Selling on Amazon has the power to change your entire life.
In the U.S. alone, Amazon has over 150 million monthly unique visitors, making it one of the top eCommerce platforms for making money online.
My fiancée Tatiana and I have both built very successful brands selling on Amazon. We work with a lot of new Amazon sellers. Time and time again, we give them the same advice.
Do you want our top 7 tips for beginners? Keep reading to find out!
Watch the video below:
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Selling on Amazon changed our lives.
Back in 2014, Tatiana and I joined the Amazing Selling Machine (ASM). This is known as the #1 online training program that teaches you how to build a successful online business by selling on Amazon. That's exactly what it did for us.
As a result of joining ASM, I was able to build a six-figure brand selling supplements on Amazon. Tatiana went on to build a multi-million dollar brand called Luxx Curves. Through our eCommerce businesses, we've been able to figure out what works and what doesn't when it comes to selling on Amazon. If you're a beginner, we want to help you succeed faster. Here are our 7 top tips for Amazon beginners.
1. Have the right mindset & expectations
A lot of people look at selling on Amazon as a get-rich-quick scheme. They expect that they will make fast money online. If this is the mindset that you adopt, selling on Amazon may not be for you. A mindset of desperation will not build long-term success.
The reality is that building any business, let alone an Amazon business is very challenging. You won't see results right away. Typically, it will take about 3 months to get your product selling on Amazon. If you're brand new to selling online, I encourage you to go into the process with the mindset of a learner.
Consume as much knowledge as you can and learn from your mistakes. That's part of the journey towards success. The more you put into it, the more you will get out of it. Amazon can change your life if you are willing to commit and go all-in.
2. Don't be a perfectionist when choosing your first product
A lot of people never get a product selling on Amazon because they obsess over looking for the perfect product which doesn't exist. Every product will have some form of competition. Choosing the right product to sell on Amazon can be overwhelming.
This is why Tatiana and I recommend that you have a tool, like Jungle Scout, that will help you with the product research process. If you make a lot of mistakes with your first product, you will have a hard time selling and marketing it if there is no demand. Choose a product that you believe in and that you think will give you success.
At the same time, avoid being a perfectionist. Don't allow your fear to prevent you from taking action. Your first product doesn't have to be hugely successful. Think of your first product as your training wheels. Learn and gain experience from the process so that you are in a better position to successfully launch your second and third products. As long as you don't give up, you will achieve the success that you desire.
3. Find a way to differentiate yourself from your competition
If you choose a product that is the same product as your competition, you won't be offering any new value to your Amazon customers. Your goal is to figure out how to differentiate yourself from other Amazon sellers. You want to improve upon an existing product. We encourage you to start thinking about this before you place an order with your supplier.
Get creative and start reading your competitor's reviews. You can get great ideas from reading the 1 and 2-star reviews. This feedback can help you figure out how you can improve your product and make it more appealing to Amazon customers. Maybe it has to do with the quality of the product, the packaging, or a customer support experience.
Taking it one step further, start thinking about what kind of bonus you could incorporate into your product, at no extra cost to your customer. This will help you differentiate yourself from your competitors even more, especially if the bonus is something that you can include on your main Amazon image. This is what will allow you to offer your Amazon product at a higher price because you are offering something of higher value.
4. Create a marketing plan
A lot of people only focus on creating a product, and then they wonder why they don't get any sales. You can't expect Amazon to do everything for you. They give you the platform, which includes hundreds of millions of customers. The reason why they give you this advantage is so that you can market your product, which in turn, will help them build their brand.
You must have a marketing plan in place for your Amazon product. With every product that I've ever created, I've always thought beforehand how I can sell it effectively. I figure this out by studying what my competitors are doing, outside of Amazon. You need a plan before you move into your Amazon launch. This is what will help your listing blow up.
5. Order samples from various suppliers
We suggest reaching out to 10-15 different suppliers. Once you've found your top 3 unique suppliers, order samples from each of them. Doing so will allow you to compare the quality of those samples. The goal of Amazon is to sell the highest quality product.
If you want to build a successful brand selling on Amazon, your product can't fall apart. This will only result in negative reviews and negative feedback on Amazon, which may result in your account being suspended. You want your customers to be excited about your product when they receive it, to the point that they are more than happy to leave you a positive review on your page.
We would also recommend that you find your top 3 competitors on Amazon who are selling a best-selling product and buy their product. This will give you a great reference point. Amazon customers love their products for a reason.
Put yourself in the shoes of a customer and learn about how your competitors are marketing and selling their products. Also, why not subscribe to your competitors' social media platforms? Figure out what they are posting about online. You don't have to be a trailblazer. Model the success of other Amazon sellers and find out what works for them.
6. Know your numbers and the profit margins of your product
There are hard costs involved in selling a product. When it comes to manufacturing your product, you need to know the cost of each unit. There are also costs involved with shipping your product from your supplier to Amazon's fulfillment centers.
You can ship by boat or by plane. A boat is cheaper but will take longer. A plane is faster but more expensive. Concerning your profit margin, you want it to be 30% or more. This will allow you to reinvest money back into your business. The fees will be different depending on the type of product that you sell.
There are different categories on Amazon. Each category has fees associated with it. Amazon provides you with an Amazon FBA fee calculator that helps you determine what the fee will be, based on the product you're selling. Taking it one step further, we encourage you to look for products that have the potential to increase the price so that you can brand it as a premium product.
As an example, Tatiana initially started selling her product for $29.99, but now she sells it for $59.99. Her product had the potential to be sold at a higher price as she improved the quality of it and built up her brand reputation.
7. You don't need to limit yourself to sourcing from China
The misconception is that all Amazon sellers source form China. This is simply not true. There are many benefits to sourcing from China. It can definitely help you with your profit margins. However, this isn't always the case. This is why it's important to know what your options are.
You can source from anywhere in the world. Sometimes it makes way more sense to source locally. For example, if you're going to be selling a health or beauty product, you want to source that product within the country where you are going to sell it. However, if you're going to be sourcing a textile you may want to source it from Indonesia.
Conversely, if you're going to be sourcing jewelry, you may want to look at India. Determine which countries are exporting the product that you want to sell. It's important to have a high-quality product, even if it means that you have to pay more money to manufacture it. In the long run, it will help you build your brand and in turn, make more money.
These are our top 7 tips for Amazon beginners.
If you are new to the online business world and are serious about selling on Amazon, I encourage you to subscribe to Tatiana's YouTube channel. She shares all of her best strategies and techniques to help you get started building an Amazon business. I also suggest that you follow her on Instagram for inspirational content.
I've also put together a FREE Amazon FBA training, which you can learn more about below. And if you decide to join the Amazing Selling Machine course, I will give you $9,482 worth of bonuses, for FREE!
ASM isn't for everybody, in terms of the cost. If you can't afford that course, we also recommend Marketplace Superheroes which is slightly cheaper. They have a step-by-step program that teaches people how to sell high-profit products globally on Amazon.
No matter what path you decide to take, make sure that you adopt a long-term mindset and strategy when it comes to selling on Amazon. It will ensure that you are able to build a sustainable online business that lasts for years to come.