Amazon India starts new programme for sellers

New Delhi: E-commerce major Amazon India has come out with a new programme for sellers to get insights and help related to the goods and services tax (GST), which is set to be rolled out from July 1.

Called the 'A-Z GST Guide', the programme in its pilot phase has already helped train over 5,000 sellers on the Amazon platform to get ready for GST. "By building a dedicated A-Z GST Guide portal, which is open to anyone visiting the platform and not just the Amazon sellers, the company has been educating visitors on the nuances of GST," Amazon India Director and GM (Seller Services) Gopal Pillai told PTI.

He added that the portal provides resources in the form of tutorials, blogs and free online training sessions. "The portal also provides sellers with access to paid professional support and expert advice from third-party service providers," he said.

The company is also conducting training sessions for sellers and engaging with them to understand seller pain points first-hand and efficiently resolve them. "Sellers will also be provided with the flexibility of accessing in-person assistance from Seller Cafes that are

present in more than 30 cities in India.

All necessary system and process changes are being implemented rapidly to ensure sellers are GST compliant at launch," Pillai said. The 5,000 sellers who have benefited from the programme cut across from the country.

Amazon is encouraging its 1.7 lakh sellers to use the programme. While e-commerce companies like Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal have hailed the GST as a game changer, they have raised concerns regarding tax collection at source (TCS).

Under TCS, e-commerce marketplaces will have to deduct a portion of the amount payable to sellers on their platform and remit it to the government. The companies believe that this would result in a capital lock-down of about Rs 400 crore per annum and discourage merchants from selling online.