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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 975252 times)

    Offline Emkay

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1300 on: September 21, 2014, 03:28:45 AM »
    Do I have to send an item to fba in a separate shipping box or can I just affix a label to the actual product box ( a blender) and send it like that?

    Offline DealRaider

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1301 on: September 21, 2014, 09:54:51 AM »
    Okay, thanks!

    Sorry to hear about that. +1 to everything thats been said so far. Welcome to Amazon...  :-\

    Offline caliheat

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1302 on: September 21, 2014, 11:47:49 AM »
    Has anyone tried selling on Alibaba yet? I was playing around with it a little.
    I have been selling on alibaba for 10 years now.
    Have had small successes.

    Offline caliheat

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1303 on: September 21, 2014, 11:48:21 AM »
    Do I have to send an item to fba in a separate shipping box or can I just affix a label to the actual product box ( a blender) and send it like that?
    You can fix the label to the actual box

    Offline caliheat

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1304 on: September 21, 2014, 11:53:13 AM »
    Featured selling rocks! That being said, selling on Amazon is tricky.
    When your livelihood depends on it, you must be vigilant.
    Negative feedback and potentially bad performance can eliminate featured status.
    Whenever possible, it is best to side with the customer.
    IME, when you tell a buyer to ship something back, their response can lead you
    to the right resolution.
    Also, I purchase shipping insurance on every package that goes out being
    sold for more than $10. U-pic is great at paying up when something goes wrong.
    I have received about $250 YTD on insurance claims for lost and damaged shipments.

    Offline beeweegee

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1305 on: September 21, 2014, 01:45:07 PM »
    "IME, when you tell a buyer to ship something back, their response can lead you
    to the right resolution."
    Can you explain what you mean,  please?

    Offline caliheat

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1306 on: September 21, 2014, 02:47:27 PM »
    "IME, when you tell a buyer to ship something back, their response can lead you
    to the right resolution."
    Can you explain what you mean,  please?
    Example 1:
    Buyer says "I don't want item"
    Seller: "Buyer pays return shipping"
    Buyer: option 1 "I decided to keep it" option 2 - never sends it back

    Example 2:
    Buyer: "Item arrived damaged"
    Seller: "We will issue refund"
    Seller: Files claim with u-pic, full recovery

    Example 3:
    Buyer: "This item arrived all messed up (not shipping related)"
    Seller: "We will refund once the item is returned - we will pay return shipping"
    Buyer: "I threw it out"
    Seller: "Because this is an expensive item, we cannot refund unless you ship it back"
    Buyer: no response, no claim filed.

    And many other scenarios.

    IME, when a buyer pays a lot of money and wants a refund, they make sure to ship it back stat, even at their own cost.

    If a buyer wants to leave negative feedback, usually there isn't much you can do - in most cases even offer of money will not change their mind.

    Just be certain to respond to messages quickly and try to seem fair / leaning towards buyer resolve.


    Offline yossi1

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1307 on: September 21, 2014, 05:58:01 PM »
    Featured selling rocks! That being said, selling on Amazon is tricky.
    When your livelihood depends on it, you must be vigilant.
    Negative feedback and potentially bad performance can eliminate featured status.
    Whenever possible, it is best to side with the customer.
    IME, when you tell a buyer to ship something back, their response can lead you
    to the right resolution.
    Also, I purchase shipping insurance on every package that goes out being
    sold for more than $10. U-pic is great at paying up when something goes wrong.
    I have received about $250 YTD on insurance claims for lost and damaged shipments.


    how much did you paid  ytd    for the insurance  ?
    for a $ 10 pk to pay insurance  its a extra $1 for it why do it

    Offline caliheat

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1308 on: September 21, 2014, 10:33:34 PM »

    how much did you paid  ytd    for the insurance  ?
    for a $ 10 pk to pay insurance  its a extra $1 for it why do it
    I pay .30 cents for insurance up to $30
    .45 cents for $30+. I can check more rates and post at a later time.

    Offline nocknock

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1309 on: September 22, 2014, 11:38:46 AM »
    I'm looking for a program that calculates how many sales you'll make a day, based on rank, sellers, etc.

    Offline caliheat

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1310 on: September 22, 2014, 12:09:57 PM »
    I'm looking for a program that calculates how many sales you'll make a day, based on rank, sellers, etc.
    Not aware of a program.
    If you find something, please share

    Offline caliheat

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1311 on: September 22, 2014, 12:10:53 PM »
    I'm looking for a program that calculates how many sales you'll make a day, based on rank, sellers, etc.
    That would make life to easy, you gotta work to make a living

    Offline Mile Run

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1312 on: September 22, 2014, 12:28:20 PM »
    Not aware of a program.
    If you find something, please share
    Fbatoolkit.com

    Offline caliheat

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1313 on: September 22, 2014, 11:32:00 PM »
    Fbatoolkit.com
    Not the real deal exactly..

    Offline EMCC

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1314 on: September 22, 2014, 11:48:53 PM »
    I'm looking for a program that calculates how many sales you'll make a day, based on rank, sellers, etc.
    Camel?
    "Disclaimer: I don't believe everything I write."  - ChaimMoskowitz

    Offline Emkay

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1315 on: September 27, 2014, 07:21:47 PM »
    I HATE AMAZON!!
    /End rant

    Offline sruly101

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1316 on: September 27, 2014, 07:36:56 PM »
    I HATE AMAZON!!
    /End rant
    What happened?

    Offline ilherman

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1317 on: September 27, 2014, 08:33:49 PM »
    I HATE AMAZON!!
    /End rant
    Calm down... Been there done that. I hate the U.S. government as well, still there is nothing we can do. These people think that they own the world and they do whatever they want.

    What's going on?
    You can say what you think when you think what you say.

    Offline DealRaider

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1318 on: September 28, 2014, 07:12:59 PM »
    On a more positive note my 20+day inventory investigation finished and they just said, "sorry for the inconvenience, you can sell this item again." Also turns out I made that listing with commingled inventory setting ON and once the listing is made with the setting it always stays that way. So I would have to erase that listing and make a new one.

    Anyhow it was resolved in a good way b"h and I understand your frustration!
    I HATE AMAZON!!
    /End rant

    Offline Name Changed

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    Re: Selling on Amazon Master Thread
    « Reply #1319 on: September 28, 2014, 08:16:59 PM »
    On a more positive note my 20+day inventory investigation finished and they just said, "sorry for the inconvenience, you can sell this item again." Also turns out I made that listing with commingled inventory setting ON and once the listing is made with the setting it always stays that way. So I would have to erase that listing and make a new one.

    Anyhow it was resolved in a good way b"h and I understand your frustration!
    This is a good point. When I started selling on Amazon my inventory was commingled, I switched over to not commingled (stickered) but I didn't realize that my old listings were still getting commingled, even though I was labeling all my items, those labels were not unique for my products, I only realized this months later, when I got a return that was not my item.

    As a tip to people selling items of value, its not worth saving the money or time with commingled inventory, there are a lot of potential problems you could run into ect...