Best Advice to all new sellers....
In my 18+ years doing this, I see a common thread of new and/or struggling sellers blaming Amazon for everything. They complain and cannot understand why Amazon does not "care" about them.
I will advise anyone to get past this thinking immediately.
Amazon is a business that has its only obligation to its shareholders. Not sellers.
This platforms is a money making machine IF and only IF you can adapt to the way THEY do things! Dont expect Amazon to adapt to the way you do things!
As to the forums here, its also good to ask those giving you advice what their success has been. Lots of sellers come here to complain and paint Amazon as this or that. They make their experiences seem universal and fact based, rather than what they are - just singluar data points.
Amazon IS hard. Amazon IS worth it - if you figure out how to speak THEIR language!
Best Advice to all new sellers....
In my 18+ years doing this, I see a common thread of new and/or struggling sellers blaming Amazon for everything. They complain and cannot understand why Amazon does not "care" about them.
I will advise anyone to get past this thinking immediately.
Amazon is a business that has its only obligation to its shareholders. Not sellers.
This platforms is a money making machine IF and only IF you can adapt to the way THEY do things! Dont expect Amazon to adapt to the way you do things!
As to the forums here, its also good to ask those giving you advice what their success has been. Lots of sellers come here to complain and paint Amazon as this or that. They make their experiences seem universal and fact based, rather than what they are - just singluar data points.
Amazon IS hard. Amazon IS worth it - if you figure out how to speak THEIR language!
31 replies
Seller_rI7BZIczK8iAC
You are right. To add that new sellers should ask themselves: do I have the professional basics to do this? Am I a make up specialist if I want to sell make up? Am I a professional pool player if I want to sell billiard cues? What do I know about the product I want to sell?
Or do I have an education in commerce - do I have a strong relationship and good prices with a supplier?
And: am I ready to invest 3-4 weeks to study seller university BEFORE doing anything? To learn about authorized suppliers and products? To learn the listing creation rules? To learn the forbidden keywords? To learn the legal prescriptions about the labelling obligations?
There are other hundreds of things that have to be learned. Selling on Amazon is a profession and not a hobby.
Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI
One heck of a way to ignore the countless things that are SERIOUSLY wrong around here. Let's start at the beginning.
New seller signs up for a "free" personal account. They just want to look around, don't have any money in the bank, don't think anything of it.
BOOM! They are charged $40 pro seller fees on their card! Many find their card "overdrawn" with additional charges added, or lost the last bit of money in their account. Either, without warning.
Then, new seller has their debit card added, because Amazon has no trouble charging debit cards and when they finally want to sell, the card isn't good enough. Only now do they find out they need a credit card. A card many don't even have.
THEN, they buy the 10 units from the brand direct to get ungated, because that is what they are being told, to have "invoices or RECEIPTS" and surely their products are authentic, directly from the brand and they have receipts and guess what, they get UNGATED.
Only when they send that inventory to FBA or add it to their listing, their inventory is found inauthentic, they don't have the now required wholesale invoices and LOA, their inventory will be held hostage for months or years, funds confiscated.........
What you wrote, applies to professional sellers that are at the beginning of their road, have studied up on policies, understand the cost of doing business....
This does NOT apply to the 95% of new sellers that come here with no idea what they are doing or in how much financial danger they are.
\Since in your own words, you only work with sellers that have 1 million+ sales a year, I don't think you are qualified to advise people with 50 bucks to their name
Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI
THIS is exactly what is missing on top of your original post.....
This is not a platform for people with $50 bucks to their name, sorry to tell ya. Was one day, it isnt today.
Nor is it a place to start an arbitrage or wholesale transactional business.
Amazon is a place for BRANDS! If you are not Brand Registered and not buying PPC a seller will be significantly disadvantaged. Hard truth, but truth none the less.
Xander_Amazon
Hey everyone, really appreciate the energy in this thread! 🙌
CaptVita, thanks for posting and sharing such a candid perspective from almost 20 years of experience. And to everyone who jumped in...this is exactly the kind of honest, real-world conversation that helps new sellers understand what they're actually walking into.
A few things worth highlighting from this discussion:
Amazon has changed. What worked in 2015 looks very different from what works today. If you're just getting started, it's worth understanding the current landscape before diving in. Not to discourage you, but to set you up for success.
There are real paths to success, and I encourage new sellers to check them out below:
- Studying Seller University before listing anything
- Understanding Brand Registry if you have your own brand
- Learning how PPC advertising works and budgeting for it
I'll be chiming in occasionally, but would love to hear more sellers thoughts on this thread!
Seller_A6yYeswco549y
[Moderator Edit: removed inappropriate commentary]
Seller_CW0P5hgbsiqWX
@Seller_0EiTWTPC4Lbig, @Seller_rI7BZIczK8iAC, and @Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EIare all telling the truth about selling on Amazon. What I've said from Day one many years ago, Sellers University will tell you everything you need to know about selling on the Amazon site. One thing you will not find there is how to make a good profit on the site.
To operate a profitable online business, you have to know how profitable online businesses operate, and that is what you bring to the site. And, it all starts with the product(s) you decide to sell.
