement testing mandate explained, January 28, 2026Processor approval4Stripe, Prohibited and restricted businesses, read October 9, 20265Shopify Payments Terms of Service (US), read October 9, 2026
Customer dataStays with AmazonYours: email, phone, order history
SubscriptionsAmazon's program, on Amazon's termsYour offer, your pricing, your follow-ups
Upsells and bundlesLimited to Amazon's formatsOrder bumps, one-click upsells, any bundle
Price controlOther sellers can list your productYou set the price
Counterfeit riskHigher; ConsumerLab warns about counterfeit supplements on marketplaces3ConsumerLab, Counterfeit supplements, read October 26, 2026You control distribution

Fig. 1Where each channel wins

Amazon

  1. DemandBuyers already searchingApproved
  2. thenFee15% referral above $10, $39.99 a monthDeclined
  3. thenCustomerStays with AmazonDeclined

Wins on demand and reviews

Your own store

  1. DemandYou create it with ads, content, email
  2. thenFeeProcessing plus your platform planApproved
  3. thenCustomerYours: email, phone, order historyApproved

Wins on margin, data and reorders

Amazon wins the first order. Your store wins the ones after.

From the table above. Amazon fees as of October 2026.

What Amazon requires from supplement sellers in 2026

Amazon tightened its rules in January 2026, as summarized by the law firm Epstein Becker Green2SupplySide Supplement Journal (Epstein Becker Green), Amazon's third-party supplement testing mandate explained, January 28, 2026.

RequirementWhat it means
All supplementsShow compliance with FDA labeling rules (21 CFR 101) and cGMP (21 CFR 111 or 117)
HowThrough an approved testing, inspection and certification (TIC) provider; seven are listed for the US
Not acceptedPrivate, first-party or consulting audits, and FDA inspections
Higher-risk categoriesBodybuilding, joint health, sexual enhancement, sports nutrition, weight management: NSF/ANSI 173-2023 or equivalent
ProcessA notice per ASIN, then documents or new testing, submitted through Account Health
If you don't complyListings removed until verified

Source: SupplySide Supplement Journal, January 28, 20262SupplySide Supplement Journal (Epstein Becker Green), Amazon's third-party supplement testing mandate explained, January 28, 2026. Check the current rules in Seller Central before you list.

Fig. 2From Amazon's notice to a verified listing

  1. NoticeOne per ASIN
  2. ProofDocuments or new testing from an approved TIC provider
  3. SubmitThrough Account Health
  4. VerifiedListing stays live
  5. Not compliantListings removed until verified

No proof from an approved provider, no listing.

SupplySide Supplement Journal (Epstein Becker Green), January 28, 2026.

Watch out

A test from a provider that is not on Amazon's list must be validated by an approved provider, which adds cost2SupplySide Supplement Journal (Epstein Becker Green), Amazon's third-party supplement testing mandate explained, January 28, 2026. Ask your manufacturer which providers they already work with.

What your own store requires

Your own store has no listing approval, but it has a gatekeeper: the payment processor.

Payments in detail: nutraceutical payment processing.

The cost per order

Illustrative figures. A bottle sells for $40.

CostAmazonOwn store
Referral fee$6.00 (15%)1Amazon, Selling fees, Beauty, Health and Personal Care referral fee and Professional plan, read October 26, 2026None
Payment processingIncluded in Amazon's feesYour processor's rate
FulfillmentFBA or your ownYour own or a 3PL
Acquiring the buyerAmazon ads, optionalAds, content, email
Repeat orderAmazon decides who sees itYour reorder email, free

15%

Amazon referral fee on health and personal care items over $10

8%

Referral fee at $10 or less

$39.99

Amazon Professional plan, per month

$6.00

Referral fee on a $40 bottle (illustrative)

Source: Amazon selling fees, October 20261Amazon, Selling fees, Beauty, Health and Personal Care referral fee and Professional plan, read October 26, 2026. The $6.00 is 15% of the illustrative $40 bottle below.

The first order often costs less on Amazon, because the demand is already there. The second and third orders usually cost less on your store, because you can reach the customer directly.

Who owns the customer

On Amazon, the buyer is Amazon's customer. On your store, the buyer is yours.

You can...AmazonOwn store
Email the buyer about a reorderNoYes
Offer a bundle or upsell after purchaseNoYes
Move a buyer to a subscription on your termsNoYes
See which ad brought the buyerPartlyYesWith server-side tracking

  1. Reorder email

    Amazon: no. Your store: yes.

  2. Bundle or upsell after purchase

    Amazon: no. Your store: yes.

  3. Subscription on your terms

    Amazon: no. Your store: yes.

  4. Which ad brought the buyer

    Amazon: partly. Your store: yes, with server-side tracking.

This is why lifetime value is built on your store. See LTV and CAC for a supplement brand.

Running both channels

Most supplement brands that grow use both, with separate jobs.

JobChannel
Capture search demand for your product typeAmazon
Launch and test new productsOwn store
Subscriptions and reordersOwn store
Bundles, upsells, higher order valueOwn store
Reviews and social proof at scaleAmazon
Creator-led discoveryTikTok Shop, invite-only for supplements in the US6TikTok Shop US, dietary supplements policy, updated October 2, 2026

Fig. 3One brand, one job per channel

Your brandSame price everywhere
  1. AmazonSearch demand, reviews at scale
  2. Own storeLaunches, subscriptions, reorders, bundles and upsells
  3. TikTok ShopCreator-led discovery, invite-only for supplements in the US
From the table above. TikTok Shop: dietary supplements policy, October 2, 2026.
  • Keep the same price on both channels, so buyers don't feel tricked.
  • Push packaging inserts and branded search toward your store for reorders, where Amazon's rules allow it.

Decision table

Your situationStart with
Strong search demand for your product typeAmazon, then your store for reorders
A new formula or a story to tellYour own store, with ads
Subscriptions are your modelYour own store
NoBudget for testing and certification yetYour own store, while you prepare Amazon's requirements
Already selling well on AmazonAdd your store to build lifetime value

How Tagada helps

The store side Amazon does not give you

Tagada runs the parts of your own store that Amazon does not give you:

  • Subscriptions with trials, billing cycles, retries and automatic recovery
  • Order bumps and one-click upsells, with A/B tests
  • Server-side tracking to Meta, Google and TikTok
  • Payment routing across Stripe, Adyen and TagadaPay, with cascade on decline

It runs standalone, on Shopify, on WooCommerce or headless. Plans are on the pricing page.

Start free
The store side Amazon does not give you

Updated on October 26, 2026

Nick Bonnassies

CMO at Tagada

CMO at Tagada. Before Tagada, Nick built direct-to-consumer brands that generated over $115M in sales, raised over $25M in crowdfunding and sold two of them. He also works as a fractional CMO on marketing operations and AI systems.

Frequently asked questions

Is it better to sell supplements on Amazon or your own website?

Amazon is better for capturing existing search demand; your own website is better for margin, customer data and subscriptions. Amazon takes a 15% referral fee on items over $10 and keeps the customer relationship. Most growing brands use Amazon for discovery and their own store for reorders.

What does Amazon require to sell supplements in 2026?

Since January 2026, every supplement seller must show compliance with FDA labeling rules and cGMP through an approved third-party testing provider. Some categories, such as weight management and sports nutrition, must also meet NSF/ANSI 173-2023 or equivalent. Non-compliant listings can be removed.

How much does Amazon take from supplement sales?

A 15% referral fee on health and personal care items over $10, and 8% at $10 or less, with a $0.30 minimum, plus $39.99 a month for the Professional plan, as of October 2026. Fulfillment fees come on top if you use FBA.

Can I move Amazon customers to my own store?

Amazon keeps the customer's contact details, so you cannot email them directly. Brands build their own store audience through ads, content, branded search and subscriptions offered on their site. Check Amazon's current policies before adding inserts or messages that point to another channel.

Sources

Checked October 26, 2026
  1. Amazon, Selling fees, Beauty, Health and Personal Care referral fee and Professional plan, read October 26, 2026
  2. SupplySide Supplement Journal (Epstein Becker Green), Amazon's third-party supplement testing mandate explained, January 28, 2026
  3. ConsumerLab, Counterfeit supplements, read October 26, 2026
  4. Stripe, Prohibited and restricted businesses, read October 9, 2026
  5. Shopify Payments Terms of Service (US), read October 9, 2026
  6. TikTok Shop US, dietary supplements policy, updated October 2, 2026
  7. 21 CFR 101.93, Certain types of statements for dietary supplements

Tagada

Keep the reorders, the data and the subscriptions on your store

Funnels, one-click upsells, subscription billing and payment routing, on one customer record.

Start freeSee pricing
  1. 01Create your free account
  2. 02Connect your store or build a checkout
  3. 03Launch funnels, upsells and subscriptions