How to Create an Amazon Account

Start. Go to amazon.com. In the upper right corner, you'll see a menu titled 'Your Account'. Hovering over this will display a dropdown menu. Click the 'Start Here' link just below the yellow 'Sign In' button.

Enter your personal information. The registration form will ask for your name, email address, and require you to choose a password.

• Note that you can also enter a phone number. This is optional but adds extra security to your account. Amazon will not call you, so don’t worry – they only call for security purposes.

Create your account. Once you’ve filled in all the necessary information, click 'Create Account'. You’ll be redirected to Amazon's welcome page. Congratulations! You now have an official Amazon account.

Edit your payment options. After creating your account, you need to set up your preferred payment method. Click on 'Your Account' at the top right of the screen. Under the 'Payment Methods' menu, select 'Add a Credit Card'. Enter the details of any card you plan to use, including the billing address.

• Once this step is complete, you can confirm that the information is accurate by going to 'Manage Your Payment Methods'. Your credit card will be listed there.

Add a shipping address. Click on 'Your Account' again and navigate to the 'Account Settings' section. Click on the 'Add New Address' option. Enter your password, then fill in your name and shipping address in the form. Click 'Save and Continue'. Now you’re ready to shop on Amazon!

Create an address book. Although this is an optional feature, many users find that having an address book enhances their shopping experience. Go to 'Your Account' and click on 'Manage Address Book.' You will be prompted to enter additional addresses for yourself and anyone you might want to send gifts to.

• When you mark an address as 'Gifting Address,' Amazon will automatically attach a receipt along with the gift order when it is shipped to that address.

Personalize your profile. Go back to 'Your Account' and click on 'Your Public Profile' under the 'Personalization' section. You'll be prompted to enter any details you'd like to display publicly on your profile (name, location, birthday, anniversary, website, images). Once done, check the box 'I have read the Terms and Conditions,' then click continue. You will need to enter additional personal details. After clicking 'Finish,' your profile will be complete.

• If privacy is important to you, limit the amount of public information on your profile. For instance, you could choose to display just your name and a general location.
• Be careful not to exceed 4000 characters when providing additional details. That’s Amazon’s maximum storage limit.

Connect with social networks. Go to 'Your Account' and click on 'Your Social Settings' under the 'Personalization' section. This will take you to a window where you can link your Amazon account with Facebook. You can also click on 'Twitter Settings' to connect with Twitter.

• Connecting with Facebook and Twitter allows you to maximize your profile by sharing products you've bought and liked.

Create a Wish List. To make your own wish list, go to 'Your Account' and click on 'Wish Lists.' On the right, you’ll see a yellow button 'Create your Wish List.' Click on it. Now, when browsing products on Amazon, you can add them to your wish list by clicking the 'Add to Wish List' button.

• If you want to rename this list (by default it's called 'New Wish List'), simply click the 'Edit list name' link after setting it up.
• If you make this list 'public,' gifting your friends and family will be easier. They will be able to view the list and select gifts from it.
• You can also create a specific Wedding List the same way: just select 'Wedding List' instead of 'Wish List' from the 'Your Account' section. You’ll be asked to enter details about yourself, your partner, and the wedding date. Once set up, this list works just like a traditional registry.