Newbie Importing and Selling on Amazon

[Deleted2BB3x9]

Thanks so much man! +Rep

Basically the only thing I've got for links right now is a paid link from a PR6 blog. How does Google treat paid blog networks?

I assume it's looked down upon, so i'd like to start generating organic links and not be reliant on something Google would probably penalize in the future. However, it's a good start. I've since started blogging as you suggested, and it's already proven as a great asset to my business.

I posted my first blog post yesterday morning. My bounce rate dropped by 14% and my pages/session grew by 1.1 pages, time on site also grew by 45 seconds.

I'm not too concerned about attracting traffic right now but I still promoted my post on instagram. I'll also be promoting it on facebook once i have money in my account and i add some internal links to my first post. Anyway, the main reason for these four 1000 word posts was to include them in my autoresponder to nurture my leads.

I finished writing the blog posts and finished 2 more emails in my sequence. Still have to write 6 more emails and 3 more mini blog posts for the internal linking in my first post. Haven't published the rest of the blog posts yet but they're all edited and optimized and ready to go.

Once these "pillar" posts are done i'll be focusing more on distributing my content through social media, bookmarking sites, syndication sites, niche forums and email. Look at this blog post if you'd like to find out how: http://www.launchgrowjoy.com/30-ways-to-promote-your-blog-posts/

Other than that, sales on amazon have been great. 16 sales so far for February. I got my payment transferred yesterday so I should be ready to start advertising and driving traffic to my landing page, with adwords and facebook again in a couple of days.

I've also been learning how to use excel more effectively, i need to start tracking things better.

Loving the process!

 

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[RoadTrip]

I've also been learning how to use excel more effectively, i need to start tracking things better.

Do I see a need for a "Amazon sales tracking" SaaS software maybe?

 

[1step]

What was the refund for?

I didn't get a reason. I just got an email from amazon with a notice of a refund. The amount was deducted from my existing amazon balance.

And yeah the customer ships it back to amazon, they handle all the returns. If the item is in good enough condition it can go right back into my inventory.

You can find out in amazons backend but its usually not that great of an explanation. In essence after they hit the button that says return they have a number of options - the options may fit that persons actual reason but the options amazon gives do not cover every situation.

To find this information in your backend just go to Reports - Fulfillment - Customer Concessions - Returns

 

[Deleted2BB3x9]

Alright so you guys know how I got a refund? It turns out that because i'm in Canada, I can't create a removal order. Removal orders are strictly US only.

As for sales, i'm still averaging 1-2 sales a day. Amazon PPC and Adwords seem to be running in the positive.

And my autoresponder is half done. I just finished writing the survey email.

I'm going to start driving traffic to my landing page tomorrow. I'll be A/B testing right off the bat.

The reason i didn't start driving traffic to my LP yet is I noticed my offer was all over the place. I had like 4 offers instead of one clear offer.

Now i'm just going to be testing each offer on it's own page.

P.S. One of my competitors caught on to the item i'm selling... I checked out his website and it says: (coming soon)... Anything i can do about this?? I've got a head start on amazon but is there any way I can stop this from happening?

 

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[Deleted2BB3x9]

My hesitation if I were you (company A) is there is absolutely nothing that keeps company B from simply taking the item to cost or below and choking you out and/or copying your marketing strategy identically, and maybe with better results if they have been around longer.

My competitor already has a hold in the market (inventory:999+) but was selling a different item. Now I've stepped in and threatened him so he plans to undercut my prices... However, I've got the head start on amazon but I feel his brand is better than mine... Could he step in and take my position away or am i already too far ahead?

I've also planned a new strategy if amazon doesn't work out.

I will not be competing in a price war against an identical item.

Right now, i'm using my manufacturer's brand on the item, so I don't have much control. I'm covering it up with my brand but the item itself is generic.

However, my aunt and uncle have their own tag/sticker/engraving business, so if i ask them, they could probably remove my manufacturer's marking and add my own.

This would allow me to start going into retail and diverting from amazon. I'd like to sell more of this product online before offering wholesaling though, so depending on what happens with amazon I might start selling on ebay instead. Competitor isn't on ebay but it looks like somebody is feeding off him and selling his item.

Ideally, I wouldn't want to divert from amazon but i'm just thinking of some worse case scenarios.

I've also got my website which i am trying to make work, however i haven't gotten a sale through it yet (not driving traffic to website, maybe i should). It will be 10 weeks before i see any results from my autoresponder... I might just shorten this.

 

[Deleted2BB3x9]

Just a quick update,

Finally got my 10 sequence autoresponder done. I'll probably add more as time goes on but this is a good start.

I also started driving to my landing page with facebook ads but was only getting about a 5% conversion rate. Also used adwords but got no conversions after 25 visitors so i wasn't satisfied. I was using an html template i customized.

Anyway, I caved in and got leadpages. And now i'm working on creating some content as a lead magnet.

Currently working on 2 offers, and I'm going to have them on the same autoresponder (This may change in the future).

 

[Deleted2BB3x9]

Alright, so I cancelled leadpages. I was only getting a 2% conversion rate, it might have been the offer, but I was getting a better CR with my html template so i just decided to cancel it. The reason being, I got 1 lead, and spent 80$ on adwords to get that lead... Not profitable...

I'm getting my focus back on direct sales. I think i tried to ramp up too soon, I should be reinvesting my profits in inventory right now, not testing new things that don't end up getting me direct returns...

So what's working for me right now is Amazon PPC, Instagram, and Facebook.

Amazon PPC has always been profitable for me so I'm definitely going to continue to focus on amazon, I'll also be focusing on amazon reviews.

Instagram and Facebook have always kind of been there in the background but I didn't take them seriously, I used to just post a photo a day or something. But in the last couple of days, I've started posting more product photos, i used to almost never post product photos... and on the days i posted product photos, i got like 3-4 sales each day.

Not sure if I want to drop email and blogging yet, since blogging has really helped with my website's bounce rate and pages/session but hasn't really helped with getting leads. So I think I might not be at the stage where I need to start collecting leads yet.

I still only have 1 product.

Next steps are just to focus on what's working, then import more products.

 

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[The Grind]

Excellent work so far, really making good progress.

Your making a landing page instead of a store with shopify or big commerce, because you only have 1 product so far, is that right?

 

[Deleted2BB3x9]

Excellent work so far, really making good progress.

Your making a landing page instead of a store with shopify or big commerce, because you only have 1 product so far, is that right?

It's actually just a full out store. I haven't gotten any sales through it though. I'll be adding more SKUs soon enough though so I won't be changing it.

The main reason I have my website is to establish trust with people. Since, when somebody finds out about a new brand, the first thing they usually do is google it.

 

[AllenCrawley]

I'm getting my focus back on direct sales. I think i tried to ramp up too soon, I should be reinvesting my profits in inventory right now, not testing new things that don't end up getting me direct returns...

Agreed.

Not sure if I want to drop email and blogging yet, since blogging has really helped with my website's bounce rate and pages/session but hasn't really helped with getting leads. So I think I might not be at the stage where I need to start collecting leads yet.

I'd still consider developing your email list from visitors to your website. Even though you only have one product you could offer a free 'R&D membership'. "We're currently researching new products and need your help!". This could be presented that they'll have the ability to suggest new products, test out potential products, get behind the scenes access to development, pre-release discounts, etc. They would in essence be part of your research and development team and as an added bonus a warmed up, eager to buy launch list for every new product you release.

 

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[Deleted2BB3x9]

Set up a popup on my website.

I also just rebranded and moved to a new domain.

Still no sales on the website, but i'm pretty much sold out on amazon. I only have 3 units left in stock.

It all happened so quickly. Yesterday turned out to be a huge day, I got 8 sales, and got 5 today.

I think the reason why is since I rewrote my copy and added more pictures.

Turned off amazon ads for now. This will give me a chance to see how many sales i get naturally.

I'll be ordering another 100 units. I'll be able to cut down on my expenses this time around and sell them faster too.

Took me around 5 weeks to sell 80 units for the first time, since I gave away 20.

My goal is to sell the next 100 under a month.

 

[T-Rex]

I mentioned it earlier on in the thread.

I mentioned it earlier on in the thread.

Hey Ben, awesome progress. Not sure if you mentioned it, but what was the process like for researching products? I too am looking to import products and sell on eBay/Amazon.

I've been scouring alibaba and other sites looking for products for two weeks and I just feel like it's a bit random (searching different categories etc...) and all the products I look at have multiple sellers and tons of listings so that I would never rank.

 

[Unknown]

Returns are very common on Amazon. The products are always "damaged". The customers never ever just decide to return it and lie about the reason for free shipping. Nobody would ever do such a thing.

Good luck man. I hope it all works out.

 

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[Arguin]

For those on Amazon, how much is the average return percentage?

 

[Deleted2BB3x9]

For those on Amazon, how much is the average return percentage?

Returns are very common on Amazon. The products are always "damaged".

I had 3 returns. But I also enabled amazon repackaging, and was able to sell 1 of the 3 used units, at 9/10 of the full price.
.
.
Currently at a roadblock: I emailed my manufacturer saying we sold our first run, and would now like to order more. However, I also mentioned how I noticed a competing brand has announced he will start importing this product, and how i do not think it is a good idea for them to supply him as he plans to undercut my price and position.

I wrote them this:

"You may get more orders in the short term but ultimately supplying both competing brands will cause both brands to lose their position and ultimately render your product unprofitable. We recommend you stick with us as the sole marketer of the _____ as we can guarantee you consistent orders and a permanent position in the USA market."

And then they replied that it will take 20-25 days to complete my new order of 120 units.

This makes me suspect they just sold the rest of their inventory to my competitor. I asked them how many units they had in stock, but they didn't reply.
In the next email, I said I'd like to raise my order to 150 units and told them to let me know when the production has finished, and am now just waiting.

I also asked them if they were familiar with FBA, and they are. So i can ship direct this time.

However, this seems like an unreliable manufacturer and/or product for the long term due to competition.

I didn't pay for anything yet. I'm unsure if I should even continue with this product. What I've realized though is I need to have more than one product.
I've had a lot of people on instagram commenting about possible product ideas, so I'm not short on ideas. I have a lot of possible products that I could import that could fit under my brand. However, it seems like there's tons of competition.

I have one product specifically in mind which is commonly used in this niche, but there's a variation which I don't see anywhere else.
I could probably start importing this type of product, but most of the ones I saw looked cheap.

I'm considering kickstarter.

What I could do instead is manufacture a higher quality version of this product, brand it, then sell it exclusively on my website.
And I could use kickstarter as the means to get the funding required to manufacture it.

Either that, or I compete against an identical product, or just import a new product.

Looking for some feedback

 

[brandonrush]

For those on Amazon, how much is the average return percentage?

It's not that bad and I'm at about 1.8% return rate (most of this is from one person who ordered multiple units at once and returned all of them) but it's HIGHLY niche dependent. If someone is selling clothing or something where you really need to have it in your hands to see if the item "works", your returns could be as high as 20%. If your photo's and description aren't super representative of what you are selling your return rate can also start climbing because it's not what the customer expected. Your goal is to supply every ounce of information possible to help the customer make the most informed choice they can before they place an order. If measurements matter for your item, supply exact measurements!

 

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[SirTristram]

Ben, can you have the manufacturer send the order straight to the Amazon FBA?

 

[Paul David]

Ben, can you have the manufacturer send the order straight to the Amazon FBA?

I can answer that. You certainly can. If you want to ship by sea direct to Amazon you are best using their recommended Freight forwarder which is Shapiro. Although you can shop around.

 

[SirTristram]

I can answer that. You certainly can. If you want to ship by sea direct to Amazon you are best using their recommended Freight forwarder which is Shapiro. Although you can shop around.

Why thank you, sir

 

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[Deleted2BB3x9]

Update:

I did some research on my 'new idea' and it turns out there are no patents on this kind of product.
There are patents on similar products but nothing like this variation.

Looked it up on alibaba, and there isn't even any manufacturers for this type of product.
Granted, there's manufacturers for all the components, but no one has ever put them together.

So I went ahead and ordered some components off amazon.

Cost me just under 100$ but now I have all the parts to build a working prototype.
It uses some electronic components and a battery so that's also good since it offers some barriers to entry.

My plan to bring this product to the market is by using kickstarter.

Kickstarter will allow me to validate the idea, generate a lot of awareness for the company/product, generate sales in advance, and allow me to test my marketing/messaging/branding skills.

If I can pull off a successful kickstarter campaign, then that will really prove to me that I have what it takes.
Basically, if the campaign is successful, it will reinforce everything I've been learning so far and let me know if i'm going in the right direction.

To fund the kickstarter, i'll be relying on my instagram and facebook profiles, since I've already built up quite a big following and they're very responsive.

I also plan on contacting influencers in my market, such as influencers on social media, bloggers, and publications.

So, I'm still doing research and piecing everything together, but I've got a good vision on how, and where, this could end up.

As for my imported product, i'm going to try to milk it as much as I can.

I was first to the market with this product so I've got the advantage there, but in comparison with my competitor, he has more capital to invest in inventory, he already has another product in this niche, he's going to have branding on this product, and he plans to undercut my price.

So, I'll just have to see what happens in a month while I'm waiting for my manufacturer to finish production.

If my competitor hasn't entered the market by the time my new order is ready, then I'll probably still be able to hold my position in the market and be able to keep importing this product.

While i'm waiting for the production to finish, I'm doing tons of research and just absorbing any info I can find on prototyping, manufacturing, kickstarter, branding, social media, influencer marketing etc.

I'm also looking into other products to import, but ideally would like to start manufacturing as i'll have full control.

 

[SirTristram]

Nice Ben ,looking good.
I recently wrote the script and text for a Kickstarter project so if you'd like a second hand just let me know.

 

[Vigilante]

The main reason I have my website is to establish trust with people. Since, when somebody finds out about a new brand, the first thing they usually do is google it.

Exactly.

 

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[Vigilante]

A comment on shipping direct to FBA.

We never do.

There are several reasons why, all with equal weight :

1. We don't want Amazon to know who our supplier are

2. We don't want our suppliers to know how much of our business is done on Amazon

3. Quality control

4. We don't send all of our inventory to Amazon

I highly suggest NEVER sending inventory directly from a factory to Amazon.

Ever.

EVER.

For what you think you are saving, any of the top 3 points above could cost you the entire Amazon business.

 

[Walter Hay]

A comment on shipping direct to FBA.

We never do.

There are several reasons why, all with equal weight :

1. We don't want Amazon to know who our supplier are

2. We don't want our suppliers to know how much of our business is done on Amazon

3. Quality control

4. We don't send all of our inventory to Amazon

I highly suggest NEVER sending inventory directly from a factory to Amazon.

Ever.

EVER.

For what you think you are saving, any of the top 3 points above could cost you the entire Amazon business.

@Vigilante I am very pleased to see someone with your high standing advise along these lines.

I see a potential disaster looming for Amazon marketers because Chinese suppliers are learning that Amazon is a marketplace where they can sell at retail. They will gleefully ditch all their nuisance buyers in the US and other places where Amazon operate.

I totally endorse your views on this very important subject.

 

[Paul David]

A comment on shipping direct to FBA.

We never do.

There are several reasons why, all with equal weight :

1. We don't want Amazon to know who our supplier are

2. We don't want our suppliers to know how much of our business is done on Amazon

3. Quality control

4. We don't send all of our inventory to Amazon

I highly suggest NEVER sending inventory directly from a factory to Amazon.

Ever.

EVER.

For what you think you are saving, any of the top 3 points above could cost you the entire Amazon business.

I was thinking of sending my inventory to ECM then they went in liquidation so i was going to send it direct to Amazon. I'm in the UK so i don't have my own warehouse in the USA. Maybe i should start looking for other fulfillment centers!

 

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[Deleted2BB3x9]

My new idea fell through

So it turns out that this electronic item is pretty much impossible to design in a small format.
It requires too much voltage, and the battery would have to be huge...
This error cost me 100$ and could have been avoided if I had done more research...

My plans moving forward

I had a discussion with @AllenCrawley facing competition, and he suggested I stick with my current item but to add some additional branding to my marketing, packaging, website, social channels, and amazon listing. Thanks again man!

I feel more confident being able to take on this competitor now.
I feel that if I create a better brand, focus on customer service and satisfaction, and provide more value, that i'll naturally create happier customers, and as a result experience word of mouth on social media, social sales, repeat sales and referrals.

I have a quote written down in my notebook that says "Thrilled customers are the key to social media." I don't remember where it's from but it makes sense. Also I noticed that my competitor isn't really building any relationships on social media, and so I think that I could use that to my advantage.

I recently just stepped up my brand image on instagram by deleting any low quality photos on my profile, and am now taking hashtags seriously.
I made a list of 20 of the most popular hashtags that my target audience uses in their posts and also am trying to make my brand's hashtag more popular.

I also recently stepped it up on facebook. I've been getting a lot of engagement on both profiles and have built up a nice community on both, now I just need to focus on promoting my products more.

Also as a result of my current efforts on social media, I've been getting quite a bit of traffic to my website. And I have been collecting emails. I have 8 so far. I plan on continuing to write good blog content and publishing it to social media to continue growing my email list.

So those are basically my marketing channels. I'm focusing on social media, blogging, and email since I feel I can provide the most value through these channels and it doesn't look like my competitor is using any of them effectively.

As for amazon, I just added my logo to my images for branding, and the images look way better now.

Improving my branding

So I believe I have a better brand than my competitor but he has more capital and OEM branding on his product.

My way around this will be to buy branded stickers and will use them to cover up my manufacturer's brand since I can't afford OEM.

I've also only been using my manufacturer's packaging up until now, and so have never had my own packaging.

I bought a gig on fiverr a couple days ago and am getting a designer to create my new packaging.

Those were my two biggest roadblocks with this item and were solved pretty simply.
I'll also be shipping my next order to my house as @Vigilante suggested.

This will allow me to remove any of my manufacturer's markings, and then rebox the product in my new packaging and rebrand it by applying my sticker.

Contacting my manufacturer and looking at other products to import

I emailed my manufacturer 2 nights ago and they responded this morning. They said they would only be able to have 110 units ready for next week due to a shortage of material and that their large quantity production will be normalized after 15th April.

I might just end up buying the 110 since my competitor already has 4 reviews on his listing (it's in a different category though) and I can't afford to waste time and let him take the lead.

I'm not sure how this will end up in the long term so I also emailed another manufacturer last night, inquiring about a new product.

Haven't gotten a response yet but I've been getting a lot of requests on instagram for this product and so will likely order a small sample batch to see what kind of response I get.

It's a clothing item and so will probably only sell it on my website. Clothing is extremely competitive on amazon.

I think I may start to focus on my brand and website more instead of amazon as I import more products.

I appreciate any feedback!

 

[Walter Hay]

My new idea fell through

Improving my branding

So I believe I have a better brand than my competitor but he has more capital and OEM branding on his product.

My way around this will be to buy branded stickers and will use them to cover up my manufacturer's brand since I can't afford OEM.

I've also only been using my manufacturer's packaging up until now, and so have never had my own packaging.

I bought a gig on fiverr a couple days ago and am getting a designer to create my new packaging.

Those were my two biggest roadblocks with this item and we're solved pretty simply.
I'll also be shipping my next order to my house as @Vigilante suggested.

This will allow me to remove any of my manufacturer's markings, and then rebox the product in my new packaging and rebrand it by applying my sticker.

I appreciate any feedback!

Hi Ben,

If you want your label to look classy without a huge cost, consider printing red, black, or dark green on gold foil labels. Alternatively gold foil print on those colors, but in that case the background should just be a gloss color, not colored foil.

Preferably only use a single color (Gold). Most graphic designers go crazy with colors, but for class you cannot beat gold on black, or on a deep red or green.

If I sound dogmatic, it is because in my former importing business I sold vast numbers of products produced in those color schemes. When potential customers saw the samples they saw quality and they bought.

One of the products I sold in a test direct mailing campaign in France was in effect a miniature label in red and gold. The customer was delighted, telling me that it had boosted his sales, but I can't remember the %.

 

[Deleted2BB3x9]

Quick Update:

I ordered the 110 units last night.

The clothing manufacturer did not respond though.

I'm also writing a new instruction manual for my product, since I was getting complaints about it being hard to read.

My new packaging is designed too. Currently looking up how I would print it on a box...

And now I'm designing the sticker. Doesn't take much but I just need to take some measurements to make sure it's the right size.

Once the design for the sticker is finished, I can email it over to my aunt and she can start printing them. (she owns a dye sublimation printer)

 

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[Deleted2BB3x9]

P.S. My competitor has 23 reviews now.... I have 20.

Probably going to run a discount for some more reviews when i'm back in stock.

However this is a bit frightening since he has more reviews now and a cheaper price.

Although, I found a way to differentiate myself from this competitor in the future.

This product were both importing has 2 replaceable parts. He is selling them separately.

I asked my manufacturer if I could order some but they didn't have any in stock.

But for the next order, I'm probably going to order these parts and bundle them in my listing.

This will allow me to stay at my current price point, while giving my customers a better deal.

 

[Walter Hay]

P.S. My competitor has 23 reviews now.... I have 20.

Probably going to run a discount for some more reviews when i'm back in stock.

However this is a bit frightening since he has more reviews now and a cheaper price.

Although, I found a way to differentiate myself from this competitor in the future.

This product were both importing has 2 replaceable parts. He is selling them separately.

I asked my manufacturer if I could order some but they didn't have any in stock.

But for the next order, I'm probably going to order these parts and bundle them in my listing.

This will allow me to stay at my current price point, while giving my customers a better deal.

It seems that you are progressing well. Don't forget you can use a label on a box, it does not have to be directly printed.

As for the sticker, I don't know where it is to be deployed, but although it may be tempting to use your aunt's sublimation printer, just be sure that quality is not compromised. Dye sublimation looks good on some substrates, but is not suitable for all types of background material.