Ask me anything about eCommerce (Ongoing)

[maxfilho]

<div class="bbWrapper">First, I would like to thank you for the great Topic, and for answering the questions.<br /> <br /> I also have a bunch of questions:<br /> <br /> - After I make contact with the supplier, how do I get the products shipped to the U.S. ?<br /> - Do I need to fill out some kind of form to pay the taxes for the government ?<br /> - How much is the percentage of those taxes?<br /> - Do you ask the supplier to pack it each of the piece and put the barcode (let&#039;s suppose the MOQ is 1000 pieces)?<br /> - How long does usually take to the box arrive in the U.S. after the shipment is done?</div>

 

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[biophase]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 32737" data-quote="Mr_Maravish" data-source="post: 495144" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=495144" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-495144">Mr_Maravish said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Its that I am in the testing phase of this product, and to get a business account it would total up to around $1300 just to for the business for a product that I&#039;m not 100%, if the product fails then there goes $1300 </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> Just use your personal account to start with.</div>

 

[Gabriel]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 11420" data-quote="JAJT" data-source="post: 495193" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=495193" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-495193">JAJT said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> I live in Ottawa and only sell on amazon.com right now.<br /> <br /> My process is simply order the goods from China, receive them at my house in Ottawa. Slap a new shipping sticker on them and ship them to Amazon&#039;s warehouses.<br /> <br /> I pay duties when the goods enter Canada and I&#039;ve never once had to pay US duties for shipping it out. If I ever have to, I&#039;ll figure it out then but it hasn&#039;t come up in the 2 years I&#039;ve been doing this. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> <br /> Where do you buy from in China?</div>

 

[biophase]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 26819" data-quote="maxfilho" data-source="post: 495326" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=495326" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-495326">maxfilho said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> First, I would like to thank you for the great Topic, and for answering the questions.<br /> <br /> I also have a bunch of questions:<br /> <br /> - After I make contact with the supplier, how do I get the products shipped to the U.S. ?<br /> - Do I need to fill out some kind of form to pay the taxes for the government ?<br /> - How much is the percentage of those taxes?<br /> - Do you ask the supplier to pack it each of the piece and put the barcode (let&#039;s suppose the MOQ is 1000 pieces)?<br /> - How long does usually take to the box arrive in the U.S. after the shipment is done? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> Depending on whether you are shipping by air and sea, your supplier can help you out. If shipping by air, they normally just tell you the price and you pay them. They handle everything and it arrive at your door by Fedex or DHL like any other order. You may have to pay duty taxes later on, Fedex may bill you for that.<br /> <br /> If shipping by sea, you will need to get a freight forwarder to handle you shipment. This is more complicated, but they can walk you through it.<br /> <br /> The taxes will depend on what you are ordering they can range from 0% to 25%. It varies so much and is very product specific.<br /> <br /> Yes, to make it easy on yourself, have your supplier package the product exactly the way you want it so that you can just receive the products and ship it back out without doing anything to it.<br /> <br /> If shipping by air, it takes 3-5 days to get from China to your door. It&#039;s really fast.<br /> <br /> If shipping by sea, it can take 2-3 weeks for the boat to arrive at the US port. Then customs can take 1 day to 2 weeks depending on the time of year. Then it will move from the port via a truck to your city for delivery. That can be another week. My stuff usually takes 5-6 weeks from the day it leaves China, to the day it arrives at my warehouse.</div>

 

[webhand]

<div class="bbWrapper">Hi Biophase,<br /> <br /> First off, thanks for all the incredible information you&#039;ve been providing, I&#039;ve read every one of your posts in this thread.<br /> <br /> My question:<br /> I remember reading something about improving a product after you&#039;ve already started selling it (maybe the reviews point out a flaw that you want to fix).<br /> <br /> Should I invest upfront into making my product as perfect as possible, or is there leeway (brand and reputation-wise) to invest less up front, shoot it out earlier, and fix it up over time?</div>

 

[biophase]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 32384" data-quote="webhand" data-source="post: 495349" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=495349" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-495349">webhand said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Hi Biophase,<br /> <br /> First off, thanks for all the incredible information you&#039;ve been providing, I&#039;ve read every one of your posts in this thread.<br /> <br /> My question:<br /> I remember reading something about improving a product after you&#039;ve already started selling it (maybe the reviews point out a flaw that you want to fix).<br /> <br /> Should I invest upfront into making my product as perfect as possible, or is there leeway (brand and reputation-wise) to invest less up front, shoot it out earlier, and fix it up over time? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> You can&#039;t wait until the product is perfect. If you do, you will never launch. Make some improvements, enough to differentiate you in the market, sell and then improve some more.</div>

 

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[webhand]

<div class="bbWrapper">Got it and will do.</div>

 

[Laughingman21]

<div class="bbWrapper">Hi Biophase<br /> <br /> Thanks for a great thread and the many valuable lessons within it.<br /> <br /> I&#039;ve found a product that I think I can adapt and improve. I&#039;ve had sampled from a couple of manufacturers of their &quot;stock&quot; product and have chosen my preferred supplier. I&#039;ve also designed the changes I want made and have final prices from the supplier.<br /> <br /> My question is, would you then order one more final sample to check the product or do you order your MOQ and start selling?</div>

 

[Sheps]

<div class="bbWrapper">Biophase, thanks for all the info, I&#039;ve not got any skin in this fight yet but I&#039;ve been toying with an idea...<br /> <br /> From what I&#039;ve read is this a fair summary?<br /> <br /> A saturated niche isn&#039;t a problem if you have a quality product.<br /> A competitive niche (quality, pricing etc) even with lower saturation is more of an issue and might be a non-starter.<br /> Building a brand and building it into your product is as important as improving the product itself.<br /> <br /> It sounds like having more than one product is fairly important (though depends on the niche and margins etc), is it so important that it&#039;s better to start later with 2 or 3 products than start earlier with only one?</div>

 

[JAJT]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 31845" data-quote="aprabhak" data-source="post: 495275" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=495275" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-495275">aprabhak said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Are you bringing in multiple, smaller shipments or larger (say &gt;$5k) orders. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> Yeah, under $5k. I may have crept over this a few times where they stopped my stuff at the border (to Canada, from China) but all that was needed was to send them an invoice from my order and pay for the clearance (which was often not much). I think this has happened exactly twice ever though and it took less than a week to resolve it.</div>

 

[biophase]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 34231" data-quote="Laughingman21" data-source="post: 495391" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=495391" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-495391">Laughingman21 said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Hi Biophase<br /> <br /> Thanks for a great thread and the many valuable lessons within it.<br /> <br /> I&#039;ve found a product that I think I can adapt and improve. I&#039;ve had sampled from a couple of manufacturers of their &quot;stock&quot; product and have chosen my preferred supplier. I&#039;ve also designed the changes I want made and have final prices from the supplier.<br /> <br /> My question is, would you then order one more final sample to check the product or do you order your MOQ and start selling? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> Yes, you should get a final sample of the product with all of your changes. You need to make sure that they have done them correctly.</div>

 

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[biophase]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 35069" data-quote="Sheps" data-source="post: 495405" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=495405" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-495405">Sheps said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Biophase, thanks for all the info, I&#039;ve not got any skin in this fight yet but I&#039;ve been toying with an idea...<br /> <br /> From what I&#039;ve read is this a fair summary?<br /> <br /> A saturated niche isn&#039;t a problem if you have a quality product.<br /> A competitive niche (quality, pricing etc) even with lower saturation is more of an issue and might be a non-starter.<br /> Building a brand and building it into your product is as important as improving the product itself.<br /> <br /> It sounds like having more than one product is fairly important (though depends on the niche and margins etc), is it so important that it&#039;s better to start later with 2 or 3 products than start earlier with only one? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> I think that if you have a quality product, it does not matter what niche you are in and how saturated it is. Especially on a platform like Amazon. If you made a better soft drink, it would be hard to complete with Coke and Pepsi. But if you made a better paid of headphones, you have a chance against Bose and Beats, just because Amazon gives you a place to launch.<br /> <br /> Competitive niches usually are competitive because they are easy to get into and everyone is selling the exact same thing. If you can enter into one and product a better product in the niche, you can differentiate from the competition.<br /> <br /> The strengthen your brand, you should be making products that compliment your initial product. It&#039;s hard to be a brand with just one product on Amazon. When they click on the brand name, you should have a few products showing up, not just that one.</div>

 

[MJ DeMarco]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 27579" data-quote="Gabriel" data-source="post: 495337" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=495337" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-495337">Gabriel said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Where do you buy from in China? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> Really? You want him to name his supplier and his product? Do you want his bank account number too?</div>

 

[Jake]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 23" data-quote="biophase" data-source="post: 495381" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=495381" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-495381">biophase said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> You can&#039;t wait until the product is perfect. If you do, you will never launch. Make some improvements, enough to differentiate you in the market, sell and then improve some more. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>My current situation on one of my products....my CAD / Prototype guy had to fly back home as his mom is having brain surgery <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-frown.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":(" title="Frown :(" data-shortname=":(" />. Could be weeks so need to find a backup tomorrow. <br /> <br /> Aiming for a high price point so need it 90%+ perfect<br /> <br /> <img src="/community/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/banghead.gif" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":headbanger:" title="Headbanger :headbanger:" data-shortname=":headbanger:" /></div>

 

[LightHouse]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 6070" data-quote="Jake" data-source="post: 495488" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=495488" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-495488">Jake said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> My current situation on one of my products....my CAD / Prototype guy had to fly back home as his mom is having brain surgery <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-frown.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":(" title="Frown :(" data-shortname=":(" />. Could be weeks so need to find a backup tomorrow. <br /> <br /> Aiming for a high price point so need it 90%+ perfect<br /> <br /> <img src="/community/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/banghead.gif" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":headbanger:" title="Headbanger :headbanger:" data-shortname=":headbanger:" /> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Poor excuse for inaction on your part, since there are so many cad designers out there. Find a back up today and get them started. <br /> <br /> If you were running a $1M a month business, would you wait on one guy for a few weeks to get back to you for a critical design?</div>

 

[Jake]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 80" data-quote="LightHouse" data-source="post: 495526" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=495526" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-495526">LightHouse said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Poor excuse for inaction on your part, since there are so many cad designers out there. Find a back up today and get them started.<br /> <br /> If you were running a $1M a month business, would you wait on one guy for a few weeks to get back to you for a critical design? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Not an excuse but a statement. Rare to find someone fluent in english that can design / mold / cast..Hitting the streets today to find someone. There isn&#039;t a whole lot of CAD designers out here as far as I know.</div>

 

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[BlahBlahBlah]

<div class="bbWrapper">So far I had my (few) orders delivered from China via DHL, my first product was very small so it is fine for me to get it delivered fast and the delivery charges do not impact my profit margin too much (buying from Alibaba Suppliers).<br /> <br /> Said this my next products (4-5 different products) will be larger and my eCommerce store will be created to sell these products, therefore I will order in larger quantities. DHL will probably be very expensive (I will have an exact quote this week hopefully), so I was wondering whether instead of via Sea I can just have it delivered via China Post Registered Air Mail, which is the delivery method used for items on AliExpress? Is this safe? I don&#039;t mind if instead of 1 week it takes 4 weeks to have the item delivered to my door, I can live with that as I will try to organize myself properly, but really would like to save on shipping where possible.<br /> <br /> Thank you for you advice!</div>

 

[f0reclone]

<div class="bbWrapper">Hi <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/members/23/" class="username" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" data-user-id="23" data-username="@biophase">@biophase</a>, thanks for your advise in this thread. I&#039;m new to selling at Amazon but not new to Internet Marketing.<br /> 1. My business plan is to use dropshipping with amazon at first to minimize the investment. I know the margin is most of the times lower and I can&#039;t use FBA with Prime for better rankings but I found some nice offers to start with. After that I want to buy in high volume from whoelesalers to maximize margins if I know a product is running good.<br /> What should I regard, when dropshipping at Amazon?<br /> 2. What would you do if you sell the same product as others and there are already some Competitior Pages Ranking?<br /> My Plan is to get into the Buy Box of all the competitor pages because the sites are already ranking and have reviews. But I want to build an own product page with more Images, Infos and lower Prices and use some Advertisment to get it Ranking on top of Amazon and maybe also on top of google.<br /> 3. Whats the fastest way as a newbie seller to get buy box eligible?<br /> 4. I have some other newbie questions... but could you name some good information sources((e)books, blogs, forums) to learn selling on amazon?<br /> <br /> Thank You<br /> <br /> Andreas</div>

 

[biophase]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 30725" data-quote="BlahBlahBlah" data-source="post: 495553" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=495553" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-495553">BlahBlahBlah said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> So far I had my (few) orders delivered from China via DHL, my first product was very small so it is fine for me to get it delivered fast and the delivery charges do not impact my profit margin too much (buying from Alibaba Suppliers).<br /> <br /> Said this my next products (4-5 different products) will be larger and my eCommerce store will be created to sell these products, therefore I will order in larger quantities. DHL will probably be very expensive (I will have an exact quote this week hopefully), so I was wondering whether instead of via Sea I can just have it delivered via China Post Registered Air Mail, which is the delivery method used for items on AliExpress? Is this safe? I don&#039;t mind if instead of 1 week it takes 4 weeks to have the item delivered to my door, I can live with that as I will try to organize myself properly, but really would like to save on shipping where possible.<br /> <br /> Thank you for you advice! </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> Are you sure that this will be cheaper? My guess is that this is only available for certain sized shipments. But I have never done this. I would ask your supplier to ship that way and see what they say. I&#039;d be interested in their answer.</div>

 

[biophase]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 26194" data-quote="f0reclone" data-source="post: 495757" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=495757" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-495757">f0reclone said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Hi <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/members/23/" class="username" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" data-user-id="23" data-username="@biophase">@biophase</a>, thanks for your advise in this thread. I&#039;m new to selling at Amazon but not new to Internet Marketing.<br /> 1. My business plan is to use dropshipping with amazon at first to minimize the investment. I know the margin is most of the times lower and I can&#039;t use FBA with Prime for better rankings but I found some nice offers to start with. After that I want to buy in high volume from whoelesalers to maximize margins if I know a product is running good.<br /> What should I regard, when dropshipping at Amazon?<br /> 2. What would you do if you sell the same product as others and there are already some Competitior Pages Ranking?<br /> My Plan is to get into the Buy Box of all the competitor pages because the sites are already ranking and have reviews. But I want to build an own product page with more Images, Infos and lower Prices and use some Advertisment to get it Ranking on top of Amazon and maybe also on top of google.<br /> 3. Whats the fastest way as a newbie seller to get buy box eligible?<br /> 4. I have some other newbie questions... but could you name some good information sources((e)books, blogs, forums) to learn selling on amazon?<br /> <br /> Thank You<br /> <br /> Andreas </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> Hi Andreas,<br /> <br /> I don&#039;t quite understand your exact plan. I think you are use the term dropshipping wrong.<br /> <br /> 1) Are you saying that you are going to fulfill the product yourself and not do FBA?<br /> 2) I think you will have a tough time getting the buy box. The only way I can see you getting the buy box is to undercut their pricing by big amount. With a brand new account, getting the buy box will be difficult to begin with. Even at a lower price, you will need a strong seller account to get the buy box. Then lastly, shipping product yourself and no FBA, I&#039;d say you have a really low chance of getting the buybox on anything worthwhile.<br /> 3) I think the fastest way would be to sale at a low price, use Amazon FBA. Get a good seller rating.<br /> 4) I don&#039;t know of any off hand.<br /> <br /> Finally, I must ask, why is this your strategy? Seems like a waste of time to me. This goes against every question answered in this thread. You aren&#039;t creating any type of sustainable business this way. Just alot of constant daily work.</div>

 

[f0reclone]

<div class="bbWrapper">Hello biophase,<br /> thanks for your answer. I will explain my business plan.<br /> Dropshipping means for me: I sell a product(no matter if it is on my online shop, ebay or amazon). I get the payment and the adrdess from the customer. Than I go to my dropshippers website and order the product at a wholesale price and input the adress of my customer.<br /> The Pro&#039;s:<br /> I don&#039;t have to make any investements before I know a product is sold.<br /> I can have a very broad product pallete because I don&#039;t need to buy them all before.<br /> I just have to put products online for sale, promote them and give away the adresses without caring about the shipment.<br /> I get all the promotional Material as Images, Videos, Product details from my dropshipper.<br /> The Con&#039;s:<br /> Dropshipping Prices are usually higher than Wholesale Prices, because of the lower volumes and because they take care of shipment.<br /> I don&#039;t have the product in my hand to answer buyers requests.<br /> I can&#039;t use FBA which gives me advantages at amazon because I don&#039;t get the product as fullfillment is made by my dropshipper.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <blockquote data-attributes="member: 23" data-quote="biophase" data-source="post: 495772" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=495772" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-495772">biophase said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> 3) I think the fastest way would be to sale at a low price, use <a href="http://www.amazon.com" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Amazon</a> FBA. Get a good seller rating. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> Low Price ist okay for me. Example: There is a product which is sold for about 127€ at Amazon. I get it at my dropshipper for <br /> 77,19€ (includes shipping). The Product will be shipped within 1 day from a warehouse in the same country as the customer. So if I calculate 15€ Amazon fees, I&#039;m able to sell the Product at a much lower price then the others while still making profit from it. But FBA is not possible as said above.<br /> <br /> It is my strategy because it has the lowest barrier to get into business. I have no upfront payments and risks. If I&#039;m successful with this strategy I can always change to the other strategy mentioned in the thread where I have more risk but also higher margins.<br /> <br /> Regards<br /> <br /> Andreas</div>

 

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[Alex W.]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 26194" data-quote="f0reclone" data-source="post: 495881" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=495881" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-495881">f0reclone said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Hello biophase,<br /> thanks for your answer. I will explain my business plan.<br /> Dropshipping means for me: I sell a product(no matter if it is on my online shop, ebay or amazon). I get the payment and the adrdess from the customer. Than I go to my dropshippers website and order the product at a wholesale price and input the adress of my customer.<br /> The Pro&#039;s:<br /> I don&#039;t have to make any investements before I know a product is sold.<br /> I can have a very broad product pallete because I don&#039;t need to buy them all before.<br /> I just have to put products online for sale, promote them and give away the adresses without caring about the shipment.<br /> I get all the promotional Material as Images, Videos, Product details from my dropshipper.<br /> The Con&#039;s:<br /> Dropshipping Prices are usually higher than Wholesale Prices, because of the lower volumes and because they take care of shipment.<br /> I don&#039;t have the product in my hand to answer buyers requests.<br /> I can&#039;t use FBA which gives me advantages at amazon because I don&#039;t get the product as fullfillment is made by my dropshipper.<br /> <br /> <br /> Low Price ist okay for me. Example: There is a product which is sold for about 127€ at Amazon. I get it at my dropshipper for<br /> 77,19€ (includes shipping). The Product will be shipped within 1 day from a warehouse in the same country as the customer. So if I calculate 15€ Amazon fees, I&#039;m able to sell the Product at a much lower price then the others while still making profit from it. But FBA is not possible as said above.<br /> <br /> <b>It is my strategy because it has the lowest barrier to get into business. I have no upfront payments and risks. If I&#039;m successful with this strategy I can always change to the other strategy mentioned in the thread where I have more risk but also higher margins.</b><br /> <br /> Regards<br /> <br /> Andreas </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> The fact that there is little barrier to entry is a large reason why <b>this should not be</b> your strategy. Low barrier to entry <i><u>is not a good thing. </u></i><br /> <br /> Are you just slapping some stock product photos on an eCommerce platform and hoping they sell with a bit of advertising? Do you think this will work? Be honest. <br /> <br /> Are you adding value? Is your niche going to benefit from your addition? If the answer is no, it is my strong opinion that you revise your plan.<br /> <br /> Find a niche that you can reach, add value to a product(s) within that niche, test &amp; validate your product idea, source a few reliable suppliers, order samples, sell your shit, optimize your selling process. Add another product to your line, rinse &amp; repeat (not necessarily in that exact order). <br /> <br /> <i>(This is my first post on the forum... want to take the opportunity to thank Bio for the value he&#039;s added here... you&#039;re F*cking awesome). </i></div>

 

[SeanyHang]

<div class="bbWrapper">Kind of a random question. But when you send your products into amazon, do you ship them in a brand new box?<br /> <br /> For instance, when I get a shipment of product from china they usually come in kind of an ugly-overtaped-random-mess-of-postage-stamped cluster of boxes. After this I&#039;ll usually take the products out of that box to put the FBA FNSKU codes on each one and then place the units in a new, clean cardboard box. But maybe I don&#039;t need to put the units in a new box? Can I just put them back into the crazy looking china-shipped boxes and send them to Amazon like that? <br /> <br /> I&#039;ve never risked it with amazon - but who knows! Maybe this is doable and i can save a tiny bit on buying new boxes.<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Edit]]<br /> <br /> As matter of fact.. I got a shipment of some samples today! Check out the box I received my samples in.<br /> <br /> <script class="js-extraPhrases" type="application/json"> { "lightbox_close": "Close", "lightbox_next": "Next", "lightbox_previous": "Previous", "lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.", "lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow", "lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow", "lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen", "lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails", "lightbox_download": "Download", "lightbox_share": "Share", "lightbox_zoom": "Zoom", "lightbox_new_window": "New window", "lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar" } </script> <div class="bbImageWrapper js-lbImage" title="SlLipKB.jpg" data-src="/community/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FSlLipKB.jpg&amp;hash=808aac9544f15f644d3768954a7dfb58" data-lb-sidebar-href="" data-lb-caption-extra-html="" data-single-image="1"> <img src="/community/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FSlLipKB.jpg&amp;hash=808aac9544f15f644d3768954a7dfb58" data-url="http://i.imgur.com/SlLipKB.jpg" class="bbImage" data-zoom-target="1" style="" alt="SlLipKB.jpg" title="" width="" height="" loading="lazy" /> </div> <br /> <br /> Haha, I&#039;m not sure why they needed SO much tape or why the flaps are folded all weird... but I must say - this is pretty typical of what I receive from China.</div>

 

[Gabriel]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 1" data-quote="MJ DeMarco" data-source="post: 495487" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=495487" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-495487">MJ DeMarco said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Really? You want him to name his supplier and his product? Do you want his bank account number too? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> I was asking if he was buying from a specific website or Factory. I couldn&#039;t care less, I&#039;m cashing 10x times the median argentinian salary while on med school. I don&#039;t need to take on some one&#039;s bussiness, and I&#039;m also in Argentina. You should watch your acttitude, you are a grown up man, not some 16 Smart a$$.</div>

 

[Alex W.]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 27579" data-quote="Gabriel" data-source="post: 496044" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=496044" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-496044">Gabriel said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> I was asking if he was buying from a specific website or Factory. I couldn&#039;t care less, I&#039;m cashing 10x times the median argentinian salary while on med school. I don&#039;t need to take on some one&#039;s bussiness, and I&#039;m also in Argentina. You should watch your acttitude, you are a grown up man, not some 16 Smart a$$. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> Couldn&#039;t resist. <br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/internet-warrior-webp.10929/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/data/attachments/7/7559-2aabb3d818a726c8bd6951d9e8b2861e.jpg?hash=1VoXZ4x2v_" class="bbImage " style="" alt="Internet Warrior.webp" title="Internet Warrior.webp" width="250" height="200" loading="lazy" /></a></div>

 

[Envision]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 27579" data-quote="Gabriel" data-source="post: 496044" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=496044" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-496044">Gabriel said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> I was asking if he was buying from a specific website or Factory. I couldn&#039;t care less, I&#039;m cashing 10x times the median argentinian salary while on med school. I don&#039;t need to take on some one&#039;s bussiness, and I&#039;m also in Argentina. You should watch your acttitude, you are a grown up man, not some 16 Smart a$$. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> <br /> He owns the forum and was responding appropriately to a stupid question... we&#039;ve seen other morons like you rip off other people&#039;s ideas by asking similar questions.<br /> <br /> Sometimes common sense isnt so common?<br /> <br /> <br /> On another note, <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/members/23/" class="username" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" data-user-id="23" data-username="@biophase">@biophase</a> this thread is awesome. I have 2500 units of my product that I am going to be fulfilling and I need to keep track of it and I saw you use stitchlabs, does this integrate your site and amazon into one place so you can see and track all inventory from all channels at once?</div>

 

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[Alex W.]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 23274" data-quote="Envision" data-source="post: 496047" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=496047" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-496047">Envision said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> On another note, <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/members/23/" class="username" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" data-user-id="23" data-username="@biophase">@biophase</a> this thread is awesome. I have 2500 units of my product that I am going to be fulfilling and I need to keep track of it and I saw you use stitchlabs, does this integrate your site and amazon into one place so you can see and track all inventory from all channels at once? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> I have zero experience with Stitchlabs, and I&#039;m obviously not Bio <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-wink.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" data-shortname=";)" /> , but I&#039;ve been looking into Stitchlabs recently as well.<br /> <br /> This is directly from their website (more info found <a href="http://www.stitchlabs.com/features/multichannel" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="noopener">here</a>):<br /> <div style="text-align: center">&#8203;</div><div style="text-align: left"><b><i><br /> &quot;Sales Channel Integrations</i></b><br /> <i><br /> Stitch integrates <a href="http://www.stitchlabs.com/tour-integrations#saleschannels" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="noopener">shopping carts, marketplaces and point of sale solutions</a> including Shopify, WooCommerce, Bigcommerce, Magento, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Square, Vend, SparkPay and Storenvy.&quot;<br /> </i>&#8203;</div><b><i>&quot;Automated Channel Syncing</i></b><br /> <i><br /> Monitor your orders and inventory in real time. Immediately adjust inventory when an order is received from an integrated sales channel.&quot;</i></div>

 

[Ramble On]

<div class="bbWrapper">Thanks here also <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/members/23/" class="username" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" data-user-id="23" data-username="@biophase">@biophase</a>. I would also like to hear more info about Stitchlabs. We sell on multiple channels and looked into it about a year ago. At the time it was fairly pricey. Looking at it today it looks like their pricing has become a lot more reasonable. We need to find a solution soon before it becomes a real problem.</div>

 

[Gabriel]

<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 23274" data-quote="Envision" data-source="post: 496047" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=496047" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-496047">Envision said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> He owns the forum and was responding appropriately to a stupid question... we&#039;ve seen other morons like you rip off other people&#039;s ideas by asking similar questions.<br /> <br /> Sometimes common sense isnt so common?<br /> <br /> <br /> On another note, <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/members/23/" class="username" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" data-user-id="23" data-username="@biophase">@biophase</a> this thread is awesome. I have 2500 units of my product that I am going to be fulfilling and I need to keep track of it and I saw you use stitchlabs, does this integrate your site and amazon into one place so you can see and track all inventory from all channels at once? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> I know I have been in this fórum for long, and his book is amazing. Also, I was asking &quot;WHERE&quot; is he buying from, so hard to understand some english? 2 years a go this fórum was way more friendly, now there is some people saying &quot;moron&quot; to a guy who asked for a website... Uneducated red necks everywhere.</div>

 

[DrkSide]

<div class="bbWrapper"><a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/members/23/" class="username" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" data-user-id="23" data-username="@biophase">@biophase</a> I currently have a brand that I am selling on Amazon and my own ecommerce store. I have 3 products selling and a couple more in testing phases. I am thinking about adding more products to my website that are in the same niche and complement my products. I would be dropshipping these from a couple wholesale suppliers that I have accounts with.<br /> <br /> What I am worried about is diluting the brand with the other products. Going from a store that just sells one brand to adding most of the other big players in my niche. None of which have competing products.</div>