Amazon Sellers Note - FBA Scout Update!

I received an email from Chris Green last week regarding a fantastic update to FBA Scout, a scouting program that gives information on products listed on Amazon. FBA Scout is the ultimate scouting tool for your Amazon FBA business (in my opinion, anyway). Since I began using it in June, I have been able to ramp up my Amazon business, add non-media products, and shop more efficiently for consumer products to sell on Amazon.



The new upgrade includes a column to the right called "Net Payout." Users are able to see the payout for a product sold through FBA based on the prices shown. This is great for us "math challenged" scouters. Here is a screen shot of what the upgrade looks like:







So let's say you found this Dunkin Donuts coffee on clearance at the grocery store for $8 a bag. After scanning it, you can quickly determine that your net payout on this item (best case scenario) is $20.74. If you paid $8 for it, your profit will be $12.74.



To see the net payout column, you can either turn your phone to landscape mode, or slide your finger across the screen to the left to view the additional column. To upgrade the net payout feature on your iPhone or iPad, go to the App Store on your phone and look for the upgrade. Upgrade for the Droid is coming soon!



If you aren't already using FBA Scout, click here for a special deal and get a free month to see how it works for you. Remember, there are other tools out there but you need to be the judge of what works best for you.



Resources for selling on Amazon's FBA Program:



eBay Coach Facebook Group - Chris is a member and can answer your FBA Scout questions directly on the group page.



Proven Amazon Course



FBA Recipe for Success

Amazon Pending Orders – Red Flags to Watch for

Many Amazon sellers are addicted to watching their pending sales. I have the pending screen bookmarked on my desktop computer, iPad, and iPhone. Checking pending orders is more than just being excited about what’s selling, it is a way to gauge the demand and popularity of an item and make more money because you are “in the know.”



When an item is in “pending,” it means that a buyer has committed to the purchase. If he purchased multiple items from different sellers, he may have checked the option to have his order sent in as few shipments as possible. If this is the case, your item is marked “pending” until the complete order ships. The buyer may also be waiting for other items to be included in his order and chooses to wait for it to ship. Items can be held in pending status for several weeks sometimes.



If you are not checking your pending sales, you are missing valuable information about Amazon buyer demand. Let’s say your FBA order hits the warehouse and you have some products in the box that you have never sold before. You want to pay close attention to how quickly those products are snapped up by buyers and how many each buyer wants. For example, a few weeks ago I sent in a seasonal food product. As soon as the order hit the warehouse, all 6 of them went into pending, 3 units going to 2 different buyers. By keeping an eye on my pending orders, I was able to determine that this product was hot, buyers wanted it, and I should go get more as quickly as possible. If I had waited until I received the “Amazon has shipped the item you sold” email, I could have missed the opportunity to purchase and resell some of this product, because the items didn’t actually ship out of FBA until a week later.



To check pending orders:





Click here for more information on using Amazon’s FBA program.

New eBook - Amazon FBA Recipe for Success

It is finally finished! Kim and I have been working on our Amazon FBA program all summer, and here it is!

Amazon FBA Recipe for Success

Comprehensive 105 page eBook explaining how to sell products on Amazon using their fulfillment (FBA) program. Written by Suzanne Wells and Kim Tarrant, two experienced Amazon FBA sellers who earn their living selling online.

eBook Highlights:

Understanding the Amazon Customer – When you know why they pay more, you can charge more for your products.

Sourcing – Not just where to go, but how to maximize your time and use technology to source products.

Scouting Tools – You can do this without a smart phone!

Pricing Strategies – How to deal with competitors (Amazon isn’t eBay and you don’t have to be the lowest priced seller to get sales).

Amazon Minefields – Tips for staying out of trouble.

FBA Scout – Tips and tricks for using the FBA Scout App.

Damage Control – Who to contact or what to do when there is a problem with your FBA shipment, damaged products, or returns.

FAQs – Answers to questions we have seen repeated on seller boards and groups.

Complete Table of Contents can be viewed here

Assignments are included after each chapter so you can practice what you’ve learned before you spend money on inventory. These are some of the same assignments Suzanne Wells uses with her private coaching clients. (She has coached over 300 clients worldwide helping them grow their eCommerce businesses.) So roll up your sleeves and let’s get started making money on Amazon!

100% satisfaction guarantee, money back if not completely satisfied.

Online Selling Coach members, check the website for a coupon code for 25% off the purchase price.

This product is sold through eJunkie with immediate electronic delivery.

Click here to purchase and receive the instant download now.

Make More Money on Amazon – Stop Undercutting the Competition!

Attn FBA Sellers: In case you were not aware, you do NOT have to be the lowest price to get the sale. (Kim and I will be going into detail on this in our book coming out in a few weeks.) We can all make money and share the sales at a higher price. Here is how.

Look at this product listing.



On the landing page it says, "Sold by Pillypaloo and Fulfilled by Amazon." Customers can buy the item directly from this page - it is called the page with the "buy box" - because you can buy it from here. Pillypaloo will get those sales. BUT......

What many Amazon sellers don't realize is that the seller featured on this page ROTATES. It isn't always going to be "Pillypaloo." It will rotate between however many FBA sellers have this item and are within 9 cents of each other. Even if it is 10 sellers all within 9 cents of each other. Any FBA seller will get a shot at being on the "buy box page" if they are within 9 cents of the lowest price.

Click here to look at how many FBA sellers have this product, and how they keep undercutting each other by a few cents. Undercutting by pennies is a silly marketing strategy and not necessary to get sales on Amazon. This thinking causes a race to the bottom and eventually, nobody wins.

If you are selling on Amazon, please stop playing "the penny game." You don't have to! I am selling a product right now with an $18 profit, and thankfully, I am assuming, my competitors know about the buy box. We are all holding firm at the same price. I am getting sales every few hours and so are my competitors. We all win.

Amazon is NOT eBay. You don't have to be the lowest price. This is especially true if Amazon does not have the product. Slow and steady wins the race - don't be in such a hurry to sell something!

If you don't understand, please ask questions on my Facebook group. This is really great information to help you make more money - to help us ALL make more money.

I am working on a new information product that will explain these types of issues about selling on Amazon in great detail. Make sure you are subscribed to my blog or a member of my Facebook group so that you can be notified when the information product is released.

The Basics of Selling Books on Amazon

Last week I held a webinar about the basics of selling books on Amazon. The 1 hour webinar covered the following information:

• Why Sell Books?
  (Old fashioned books are still a viable part of the online market!)
  
  
• Grading the Condition of a Book - The Rules
  
  
• How to Price a Book on Amazon
  
  
• Understanding Sales Rank - It is Like the Stock Market
  
  
• Book Scanning Tools - Which Ones are Best?
  
  
• Creative Strategies for Obtaining Book Inventory
  (Not just garage sales, thrift stores, or library sales!)
  
  
• Repricing Software
  
  
• Bonus - A Fun Way to Re-purpose old Hardback Books and Sell on eBay

To access the webinar, you must be a member of Online Selling Coach. The membership fee is still $9.95 and you will have access to EVERYTHING on the site, not just this webinar.

Click the image below to access the webinar on Online Selling Coach.

Amazon Testing New Service – Amazon Tote

A popular and often unknown niche for online sellers is non-perishable food products. Several members of my Facebook group discuss selling food items on Amazon using the FBA program. Now, Amazon is testing a new service that may really make this niche explode.

Amazon has created a new service called Amazon Tote. It’s a weekly grocery delivery service – and it’s free. You don’t have to pay any fees, order certain amounts, or subscribe to anything. Your purchases through Amazon Tote will be delivered for free in a reusable tote bag (large items are delivered as is, and are covered in bad weather). Amazon will make deliveries as often as 2 times per week. You will be assigned a delivery day(s) based on your zip code. Because this is a new program, only certain zip codes are eligible (98004, 98005, 98006, 98007, 98008, 98033, 98039, 98040, 98052, 98102, 98103, 98105, 98107, 98109, 98112, 98115, 98117, 98119, 98125, 98133, 98199).

There are several reasons that people chose to purchase their groceries online. Saving time is a big incentive. Because ordering online keeps you from having to go to the store, stand in line, search for exactly what you want, etc., it can be a great choice for busy people.

Ordering groceries online can save money as well. It may seem more expensive, but ordering online allows you to buy in bulk (which is almost always cheaper), plus you avoid the risk of impulse buys. Some online merchants will even accept coupons and run sales.

Buying groceries online is also much more convenient for people who live in a large city and rely only on public transportation. Ordering online lets you avoid lugging heavy bags through subways and crowds. Plus, you don’t have to climb stairs weighted down with bags.

The elderly and those with physical limitations can also greatly benefit from ordering groceries online (mothers of young children can too!). Plus, being a one car family is gaining in popularity (both for economic and eco friendly reasons). Ordering online means you have one less errand to fit into your schedule (which is especially helpful when you’re using one car for a large family).

As people’s lives become busier and busier, they’re looking for ways to save time and money and reduce stress. Ordering groceries online might be the next big thing for those looking to simplify their lives. Because of that, food products may be an excellent niche for online sellers.

Related posts:

Amazon Fulfillment Course

Amazon 90-Day Experiment

Amazon Fulfillment Course - Automate and Grow Your Business with FBA

You may have seen discussions about this course on my Facebook group. It is finally here!

I have collaborated with Jim Cockrum, Skip McGrath, and other Amazon experts to create a course on how to use the Amazon Fulfillment program. If you are not familiar with Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), it is an automated business model where sellers send their inventory to an Amazon fulfillment center and Amazon ships the items when they sell.

This business model works for items sold on Amazon, eBay, your own website, or virtually any online marketplace. The beauty of FBA is that the seller focuses on sourcing inventory, and FBA handles all of the post-transactional activities including packing, shipping, customer service, and returns. You may have seen this business model mentioned in my report, "The 90-Day Amazon Experiment." Many eBay sellers use the Amazon fulfillment program to serve their eBay customers, so selling on Amazon is not required.

Here is what the course offers:

FBA Course Audio Interview (and full transcript) with Jim Cockrum, Suzanne Wells, and Skip McGrath

7 Course Videos

eBook: Amazon 90-Day Experiment

Report: Craigslist Ad for Books

Report: Tips for Cleaning Used Books

Report: Using Scanners

FBA Interview 2: Skip McGrath and Stephanie Inge

Report: Selling on Amazon's FBA Program

Report: Understanding the Amazon Customer

Report: How To Make Good Money Selling Used Books

Two-month trial of FBAPower and FBAScout to automate your business

Expert-monitored discussion forum area

MUCH more being added

According to Amazon.com in a recent survey of FBA sellers (those using FBA to pick, pack, and ship their orders to buyers) told Amazon the following:

92% of survey respondents who have shipped at least one unit through Amazon Fulfillment reported their unit sales have increased since joining

78% of survey respondents saw an average increase in unit sales of 20 percent or more

If you have been looking for a way to grow your business, increase sales, outsource shipping and customer service, and automate your business, this course is for you!

CLICK HERE TO GET THE COURSE NOW!