I'm a former Amazon marketplace leader and current 8-figure seller. I write about advanced strategies and tactics for Amazon brands, that you won't read about anywhere else. Not for beginners.
βΌοΈ Your Amazon Information Diet Needs Cleansing
This Issue's TLDR...
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People often ask me how I stay current in this fast-moving, dynamic Amazon world that we all live in. Honestly, staying current isn't all that difficult. Everyone wants to be a reporter and break news these days, so major Amazon headlines appear dozens if not hundreds of times on LinkedIn timelines and Twitter feeds. Most weeks, it feels like this: Staying current is the easy part. The harder part is staying current on the undercurrents. That is, the things that are bubbling below the surface of social media...showmanship. I get a lot of my information on undercurrents from private chat groups and closed communities. But there are a few public sources that I also routinely check to get a pulse on what other sellers are talking about and/or enduring. Since diet resolutions are popularly in every new year, in that spirit, I'm going to share with you some resources to improve your "Amazon information diet" in 2025. Let's go! 1 - Sellers Ask SellersβI've found this to be a better version of the Seller Central forums (though, tbh, that bar is super low). Mainly, I like the search functionality, which enables me to better navigate the conversations around different topics. I also have an RSS feed set up, so I get drip feed in real time the latest conversations that are happening in the seller world. 2 - We Are SellersβChina-based sellers are taking over Amazon. That's a fact. The trend might abate a bit under the new Trump administration, but it's a reality we all have to deal with. Personally, I like to keep tabs on my competition (sort of like the New England Patriots with their "spygate" scandal). And, what better way to keep tabs than to insert myself into Chinese seller forums. 3 - r/FulfillmentByAmazonβReddit is strange. Many smart people expected it to die. Especially when it tried to monetize its user base. But, it just keeps chugging along. And seems to get stronger each year. Anyway, the FulfillmentByAmazon sub-reddit is probably the best one on Reddit, and also has a vibrant Discord channel (which you have to apply to). I routinely get breaking news and great tips from here. * Hope that helps some of you in 2025. Remember: Don't be afraid to jettison news sources that aren't valuable to you anymore (i.e., low signal-to-noise ratio)! BEST from my InboxB@A reader and friend Mike Danford recently popped into my inbox to let me know that he and his team have been hard at work, building a killer repository of free tools and guides for sellers. Thanks for sharing, Mike! BEST from LinkedInMy good friend Joe Shelerud was at CES last week and, rather than just offering a "weather report" on Amazon's big announcements (like most people do), he gave us an important "so what" regarding Amazon's new Retail Ad Service. Thanks for this perspective, Joe! BEST from XIn case you missed it, Mark Cuban doesn't like Amazon businesses. Like I talked about last week, part of his disdain is due to the disregard for intellectual property ownership (or, failure to effectively police IP infringement). But the other part of his Amazon hate is due to the fees that it imposes on sellers, which he says are "INSANE AND UNSUSTAINABLE." (Shout-out on the ALL CAPS, Mark) Well, I had to bring some data to this discussion:
Admittedly, my sample is small. But, lo and behold, there was magic in the Twitter/X comments. My buddy Pablo from TrueOps came to the conversation with more receipts:
Pablo's dataset of 650k ASINs is...roughly in line with my smaller sample. Bottom Line: The fees are too damn high! BEST from X (BONUS)In case you missed it in last week's newsletter, battle lines have been drawn for the future of eCommerce, and there have been some vibrant public (and private) conversations happening over on X. In fact, there's some work going on behind the scenes, that I hope to share more about next week. Until then, here's a well-reasoned proposal from my buddy Molson Hart. The key message: RECIPROCITY.
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You should always, always, always ask a seller why they are seller. Yes, they might lie. Yes, they might omit. Yes, they might give an honest answer when you ask, but change their mind down the line. But consider this... If you don't ask, there's a big "unknown unknown" in your deal. Which means...MORE RISK. If you do ask, that downgrades to at least a "known unknown" and you can structure accordingly. When you ask, you also create a bridge for personal connection between you and the seller, which has all sorts of value, starting with simply -- winning the deal. So, I'll repeat: Always ask why the seller is selling.
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Best @ Amazon
I'm a former Amazon marketplace leader and current 8-figure seller. I write about advanced strategies and tactics for Amazon brands, that you won't read about anywhere else. Not for beginners.
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