is selling on Amazon FBA fastlane?

[iceyblitz]

So my question to you guys is just as the title says it..

 

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[Niptuck MD]

It can lead to some degree of autonomy but AMAZON violates commandment of control and time. So ultimately... NO

albeit it is a valuable vehicle to drive on "lanes"

 

[iceyblitz]

It can lead to some degree of autonomy but AMAZON violates commandment of control and time. So ultimately... NO

albeit it is a valuable vehicle to drive on "lanes"

How does it violate time? you can sell products on autopilot?

 

[Niptuck MD]

How does it violate time? you can sell products on autopilot?

initially no; eventually perhaps yes but it will take awhile to implement that system; you still have to monitor data and obviously you want to minimize the number of items you sell; you want to only sell the most profitable ones but anything could change at any time.

 

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[Envision]

If you have a business and one of the channels you use is Amazon then yes. It's pretty hands off, despite Amazon taking a huge chunk however I just think of them as an employee. The only facet that is really a negative is they have all the info of your customers and could shut you down if they wanted to.

 

[Raoul Duke]

GOLD - Is This Fastlane? (Uh, no, it isn't.)

 

[Azure]

initially no; eventually perhaps yes but it will take awhile to implement that system; you still have to monitor data and obviously you want to minimize the number of items you sell; you want to only sell the most profitable ones but anything could change at any time.

And what type of business doesn't initially require a time investment?

 

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[biophase]

It does not violate time at all. You are not trading time for money at any point in this business.

 

[ZCP]

My kids think so.

Try it and see. Report back when you have made your first sale.

 

[racyred09]

I sell on Amazon FBA, and I can tell you that I am trying to move away from it. It's a great platform to get the visibility and test a market, but ultimately you're at the mercy of the whims of Amazon (check their forums to see how often seller accounts get closed) and a BIG negative is the rating system. You have other sellers that try to sabotage you with negative reviews, unhappy customers for reasons outside your control, or even people who leave you positive feedback but a mediocre star review (because they think 3 stars is good??) and if it happens often enough, people can tank even a solid product. So there is my two cents on Amazon. I say if you can avoid it, try to focus on your own website and use Amazon as a supplemental stream. You can use Wordpress and Woocommerce and be up and running in a few hours for just the price of a domain name + hosting + an SSL certificate (on name cheap, all that is maybe $30?).

 

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[racyred09]

^ However I don't want to discourage you from trying Amazon if that's what it takes to get you moving. That's how it was for me...it was either keep searching for the perfect thing or just dive into Amazon and see where it leads and learn a bit along the way.

 

[Ronin365]

I sell on Amazon FBA, and I can tell you that I am trying to move away from it. It's a great platform to get the visibility and test a market, but ultimately you're at the mercy of the whims of Amazon (check their forums to see how often seller accounts get closed) and a BIG negative is the rating system. You have other sellers that try to sabotage you with negative reviews, unhappy customers for reasons outside your control, or even people who leave you positive feedback but a mediocre star review (because they think 3 stars is good??) and if it happens often enough, people can tank even a solid product. So there is my two cents on Amazon. I say if you can avoid it, try to focus on your own website and use Amazon as a supplemental stream. You can use Wordpress and Woocommerce and be up and running in a few hours for just the price of a domain name + hosting + an SSL certificate (on name cheap, all that is maybe $30?).

I will second this based on my previous experiences... not to disuade anyone but you should go in with both eyes wide open. The environment for selling on Amazon is fluid at best... as is the search algorithms. Amazon changes search faster than people change underwear.

At one point early in the game I had rising daily sales, and then one day- nothing. No sales and it went that way for 4 months. I let it ride a bit, boosted campaign spending, and then started making changes and got a whole lot of nothing. Then towards the end of 4 months after I had given up customer serrvice and on making changesi dropped back campaign spenings and suddenly a sale here, and a sale there- and for no apparent ryhme or reason.

Amazon's arbitrary handling of seller accounts and sellers in good standing is asinine at best. Not to mention the difficulty related to getting legit reviews, fighting fake reviews, hijackers, etc.... Amazon is not very supportive of their sellers, with the bias always in favor of their customers. I get the importance of the customer... as I see it, sellers are their customers as well.

If I ever use Amazon again for selling, I would use it for testing, exposure or just another sales channel... but I would not make it the foundation of any business. Something to bear in mind, Amazon is a seller in their own market place with deep pockets and access to all your data and customers. They have been known to pick up on hot selling products and directly compete with sellers by driving down the price to unsustainable levels. There are sellers on Amazon who purposefully keep their sales down to stay off that radar.

 

[Longinus]

No, stay away from Amazon and keep thinking on that idea that does not violate one single commandment of CENTS.

Kind regards,
An AMZ seller.

 

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[Jambla]

FBA does violate Entry and Control. But some people execute very well and make good money. Lots of gurus telling people to sell on Amazon it is quite saturated with new and Chinese sellers.

I think you need to be creative and do something different. If you try to launch a ‘me too’ product in an already competitive niche you will find it hard going. Spend the time upfront in finding a product you can change, perhaps you will need invest in new molds. But it helps to have something to differentiate your product, otherwise you may end up competing on price.

Personally I started on FBA only as I couldn’t think of anything else do to, but I am now pivoting. I gained a lot of valuable experience and skills. Amazon will still be a platform I sell on, just not my main one.

 

[amp0193]

FBA does violate Entry and Control.

Selling on amazon doesn’t violate entry. The difficulty of entry is determined by product selection.

Control... yes, it definitely violates control.

 

[Walter Hay]

Selling on amazon doesn’t violate entry. The difficulty of entry is determined by product selection.

Control... yes, it definitely violates control.

ENTRY. I agree the issue of ENTRY depends almost entirely upon product selection. Think outside the square for that rather than follow the crowd.

CONTROL. Why don't people use Amazon as their entry platform but build their own eCommerce website first? This enables vendors to benefit from their huge traffic for as long as Amazon allow it, but at the same time it builds something over which they have control.

Few seem to appreciate that Amazon's TOS can't prevent you from advertising your website address by various stratagems:
Include your URL on labels, as an integral part of the product, or on the packaging.

At the very least a good percentage of your customers will go to your site out of curiosity. Don't let them leave without wanting to return next time they are after that product or a related one. If you can capture an email address with consent while they are there, you are on your way to building you business independently of Amazon.

Walter

 

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[MiLeung]

Even though FBA violates CENTS, is it still the best option for selling imported goods online? I still think FBA is better than Shopify because of Amazon's traffic and making my own e-commerce platform from the ground up seems like it wouldn't be worth the effort. I'm completely new to this space (I have a web dev. background).

It seems like the only way to truly have a business that obeys CENTS is to start it from scratch so that you have control over all aspects - basically a successful startup, but these are rare amongst the ones who try it. Because of this, it makes sense to me that relinquishing part of CENTS in a business (FBA) in exchange for a headstart (Amazon's traffic) can sometimes be the best move towards making passive income.

 

[Envious]

I still think FBA is better than Shopify because of Amazon's traffic and making my own e-commerce platform from the ground up seems like it wouldn't be worth the effort.

Because of this, it makes sense to me that relinquishing part of CENTS in a business (FBA) in exchange for a headstart (Amazon's traffic) can sometimes be the best move towards making passive income.

Sounds like you just want to make easy passive income? If you go into any business with that mindset, you're going to have a very hard time and likely make nothing at all.

Millions of people all over the globe want quick and easy passive income, but the market doesn't care what you or anyone else wants.

 

[Kak]

No.

Edit: Unless you are talking about @GPM “The thousandaire fastlane! Make as much as a corporate job with 5x the stress and 100% of the risk! “

 

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[Formless]

No.

"Fastlane" is not arbitrary. There are 5 clear criteria (CENTS/CENTS) that define it.

Read the book again.

 

[GoGetter24]

[why not both taco girl gif]

FBA is a fulfillment partner. It doesn't have to be your whole business. Just have two ways someone can buy your product: your website, or via Amazon.

These questions always miss the point. The core question is what you are going to sell and why, not how you're going to sell it. That's stage 2, not stage 1.

 

[Jadpapi]

Not at all. First it’s crowded now, and Chinese sellers have been abusing the system. U don’t have 100% control. Amazon can suspend your account for any reason, They can also gate any catagory.. a lot of fake reviews there for ranking. When I see everyone going after something I stay away from it.

 

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[MiLeung]

Sounds like you just want to make easy passive income? If you go into any business with that mindset, you're going to have a very hard time and likely make nothing at all.

No, I just want to make a smart decision. I'm willing to put in the work; I just want to know where to direct that work towards.

The core question is what you are going to sell and why, not how you're going to sell it. That's stage 2, not stage 1.

I want to sell bike parts to fund an e-bike company btw.