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    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 975548 times)

    Offline ya

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #700 on: March 05, 2014, 01:20:37 PM »
    Its $0.50

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200685110

    As well they have been charging me $0.50 for the past couple of years. They make mistakes all the time. Try calling them.

    Offline metziah

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #701 on: March 05, 2014, 07:33:29 PM »
    Will they ship it only to my address or can I provide with an alternate address to ship it to?

    Offline ilherman

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #702 on: March 05, 2014, 07:40:58 PM »
    Will they ship it only to my address or can I provide with an alternate address to ship it to?
    I think that. Just try to do a a removal order and see.
    You can say what you think when you think what you say.

    Offline Name Changed

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #703 on: March 05, 2014, 09:37:32 PM »
    I think that. Just try to do a a removal order and see.
    Correct

    You could create a removal order and ship to any address

    Offline ayman

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #704 on: March 12, 2014, 11:36:02 AM »
    I am selling a MacBook on Amazon. Was contacted by a potential buyer that wants to pay through PayPal. And I should please email, I shouldn't msg back through Amazon msgs.

    I wrote that I don't know how to set up PayPal for Amazon, but I am selling the same item on eBay and I can direct her there and pay w PayPal there.

    This was her response:
    We can do it through direct PayPal. I'm buying the item for a friend and i'll add $100 as shipping cost,send me the invoice of the total cost through PayPal to  xxxx@outlook.com so i can transfer the money from my checking account asap.

    I wasn't the cheapest seller on Amazon (by over $100) was listed as Used-Like New and only have one rating so far. I also was only charging $18 for shipping. Do I have anything to worry about selling directly through PayPal? Or I can go ahead no worries? Do I have any protections w PayPal?
    Buy discounted gift cards from me.
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    Offline bluiemonster1

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #705 on: March 12, 2014, 11:42:07 AM »
    Sounds fishy, rule is if it sounfs to good to b true itbprobably is...

    Offline Marco Polo

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #706 on: March 12, 2014, 11:43:08 AM »
    I am selling a MacBook on Amazon. Was contacted by a potential buyer that wants to pay through PayPal. And I should please email, I shouldn't msg back through Amazon msgs.

    I wrote that I don't know how to set up PayPal for Amazon, but I am selling the same item on eBay and I can direct her there and pay w PayPal there.

    This was her response:
    We can do it through direct PayPal. I'm buying the item for a friend and i'll add $100 as shipping cost,send me the invoice of the total cost through PayPal to  xxxx@outlook.com so i can transfer the money from my checking account asap.

    I wasn't the cheapest seller on Amazon (by over $100) was listed as Used-Like New and only have one rating so far. I also was only charging $18 for shipping. Do I have anything to worry about selling directly through PayPal? Or I can go ahead no worries? Do I have any protections w PayPal?
    Sounds fishy, rule is if it sounfs to good to b true itbprobably is...
    Probably should stay away from this.
    Quaerite et Invenietis.

    Offline Name Changed

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #707 on: March 12, 2014, 12:14:15 PM »
    If he wants shipped internationally definitely don't do it.

    For domestic shipping via Paypal you will be covered, as long as you ship to the confirmed address with tracking.

    This whole thing sounds somewhat of a scam, only scammers offer to pay more ect

    Offline PlatinumGuy

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #708 on: March 12, 2014, 12:16:22 PM »

    For domestic shipping via Paypal you will be covered, as long as you ship to the confirmed address with tracking.

    Out of curiosity, how does paypal know you didn't ship an empty box?
    ״וזה כלל גדול: שישנא אדם כל דבר שקר. וכל מה שיוסיף שנאה לדרכי השקר – יוסיף אהבה לתורה.״ - אורחות צדיקים

    Offline A3

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #709 on: March 12, 2014, 12:16:42 PM »
    Probably should stay away from this.

    +1 how long was the item listed for?

    Offline ayman

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #710 on: March 12, 2014, 12:38:47 PM »
    A little more than a day. Y?
    Buy discounted gift cards from me.
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    Offline ilherman

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #711 on: March 12, 2014, 01:02:28 PM »
    Out of curiosity, how does paypal know you didn't ship an empty box?
    They don't know. Perhaps they can check the box weight.... You can still ask "how does paypal know it was not full of stones....

    This is how they work.... I believe if it happens to often from one account, they will shut the account.
    You can say what you think when you think what you say.

    Offline Name Changed

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #712 on: March 12, 2014, 02:38:45 PM »
    Out of curiosity, how does paypal know you didn't ship an empty box?
    They don't.

    Shipping weight does help prove a little, but there still is no proof.

    The recipient usually has the upper hand.

    If you actually shipped goods, and recipient is claiming box of stones ect, if its over $500 (I think) the recipient need to get a police report.

    I have had claims in the past, and although shipping weight did prove that the contents were in the box, I lost the claim. At least one of the times I was reimbursed by DHL - as they couldn't prove that the item wasn't stolen at customs, and I was not certain that the recipient was lying or actually he received an empty box.

    End of the day, this is part of the online business of selling/shipping goods. You have to factor in such things into your profit ect...

    Offline bluiemonster1

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #713 on: March 12, 2014, 02:46:32 PM »
    Basically dont risk it. I had someone on craigslist offer to pay me 700 for an iphone to ship and he would pay via paypal and i didnt do it

    Online thejerseyguy

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #714 on: March 12, 2014, 02:47:55 PM »
    I am selling a MacBook on Amazon. Was contacted by a potential buyer that wants to pay through PayPal. And I should please email, I shouldn't msg back through Amazon msgs.

    I wrote that I don't know how to set up PayPal for Amazon, but I am selling the same item on eBay and I can direct her there and pay w PayPal there.


    FYI it is against  the rules to use Amazon messaging to direct a customer to Ebay.

    Offline ayman

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #715 on: March 12, 2014, 02:49:33 PM »
    TY all for the advice, will skip it this time.
    FYI it is against  the rules to use Amazon messaging to direct a customer to Ebay.
    It was through email, not Amazon msg center.
    Buy discounted gift cards from me.
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    Offline ya

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #716 on: March 12, 2014, 03:03:29 PM »
    If he wants shipped internationally definitely don't do it.

    For domestic shipping via Paypal you will be covered, as long as you ship to the confirmed address with tracking.

    This whole thing sounds somewhat of a scam, only scammers offer to pay more ect
    Signature required as well to be paid by Paypal for a claim. If you have a good Paypal account with a low amount of claims and a good history I would go for it. Otherwise I would stay away.

    Offline Name Changed

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #717 on: March 12, 2014, 04:29:08 PM »
    Signature required as well to be paid by Paypal for a claim. If you have a good Paypal account with a low amount of claims and a good history I would go for it. Otherwise I would stay away.
    Although Paypal and eBay say items over $250 need a signature, I have spoke with multiple Paypal reps, and they said that signature is not needed for seller protection.

    Offline Menachem613

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #718 on: March 12, 2014, 04:32:44 PM »

    Although Paypal and eBay say items over $250 need a signature, I have spoke with multiple Paypal reps, and they said that signature is not needed for seller protection.

    Try it.

    Offline ya

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    Re: selling on amazon
    « Reply #719 on: March 13, 2014, 08:57:34 PM »
    Although Paypal and eBay say items over $250 need a signature, I have spoke with multiple Paypal reps, and they said that signature is not needed for seller protection.
    I have been denied a claim a few times because of this.