Ask me anything about eCommerce (Ongoing)

[biophase]

• What do you mean with that? SEO for the listing on amz?

Basically ranking your AMZ listing.

 

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[Shri Kanase]

I really just have one main brand and two stores with this brand.

I have an additional store that I'm relaunching next year.

What do you suggest when choosing a niche to brand around? My current niche, couples and relationship accessories like bracelets, shirts, etc., turned out to be a little seasonal, mostly selling in Jan-Feb time (6 figures in sales during this time). I really wanted something that would be consistent year-round but I feel stuck with this store now.

Is there anything you can recommend? Would really appreciate it.

 

[John2016]

Hello @biophase, thank you very much for your great effort on this thread. Here is a question, did you have any experience on working with manufactures from 1688.com? I prefer not to work through sourcing agent, but have concern about the scams.

 

[foodiepersecond]

Saving so I can use this for my Lienka Frames brand. I posted about it on Sell Me Saturday recently.

 

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[PippoW]

Alot has changed since my Ask me about Ecommerce AMA from 2012, so I thought I'd do an updated AMA as some of the answers in the previous thread are now outdated. The online marketplace has shifted greatly in the past couple years. Some examples of what has changed:

• Google Shopping is now at the top of your search results, so ranking #1 for a specific term is not as valuable as before. I don't do anymore SEO.
• Big box stores like Amazon, Walmart and Target now dominate the results whereas before smaller niche stores did.
• Amazon is now the place to be in Ecommerce.
• A huge shift has happened from dropshipping to importing and branding.

So go ahead and ask away!

4 years have passed. What changed during this time with Amazon, Google Shopping, SEO etc.?

 

[Danny Sullivan]

4 years have passed. What changed during this time with Amazon, Google Shopping, SEO etc.?

This

NOTABLE! - Navigating the changes at Amazon since we started

A lot of the eCommerce focus on the forum was a group of several that started around the same time. Dozens of us were doing eCommerce, with several different products but the same basic strategies. Amazon has changed a TON since @biophase, @AllenCrawley, @LightHouse, @JAJT, @Kak and several...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

and this

NOTABLE! - My opinion of the Amazon Marketplace

It's no secret that Amazon's FBA marketplace has changed dramatically in this year. One of the reasons that I've decided not to do my coaching again in 2019 is because I feel that it is very hard to get a new product launched now, solely on Amazon. I feel that the strategy for launching has...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

might be interesting for you.

 

[Busch_Jager]

Do you only consider buying from manufacturers? I have found a great product but can only find it from companies listed as "trading companies" on Alibaba and not manufacturers. I cannot find the source factory for this product just a bunch of middlemen basically, even though they do offer attractive prices. Should I proceed? I already have samples from one and they are offering a good price but I want to make changes which I fear may be too complicated through a middleman.

 

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[Sethamus]

Hey @biophase
I am just wanting your opinion...even though I will make the final decision and this is my business I feel an experience seller could tell me if I am just being stupid and wasting time.
Little background - 1st product of a brand I will start (just not sure how narrow that focus needs to be, but that is for another time) and started this FBA before I found the forums so am learning additional info here and from the program I am already part of.

I received samples from 3 suppliers, and I have 2 I would work with, but I feel stuck in my decision. 1st supplier does not have any customers for exact product and cannot acquire hardware that is already out on one competitor, so I would have to pay for a custom mold delaying manufacturing time and meeting MOQ's for hardware. 2nd supplier has what I need as they make this product for another seller, though it still needs minor tweaks to paint finish for my standards.
I will be adding some extra hardware and design upgrades no matter the supplier I go with to improve the product.

Am I right in thanking it might be worth taking longer and going with a manufacturer who isn't selling the same product to other suppliers currently, even though more hoops to jump through? Or, should I go with supplier 2 which would get product to AMZ faster with my changes, and just risk that they share my improvements with the competitors? This is my first test product and if it does decent I will ramp up other similar products to make a brand. So in the long run, someone will copy me no matter what, but hopefully by that time I have multiple products out supporting the brand.

Any opinions appreciated.

-Seth

 

[biophase]

What do you suggest when choosing a niche to brand around? My current niche, couples and relationship accessories like bracelets, shirts, etc., turned out to be a little seasonal, mostly selling in Jan-Feb time (6 figures in sales during this time). I really wanted something that would be consistent year-round but I feel stuck with this store now.

Is there anything you can recommend? Would really appreciate it.

If you are asking about how to pick another niche, that's the question everyone has. I can't really answer that for you.

Hello @biophase, thank you very much for your great effort on this thread. Here is a question, did you have any experience on working with manufactures from 1688.com? I prefer not to work through sourcing agent, but have concern about the scams.

I have no experience with them.

 

[biophase]

Do you only consider buying from manufacturers? I have found a great product but can only find it from companies listed as "trading companies" on Alibaba and not manufacturers. I cannot find the source factory for this product just a bunch of middlemen basically, even though they do offer attractive prices. Should I proceed? I already have samples from one and they are offering a good price but I want to make changes which I fear may be too complicated through a middleman.

You can start with the "trading company" and them look for the manufacturer afterwards.

 

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[biophase]

Hey @biophase
I am just wanting your opinion...even though I will make the final decision and this is my business I feel an experience seller could tell me if I am just being stupid and wasting time.
Little background - 1st product of a brand I will start (just not sure how narrow that focus needs to be, but that is for another time) and started this FBA before I found the forums so am learning additional info here and from the program I am already part of.

I received samples from 3 suppliers, and I have 2 I would work with, but I feel stuck in my decision. 1st supplier does not have any customers for exact product and cannot acquire hardware that is already out on one competitor, so I would have to pay for a custom mold delaying manufacturing time and meeting MOQ's for hardware. 2nd supplier has what I need as they make this product for another seller, though it still needs minor tweaks to paint finish for my standards.
I will be adding some extra hardware and design upgrades no matter the supplier I go with to improve the product.

Am I right in thanking it might be worth taking longer and going with a manufacturer who isn't selling the same product to other suppliers currently, even though more hoops to jump through? Or, should I go with supplier 2 which would get product to AMZ faster with my changes, and just risk that they share my improvements with the competitors? This is my first test product and if it does decent I will ramp up other similar products to make a brand. So in the long run, someone will copy me no matter what, but hopefully by that time I have multiple products out supporting the brand.

Any opinions appreciated.

-Seth

I would go with the 2nd one and then switch to the 1st one after I've proven that I can sell the product.

 

[UK.SteRioN]

Having had a multitude of discussions with my partner, lifes philosophy and a mixture of our skill set I managed to arrive at a potential niche. Implementation would involve my technical expertise with her ability to find the right products and also to push the sales.

My question on the e-commerce front is more based around the best platform for this to take place. This is in a category you wouldn't necessarily search amazon for as a product. Sales would originally be more based around social media and through current friend networking. On that basis but with the possibility of upscaling what would your recommendation be?

 

[Chazza]

Hi @biophase

Thanks so much for the awesome thread.

Just wondering what's your view on amazon in australia as it is still relatively new. I have had some decent success selling on ebay but think that amazon will dominate in a few years. Do you think that the australian market is big enough for it take off?.

Much appreciated cheers

 

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[bilkar1985]

What do you suggest when choosing a niche to brand around? My current niche, couples and relationship accessories like bracelets, shirts, etc., turned out to be a little seasonal, mostly selling in Jan-Feb time (6 figures in sales during this time). I really wanted something that would be consistent year-round but I feel stuck with this store now.

Is there anything you can recommend? Would really appreciate it.

are you the same one I watch on youtube making 0000s of $ and suggesting this and that for dropshipping and ecommerce?

You come here and ask recommendations about what niche store to create?

If you are this good as I see that you are on your videos and also charge people hundreds of $ for an hour to have a conversation with you, as I see that you charge in your links, then you should already know what store to create, let alone what NICHE store and not expect to be told in a forum.

 

[Shri Kanase]

are you the same one I watch on youtube making 0000s of $ and suggesting this and that for dropshipping and ecommerce?

You come here and ask recommendations about what niche store to create?

If you are this good as I see that you are on your videos and also charge people hundreds of $ for an hour to have a conversation with you, as I see that you charge in your links, then you should already know what store to create, let alone what NICHE store and not expect to be told in a forum.

I have my own strategies but that does not mean I think I'm the 'best' out there. I'm always looking to learn and grow.

Also, please note that I was asking for HIS strategies. No where in that post did I state that I do not know how to do niche research. If you think I'm some random youtuber who is lying his way through with content, you'll be disappointed.

 

[DURABLEOILCOM]

I bought some computer gaming products wholesale invested about $2000 but have not been able to sell any of it. What are my options? How can you source quality wholesale products and still make positive ROI? How do you avoid getting stuck with dud products?

 

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[biophase]

I bought some computer gaming products wholesale invested about $2000 but have not been able to sell any of it. What are my options? How can you source quality wholesale products and still make positive ROI? How do you avoid getting stuck with dud products?

To avoid them you have to answer some questions.

What price did you pay for your duds, and what price did you think you could sell them for?

Where did you try to sell them at?

What competitive advantage did you have so that you could sell them?

 

[Tourmaline]

@biophase Do you have any references for sources and/or people that can help with:
1. Creating lead generators
2. Making websites convert very well

Thanks in advance.

 

[biophase]

Having had a multitude of discussions with my partner, lifes philosophy and a mixture of our skill set I managed to arrive at a potential niche. Implementation would involve my technical expertise with her ability to find the right products and also to push the sales.

My question on the e-commerce front is more based around the best platform for this to take place. This is in a category you wouldn't necessarily search amazon for as a product. Sales would originally be more based around social media and through current friend networking. On that basis but with the possibility of upscaling what would your recommendation be?

I'd use shopify as my cart software.

 

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[biophase]

@biophase Do you have any references for sources and/or people that can help with:
1. Creating lead generators
2. Making websites convert very well

Thanks in advance.

Actually I don't. I'm not very good at either of those two. I haven't been able to get lead magnets to work. And honestly, my website itself isn't that great.

What I work on more is creating a product or brand that people want. So those 2 don't matter as much. For example, if Apple's website was shitty or a little slow would that stop you from ordering a new iphone?

 

[alekssiht]

Hey, how it is going?

Again here with some fresh questions
Firstly, is Amazon still a good place to try/be for e-commerce?
Secondly, I am wondering here. What are my options for Deleting a listing? Like, my friend told that he deleted his listing and he did not have to pay for it. It does not sound legit to me, I mean, there are fees for a reason.
Like if I just delete my listing, it would still be there in the warehouse and eligible for customers and I still would have to pay for my Professional account and the storage fees, right?
The dude is saying, that just delete it and it wont be a problem, I am not so sure about that....Considering amazon then yeaa....Just deleting it and leaving it on them?

 

[biophase]

Hey, how it is going?

Again here with some fresh questions
Firstly, is Amazon still a good place to try/be for e-commerce?
Secondly, I am wondering here. What are my options for Deleting a listing? Like, my friend told that he deleted his listing and he did not have to pay for it. It does not sound legit to me, I mean, there are fees for a reason.
Like if I just delete my listing, it would still be there in the warehouse and eligible for customers and I still would have to pay for my Professional account and the storage fees, right?
The dude is saying, that just delete it and it wont be a problem, I am not so sure about that....Considering amazon then yeaa....Just deleting it and leaving it on them?

You can delete your listing but your stuff will still be there accumulating fees. Your stuff wouldn’t be for sale anymore.

You can cancel you professional account at anytime.

I suppose you can just never pay amazon and burn that bridge.

 

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[alekssiht]

You can delete your listing but your stuff will still be there accumulating fees. Your stuff wouldn’t be for sale anymore.

You can cancel you professional account at anytime.

I suppose you can just never pay amazon and burn that bridge.

Alright, got it. Thanks man.

 

[alekssiht]

Alright, got it. Thanks man.

In addition, do you have any suggestions what markets are not so competitive to pursue? Like household, gadgets, clothes etc.
Seems like that doing a passion project on amazon would not be such a great idea.

 

[PureA]

Bio,

Am I missing something? Or is the process largely...

a. Design differentiated product
b. Launch with great listing
c. Manage stock levels & customer service

How is your time spent growing your brand day to day, what can actively be done to grow a products business?

I feel like there is a large gap I am being horrendously blind to. This seems like a 1 hour work week. With 39 hours left in the week, where should I be spending my time to grow the brand?

 

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[NoStupidQuestion]

Hi Biophase, thanks for an amazing thread. Rather than re-write everything I've written in a previous post, could you perhaps take a look and post in my thread, or just offer some general advice here?

Using "brand" as way to differentiate myself from the market

I'm based in the UK and I'm planning on starting an e-commerce business in a competitive but growing market.The entry (as with many e-commerce businesses) is a matter of buying product at one price and selling it at another. Ultimately, the products are variations of the same thing. So in order...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

 

[newzzy2]

DURABLEOILCOM, I think you should upgrade them by changing some components, and they will grow in their price, isn't it?

 

[ApparentHorizon]

Hey Bio, do you use a central software for inventory management across sales channels? Ebay, Amazon, website, etc. Or would you be able to recommend one?

 

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[biophase]

Bio,

Am I missing something? Or is the process largely...

a. Design differentiated product
b. Launch with great listing
c. Manage stock levels & customer service

Yes, you are missing the the part D

D) get traffic to your listing

How do you plan to do that, profitably??

How is your time spent growing your brand day to day, what can actively be done to grow a products business?

The above question is where the money is. And there is no single answer. For my product it could be grow a FB group. For your product it could be increase IG following. For someone else it could be start a Youtube channel. For another person it could be 100% Google PPC.

 

[biophase]

Hi Biophase, thanks for an amazing thread. Rather than re-write everything I've written in a previous post, could you perhaps take a look and post in my thread, or just offer some general advice here?

Using "brand" as way to differentiate myself from the market

I'm based in the UK and I'm planning on starting an e-commerce business in a competitive but growing market.The entry (as with many e-commerce businesses) is a matter of buying product at one price and selling it at another. Ultimately, the products are variations of the same thing. So in order...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

What exactly is your question here?

Here's something I heard in a podcast recently. A guy is selling a garbage can. The marketer says, start an IG account. But nobody follows an account about a garbage can? True, but your account isn't about garbage cans. It's about being clean or cleanliness. So your IG account is about cleanliness tips and be more organized. The IG isn't about your product, it's about what your product does for the person that buys it.