Amazon Sales Rank Guide 2025: How to Make Smarter Sourcing Decisions
If you’re an Amazon seller, you’ve likely come across Amazon sales rank or Best Seller Rank (BSR) while sourcing products. But what does it really mean? And how can you use it to make better buying decisions that lead to faster sales and higher profits? In this guide, we’ll break down the key factors of Amazon sales rank, when the number of FBA sellers really matters, and how to evaluate whether a product is worth purchasing.
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What is Amazon Sales Rank?
Amazon assigns a Best Seller Rank (BSR) to every product, which represents its sales performance relative to other products in the same category. The lower the number, the more units of that product are selling. A rank of #1 means it’s the best-selling item in that category, and ranks increase as demand decreases.
However, Amazon sales rank is category-dependent—which means that a rank of 25,000 in one category might be a fast seller, while in another, it could mean slow-moving inventory. That’s why it’s crucial to understand category trends and not just rely on a single rank number or percentage shown in an app.
You can easily see the Amazon sales rank on any product page! Here you see this mug is #13 in best selling mugs (the sub category) but we only care about the main category – in this case 1,442 in Kitchen & Dining!
Chrome extensions like RevSeller make it really easy to see ALL relevant details about an ASIN including sales rank right at the top of the Amazon product page!
Why the Sales Rank Category Matters
Amazon has thousands of subcategories, but sellers should focus on the main parent categories to evaluate Amazon sales rank correctly. Here’s why:
Each main category has different sales volume thresholds.
Some categories (like Books) have millions of listings, while others (like Baby) have far fewer.
What qualifies as a ‘good’ sales rank varies by category.
For example, in Books, an item ranked up to 1,000,000 might still sell within a few months. But in a smaller category like Baby or Pet Supplies, a 100,000 rank could be too high, meaning the product won’t sell quickly, if at all.
How Long Should It Take for an Item to Sell?
Many sellers aim to sell inventory within 2-3 months. For FBA sellers, this is even more critical since storing excess inventory for long periods can affect your Inventory Performance Index (IPI) score and potentially reduce your storage limits.
If an item has a high Amazon sales rank, it might take longer to sell—and no profit happens unless the item actually sells! That’s why it’s important to balance profit potential with sell-through speed when making purchasing decisions.
How Many Sellers Matter?
A common question in the BOLO group is: “If an item has a certain rank and a lot of FBA sellers, should I buy it?”
The truth is: It depends on the category and how competitive the sellers are. Here’s how to break it down:
For low-rank products in strong categories (Toys, Grocery, Health & Personal Care): The number of FBA sellers matters less because demand is high and inventory moves quickly.
For higher-rank products: You need to analyze how many sellers are actually Buy Box eligible—not just the total number of sellers on the listing.
How to Check Buy Box Competition
Instead of worrying about the total number of sellers, focus on the competitive sellers who are pricing within 5% of the Buy Box price. Here’s how:
Find the current Buy Box price.
Multiply it by 1.05 to determine the highest competitive price range.
Check how many sellers are within this range—those are your true competitors.
In the example of our mug:
The item’s Buy Box price is $139.54, any seller pricing between $139 – $146.50 is considered a competitive seller.
If only 5 sellers are in this range, that means competition is manageable.
If 20+ sellers are in that range, and the product was ranked 350,000 in Kitchen & Dining, the product might take longer to sell, and pricing could start dropping quickly
Using Jungle Scout’s Free Estimator
To avoid bad buys, use the Jungle Scout Estimator to see how many units an item sells at a given Amazon sales rank.
If the item sells thousands of units per month: The number of sellers won’t matter as much since demand is high.
If it only sells 30-50 units per month: You need to ensure you’re not competing against too many well-stocked sellers.
Common Sales Rank Mistakes to Avoid
- Focusing only on profit without checking Amazon sales rank.
- Ignoring how many competitive sellers exist.
- Not using Keepa to check rank history.
- Assuming an item is a fast seller just because of its current rank.
How Keepa Helps Avoid Bad Buys
Since Amazon sales rank fluctuates, Keepa is essential for tracking historical trends. A product might have a low rank because one just sold, but Keepa can show if it normally ranks much higher.
Example:
You scan a toy and see a rank of 150,000.
Keepa reveals that most of the time, it sits at 500,000+.
This means the item isn’t consistently selling and may sit for months before moving.
Bottom line: Use Keepa to confirm that a rank is stable before making a buy.
Final Thoughts: How to Use Sales Rank to Make Smart Buys
1️⃣ Use rank as a guide, not the only factor.
2️⃣ Check historical trends with Keepa.
3️⃣ Use Jungle Scout’s estimator to check monthly sales volume.
4️⃣ Look at competitive Buy Box sellers, not total sellers.
5️⃣ Adjust your buying decisions based on category size and demand.
Amazon sales rank is an incredibly useful tool—but only when used correctly. By following these strategies, you’ll be able to source smarter, sell faster, and maximize your Amazon profits.
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- Sales Rank Guidelines
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