Glossary

Amazon Selling Partner API (SP-API): definition, limits and mistakes

Updated · Ecomsellertool

Short answer

SP-API, the Amazon Selling Partner API, is the REST-based API that sellers, vendors and their authorized apps use to read orders, inventory, finances and reports, and to update listings, prices and shipments. An app exchanges a stored refresh token through Login with Amazon for an access token that lasts one hour. Most operations have their own rate and burst limit for each seller-and-app pair, so reliable integrations lean on notifications instead of constant polling.

  • Amazon's developer docs define SP-API as a REST API for sellers' and vendors' own order, shipment, payment and inventory data.
  • Calls are authorized through Login with Amazon: a stored refresh token is exchanged for an access token valid for 3,600 seconds.
  • Rate limits use a token bucket, and most apply per selling partner and application pair; searchOrders defaults to 0.0056 requests per second with a burst of 20.
  • App client secrets must be rotated every 180 days, and sellers must reauthorize a public app every 365 days or whenever it adds a role.
  • Buyer PII such as names and addresses needs a restricted role like Direct-to-Consumer Shipping or Tax Invoicing; Orders API v0 and some other operations also need a Restricted Data Token, but v2026-01-01 does not.
  • Orders API v0 operations such as getOrders were deprecated on January 28, 2026 and are removed on March 27, 2027, in favor of Orders API v2026-01-01.

Definition: Amazon Selling Partner API (SP-API)

The Amazon Selling Partner API (SP-API) is Amazon's REST-based API that lets sellers, vendors and the applications they authorize read and update their business data, including orders, shipments, payments, inventory, listings and reports, so Amazon operations can be automated instead of run through Seller Central screens.

SP-API is the main pipe between an Amazon selling account and the software that runs it; repricers, replenishment planners, reimbursement tools and profit dashboards typically read and write through it.

What does SP-API cover?

It is a family of APIs, each with its own versions and limits. The ones an operations team touches most:

JobSP-API areaDetail worth knowing
Pull ordersOrders APIv2026-01-01 replaces v0, whose getOrders calls are removed March 27, 2027
Publish listings and pricesListings Items API, JSON_LISTINGS_FEEDThe XML and flat-file listing feeds were removed December 3, 2025
Track FBA stockFBA Inventory APIThe FBA_INVENTORY_AVAILABILITY_CHANGES notification carries a snapshot for every eligible store in the region
Reconcile moneyFinances APIRecent orders (roughly the last two days) can be missing from transaction results
Pull bulk dataReports API, Data KioskReports are asynchronous: request, wait, download
React to eventsNotifications APIDelivered to Amazon SQS or Amazon EventBridge

Calls go to one of three regional endpoints: North America, Europe (which also serves India, the UAE and Saudi Arabia) and Far East (Japan, Australia and Singapore).

How do SP-API rate limits work?

Throughput follows a simple formula. Each operation has a usage plan: a rate, the tokens added to your bucket per second, and a burst, the bucket's size. Every call spends a token, and an empty bucket returns HTTP 429. Most limits apply per selling partner and application pair.

Sustained calls per hour = rate × 3,600 (once the burst is spent)

searchOrders defaults to 0.0056 per second with a burst of 20: twenty calls at once, then about 20 an hour. createReport allows 0.0167 per second, about 60 an hour. getListingsItem allows 5 per second, or 18,000 an hour. Some operations use dynamic usage plans that Amazon adjusts per seller, and the x-amzn-RateLimit-Limit header that reports your plan is not always returned.

Why does it matter for operations and growth?

Many revenue-leaking operations gaps are data-timing problems underneath. Replenishment needs sales velocity and FBA stock within hours, not from last week's export: that is the replenishment gap. Reimbursement work needs inventory events matched to finance transactions: that is the FBA reimbursements gap. An event-driven connection that respects limits and current versions lets those workflows run without anyone downloading CSVs.

What mistakes break SP-API integrations?

  • Polling for everything. Subscribing to ORDER_CHANGE, REPORT_PROCESSING_FINISHED or LISTINGS_ITEM_ISSUES_CHANGE saves calls. Amazon still recommends a backup pull in case delivery is delayed.
  • Retrying 429s immediately. A 429 is retryable, but only with back-off.
  • Letting credentials lapse. Client secrets must be rotated every 180 days, with a warning 90 days out; after the deadline, calls fail. Sellers also reauthorize a public app every 365 days.
  • Handling buyer data loosely. Names and addresses are PII and need an approved restricted role; older operations such as Orders v0 also need a Restricted Data Token.
  • Building on retiring versions. Read the deprecation schedule before you build, and plan migrations as releases.
  • Expecting ad data. Campaigns run through the separate Amazon Ads API.
  • Outgrowing a private app. It allows 10 self-authorizations, which a multi-brand group can reach.

How does Growth OS use SP-API?

Ecomsellertool has built on Amazon's seller APIs since 2017. Growth OS connects through SP-API on your own accounts and treats the connection as infrastructure:

  1. Events first, pulls as backup. It is built to start work from order, inventory, listing-issue and report notifications, with scheduled pulls to catch anything missed.
  2. Per-operation pacing. It is built to pace each account's calls against each operation's rate and burst, with order sync prioritized over bulk report pulls.
  3. Credential dates as alerts. Growth OS is built to flag secret rotation and reauthorization deadlines weeks ahead.
  4. Versions tracked. It is built to turn deprecations into planned releases before removal dates.

Growth OS is built to apply the same approach to other marketplace connections where their APIs allow it; Ecomsellertool has built integrations for 20+ marketplaces. After handover, the custom code we build and your data are yours; the Growth OS base is licensed to you.

Where should you start?

If your team still exports Seller Central reports to answer stock or cash questions, start with the free Quick Scan in the Ops Gap Diagnostic. It works from five standard Amazon reports you upload and returns your top three operations gaps, each with a yearly dollar estimate; the paid Deep Diagnostic covers every channel you sell on. To register your own app first, read how to register for Amazon SP-API, or see the base system in Growth OS.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a developer account to use Amazon SP-API?

Yes. You complete a developer profile in Seller Central or in Solution Provider Portal, and Amazon reviews it against its Acceptable Use and Data Protection policies before granting access. Registering in Solution Provider Portal does not need a professional selling account, but building a private seller app from Seller Central does, because individual accounts are not eligible. The Primary User has to complete registration and self-authorize the app.

What is the difference between a private and a public SP-API app?

A private app integrates only your own company, is self-authorized, and is capped at 10 self-authorizations. A public app is authorized by other sellers through OAuth, and public developers are required to list it in the Selling Partner Appstore. Until it is listed, a seller app is capped at 25 OAuth authorizations; once listed, OAuth authorizations are unlimited.

How do I get orders and reports from SP-API?

Orders come from the Orders API, where v2026-01-01 replaces the v0 operations being removed in March 2027. Reports are asynchronous: you request one with createReport, wait for the REPORT_PROCESSING_FINISHED notification or poll its status, then download the document.

Does SP-API include Amazon advertising data?

No. Ad campaigns are managed through the separate Amazon Ads API, which has its own access requirements. Margin-aware ad work joins the two: sales, fees and stock from SP-API, spend and clicks from the Ads API.

Sources

  1. What is the Selling Partner API?, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  2. Usage Plans and Rate Limits, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  3. Connect to the Selling Partner API, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  4. Authorize Private Applications (self-authorization), Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  5. Authorization Limits, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  6. Reauthorize Applications, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  7. Rotate your Application's LWA Credentials, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  8. Selling Partner API Roles, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  9. Tokens API (Restricted Data Token), Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  10. SP-API Deprecation Schedule, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  11. SP-API Registration Overview, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  12. Register as a Public SP-API Developer, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  13. Register as a Private SP-API Developer, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  14. SP-API General FAQ, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  15. Notifications API, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  16. FBA Inventory API, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  17. Notification type values, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  18. SP-API Endpoints, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  19. Orders API Migration Guide, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  20. Feed Type Values, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  21. Data Kiosk API, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  22. API reference: searchOrders (Orders API v2026-01-01), Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  23. API reference: createReport, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  24. API reference: getListingsItem, Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  25. API reference: listTransactions (Finances API), Amazon Selling Partner API (accessed 2026-09-24)
  26. About the Amazon Ads API, Amazon Ads (accessed 2026-09-24)

Related

ReplenishmentFBA reimbursementsAmazon Ads APIASINRegister for Amazon SP-APIEcomsellertool Growth OS

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