I will help you find a product to sell on Amazon

[biophase]

Magnetic false eyelashes.
I found these a few weeks ago and ordered some samples from 3 factories to test. One factory has promising quality.

Since I first found them however, a LOT more listings have popped up and the reviews for the top ones have skyrocketed.

BUT most of the reviews are terrible, with some exceptions.

What do you think, could a higher-quality product still get a chunk of this market?

Looks like a me too product. Reviews are horrible. I would stay away from this product due to competition.

 

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[biophase]

Thanks Bio!

I actually located a Japanese product that is significantly better (and cheaper). Amazon sells it and it has great reviews but its has 2 weeks shipping time. I am thinking that if I can sell this Japanese quality wipe under an American brand, with domestic shipping time, and with the prices cheaper than the American brands, that I might have a chance!

However:

1. How will I go about sourcing where they get their product manufactured? The Japanese product is made by a well-known Japanese brand cosmetic brand.

2. Do you think it would make sense for me to BUY the existing Japanese product myself, re-label it under my own brand and packaging, and then sell it as a test run first to determine sales volume? And then look into manufacturing once sales volume increases?

How do you convey that this product is significantly better? Cheaper doesn't mean much because your competition will lower to match you once they see you. So your product needs to stand out.

 

[Cain]

Thanks for your opinion Biophase. Been doing more research and came across these Headphone Stands.
High demand, lots of listings but relatively few reviews on the top sellers. Room for improvement. For example, many reviews on the top seller say they wish it was taller with a heavier base.
What's your view?

 

[TKDTyler]

Thanks for your opinion Biophase. Been doing more research and came across these Headphone Stands.
High demand, lots of listings but relatively few reviews on the top sellers. Room for improvement. For example, many reviews on the top seller say they wish it was taller with a heavier base.
What's your view?

The first product I sourced and tried to sell were Wooden Omega Headphone Stands like such
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRAIEUN/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

These became popular due to the the originals being widely popular in the hi-fi audio community @ $179.99 a unit
Sieveking Sound-Elusive Disc

The Chinese manufacturers quality is nothing compared to the ones they produce in Germany. Wooden products in general have many more quality issues regarding wood burning, warping, cut angle tolerance, and so on. On top of that, in order to be competitive in that space, you need to be priced around $20-$30 which isn't enough to cover CoG's + FBA fees + PPC. I believe my Cost per Unit was somewhere between $13-$15 after all the manufacturing changes I made.

Ultimately there was not enough improvements and differentiation that could be made to be successful on the Amazon marketplace.

Took me around 6 months to sell through 350 units at a loss.

Cheaper route would be to produce injection mold, but you're sacrificing quality for cost, which many other players are willing to do. It will require a load of startup capital to get your CoG's and shipping costs down to a profitable rate? IIRC, when I quoted it, an acrylic version of the omega stand was around $10-$13 landed at the fulfilment centers with a 2000 unit order.

Maybe going Injection Mold + Aluminum and cater towards the premium/gaming market with higher margins? @biophase may have a different opinion on the matter though. Interested in seeing his opinion

 

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[Cain]

Thanks for taking the time to relate your experience with this @TKDTyler. Super helpful.

So if I could do some small changes that I see people wanting in the reviews (i.e., taller with heavier base), and land it at a fulfillment center for $10 or so, what do you think? Possibly worth a test?

 

[biophase]

Thanks for taking the time to relate your experience with this @TKDTyler. Super helpful.

So if I could do some small changes that I see people wanting in the reviews (i.e., taller with heavier base), and land it at a fulfillment center for $10 or so, what do you think? Possibly worth a test?

Product is too cheap. I would pass. Can’t build a business around it either.

 

[Cain]

Product is too cheap. I would pass. Can’t build a business around it either.

Wouldn't be selling it for $10, would be landing it at a fulfillment center for that price. Selling price would be between $15-$30.
Why couldn't I build a business around it?

 

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[biophase]

Wouldn't be selling it for $10, would be landing it at a fulfillment center for that price. Selling price would be between $15-$30.
Why couldn't I build a business around it?

The selling prices I saw were $15-$20. Landing it for $10, you need to sell at $18 to break even. You’d be just another headphone stand in the sea of stands.

What business are you building around it? A headphone stand brand?

 

[Cain]

The selling prices I saw were $15-$20. Landing it for $10, you need to sell at $18 to break even. You’d be just another headphone stand in the sea of stands.

What business are you building around it? A headphone stand brand?

A brand in the category of music and accessories. Or electronics accessories. But yes, you'd have to either find a market for more expensive versions, or be able to get them cheaper, both of which are possible. Checking Alibaba, there are some very cheap options.
And, while a new stand would be yet another in a sea of them, there is market depth. Nearly every item on the first page sells well or fairly well.
If you could add a differentiating feature AND land it for a decent price, there is still possibility to rank and profit.
I'll keep looking though, as you seem to think there are better options still available on Amazon.

 

[Parker P]

How about inflatable leg rests like this?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073ZB5PWS/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

The only reason why I'm posting this is because I'm on Steve Chou's (mywifequitherjob.com) email list and he did a webinar a couple weeks back doing a tutorial of how he would pick a product on Amazon to sell. He used Jungle Scout and with a couple of filters, he stumbled upon this product.

For those who don't know who Steve Chou is, he runs a pretty big blog and a relatively known podcast about ecommerce. He seems legit and doesn't seem like he's there to sell you bs. I listen to his podcast and I'm sure a lot of other people on here consume his content as well, so I'm wondering what someone like biophase would think.

To be honest, I don't really see much room for improvement or much value you could add. It seems like a "me-too" product, and margins don't seem too good.

Thoughts, anyone?

 

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[biophase]

How about inflatable leg rests like this?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073ZB5PWS/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

The only reason why I'm posting this is because I'm on Steve Chou's (mywifequitherjob.com) email list and he did a webinar a couple weeks back doing a tutorial of how he would pick a product on Amazon to sell. He used Jungle Scout and with a couple of filters, he stumbled upon this product.

For those who don't know who Steve Chou is, he runs a pretty big blog and a relatively known podcast about ecommerce. He seems legit and doesn't seem like he's there to sell you bs. I listen to his podcast and I'm sure a lot of other people on here consume his content as well, so I'm wondering what someone like biophase would think.

To be honest, I don't really see much room for improvement or much value you could add. It seems like a "me-too" product, and margins don't seem too good.

Thoughts, anyone?

Umm no, not a good product to get into. Look at all the competition selling the exact same thing.

 

[amp0193]

How about inflatable leg rests like this?

To be honest, I don't really see much room for improvement or much value you could add. It seems like a "me-too" product, and margins don't seem too good.

Thoughts, anyone?

Search "leg travel pillow". I stopped counting at 30 identical looking pillows to the one you posted. They've all got good reviews, probably because most of the reviews are fake, but still. It's already a great product, and I don't see much room for improvement. It's as me-too as they come. It looks like most of the listings on page one were launched in the last 2-3 months as well, so there's only more competition to come!

And anyways, would you really want to sell a product where one of the biggest ecommerce podcasts said the product was a good idea?


Search Ostrich Pillow on Amazon. Those guys figured out a unique spin to the travel pillow niche, made it their own, and are charging $99 for it. Not saying to copy them... just to learn from them.

 

[Walter Hay]

A brand in the category of music and accessories. Or electronics accessories. But yes, you'd have to either find a market for more expensive versions, or be able to get them cheaper, both of which are possible. Checking Alibaba, there are some very cheap options.
And, while a new stand would be yet another in a sea of them, there is market depth. Nearly every item on the first page sells well or fairly well.
If you could add a differentiating feature AND land it for a decent price, there is still possibility to rank and profit.
I'll keep looking though, as you seem to think there are better options still available on Amazon.

Cheap options on Alibaba might not be what you think they are. My general advice is to not believe anything your read on B2B sites such as Alibaba until you can authenticate it.

See my AMA GOLD Sharing my lifetime experience in export/import. Product sourcing specialist.

Walter

 

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[RisingStars]

@biophase
You've said a few times in this thread that you would pass on a product if you don't see how to build a brand around it.
I've heard from a lot of podcasts that it is crucial to have a clear audience of people you serve who become your brands loyal fanbase one day.
My question is how do you determine if you could build a brand around an improved product in a certain niche? I am asking since I am stumbeling over products who need improvement which apply to a certain niche/audience but fail to see follow up products in that niche in order to build something lasting (aka a brand).

----------------------------
Little Backstory if you care:
My first product had a small improvement and not a lot of competition so it worked out pretty well. Now I am stuck since I didn't thought about follow up products or which audience I could serve and help with improved products and build a brand around. I don't want to make the same mistake again and launch an improved product which sells well but has no future since there is no oppurtunity for a brand around it.

 

[Readerly]

Hi @biophase,

Love this thread. You're creating massive amounts of value. And saving a lot heartache for people down the road! I'd like to offer a product idea for your keen eye.

My friend has a US utility patent (8182166) for a product. It's a butterfly pen--a butterfly knife with a pen instead of a knife blade. There's one competitor on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004YLJX7W/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

Spyderco BaliYo Butterfly Pen Flipper
Price: $10.94
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,213 in Sports & Outdoors
3.7 out of 5 stars 606 customer reviews

Is the price too low to insure a decent margin? Does the sales rank suggest low demand?
It doesn't really solve a problem. It's basically a novelty item--that's fun to do tricks with.
And I don't think his intention is to build a brand. He's a doctor. This is just a side hustle, and will probably stay that.

Did my friend waste his money on a patent?

 

[biophase]

Hi @biophase,

Love this thread. You're creating massive amounts of value. And saving a lot heartache for people down the road! I'd like to offer a product idea for your keen eye.

My friend has a US utility patent (8182166) for a product. It's a butterfly pen--a butterfly knife with a pen instead of a knife blade. There's one competitor on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004YLJX7W/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

Spyderco BaliYo Butterfly Pen Flipper
Price: $10.94
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,213 in Sports & Outdoors
3.7 out of 5 stars 606 customer reviews

Is the price too low to insure a decent margin? Does the sales rank suggest low demand?
It doesn't really solve a problem. It's basically a novelty item--that's fun to do tricks with.
And I don't think his intention is to build a brand. He's a doctor. This is just a side hustle, and will probably stay that.

Did my friend waste his money on a patent?

The price seems a little low. At the current price your friend will receive about six dollars. I don’t know if that’s good or not, it depends on what he is paying to get these made.

The product itself I would not say is a winner, I don’t see the demand for it, but then again I am not in the demographic that would buy something like that.

You are correct that it is a novelty. I tend to stay away from product like that because they usually do not last long. I don’t like to put effort into products that do not have a long lifespan.

 

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[Cain]

Cheap options on Alibaba might not be what you think they are. My general advice is to not believe anything your read on B2B sites such as Alibaba until you can authenticate it.

See my AMA GOLD Sharing my lifetime experience in export/import. Product sourcing specialist.

Walter

Agreed Walter, I always get samples to verify quality. Thanks for the thread link, checking it out.

 

[Readerly]

The price seems a little low. At the current price your friend will receive about six dollars. I don’t know if that’s good or not, it depends on what he is paying to get these made.

The product itself I would not say is a winner, I don’t see the demand for it, but then again I am not in the demographic that would buy something like that.

You are correct that it is a novelty. I tend to stay away from product like that because they usually do not last long. I don’t like to put effort into products that do not have a long lifespan.

Thanks for the assessment of my friend's product, @biophase. It's much appreciated! I'm going to relay your comments.

 

[21elnegocio]

As I am here reading this thread I am eating a bit of cereal in a coffee ceramic mug, there is something about eating my cereal in a mug cup. I know I have seen many people do the same. The problem is that since the mug is so narrow when i stick my spoon in to get cereal it overfills and cereal starts spilling same thing when I pull the spoon out.

Solution come up with a wider mug made out of plastic for cup/mug cereal fanatics, with this said. How would one know if this would be a hit ? Just list it to sell and test the water ? Promote it before selling it ?

I saw this product for your cereal to not be soggy and it has a ton of reviews. Is there a way to see how many sales a day,week, or month it has ?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015NJAQMY/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

 

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[Scot]

As I am here reading this thread I am eating a bit of cereal in a coffee ceramic mug, there is something about eating my cereal in a mug cup. I know I have seen many people do the same. The problem is that since the mug is so narrow when i stick my spoon in to get cereal it overfills and cereal starts spilling same thing when I pull the spoon out.

Solution come up with a wider mug made out of plastic for cup/mug cereal fanatics, with this said. How would one know if this would be a hit ? Just list it to sell and test the water ? Promote it before selling it ?

I saw this product for your cereal to not be soggy and it has a ton of reviews. Is there a way to see how many sales a day,week, or month it has ?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015NJAQMY/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

I have like 4 big soup mugs in my cabinet I bought from Big Lots for $1 each... its not really a novel concept unfortunately.

 

[21elnegocio]

I have like 4 big soup mugs in my cabinet I bought from Big Lots for $1 each... its not really a novel concept unfortunately.

Even if you brand them as a good mug ? People buy things just because of popularity ....

 

[Readerly]

The price seems a little low. At the current price your friend will receive about six dollars. I don’t know if that’s good or not, it depends on what he is paying to get these made.

The product itself I would not say is a winner, I don’t see the demand for it, but then again I am not in the demographic that would buy something like that.

You are correct that it is a novelty. I tend to stay away from product like that because they usually do not last long. I don’t like to put effort into products that do not have a long lifespan.

Hi @biophase,

This is what I wrote to my doctor friend about his butterfly pen product idea:

I think there's a deeper message there in the @biophase thread. Yes, he's not the right demographic. But he's an expert at determining what will be profitable on Amazon and what won't.

You probably noticed that my query to him was leaning toward a conclusion already, before his response. On reading through the thread, I began to develop a sense of what he was looking for in a promising Amazon product. First and foremost, a product needs to solve a problem for which customers are actively seeking a solution. Your butterfly pen, as neat as it may be, doesn't qualify. As I said--and as you acknowledge--it's a novelty item. That's fine. But knowing that going into a potential path towards the market changes the approach.

Getting a product to market is always going to be a slog. It can be especially stressful if you have to lay out a lot of cash to accomplish it. Since your product is a novelty item, this concern is particularly relevant. The key counter to the essential gamble that is a business venture is how effectively your offering solves a real problem. On the other hand, marketing a novelty item only increases the uncertainty. It's hard to know what catches on and what doesn't. Given the essential unpredictability of fads, it's in your interest, I believe, to mitigate financial risk as much as possible. That means developing your prototype as cheaply as possible, without necessarily comprising the degree to which the prototype approximates the finished product.

That fundamental uncertainty about the product's likelihood of success is compounded by what we can glean from your competitor's similar product. It ranks low in its category (around 20,000), and it's relatively cheap (11 dollars). This means low volume and low margins. If, as @biophase figures, with a comparable asking price, you can get 6 dollars from Amazon for each sale, you then have to subtract your unit cost and incidentals to arrive at your net revenue. Let's say, roughly estimating, that you can get the pen manufactured overseas at $2 a piece. We've gotten a few ballpark estimates from several industrial designers already. The bids range from 15 grand to 15 hundred bucks (not including prototype manufacture). If you're making $4 per sale, you'd have to sell a lot of pens to recover 15 grand in development costs.

This could be offset, somewhat, if your intention was to build a brand and not just sell a one-off novelty item. That's probably what makes SpyderCo's butterfly pen feasible. It's one of many models they sell. Are you committed to building a brand? Do you want to be in the knife business or the novelty item business? I use the word "committed" for a reason. It's a big commitment of time and energy.

On the other hand, if you treat this more as a hobby, with no expectation of making money from it--you're just bringing your product market for the fun and challenge of the process itself, you could take a more leisurely approach and be content to spend cash on it as you would any other hobby.

You could probably hire an overseas industrial designer on a freelancing marketplace like Upwork.com to produce the 3D renders and 3D CADs you need for a half or a third of the cadcrowd.com bid. You could then use those 3D CADs to contract with a 3D printing company (through 3dhubs.com). They could probably do what Brennon from PRG Prototyping recommended: use a heavy, dense plastic to print the prototype, then spray it with a metallic coating to approximate the finished product. So we're looking at 2 grand or so to build a prototype.

Then, to keep costs down, you could launch a Kickstarter campaign to see if you can kill two birds with one stone: validate demand for your pen, while also crowdfunding your initial production run with pre-orders. But, as you can probably anticipate, running a Kickstarter campaign is a skill in and of itself. If you're going to do it yourself, you have to be committed to learn the process and do the work.

As a hobby, you have to be really passionate about your idea to pull this all off! But by going this route, at least you won't be throwing money into a sinkhole--and you won't be motivated by unrealistic dreams of world conquest.

I still think your invention is a cool idea. But having done a little investigating over the past week, it's become apparent to me that you may well be better off letting it go...

Sorry if I sound like a wet blanket. I feel I ought to give you my honest opinion. I'm happy to discuss it further with you, though, if you like.​

 

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[Limitless4Life]

What about a high quality analog chess clock?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KRODGPY/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20
Digital ones seem good but the analogs have mostly bad reviews and they all look the same. Analogs have a nostalgia emotional 'pull'. Could be differentiated by a different high quality design.

 

[Mal0ni]

Hey @biophase ,
Thanks for the thread!
How about this product, an inflatable hopping cow/animal:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P5V5XO2/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

It seems like it is made of PVC, I am not sure how much it would cost but it could be improved by adding a better grip and a support for the back. Additional patterns and color could be offered as well.

Costs seems so be around $4.40 to $5.00 FOB. and average sale price is $22.00.

The business that could potentially be created around it is educational toys.

 

[bombay]

How about chef knives? Specifically "damascus" steel / japanese chef knives.

 

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[biophase]

What about a high quality analog chess clock?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KRODGPY/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20
Digital ones seem good but the analogs have mostly bad reviews and they all look the same. Analogs have a nostalgia emotional 'pull'. Could be differentiated by a different high quality design.

This doesn't look bad in terms of price and competition. You could probably make a nicer looking one. I just don't know what the volume is like for these.

 

[biophase]

Hey @biophase ,
Thanks for the thread!
How about this product, an inflatable hopping cow/animal:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P5V5XO2/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

It seems like it is made of PVC, I am not sure how much it would cost but it could be improved by adding a better grip and a support for the back. Additional patterns and color could be offered as well.

Costs seems so be around $4.40 to $5.00 FOB. and average sale price is $22.00.

The business that could potentially be created around it is educational toys.

Not sure. The price seems too low and to me it's not a product I would build a business around. I think improving it, which basically means that you are creating a new product and mould, would cost alot.

 

[biophase]

How about chef knives? Specifically "damascus" steel / japanese chef knives.

This was already talked about before in this thread (I think). This answer was no.

 

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[Mal0ni]

Not sure. The price seems too low and to me it's not a product I would build a business around. I think improving it, which basically means that you are creating a new product and mould, would cost alot.

You're right, a new mold mold would definitely be too expensive, the only cost effective way to differentiate this one is with colors and patterns.

 

[biophase]

For those who want to speak with me about this topic, I am doing a bunch of small group 90 minute conference calls, Please see this thread.

All proceeds are donated to a dog rescue!

Marketplace - Biophase; New Coaching Calls, Product Sourcing, Help A Rescue