Topic Wiki

    Selling On Amazon
    When signing up for an account there are two options. If you're just starting out, get the Individual Plan, you can upgrade the account whenever you want.

    Individual Selling PlanProfessional Selling Plan
    $0.99 fee for each item sold. If you sell 40+ items/month, you will need the Professional plan.  Flat fee of $39.99/month and more powerful and flexible tools to manage inventory, reports, feeds and access to web services.

    Amazon is an amazing platform that offers great opportunities for starting a business and making money. However when starting out, take it slow.
    There is much to learn and get used to. Before investing all your savings on a product you hope will quickly turn a profit take the time to familiarize yourself with the system.
    Perhaps start out with a smaller investment just to get your feet wet. Go through the basic guidelines offered by Amazon here.

    Below are tips, clarifications and insights from members of this forum. Feel free to pitch in or ask you questions.

    Some factors to consider before investing in a product to sell:

    1) Price: How much did the item cost you? Have you taken into account shipping costs (both to you and to the customer)? Will you have to pay taxes? Amazon keeps a percentage of every sale (including shipping fees). It’s 15% for most product categories besides a few like electronics that are 8%. You can see the full schedule of fees here. There are several online tools to help you price your products including an FBA Revenue Calculator here and an Amazon built iOS app. A quick way to figure out how much you’d need to charge just to break even after amazon fees is to take the total product cost and then multiply it by 1.1766 (for 15% fees) or 1.087 (for 8% fees).

    2) Velocity:  How fast will the item sell? It's nice to find a product for $10 that you can flip for $100.  But if you’ll only sell 1 a year, it won’t be a very good investment. The best way to determine the velocity of an item is to check the sales rank. Sales rank indicates the popularity of a product compared to other products in its category. The lower the ranking the more popular it is. The iOS app has sales rank baked in too. To get a proper feel for the turnaround time of an item, you'll need to dip your toes in slowly. Note: An item may have a great sales rank due to a recent sale, make sure to check price history on camelcamelcamel.com or keepa.com to get a better picture of the real price and rank of an item.

    3) Return Rate: Even after you sold a few laptops and tablets profitably, you'll have to take into account that a buyer may want to return the item. Certain items have higher rates of return, so make sure to take that into account when deciding whether it's profitable/worth your effort to sell the item.


    Fulfilled By Amazon (FBA):
    The seller sends the items to Amazon warehouse. Amazon takes care of fulfilling the order, and customer service related to the order.

    Pro's Of FBA
    Con's Of FBA
    • Easier to get in the Buy Box
    • You're able to offer Prime shipping
    • For anything above $300, Amazon only charges the standard referral fee. This actually makes FBA cheaper when you take the discounted shipping to Amazon into account.
    • If you have a large or heavy item, shipping the item to the customer can be expensive especially if it is going to a residential address. If you send that item to amazon FBA charges will be much lower than your shipping would have cost. (Including shipping it to FBA)

    • Returns (See this post for a more detailed explanation)
      • Returns are accepted without any restocking fee.
      • Items that are Damaged/missing parts are taken back.
      • Since Amazons is super lax on returns, your return rate will be significantly higher.
      • Refunds may harm your cash flow. When a buyer selects "Return" on his order history, often Amazon will immediately issue him a refund, and debit your account.
    • If the item is not a fast selling item, it will sit in their warehouse. Amazon charges a fee for every 30 Days an item remains their warehouse, it is usually a tiny fee, but it adds up.


    Q: How can I move inventory from one ASIN to another ASIN without having them returned on FBA listings?
    A:
    Before I Teach you guys the method you must keep 2 things in mind:
    1) This Method isn't guaranteed! As we all know how seller support is operating, Since this processes involves them its only about %95 accurate but its still a YMMV!
    2) This is kind of grey whether its in violation of Amazon's policy so i do not take responsibility if you get hit!
    Its a 4 step process make sure to follow them properly! Follow this link

    Q: If I have 3 items to send into FBA and they are splitting me to 3 different locations. Can I ship all 3 items to one location?
    A:
    Yes, you can choose "Inventory Placement Service" in FBA settings to send all your inventory to one nearby warehouse. Amazon charges an additional fee ($.30, CMIIW) per item.
    Note: That even once your inventory reaches Amazon, if Amazon is moving it to a different warehouse, the item will be "back-ordered"

    Q: I'm having a hard time finding a box for a large product, can I just ship with the box the way it came from the store?
    A:
    There might not be a clear cut answer for every scenario. But, some have sold many large printers through FBA, by just putting the shipping label directly on the box and not having an issue.

    Q: What is considered case pack when sending in items to Amazon FBA?
    A:
    Case pack is when all the items in the box are from the same ASIN.

    Q: I'm doing FBA shipping for the first time. and it says "prep required". What does that mean?
    A:
    Prep Required means there is some preparation for the products that will need to be done before it could be added the the Amazon inventory. Typically, it is either labeling the items, taping the boxes shut, or poly bagging. If you do not prepare the items yourself, Amazon can/will do it for a charge.
    Q: What is the buy box? How do I win the buy box?
    A:
    The Buy Box is the box on a product detail page where customers can begin the purchasing process by adding items to their shopping carts.
    To give customers the best possible shopping experience, Sellers must meet performance-based requirements to be eligible to compete for Buy Box placement. All Buy Box eligible offers are then further evaluated to determine the Buy Box winning offer. One "New" and one "Used" condition offer, as applicable, will receive Buy Box placement.

    Q: What is an A-Z claim?
    A:
    When you buy from third-party sellers on Amazon.com, the condition of the item and its timely delivery are guaranteed under the A-to-z Guarantee.
    Therefore, a buyer may open a claim if the above is not met to his expectations.

    Q: I have an item that is handmade how do I go about selling it on?
    A:
    Create your own listing and buy a UPC code.

    Q: Any advice on packaging and shipping?
    Check the Shipping Master Thread

    Q: Why are some items on Amazon missing the Amazon sales rank number?
    A:
    Go to add a product > sell yours  it should be in the top right corner. If it's not there usually it means no one bought yet.

    Q: How do you compare Ebay/paypal fees to Amazon fees?
    A:
    Depends on the category. For a lot of categories,Please Update Categories it may be cheaper, as with Amazon there is just one fee, but for eBay sales there also is a Paypal fee.

    Does the Amazon sales rank mean a lot when researching a product to sell?
    A:
    Yes





    Q: How do I get customers to leave feedback (I tried emails)? I sold multiple items
    recently and no feedback yet
    Please Update

    Q: I Got an email from a buyer where's my stuff? I have a Fedex/UPS delivery confirmation signature. How should I go about this?
    A:
    Firstly, tell the buyer that UPS/Fedex shows that it was signed for, and they should check if the item was delivered to a neighbor, from desk of building ect... Next open an investigation from your end with UPS/Fedex to have them do research and contact their driver of what may have happened to this item. It all depends on how co-operative the buyer is, on exactly how to precede. If they are trying to scam you, then there is not much as a seller you could do. They may open an A-Z claim (you would have to weigh your options if it is worth having a claim) Amazon may or may not grant it in your favor. I have never had this with Amazon. Such a claim is not typical.
    What is more common is if there was no signature, and tracking shows it was delivered, and the buyer is claiming they have not received it.
    For myself - Fedex has reimbursed me multiple times with such instances

    Scams
    Q: I posted an expensive item on Amazon. Somebody sent me a message, asking to clarify the condition of the item is (it was clearly stated in the description), along with a request to reply to his own email, and he'll pay through PayPal. Is there anything this buyer can so to screw me over, after I send him the item? Anything else I should know?

    A: SCAM SCAM SCAM. There is NO reason you should EVER do this. There is a reason why Amazon has this policy. This is how the scams works.
    The guy sends a FAKE email from an email account such as paypal1@realpaypal.com. In reality no money was sent to your account and its bogus. The scammers are hoping that you will think that you got the money and will send the item.
    You should report it to paypal each time. beware! always check your paypal account if the money came.
    Another reason not do this-you will get kicked off amazon for good,sometimes competitors set this up.[/list]



    Commonly used resources

    A List of lots of links to resources commonly used in Amazon selling
    http://www.asgtg.com/amazon-services/


    « Last edited by mgarfin on January 02, 2018, 09:07:51 PM »

    Author Topic: Selling on Amazon Master Thread  (Read 971098 times)

    Offline ueaiouioei

    • Dansdeals Gold Elite
    • ***
    • Join Date: Feb 2013
    • Posts: 116
    • Total likes: 5
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • Gender: Male
      • View Profile
    • Location: New York
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #980 on: July 14, 2014, 01:56:31 PM »
    I would highly recommend the book recently written about Amazon and Jeff Bezos: The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon. It really puts all of Amazon's policies and obsessions into context.

    They are a customer-centric operation, end of story. If something will make their customers happy they do it. If something upsets their customers they will terminate it with such viciousness it'll make you head spin. The amount of money they make is almost irrelevant in their decision making.
    Live life to the fullest

    Offline ya

    • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Gold Elite
    • ******
    • Join Date: Jun 2010
    • Posts: 954
    • Total likes: 28
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
      • View Profile
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #981 on: July 14, 2014, 02:12:38 PM »
    I would highly recommend the book recently written about Amazon and Jeff Bezos: The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon. It really puts all of Amazon's policies and obsessions into context.

    They are a customer-centric operation, end of story. If something will make their customers happy they do it. If something upsets their customers they will terminate it with such viciousness it'll make you head spin. The amount of money they make is almost irrelevant in their decision making.
    The amount of money they make is very relevant to their decision making. (they are not closing down a $100million account because 1 person complained) They are only customer centric because being customer centric makes them money. They are in the business to make money not to save you money.

    Offline ueaiouioei

    • Dansdeals Gold Elite
    • ***
    • Join Date: Feb 2013
    • Posts: 116
    • Total likes: 5
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • Gender: Male
      • View Profile
    • Location: New York
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #982 on: July 14, 2014, 03:14:27 PM »
    The amount of money they make is very relevant to their decision making. (they are not closing down a $100million account because 1 person complained) They are only customer centric because being customer centric makes them money. They are in the business to make money not to save you money.

    Very very long term they're in it to make money but in the day to day decision making that is not what influences them. Read the book, study Jeff Bezos. He is as unique as they come. Read this excerpt from the book: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-10/jeff-bezos-and-the-age-of-amazon-excerpt-from-the-everything-store-by-brad-stone. From the paragraph that starts with
    Quote
    One of the more memorable escalations occurred in late 2010.
    For one customer complaint they won't shut down a $100 million account but for 10 or 20 they probably would. He is pulling the sales industry, screaming and kicking, into the future.

    He has an obsession with space travel and has his own space company, Space Origin. I very strongly believe a big driver, for him, in making Amazon successful is to make money to fund space travel.
    Live life to the fullest

    Offline ya

    • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Gold Elite
    • ******
    • Join Date: Jun 2010
    • Posts: 954
    • Total likes: 28
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
      • View Profile
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #983 on: July 14, 2014, 03:19:23 PM »
    Very very long term they're in it to make money but in the day to day decision making that is not what influences them. Read the book, study Jeff Bezos. He is as unique as they come. Read this excerpt from the book: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-10/jeff-bezos-and-the-age-of-amazon-excerpt-from-the-everything-store-by-brad-stone. From the paragraph that starts with  For one customer complaint they won't shut down a $100 million account but for 10 or 20 they probably would. He is pulling the sales industry, screaming and kicking, into the future.

    He has an obsession with space travel and has his own space company, Space Origin. I very strongly believe a big driver, for him, in making Amazon successful is to make money to fund space travel.
    Read that book a while back. True its the very long term. But they are making decisions now to get there. e.g. if they aren't a customer centric company they will never get there.

    Depends on the type of complaints.

    Into what he thinks the future is... He very well maybe right but he maybe wrong.

    Offline Newcc

    • Dansdeals Platinum Elite
    • ****
    • Join Date: May 2012
    • Posts: 398
    • Total likes: 1
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • Gender: Male
      • View Profile
    • Location: Brooklyn, NY
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #984 on: July 14, 2014, 09:37:44 PM »
    I think the nature of doing business on Amazon is so competitive, even within a community like ours people are reluctant to talk about anything tachlis. Just conjecture. I'd be glad to see this thread take off a bit more.
    I hear ya, it is true that everyone seems to be competing with each other etc. but I think it's a shame that on other random forums one can find everything written out in micro details and here we don't share that much.

    Of course I understand that everyone needs to protect their business and there is no need to give out all your information but helpful tips that apply to everyone could be very helpful.


    Offline avrumy22

    • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
    • *******
    • Join Date: Dec 2011
    • Posts: 1478
    • Total likes: 6
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
      • View Profile
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #985 on: July 15, 2014, 01:39:22 PM »
    The amount of money they make is very relevant to their decision making. (they are not closing down a $100million account because 1 person complained) They are only customer centric because being customer centric makes them money. They are in the business to make money not to save you money.

    -100

    I worked for a company that did over $70 million on Amazon in one year and got shut down. Reason? A claim from months back that they never responded to. The CEO of the company called Amazon screaming. They told him they will unfreeze his account when its taken care of. and that was that.

    Offline ya

    • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Gold Elite
    • ******
    • Join Date: Jun 2010
    • Posts: 954
    • Total likes: 28
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
      • View Profile
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #986 on: July 15, 2014, 01:51:58 PM »
    -100

    I worked for a company that did over $70 million on Amazon in one year and got shut down. Reason? A claim from months back that they never responded to. The CEO of the company called Amazon screaming. They told him they will unfreeze his account when its taken care of. and that was that.
    #1 rule on Amazon respond to every email you receive from Amazon.

    Offline ya

    • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Gold Elite
    • ******
    • Join Date: Jun 2010
    • Posts: 954
    • Total likes: 28
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
      • View Profile
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #987 on: July 17, 2014, 03:41:10 PM »
    Has anyone ever got their Amazon account shut down and then reopened?

    If yes how?

    Offline KidOOO

    • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
    • *******
    • Join Date: Oct 2011
    • Posts: 1820
    • Total likes: 16
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 2
    • Gender: Male
      • View Profile
    • Location: NY
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #988 on: July 17, 2014, 03:44:49 PM »
    Has anyone ever got their Amazon account shut down and then reopened?

    If yes how?

    Yes. Very hard though, and very rarely successful.

    it Involved letters from manufactures/supppliers and lawyers, as well as restriction on ever selling problematic items

    Offline Super Speed

    • Dansdeals Presidential Platinum Elite
    • ********
    • Join Date: Jul 2013
    • Posts: 4849
    • Total likes: 50
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 4
    • Gender: Male
      • View Profile
    • Programs: SPG Gold, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Platinum, Marriott Gold, Hertz Presidents Circle, Avis First, National Executive Elite, Sixt Platinum.
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #989 on: July 17, 2014, 04:09:22 PM »

    Has anyone ever got their Amazon account shut down and then reopened?

    If yes how?
    I have! Although I was a tiny seller, haven't sold too much since then.

    Offline ueaiouioei

    • Dansdeals Gold Elite
    • ***
    • Join Date: Feb 2013
    • Posts: 116
    • Total likes: 5
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • Gender: Male
      • View Profile
    • Location: New York
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #990 on: July 17, 2014, 04:14:02 PM »
    Has anyone ever got their Amazon account shut down and then reopened?

    If yes how?

    What was the reason it was shut down?
    Live life to the fullest

    Offline Baruch

    • Dansdeals Presidential Platinum Elite
    • ********
    • Join Date: Jan 2013
    • Posts: 2601
    • Total likes: 330
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 2
      • View Profile
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #991 on: July 17, 2014, 04:17:01 PM »
    -100

    I worked for a company that did over $70 million on Amazon in one year and got shut down. Reason? A claim from months back that they never responded to. The CEO of the company called Amazon screaming. They told him they will unfreeze his account when its taken care of. and that was that.
    Are they nuts?

    Offline Super Speed

    • Dansdeals Presidential Platinum Elite
    • ********
    • Join Date: Jul 2013
    • Posts: 4849
    • Total likes: 50
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 4
    • Gender: Male
      • View Profile
    • Programs: SPG Gold, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Platinum, Marriott Gold, Hertz Presidents Circle, Avis First, National Executive Elite, Sixt Platinum.
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #992 on: July 17, 2014, 04:27:55 PM »

    What was the reason it was shut down?
    2 A-Z claims filed against me, I believe I won both but still impacted my score.

    Offline avrumy22

    • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
    • *******
    • Join Date: Dec 2011
    • Posts: 1478
    • Total likes: 6
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
      • View Profile
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #993 on: July 17, 2014, 04:30:44 PM »

    Offline Emkay

    • Dansdeals Lifetime 10K Presidential Platinum Elite
    • *******
    • Join Date: Dec 2012
    • Posts: 14295
    • Total likes: 376
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 35
      • View Profile
    • Location: Where I ought to be
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #994 on: July 17, 2014, 04:52:14 PM »
    what is the ideal price of products i should be looking to sell as a new seller doing fba? taking into account inventory stocking, returns..

    Offline ilherman

    • Dansdeals Lifetime Presidential Platinum Elite
    • *********
    • Join Date: Jun 2013
    • Posts: 8935
    • Total likes: 227
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 35
      • View Profile
    • Location: Brooklyn
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #995 on: July 17, 2014, 05:13:09 PM »
    what is the ideal price of products i should be looking to sell as a new seller doing fba? taking into account inventory stocking, returns..
    Returns can be a nightmare when doing FBA. Whenever you buy inventory you have to take in consideration that you'll get returns. So make sure it's worthwhile when buying inventory.
    You can say what you think when you think what you say.

    Offline Emkay

    • Dansdeals Lifetime 10K Presidential Platinum Elite
    • *******
    • Join Date: Dec 2012
    • Posts: 14295
    • Total likes: 376
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 35
      • View Profile
    • Location: Where I ought to be
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #996 on: July 17, 2014, 05:17:27 PM »
    Returns can be a nightmare when doing FBA. Whenever you buy inventory you have to take in consideration that you'll get returns. So make sure it's worthwhile when buying inventory.
    What percentage should I look to be making per item?

    Offline EMCC

    • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
    • *******
    • Join Date: Apr 2014
    • Posts: 1246
    • Total likes: 19
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 5
    • Gender: Male
      • View Profile
    • Location: CN/HK
    • Programs: Hyatt Diamond, IHG Platinum
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #997 on: July 17, 2014, 08:37:26 PM »
    What percentage should I look to be making per item?
    Depends on the product.
    "Disclaimer: I don't believe everything I write."  - ChaimMoskowitz

    Offline Baruch

    • Dansdeals Presidential Platinum Elite
    • ********
    • Join Date: Jan 2013
    • Posts: 2601
    • Total likes: 330
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 2
      • View Profile
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #998 on: July 17, 2014, 08:53:58 PM »

    Offline Tzadik Nistar

    • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
    • *******
    • Join Date: Nov 2011
    • Posts: 1003
    • Total likes: 16
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 1
      • View Profile
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #999 on: July 17, 2014, 09:08:36 PM »
    If you could do volume 20% is nice