What Are the Best Selling Amazon Products?

Amazon has become the biggest eCommerce marketplace in the world since its humble beginnings in 1994. With over 200 million Prime members worldwide and a presence in 58 different countries, many shoppers turn to Amazon for their essential shopping needs. It’s easy to do so when there are plenty of product options to go around! In fact, 1.9 million small and medium-sized businesses sell on Amazon, which makes up 60% of the platform’s retail sales. Everything from seasonal novelties to household essentials can be found on Amazon.

So what are some of the best-selling Amazon products? Here, we’ll take you through popular categories with some consistent best sellers. Additionally, we’ll cover how Amazon returns fit into the equation of liquidation goods helping fuel the secondary market.

Best selling Amazon products by category

With millions of different products to choose from, there are a few categories that rise to the top. Amazon’s Best Sellers List compiles the most popular products based on sales and gets updated hourly. We highlight categories like baby, apparel, beauty, and electronics (plus a few others) with real examples based on the time of writing. We also include common reasons Amazon products may be returned and listed on liquidation storefronts like Amazon Liquidation Auctions. Here, registered businesses can purchase returned merchandise by the pallet or truckload!

Let’s break these categories down.

Baby

Items like baby wipes, diapers, booster seats, sound machines, baby monitors, toys, and clothing are just a few of the multitude of baby-related products on Amazon. When you consider why people make returns—baby registry-gifts-gone-wrong, incorrect color, size, or bumps and scratches—it’s unsurprising that returns can often be unused and sometimes unopened! An example of this would be a returned present for a niece or nephew that was supposed to be size 3T instead of 2T. This is why Amazon liquidation includes baby items despite being a bestseller!

View Amazon Auctions

Apparel

Apparel is one of Amazon’s bestsellers. In fact, Amazon dethroned Walmart as the top apparel retailer in the U.S. in 2021! Job interviews, anniversaries, and vacations all call for a wardrobe check-in. This is why Amazon carries everything from casual basics and dress wear to athletic clothing, swimsuits, intimates, footwear, and more. In the winter months, you’re likely to see more coats, sweaters, long sleeves, mittens, knitted, fleece, or wool-lined items. In the summer months, shoppers typically search for outdoor gear suitable for warmer weather. Apparel bestsellers today look like this:

Special occasion purchasing or buying multiple sizes and sending back the ones that do not fit are two of the most common reasons apparel gets returned. We wrote A Guide to Buying Liquidation Apparel, Accessories, & Shoes to make your liquidation apparel buying and reselling experience easier!

Beauty & Personal Care

Beauty sales on Amazon jumped 13% year-over-year between January to the end of November in 2021. Products like teeth-whitening aids were also one of the most purchased items during last year’s Amazon Prime Day.

Today, consumer favorites on Amazon include makeup brands like Revlon, Urban Decay, Maybelline, NYX, and Real Techniques. Along with personal care brands like Neutrogena, CeraVe, L’Oreal Paris, and Olay. A majority of what you’d find in the drugstore or beauty store is now available on Amazon! Their bestsellers update daily, but you typically see items like cosmetics, sunscreen, hair colors, nail polish, skincare, shampoo, beauty tools, makeup wipes, and more.

These items tend to get returned due to shoppers misreading the packaging, buyer’s remorse, or price checking elsewhere. The best part about health and beauty returns and overstock is that they are often retail-ready and in original packaging! Plus, these products are always in demand and the inventory moves fast.

Home & Kitchen

Online shoppers can turn to eCommerce sites like Amazon for home goods. That includes some best-sellers like kitchen tools, small appliances, decor, furniture, curtains, pillows, linens, rugs, shelves, and frames. Hobbyists, college students, and families alike can find the home and kitchen items they need on Amazon regardless of their budget.

Did you know that a common reason home goods get returned is due to over-purchasing or preventative measures? An example of this could be that generator you ordered during hurricane season that you no longer have a use for! Or maybe you decided you don’t need that extra pair of sheets for the guest bedroom. While in most cases you’d rather be prepared, this does contribute to the number of returns Amazon receives. Read more about purchasing liquidation home and garden inventory.

Patio & Garden

Seasonality is also a helpful indicator of what bestsellers you will see on Amazon. For example, during the summer months, best-selling patio and garden products include insect repellents, plant food, potting mixes, garden hoses, and pressure washers. And on the flip side, colder months call for electric heaters, fire pits, charcoal, snow tools, and other winter gear! Today, bestsellers look like this:

Similar to home goods, patio and garden merchandise may be returned for reasons that have nothing to do with functionality. For example, perhaps an ordered rug didn’t match the new patio set, a hose was the wrong length, or the buyer simply didn’t like the smell of a new repellent. For various reasons, these items may be returned as fully functional, but no longer needed.

Household Essentials

Household supplies are an often-overlooked category. Not on Amazon! You can find plenty of essential purchases for the household and even choose from popular  ‘Subscribe & Save’ options. Plus, don’t forget the availability of bulk quantities! Amazon’s wide selection of paper towels, toilet paper, dishwasher pods, and trash bags are just the tip of the iceberg. You can also find cleaning products, wipes, light bulbs, and batteries.

Electronics

Prime Day 2021 sales reached $11.2 billion. It’s no coincidence that two of the best-selling products include the iRobot Roomba 692 Robot Vacuum and Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K with Alexa Voice Remote. Electronics are a popular purchase! From the Echo Dot to Kindle, Amazon carries electronics for any consumer. You can find tablets, doorbell cameras, smart home devices, laptops, fitness trackers, speakers, and more in a matter of seconds. Today’s best sellers in electronics include:

Common reasons consumer electronics get returned are item complexity or lack of problem-solving. An example of this would be a college student returning a pair of Bluetooth headphones because they wouldn’t pair with their laptop. Electronics are another category where returns are often made without ever being opened! That’s what makes purchasing liquidation consumer electronics a profitable business opportunity. We give you tips in A Guide to Buying Liquidation Consumer Electronics.

Grocery

Grocery shopping online is becoming more mainstream. While the competition is fierce with other top dogs like Walmart, Kroger, and Costco in the ring, grocery is still a hot category for Amazon. Grocery items like coffee, crackers, cereal bars, canned foods, fruit snacks, and candy are common. But you can also find baby formula, protein supplements, water, soda, and energy drinks. And don’t forget the seltzers! Amazon also touts 2-hour grocery delivery with Prime. With hasty decisions and late-night cravings, returns are more than likely. Good thing liquidated groceries are a great source of inventory for discount grocery stores!

Buy and sell Amazon returns on B-Stock

Not every bestseller ends up a winner. And sadly, customers will need to make a return (or two!). It’s happening more often than ever these days. In just a year’s time, retail returns jumped from an average of 10.6% to 16.6% in 2021. While this can be a headache for retailers, it presents an opportunity for resellers and businesses looking for overstock and customer returned inventory. That’s right! You can access these goods in bulk thanks to the common practice of liquidating.

Amazon especially is known for its customer-centric policy, allowing shoppers to make returns no matter the reason.  Meaning that Amazon deals with its own fair share of returns. Luckily, you can find Amazon returns pallets right here on B-Stock. When you register for the Amazon Liquidation Auctions storefront, you get access to new auctions daily! The best part is you only pay what you want with an auction setup. Simply submit your resale certificate and you’re good to go.