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 975782 times)

    Offline M

    • Dansdeals Platinum Elite
    • ****
    • Join Date: Dec 2010
    • Posts: 390
    • Total likes: 1
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
      • View Profile
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #360 on: December 04, 2013, 11:16:27 AM »
    What is the seller protection amazon?

    Meaning ebay offers feedback on buyers and you can look up a person's history but on Amazon you can not. So how do you protect yourself besides for shipping with tracking and insurance?

    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 #361 on: December 05, 2013, 12:00:12 AM »

    I never had a return b"h, but I would think that they would refund you the referral fee, but why should they refund you the FBA fee, why should they take the loss of the shipping etc.... FBA fees are not really commision they are just charging you for being your warehouse, someone actually haves to take off your product from the shelf pack it etc.. so they charge you for that. (if so SS, the cheshbon is right...) @NameChanged, is this what you meant to say?
    I spoke to them today and that's basically what they told me. Oh well.

    Offline metziah

    • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Gold Elite
    • ******
    • Join Date: Apr 2012
    • Posts: 915
    • Total likes: 2
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 1
      • View Profile
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #362 on: December 08, 2013, 11:24:51 PM »
    How do I go about filing a quarterly sales tax report when selling on Amazon? What happens when they collect sakes tax? do they pay it or do they pass it on to me? in my quarterly report do i list the total amount sold on Amazon?etc.. thanx for any help

    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 #363 on: December 09, 2013, 10:46:23 AM »
    Ok.... Heavy advice needed..
    I sent in a item FBA, now I realize that the item matches the Amazon listing 100%, BUT the listing says "made in USA" and the once I sent in says "made in Chine" the item is a tool from a brand name company that people buy because of the brand name..... And its known to last... my question now is, will people complain about it?? who knows..... but my main question is, lets say people will complain, what will Amazon do, am I risking my account? Is this considered counterfeit?
    You can say what you think when you think what you say.

    Offline Name Changed

    • Dansdeals Presidential Platinum Elite
    • ********
    • Join Date: Sep 2011
    • Posts: 4831
    • Total likes: 6
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 13
      • View Profile
    • Location: Lakewood
    • Programs: Avis Presidents Club, National Executive Elite, Hertz Presidents Circle, Sixt Platinum, SPG Gold, eBay Platinum
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #364 on: December 09, 2013, 10:57:30 AM »
    If its the Genuine product people shouldn't complain.

    I do not think it will affect your account

    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 #365 on: December 09, 2013, 11:02:54 AM »
    If its the Genuine product people shouldn't complain.

    I do not think it will affect your account
    It is the Genuine product. My concern is that on the reviews for this product people are writing that its made in USA so its a good product... again the name is known that their products last... I just don't want people to think because its made in Chine, its no ganna last.

    Thanks NC for calming me down.... So i prmissed half of the profit of this item for Tzedukeh if everything goes smooth.
    You can say what you think when you think what you say.

    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.
    selling on amazon
    « Reply #366 on: December 09, 2013, 06:07:55 PM »
    So i prmissed half of the profit of this item for Tzedukeh if everything goes smooth.
    I guess he didn't calm you that much! ;)

    Offline M

    • Dansdeals Platinum Elite
    • ****
    • Join Date: Dec 2010
    • Posts: 390
    • Total likes: 1
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
      • View Profile
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #367 on: December 10, 2013, 12:30:13 AM »
    Anyone an active seller on Amazon that would be able to talk over the phone tomorrow and answer a couple questions for a newbie :)?

    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 #368 on: December 10, 2013, 01:04:59 AM »
    Anyone an active seller on Amazon that would be able to talk over the phone tomorrow and answer a couple questions for a newbie :)?
    With all our helpful members here, I am sure you got a ton of PM's by now....

    But why not share some questions here so others can benefit?
    You can say what you think when you think what you say.

    Offline Hamavin

    • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
    • *******
    • Join Date: Oct 2012
    • Posts: 1628
    • Total likes: 3
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
      • View Profile
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #369 on: December 10, 2013, 01:14:14 AM »
    Does anyone have any experience selling gc"s through raise.com?

    Offline M

    • Dansdeals Platinum Elite
    • ****
    • Join Date: Dec 2010
    • Posts: 390
    • Total likes: 1
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
      • View Profile
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #370 on: December 10, 2013, 08:33:24 AM »
    What is the seller protection amazon?

    Meaning ebay offers feedback on buyers and you can look up a person's history but on Amazon you can not. So how do you protect yourself besides for shipping with tracking and insurance?

    Offline M

    • Dansdeals Platinum Elite
    • ****
    • Join Date: Dec 2010
    • Posts: 390
    • Total likes: 1
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
      • View Profile
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #371 on: December 10, 2013, 08:35:50 AM »
    Has anyone had a case where they shipped through amazon with tracking and the customer says he never got it or he got an empty box? What happens then?

    Also anyway to get better shipping rates then the ones offered directly through amazon "buy shipping?"

    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 #372 on: December 10, 2013, 10:47:47 PM »
    I'm totally fed up with Amazon. I sold about $5500 worth of stuff in the past 2 weeks. My first deposit was supposed to take place tomorrow tonight they shut my seller account for no good reason. I tried contacting them and they said the only way to do it is through email and it can take up to a week.
    #seething


    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 #373 on: December 10, 2013, 11:23:23 PM »
    I'm totally fed up with Amazon. I sold about $5500 worth of stuff in the past 2 weeks. My first deposit was supposed to take place tomorrow tonight they shut my seller account for no good reason. I tried contacting them and they said the only way to do it is through email and it can take up to a week.
    #seething
    Do you have any idea why they shut you?

    I think you mentioned a while ago that they removed some of your listings, no?
    You can say what you think when you think what you say.

    Offline Name Changed

    • Dansdeals Presidential Platinum Elite
    • ********
    • Join Date: Sep 2011
    • Posts: 4831
    • Total likes: 6
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 13
      • View Profile
    • Location: Lakewood
    • Programs: Avis Presidents Club, National Executive Elite, Hertz Presidents Circle, Sixt Platinum, SPG Gold, eBay Platinum
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #374 on: December 10, 2013, 11:30:09 PM »
    I'm totally fed up with Amazon. I sold about $5500 worth of stuff in the past 2 weeks. My first deposit was supposed to take place tomorrow tonight they shut my seller account for no good reason. I tried contacting them and they said the only way to do it is through email and it can take up to a week.
    #seething
    Wow

    When I started selling on Amazon, they froze my account for 6-8 weeks while doing a review, and tied up about $6-8k.

    In my case, my account was still active all along

    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 #375 on: December 10, 2013, 11:39:04 PM »
    Do you have any idea why they shut you?

    I think you mentioned a while ago that they removed some of your listings, no?
    Wow great memory yes they did but they reinstated everything because it was a mistake. This time also the rep had no clue why they just told me to email the seller performance team.

    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 #376 on: December 10, 2013, 11:40:39 PM »
    Wow

    When I started selling on Amazon, they froze my account for 6-8 weeks while doing a review, and tied up about $6-8k.

    In my case, my account was still active all along
    I don't care so much about locking my account for now as I didn't have any active listings. The money though I need this is totally insane.


    Offline metziah

    • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Gold Elite
    • ******
    • Join Date: Apr 2012
    • Posts: 915
    • Total likes: 2
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 1
      • View Profile
    selling on amazon
    « Reply #377 on: December 10, 2013, 11:40:58 PM »
    How do I go about filing a quarterly sales tax report when selling on Amazon? What happens when they collect sales tax? do they pay it or do they pass it on to me? in my quarterly report do i list the total amount sold on Amazon?etc.. thanx for any help
    Bump

    Offline metziah

    • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Gold Elite
    • ******
    • Join Date: Apr 2012
    • Posts: 915
    • Total likes: 2
    • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 1
      • View Profile
    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #378 on: December 10, 2013, 11:43:34 PM »
    Also, anyone have experience using amazon's tax collection system? Tia

    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 #379 on: December 10, 2013, 11:57:50 PM »
    I don't care so much about locking my account for now as I didn't have any active listings. The money though I need this is totally insane.
    I doubt they are going to run away with your money.... The question is when they will give it back to you....

    I can only wish you, good luck!! lets hope they will reopen you soon, and everything will be fine.
    You can say what you think when you think what you say.