I will help you find a product to sell on Amazon

[inputchip]

I'm not into ecom right now, but these ideas have sure got me thinking. Someone better execute on the rock climbing board, or I will have to!

I purchased this fogless shower mirror, and it's absolute crap. Basically a mirror sticker on some plastic that washed off after a few uses.

Just look at these reviews.



That's 26% 3 stars and under. The majority of the 4 and 5 stars probably just haven't used the product long enough to see its problems.

Unicorn Smasher shows about $20k in monthly sales for this garbage.

The theory behind making a mirror fogless isn't that complicated. I would make the product higher quality and charge a higher price point for it. What do you think bio?

 

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[AA1980]

Agree with the positive sentiments regarding the rock climbing products. Think they could be a huge hit.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dots]

Just back from a cycling holiday in Italy where me and my brother toured for 2 weeks on our road bikes.

We like to travel super light and hate panniers so have looked into alternatives. I have attached a few pictures of our setup for this year which worked very good. Easy to load/unload, relatively easy to carry around and not compromising on stability at high speeds 60km/h+.

One product or bundle that I would want to pursue, but I'm not sure if the demand is there, is the front setup which this year was achieved by fixing TT bars to the handlebars which were used as a "rack" or support for the bag we attached on top with homemade straps.

We have tried to fix the bag horizontally as well as vertically and found that while seated horizontal the center of gravity is in line with the forks etc, its inconvenient for hands when sitting in the hoods. The bag will slightly rub against your hands and shifting gears is not that easy.

Having the load along the TT bars however made a huge difference in comfort and it's somewhat more aero. The beauty of this is that it doesnt matter if you have your cables inside the handlebars or outside, this setup can work in both scenarios.

I have a few ideas on how to put this together and would be interested what others think before starting.

 

[AA1980]

@biophase I had a thought for you, but can't PM you. Not a product idea or question, but a suggestion.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

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[Sevlow9]

Maybe an example using a product that you no longer sell or maybe a bottom tier product in your line? and the reasoning behind choosing it, it would give us some ideas to build on and work with when looking for our own products? Thanks again @biophase

 

[GuestUser450]

I purchased this fogless shower mirror, and it's absolute crap. Basically a mirror sticker on some plastic that washed off after a few uses.

https://www.amazon.ca/Squeegee-ToiletTree-Products-Guaranteed-Amazon-com/dp/B0049H22JC/
Ones like these where you pour shower water into them work pretty well.

 

[inputchip]

https://www.amazon.ca/Squeegee-ToiletTree-Products-Guaranteed-Amazon-com/dp/B0049H22JC/
Ones like these where you pour shower water into them work pretty well.

Should have bought that one instead! FYI anyone thinking of taking this product on, they have that design patented.

 

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[steelandchrome]

So.... I actually had a product selected, sourced, paid for, and amazon listing created ready to go for when product landed. Unfortunately the manufacturer was poor with communication after payment cleared, when I followed up to verify shipping info was told they didn't have packaging available for my private label due to "Chinese government", then when I asked for a refund they said they could source from a different supplier for packaging and all was good for a week until I checked in again and was told they hadn't actually started production of the product because they were waiting for a different buyer to run the production runs at the same time. I asked for a firm date of when they expected that to happen and they told me that it would be an additional month as long as I was ok foregoing private labeling (which I paid extra for BTW) and that there would be no form of compensation or refund due to the extra month past agreed contract time or for the extra costs paid to private label. Fortunately enough I bought through Alibaba from a 10yr supplier with gold and certified statuses and used trade assurance on the order so I was able to request a refund and while it hasn't been actually refunded yet Alibaba sided with me and has put the refund in process and should be sent back in 11 business days. Problem now is that I have tried to source the exact same product to take advantage of the work already done with paying for a private label design and logo etc but the costs from all other suppliers on Alibaba have gone up significantly from $4.14 each to $6.99 each which isn't a ton of dollars but across the order is a huge percentage on a product that will retail for about $19.99-$24.99 which after that extra $3ish plus shipping costs and FBA fees makes me not willing to move forward with one of the new suppliers and all tell me that previous supplier price was impossible. (probably why my previous supplier didn't actually produce the product).
I wasn't sure if I was going to disclose what the product was but I suppose no harm at this point since I most likely won't find a supplier where it makes sense. It was a 48ct set of dual tip water based markers that has a high sales rank on amazon and about $5k a day in sales from top 5 competitors at $29.99 each which I was expecting to get up to but start out lower to rank.
Posting this partially to clear the frustrations of this whole 2 month long situation and to warn others if you get a price that much lower than other competitors that there is probably a reason for that. Would that have been a red flag to you if you saw that price difference? Supplier sent samples after payment quickly with good quality so they seemed legit especially with the 10yr badge (even though @Walter Hay has explained those can be bought and sold so doesn't necessarily mean anything.

 

[Walter Hay]

So.... I actually had a product selected, sourced, paid for, and amazon listing created ready to go for when product landed. Unfortunately the manufacturer was poor with communication after payment cleared, when I followed up to verify shipping info was told they didn't have packaging available for my private label due to "Chinese government", then when I asked for a refund they said they could source from a different supplier for packaging and all was good for a week until I checked in again and was told they hadn't actually started production of the product because they were waiting for a different buyer to run the production runs at the same time. I asked for a firm date of when they expected that to happen and they told me that it would be an additional month as long as I was ok foregoing private labeling (which I paid extra for BTW) and that there would be no form of compensation or refund due to the extra month past agreed contract time or for the extra costs paid to private label. Fortunately enough I bought through Alibaba from a 10yr supplier with gold and certified statuses and used trade assurance on the order so I was able to request a refund and while it hasn't been actually refunded yet Alibaba sided with me and has put the refund in process and should be sent back in 11 business days. Problem now is that I have tried to source the exact same product to take advantage of the work already done with paying for a private label design and logo etc but the costs from all other suppliers on Alibaba have gone up significantly from $4.14 each to $6.99 each which isn't a ton of dollars but across the order is a huge percentage on a product that will retail for about $19.99-$24.99 which after that extra $3ish plus shipping costs and FBA fees makes me not willing to move forward with one of the new suppliers and all tell me that previous supplier price was impossible. (probably why my previous supplier didn't actually produce the product).
I wasn't sure if I was going to disclose what the product was but I suppose no harm at this point since I most likely won't find a supplier where it makes sense. It was a 48ct set of dual tip water based markers that has a high sales rank on amazon and about $5k a day in sales from top 5 competitors at $29.99 each which I was expecting to get up to but start out lower to rank.
Posting this partially to clear the frustrations of this whole 2 month long situation and to warn others if you get a price that much lower than other competitors that there is probably a reason for that. Would that have been a red flag to you if you saw that price difference? Supplier sent samples after payment quickly with good quality so they seemed legit especially with the 10yr badge (even though @Walter Hay has explained those can be bought and sold so doesn't necessarily mean anything.

If you can buy equivalent quality to those, but blank, it would be e=a simple matter to have the private labeling done locally. I am sure there are a number of places in AZ where you could have that done. If you proceed with ordering, I will send you a link for such businesses in AZ.

I deal with the whole subject of post production private labeling in my book. For ideas on branding and labeling you might find my labeling book of interest. You can see the contents list here: Should I use Teespring or a manufacturer?

Walter

 

[steelandchrome]

If you can buy equivalent quality to those, but blank, it would be e=a simple matter to have the private labeling done locally. I am sure there are a number of places in AZ where you could have that done. If you proceed with ordering, I will send you a link for such businesses in AZ.

I deal with the whole subject of post production private labeling in my book. For ideas on branding and labeling you might find my labeling book of interest. You can see the contents list here: Should I use Teespring or a manufacturer?

Walter

Thanks Walter. The private labeling was only a minor cost so wasn't too worried about that and am open to doing it myself if I found a new manufacturer but these new prices I have been quoted are all without private labeling unless I exceed 1000 units and I have been trying to do a 500 unit test run before committing $10k+ to my first product order.

 

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[biophase]

So.... I actually had a product selected, sourced, paid for, and amazon listing created ready to go for when product landed. Unfortunately the manufacturer was poor with communication after payment cleared, when I followed up to verify shipping info was told they didn't have packaging available for my private label due to "Chinese government", then when I asked for a refund they said they could source from a different supplier for packaging and all was good for a week until I checked in again and was told they hadn't actually started production of the product because they were waiting for a different buyer to run the production runs at the same time. I asked for a firm date of when they expected that to happen and they told me that it would be an additional month as long as I was ok foregoing private labeling (which I paid extra for BTW) and that there would be no form of compensation or refund due to the extra month past agreed contract time or for the extra costs paid to private label. Fortunately enough I bought through Alibaba from a 10yr supplier with gold and certified statuses and used trade assurance on the order so I was able to request a refund and while it hasn't been actually refunded yet Alibaba sided with me and has put the refund in process and should be sent back in 11 business days. Problem now is that I have tried to source the exact same product to take advantage of the work already done with paying for a private label design and logo etc but the costs from all other suppliers on Alibaba have gone up significantly from $4.14 each to $6.99 each which isn't a ton of dollars but across the order is a huge percentage on a product that will retail for about $19.99-$24.99 which after that extra $3ish plus shipping costs and FBA fees makes me not willing to move forward with one of the new suppliers and all tell me that previous supplier price was impossible. (probably why my previous supplier didn't actually produce the product).
I wasn't sure if I was going to disclose what the product was but I suppose no harm at this point since I most likely won't find a supplier where it makes sense. It was a 48ct set of dual tip water based markers that has a high sales rank on amazon and about $5k a day in sales from top 5 competitors at $29.99 each which I was expecting to get up to but start out lower to rank.
Posting this partially to clear the frustrations of this whole 2 month long situation and to warn others if you get a price that much lower than other competitors that there is probably a reason for that. Would that have been a red flag to you if you saw that price difference? Supplier sent samples after payment quickly with good quality so they seemed legit especially with the 10yr badge (even though @Walter Hay has explained those can be bought and sold so doesn't necessarily mean anything.

This is another me too product. You have absolutely no differentiation in your product. You have some hefty competition in this niche. Looking at the listings you can tell that your competitors have gone to "AMZ school". Also, some are still getting paid reviews. You can tell because their reviews have photos and videos. I mean who reviews markers and takes a photo of them? I will bet that the going price of a 48ct will be $15-$20 within a year.

Did you order your competitor's product from Amazon?
If so, did you test your markers against theirs?
If so, did your markers last as long or even longer than theirs? How many linear feet of ink did your markers get compared to your manufacturer's?
When you compared the basic colors, how did yours compare to theirs?

 

[steelandchrome]

This is another me too product. You have absolutely no differentiation in your product. You have some hefty competition in this niche. Looking at the listings you can tell that your competitors have gone to "AMZ school". Also, some are still getting paid reviews. You can tell because their reviews have photos and videos. I mean who reviews markers and takes a photo of them? I will bet that the going price of a 48ct will be $15-$20 within a year.

Did you order your competitor's product from Amazon?
If so, did you test your markers against theirs?
If so, did your markers last as long or even longer than theirs? How many linear feet of ink did your markers get compared to your manufacturer's?
When you compared the basic colors, how did yours compare to theirs?

You are 100% correct that it was a product with no improvement or value added to it and that wasn't my focus on this one. I was more trying to find something that would be easy enough to sell with minimal investment while I look to find a better higher priced product. I am fairly familiar with FBA as I have sold about 50 items with retail arbitrage to get my feet wet but have not imported anything yet and thought of this more as a cheap education in doing so, not as a lifelong product to fastlane. I appreciate the reply and thought more of posting my experience here to show some "what not to do" at the same time for the mistakes I made jumping into this one. I will definitely have those thoughts in mind for my next product.

 

[biophase]

You are 100% correct that it was a product with no improvement or value added to it and that wasn't my focus on this one. I was more trying to find something that would be easy enough to sell with minimal investment while I look to find a better higher priced product. I am fairly familiar with FBA as I have sold about 50 items with retail arbitrage to get my feet wet but have not imported anything yet and thought of this more as a cheap education in doing so, not as a lifelong product to fastlane. I appreciate the reply and thought more of posting my experience here to show some "what not to do" at the same time for the mistakes I made jumping into this one. I will definitely have those thoughts in mind for my next product.

The problem with alot of the "get my feet wet" mentality is that you are more likely to lose your money. Honestly, what probably would have happened is that you would have spent $3000 on your 500 unit test and probably ended up with a $500-$1000 loss. This is because you would have found out that you needed to be around $20 to get sales, thereby making $5 per unit not including PPC. If you include PPC then you might break even.

Just my opinion, but why not start with a "permanent" product. Why waste $3000 and 3-4 months of time only to shut down your listing after it doesn't work. Go for it on your first product and start a business, not test a product. Where will you be in 4 months if you launched this product, only to lose money or breakeven?

 

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[steelandchrome]

The problem with alot of the "get my feet wet" mentality is that you are more likely to lose your money. Honestly, what probably would have happened is that you would have spent $3000 on your 500 unit test and probably ended up with a $500-$1000 loss. This is because you would have found out that you needed to be around $20 to get sales, thereby making $5 per unit not including PPC. If you include PPC then you might break even.

Just my opinion, but why not start with a "permanent" product. Why waste $3000 and 3-4 months of time only to shut down your listing after it doesn't work. Go for it on your first product and start a business, not test a product. Where will you be in 4 months if you launched this product, only to lose money or breakeven?

I knew I would get roasted a bit for the post but figured I would do it anyways and take no offense to the feedback. I was more worried at the time to "take action" and stop talking about doing something and had looked at the markers, woodless colored pencils, travel hammocks, a high dollar chef knife, and thats about as far as I got when I decided to just make a run with the markers figuring I would break even or make a couple hundred bucks to try and get some rankings. I got all these ideas from amazeowl that I found through a different amazon seller group on facebook which all made sense at the time but much less now. Fortunately I have the cash to do something bigger and better when I get my act together and find a "real product" and hope I can get that going soon enough. I appreciate the feedback and support from @biophase @Walter Hay @amp0193 and many more in all these e-commerce threads.

 

[amp0193]

Just to chime in on the hangboard too, o had one in college that I split with a roommate. I think we paid $75 for it but man did my climbing improve a lot after I bought one.

I made an effort last year at trying to find a way in to rock climbing accessories. The limiting factor was that although it's a hobby I had been into for a year, I still didn't know enough to improve on the existing products. The best products in this space are going to come from someone with intimate knowledge who climbs at a high level.

Rock climbing as a sport is growing significantly. It will grow even more so after it's appearance in the 2020 olympics.


That being said, someone should get a listing up for some campus boards (it's a rock climbing training tool with lots of variations). There is almost nothing in the way of campus boards on amazon, and these are something you could probably have made by a local wood shop.

I'm seeing 2 listings on Amazon, but there are so many different ways campus rungs and boards can be done. The surface has barely been scratched on Amazon.

Hangboards would be a good way to go as well. Lots you can do with hangboards. My first idea for a new hangboard that features different "pinches".. The beastmaker is probably the best one I've seen for sheer variety incorporated into one hangboard.

 

[amp0193]

Just to chime in on the hangboard too, o had one in college that I split with a roommate. I think we paid $75 for it but man did my climbing improve a lot after I bought one.

I made an effort last year at trying to find a way in to rock climbing accessories. The limiting factor was that although it's a hobby I had been into for a year, I still didn't know enough to improve on the existing products. The best products in this space are going to come from someone with intimate knowledge who climbs at a high level. Or someone who knows someone that is an expert or has another plan for gaining intimate knowledge without experience.

Rock climbing as a sport is growing significantly. It will grow even more so after it's appearance in the 2020 olympics.


That being said, someone should get a listing up for some campus boards (it's a rock climbing training tool with lots of variations). There is almost nothing in the way of campus boards on amazon, and these are something you could probably have made by a local wood shop.

I'm seeing 2 listings on Amazon, but there are so many different ways campus rungs and boards can be done. The surface has barely been scratched on Amazon.

Hangboards would be a good way to go as well as mentioned earlier. Lots you can do with hangboards. My first idea for a new hangboard would be one that features a bunch of different "pinches". The beastmaker is probably the best one I've seen for sheer variety incorporated into one wooden hangboard.

Lots of ways to innovate in designing "volumes" and different types of holds and features for climbing gyms. These products would mostly be b2b sales I think.

Crash mat supply for climbing gyms would be a good b2b business. I'm not sure if there's a dominate player in the space. Along those same lines, the real winners in the trampoline park franchise craze, is the trampoline park supply companies.

 

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[Hai]

I would to have some kind of portable hangboard. The ones in the gym are too sturdy and big, and I´m not doing it professionally. Maybe something hobby-tiered would be nice.

 

[Toshiro]

Hey,

is it actually possible, to sell selfmade software or selfmade music Kits on Amazon?
And what are your thoughts about this?

 

[Scot]

Here's one I became intimately familiar with last week with the hurricane prep. Water bladders. There's only one that I can find being sold on Prime.

AQUATANK2 Water Storage Bladder (30 Gallon) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009MU64Y0/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20




It come in three sizes, starts at $110. The cons I see is that it is a bit heavy, so FBA shipping will be expensive, but with $110, I'm sure you can find some margin.

If you look at the questions section you can see the huge demand for it as well as the variety of uses for it.

What do you guys think?

Edit: Improvements I'd make would be to add grommets to the corners for tie down.

 

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[throttleforward]

How about pop-up cockpits for kids?

They'd be kind of like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQIT0TO/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

Only they would be:
Photorealistic based on actual cockpits or space capsule interiors (you could have a fighter jet, an Apollo capsule, a Cessna, etc.)
Could come with manuals/checklists, stories/missions, etc. to engage parents or older kids
Could come paired with kid's space suits, flight suits, etc.

Basically so dorky parents like me could realistically pretend to do space/flying stuff with my kid (which I currently do with Microsoft flight simulator).

 

[Scot]

How about pop-up cockpits for kids?

They'd be kind of like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQIT0TO/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

Only they would be:
Photorealistic based on actual cockpits or space capsule interiors (you could have a fighter jet, an Apollo capsule, a Cessna, etc.)
Could come with manuals/checklists, stories/missions, etc. to engage parents or older kids
Could come paired with kid's space suits, flight suits, etc.

Basically so dorky parents like me could realistically pretend to do space/flying stuff with my kid (which I currently do with Microsoft flight simulator).

I'd buy it for myself haha

 

[throttleforward]

Along the same lines, sticker kits for cardboard boxes like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OBWYKXG/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

Only photorealistic, based on a selection particular aircraft/spacecraft, with accompanying books, checklists, etc. to make it more engaging and educational. Perhaps even with templates for parents to cut out windows and help their kid with realistic sticker placement.

 

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[throttleforward]

Last one - I play a lot of roller hockey, with balls like these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PUECCJ8/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

We are always having trouble with the balls; they are too bouncy, too soft, etc.

We often end up putting twine in them in order to get a perfect balance of weight, bounce, etc. by boring a hole in the ball and trying to stuff twine in there. It's really annoying and time consuming, and can cause the ball to break apart. I've always wondered if selling twine balls (hockey balls with twine in the middle) would be profitable.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Upgraded from NOTABLE to GOLD.

We also have this thread which highlighted some of the intricate processes of importing something from a total novice. Contains exact steps! And there are a lot!

GOLD - So you want to know the EXACT steps on how to import and sell products on Amazon? Here you go:

 

[Walter Hay]

Thanks Walter. The private labeling was only a minor cost so wasn't too worried about that and am open to doing it myself if I found a new manufacturer but these new prices I have been quoted are all without private labeling unless I exceed 1000 units and I have been trying to do a 500 unit test run before committing $10k+ to my first product order.

Even a handful of units of those items can have your brand applied locally, so even if you can buy a sample quantity of unlabelled ones it could be viable.

The problem with alot of the "get my feet wet" mentality is that you are more likely to lose your money. Honestly, what probably would have happened is that you would have spent $3000 on your 500 unit test and probably ended up with a $500-$1000 loss. This is because you would have found out that you needed to be around $20 to get sales, thereby making $5 per unit not including PPC. If you include PPC then you might break even.

Just my opinion, but why not start with a "permanent" product. Why waste $3000 and 3-4 months of time only to shut down your listing after it doesn't work. Go for it on your first product and start a business, not test a product. Where will you be in 4 months if you launched this product, only to lose money or breakeven?

I have never seen the point in starting a temporary, potentially loss making business. If anyone is going to make the effort to get a business up and running, and they need to know what works and what doesn't, surely a combination of education (paid for if necessary) and thorough research would be a better approach.

Start off with the odds in your favor.

Walter

 

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[amp0193]

I would to have some kind of portable hangboard. The ones in the gym are too sturdy and big, and I´m not doing it professionally. Maybe something hobby-tiered would be nice.

This is actually a brilliant idea. For use when travelling.

I actually don't think most hangboards are all that bulky. Pretty easy to fit in the middle of my suitcase. The problem is mounting it up in a temporary space like a friend's house, or hotel.

Somehow, there should be some sort of portable mounting thing that can hook into a doorframe like those pull up bars.


10/10 would use it if it existed. Rock climbing training when away from the gym is difficult. I lost a lot of forearm strength last summer while travelling.

 

[Dan_Fastlane]

ok i have one i would like to execute on it, demand looks also not bad. Competition not that much for my opinion but i know nothing about ecomm it would be my first venture.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EFY9EYU/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

as you can see in the first review the tubes are weak and pretty thin, i would like to change this and also the bottom maybe to attach with spikes on the ground or just take a case thats heavier than this one maybe made of plastic, so we have more stability when the wind blows.

The improvements could increase the manufacturing costs and also the weight(more transport costs?). I would price it more 60$ to 70$ range.

@biophase ?

Edit: Outdoor Games & Indoor Fun from Zume Games | Zume Games they sell on the website for 99dollars and on amzon for 50, why someone would do this.... he dont focus anymore on his niche products ha?

 

[Guest06196]

delete

 

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[biophase]

Hey,

is it actually possible, to sell selfmade software or selfmade music Kits on Amazon?
And what are your thoughts about this?

What is a selfmade music kit? You mean an album?

 

[biophase]

Here's one I became intimately familiar with last week with the hurricane prep. Water bladders. There's only one that I can find being sold on Prime.

AQUATANK2 Water Storage Bladder (30 Gallon) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009MU64Y0/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

View attachment 16307


It come in three sizes, starts at $110. The cons I see is that it is a bit heavy, so FBA shipping will be expensive, but with $110, I'm sure you can find some margin.

If you look at the questions section you can see the huge demand for it as well as the variety of uses for it.

What do you guys think?

Edit: Improvements I'd make would be to add grommets to the corners for tie down.

I like it.