TAS 112 : Ask Scott Session #29 - FBA Amazon Questions

If you’re doing Amazon Private Label sales and are just getting started, you’ve just stumbled onto the best resource you could have found… Scott Voelker’s “Ask Scott” episode! Every Friday Scott answers questions from listeners who have submitted them through his website at www.TheAmazingSeller.com/ask . You’ll hear all kinds of questions from brand new sellers and veterans, all seeking advice on how to do their Amazon business wisely. So grab a pen and paper to take some great notes because you’re going to hear some real-world scenarios with Scott’s real-world advice to go along with it. Enjoy!

Customs fees and tariffs: What should I plan on for my product?

Scott often gets questions about customs, which makes total sense, since most people have never ordered a product from overseas before. Most of the time customs are not concerned with one or two products at a time, like the samples you should order to check out potential products. It’s when you start buying in larger quantities that customs will become an issue. So what are the customs fees and what should you expect? Honestly, it depends. It depends on the exact product you are shipping, what niche it is in, it’s weight and quantity, and many other variables. Most of the time Scott lets his shipper (DHL) handle his customs issues but not always. There’s really too much detail to type out right here, so be sure to listen to this episode to hear Scott’s detailed answer.

Amazon just lost my products! How often does that happen and what can I do about it?

It’s not really common, but it does happen that Amazon itself will lose or damage one of your product shipments. But thankfully, the Amazon representatives are usually very helpful in resolving these issues and Amazon policies themselves are in your favor. If Amazon loses a product or damages a product that you’ve sent in, they will pay you for the listed sales price of your product, minus all the Amazon fees, naturally. But they won’t do so unless you ask them to do it. So pick up the phone and call a seller support representative to get the ball rolling. They will be able to verify that the product is lost and issue the money for the products to your accounts. Find out how Scott goes about doing this himself, on this episode.

I’ve only got $700 to get started on Amazon. What should I do first?

This is a common question that Scott fields from newbie sellers and it’s very understandable. It’s wise to mitigate your risks as much as possible, so asking is part of how you learn to do that. What would Scott do if he had $700 and was starting all over? The first thing he’d do would be to prepare for his monthly Seller Account fee. It’s part of what you’ll need to pay in order to have the privilege of selling on Amazon. Next, he’d either do retail arbitrage to turn that $700 into $2000 over the holiday season, or he’d follow the steps a TAS community member did in his “TAS $500 challenge.” You can hear all of Scott’s advice about starting from scratch by listening to this episode.

I have 3 great products according to the numbers, but would like to get some advice from an expert without having my ideas ripped off.

This listener has done his product research and feels he has 2 or 3 products within a niche from which he can build a brand. Way to go! But before he moves ahead he’d like to run the numbers by someone who’s experienced in the Amazon world to make sure he’s looking at everything correctly. His main concern is that the person who looks at his numbers might steal the idea and begin offering those products themselves. How can he find a trusted advisor? As you might imagine, Scott’s got some thoughts about that conundrum and you’ll hear his answer if you listen to this episode.

OUTLINE OF THIS Q&A EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER [0:03] Welcome and introduction to this Q&A episode and how to submit your questions! [1:00] A shout out to a TAS Facebook Community member: Yassar Mack [3:52] QUESTION ONE: What kind of figures should I plan on regarding tariffs or customs fees when sourcing products from China? [10:49] QUESTION TWO: Lost products: How common is that? [15:07] QUESTION THREE: What should be my first step in getting started on Amazon with only $700 to start? [22:13] QUESTION FOUR: How could I get expert advice about potential products without fear that the expert would take my product idea? [27:46] Scott’s wrap up of this episode. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

The TAS $500 challenge - www.TheAmazingSeller.com/68

Shark Tank TV show

Scott’s launch process: www.TheAmazingSeller.com/launch

www.TheAmazingSeller.com/100 - the episode with a conversation about the launch process

Ask your question: www.TheAmazingSeller.com/ask

Scott’s free workshop - http://www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop

www.TheAmazingSeller.com/FB - the TAS Facebook Community