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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
- Sprache: Englisch
Sell on Amazon and Make Them Do the Heavy Lifting Selling on Amazon has become one of the most popular ways to earn income online. In fact, there are over 2 million people selling on Amazon worldwide. Amazon allows any business, no matter how small, to get their products in front of millions of customers and take advantage of the largest fulfillment network in the world. It also allows businesses to leverage their first-class customer service and storage capabilities. Selling on Amazon For Dummies walks owners through the process of building a business on Amazon--a business that can be built almost anywhere in the world, as long as you have access to a computer and the internet. * The basics of selling on Amazon * Using FBA * Getting started * Deciding what to sell * Conducting product research * Finding your way around Seller Central * Product sourcing, shipping and returns, Amazon subscription, fees, sales tax, and more * How to earn ROIs (Returns on Your Investments) Selling on Amazon For Dummies provides the strategies, tools, and education you need, including turnkey solutions focused on sales, marketing, branding, and marketplace development to analyze and maximize opportunities.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020
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Selling on Amazon® For Dummies®
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2020 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2020938975
ISBN: 978-1-119-68933-1 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-68935-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-8939-3 (ebk)
Selling on Amazon® For Dummies®
To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Selling on Amazon For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.
Table of Contents
Cover
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1: Getting Started with Selling on Amazon
Chapter 1: Laying the Groundwork
Getting the Lowdown on Selling Online
Exploring How Amazon Works
Comparing Amazon Business Types
Tabulating the Costs
Following Amazon’s Rules
Chapter 2: Selling on Amazon in a Nutshell
First Things First: Finding Products to Sell
Listing Products for Sale on Amazon
Prepping and Shipping Products to Customers
Boosting Sales with Advertising and Promotions
Providing Stellar Customer Service
Chapter 3: Setting Up Your Amazon Seller Account
Registering to Become an Amazon Seller
Completing Your Amazon Seller Business Profile
Checking and Adjusting Your Account Settings
Entering Shipping and Return Settings
Securing Your Amazon Seller Account
Chapter 4: Becoming Familiar with Seller Central
Finding Your Way around Seller Central
Accessing the Buyer-Seller Messaging Service
Getting Help and Information
Part 2: Procuring Products to Sell on Amazon
Chapter 5: Knowing What You Can and Can’t Sell on Amazon
Recognizing Products You Can Sell: Amazon’s Product Categories
Steering Clear of Restricted Products
Brushing Up on Food Safety Rules
Chapter 6: Finding Products with Profit Potential
Recognizing the Characteristics of Products with High Profit Potential
Steering Clear of Troublesome Products
Conducting Your Own Product Research
Validating or Rejecting Product Ideas
Focusing on Price and Sales Volume
Chapter 7: Exploring Your Product Sourcing Options
Mastering Retail Arbitrage
Sourcing Products at Auctions and Liquidation Sales
Weighing the Pros and Cons of Drop-Shipping
Buying from Manufacturers, Distributors, and Wholesalers
Sourcing Products from Alibaba
Finding Suppliers at Tradeshows
Making and Selling Your Own Products: Amazon Handmade and Custom
Chapter 8: Evaluating and Negotiating with Suppliers
Deciding Whether to Use Domestic or Foreign Suppliers or Both
Selecting Suppliers with the Right Stuff
Negotiating Prices and Terms
Part 3: Getting Down to the Business of Selling
Chapter 9: Listing Products for Sale on Amazon
Knowing What’s Required to Own the Buy Box
Obtaining High-Quality Product Photos
Creating a Product Listing
Increasing Your Product Search Ranking on Amazon
Chapter 10: Fulfilling Customer Orders
Choosing an Order Fulfillment Method
Using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)
Shipping Products Yourself: Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM)
Chapter 11: Helping Shoppers Find You and Your Products
Gaining Traction with Product and Seller Ratings and Feedback
Harnessing the Power of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Jazzing Up Your Listings with A+ Content
Driving Web Traffic from Outside Amazon to Your Product Listings
Chapter 12: Boosting Sales with Marketing and Advertising
Exploring Different Ad Types
Optimizing Your Search Rank with Sponsored Product Ads
Boosting Brand Awareness with Sponsored Brands
Giving Your Shoppers an Added Incentive to Buy: Deals and Coupons
Taking Advantage of External Marketing Options
Firing Up Your Email Marketing Machine
Chapter 13: Focusing on Customer Service
Understanding Why Customer Satisfaction Is So Important
Laying the Groundwork for Quality Customer Service
Managing and Shipping Orders
Responding to Customer Questions, Concerns, and Complaints
Processing Returns, Refunds, and Cancellations
Managing Seller Feedback and Product Reviews
Fielding A-to-Z Claims
Chapter 14: Building and Managing Your Own Webstore
Choosing Where to Build Your Webstore: Inside or Outside Amazon or Both
Laying the Groundwork for Your Webstore
Creating Your Amazon Store
Creating a Stand-Alone Webstore
Chapter 15: Managing Your Inventory
Grasping the Importance of Inventory Management
Managing Inventory via Amazon’s Manage Inventory Page
Maintaining Sufficient Stock
Getting Some Cash or Credit to Buy Inventory
Part 4: Taking Your Business to the Next Level
Chapter 16: Putting Additional Amazon Seller Tools to Work for You
Tracking Your Account’s Health and Performance
Dealing with Sales Tax
Generating Business and Inventory Reports
Managing Your Amazon Seller Account with the Mobile App
Chapter 17: Building Your Own Brand (or Not)
Deciding Whether Branding Is Right for You
Creating Your Own Brand
Trademarking Your Brand
Building a Brand with Private-Label Products
Chapter 18: Taking Advantage of Third-Party Tools and Service Providers
Taking Product Research to the Next Level
Managing the Backend of Your Ecommerce Business
Automating Feedback and Reviews
Finding Help through Amazon’s Service Provider Network
Chapter 19: Expanding Your Operations: B2B and Global Sales
Selling Products to Amazon as a Vendor
Selling to Other Businesses
Expanding Your Operations Globally
Part 5: The Part of Tens
Chapter 20: Top Ten Advertising Tips
Get to Know the Different Ad Types
Test the Market with Automatic Targeting
Make the Most of Manual Targeting
Find Your Long-Tail Search Terms
Research Your Competitor’s Search Terms
Write Copy Specific to Your Product
Avoid These Common Search Terms Mistakes
Specify Negative Search Terms
Always Test and Track
Don’t Rush! Good Advertising Takes Time
Chapter 21: Ten Tips to Deliver Awesome Customer Service
Follow Amazon’s Rules and Updates
Respond in a Timely Manner
Be Honest
Be Empathetic
Go the Extra Mile
Ask Questions
Personalize Your Responses
Stay Calm
Remain Positive
Think Long Term
Chapter 22: Ten (Plus One) Tips to Find Best-Selling Products
Recognize Key Product Selection Criteria
Find a Niche
Sell What You Know and Love
Do Your Own Thing
Don’t Expect Seasonal Products to Sell Year-Round
Decide Whether to Pursue Best Sellers
Capitalize on Low Competition
Focus on Products That Sell for More than 20 Bucks
Check Competitors’ Reviews
Reduce Returns
Avoid Legal Issues
Index
About the Authors
Advertisement Page
Connect with Dummies
End User License Agreement
List of Tables
Chapter 1
TABLE 1-1 Comparing Professional and Individual Seller Plans
TABLE 1-2 Brand Registry Benefits
Chapter 9
TABLE 9-1 Scores Needed to Win the Buy Box
Chapter 10
TABLE 10-1 FBA Per-Unit Fulfillment Fees
TABLE 10-2 Storage Fees
TABLE 10-3 Comparing FBA with FBM
Chapter 15
TABLE 15-1 Forecasting Your Sales
Chapter 21
TABLE 21-1 Replace Negative with Positive Expressions
List of Illustrations
Chapter 2
FIGURE 2-1: Amazon Mobile Seller App is a great tool for conducting product res...
FIGURE 2-2: Amazon offers three methods for listing products.
Chapter 3
FIGURE 3-1: The Shipping Settings page.
FIGURE 3-2: The Return Settings page.
Chapter 4
FIGURE 4-1: Amazon Seller Central home page.
Chapter 7
FIGURE 7-1: The Amazon Seller Mobile App.
FIGURE 7-2: Gauge the product’s profitability.
FIGURE 7-3: Search for suppliers on Alibaba.
Chapter 10
FIGURE 10-1: Compare your fulfillment costs to those of FBA.
Chapter 15
FIGURE 15-1: Amazon’s Manage Inventory page.
FIGURE 15-2: Start the process of replenishing FBA inventory.
FIGURE 15-3: Enter the desired alert threshold.
FIGURE 15-4: Amazon’s inventory planner.
Chapter 16
FIGURE 16-1: A sample Account Health page.
FIGURE 16-2: A sample Feedback page.
FIGURE 16-3: A sample Voice of the Customer dashboard.
FIGURE 16-4: The Amazon Seller Mobile App.
Chapter 17
FIGURE 17-1: Confirm your brand eligibility.
FIGURE 17-2: Enter details about your trademark.
FIGURE 17-3: Describe additional trademark characteristics.
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
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Introduction
Not so long ago, if you wanted to be a retailer, you had to build a store, buy products from wholesalers to stock the shelves, mark up their prices, and sell them to whatever customers happened to show up and wander through the aisles. Amazon has changed all that. Nowadays, you can become a retailer without having to step foot out of your home or even rise from your recliner. Equipped with no more than a decent computer and an Internet connection, you can source products from China (and other countries), list them for sale on Amazon, and sit back and collect your money as shoppers across the country and perhaps around the world buy your products.
Well, maybe that’s a little oversimplified and too hopeful an image of what selling on Amazon really involves, but conceptually it is that simple. Anyone can do it. Unfortunately, the fact that anyone can do it is why it has become so challenging. Millions of people have flocked to Amazon, creating what can best be described as a 21st century gold rush. As of this writing, Amazon has more than 2.5 million active sellers seeking their fortune as ecommerce retailers, and they’re all competing against one another and often against big-box stores and big brands, including Amazon. To succeed as a seller on Amazon, you really need to know what you’re doing and be committed to success.
About This Book
Welcome to Selling on Amazon For Dummies, your definitive guide to making money on Amazon. Here we lead you step-by-step through the process of selling on Amazon, from creating an Amazon Seller account to choosing products with high sales and profit potential, sourcing products from around the world, creating effective product listings, managing your inventory, leveraging the power of advertising, delivering superior customer service, and much more.
To make the content more accessible, we divide it into five parts:
Part 1
brings you up to speed on the basics. We take you on a tour of the entire process, covering each key topic in a nutshell. Then, we give you a primer on how to create your own Amazon Seller account and how to find your way around Amazon Seller Central — a web-based platform for navigating the Amazon marketplace.
Part 2
examines what you can and can’t sell on Amazon, how to research products to find those with the greatest sales and profit potential, and how to source products from retailers, auctions, wholesalers, and other suppliers for the purpose of marking up their price and selling them on Amazon.
Part 3
covers everything you need to know to sell on Amazon, fulfill orders, help customers find you and your products, build your own webstore, manage your inventory, and keep your customers happy. You also find out how to keep Amazon happy so that your product listings are ranked high enough in product searches for them to be noticed.
Part 4
carries you beyond the basics to master various ways to grow your business and improve sales and profits. Here you discover how to create your own brand and register it with Amazon to reap a host of benefits, how to use certified third-party service providers to outsource some tasks and provide you with the expertise you may be lacking, and how to expand your operations with business-to-business and global sales.
Part 5
features ten advertising tips, ten tips for delivering superior customer service, and ten tips for finding products with the most sales and profit potential. Regardless of your level of experience and expertise as a seller on Amazon, these tips can help you improve your game.
We can’t promise this book contains everything you need to know about selling on Amazon, because that would be an incredibly ambitious goal. What we do promise is that this book covers everything you need to know to master the basics, along with guidance on how to use Amazon’s learning resources to plug any gaps in your knowledge and expertise.
Foolish Assumptions
All assumptions are foolish, and we’re always reluctant to make them, but to keep this book focused on the right audience and ensure that it fulfills our purpose in writing it, we make the following foolish assumptions about you:
You shop and buy stuff on Amazon. To succeed in selling products on Amazon, you need to know what the shopping experience is like from a customer’s perspective.
You have some money to play with. You can open a standard Amazon Seller account for free, but you need at least a little start-up capital to buy products to sell and cover packing and shipping costs.
You’re committed to customer service. Amazon puts the customer first, and if you’re going to succeed on Amazon, you need to do the same, or you’ll suffer the consequences.
You’re willing to engage in continuous learning. You can easily list a product for sale on Amazon, take an order, and ship the product to a customer, but if you want to sell a lot of stuff and earn a lot of money, you’re going to need to invest some time figuring out how to research products and competitors, build and manage your own store, create your own brand, and develop some other higher level skills.
Other than those four foolish assumptions, we can honestly say that we can’t assume much more about you. The people who sell on Amazon represent a diverse demographic. You may be a sixth grader trying to earn money for college, a 35-year-old work-from-home parent supporting a family, or a 75-year-old retiree looking to supplement his social security income. You can be rich, poor, or somewhere in between. Regardless of your demographic, we applaud you for your curiosity, ambition, and eagerness to acquire new knowledge and skills, and we hope this venture is as rewarding and profitable as your wildest dreams.
Icons Used in This Book
Throughout this book, icons in the margins highlight certain types of valuable information that call out for your attention. Here are the icons you’ll encounter and a brief description of each.
We want you to remember everything you read in this book, but if you can’t quite do that, then remember the important points flagged with this icon.
Tips provide insider insight. When you’re looking for a better, faster way to do something, check out these tips.
“Whoa!” Before you take another step, read this warning. We provide this cautionary content to help you avoid the common pitfalls that are otherwise likely to trip you up.
Where to Go from Here
You’re certainly welcome to read this book from cover to cover, but we wrote it in a way that facilitates skipping around. If you’re on the fence about whether to sell on Amazon or you’re looking for some background information about Amazon rules, fees, account types, and so forth, head to Chapter 1. Chapter 2 provides a bird’s-eye-view of selling on Amazon, which touches on key topics and directs you to other chapters for more detailed coverage.
When you’re ready to get started, head to Chapter 3, where you find out how to create an Amazon Seller Account, and then turn to Chapter 4 to find out how to navigate Seller Central — the web interface you’ll be using as an Amazon Seller to list the products you have for sale, manage orders and inventory, monitor your performance as an Amazon Seller, and much more.
With the basics under your belt, you can proceed through the book according to your needs. If you need products to sell, head to Part 2. If you already have products to sell and need to know how to list them on Amazon, check out Part 3. If you’re comfortable with sourcing and selling products, fulfilling orders, and managing inventory, refer to Part 4 for more advanced topics to optimize your success.
Consider Part 5 bonus material. Here, you’ll find 30 tips that cover everything from advertising and customer service to product sourcing.
In addition to the abundance of information and guidance related to selling on Amazon that we provide in this book, you get access to even more help and information online at www.dummies.com.
You can also choose to use this book as a reference guide, the way most people use instructions for assembly — head to Amazon Seller Central (sellercentral.amazon.com) and start poking around and doing stuff until you get stuck, and then turn to the index at the back of this book to find guidance for the task that has you baffled.
Note: Although we did our best to ensure that the step-by-step instructions are accurate and complete, Seller Central is in a continuous state of improvement, so please remain flexible. Consult Seller Central’s help system and Amazon’s Seller University to access the most currently available information and instructions. For more about the Seller Central’s help system and Seller University, turn to Chapter 4.
Part 1
Getting Started with Selling on Amazon
IN THIS PART …
Find out all you need to know about starting to sell products on Amazon, without getting into the intricate details.
Know what you’re getting yourself into in terms of Amazon rules, costs, business types, product categories, and the Amazon marketplace.
Take a quick primer on selling products on Amazon that covers the bare basics, including finding products to sell, choosing a fulfillment method, listing products for sale, and delivering top-notch customer service.
Open an Amazon Seller account, so you can start listing products for sale.
Navigate Amazon’s Seller Central to access your product catalog, manage your inventory and orders, and find the information and guidance to build a successful ecommerce business through Amazon.
Chapter 2
Selling on Amazon in a Nutshell
IN THIS CHAPTER
Getting up to speed on product sourcing
Crafting product listings that sell
Fulfilling customer orders, or outsourcing that job
Maximizing sales with advertising and promotions
Gaining competitive advantage with superior customer service
With any complex undertaking, you’re often wise to take a bird’s-eye-view of the entire process first. A general understanding of the entire process serves as a framework on which you can hang the more intricate details as you engage in specific tasks.
In this chapter, we provide the framework for understanding how to sell on Amazon by covering the entire process from start to finish. Here you discover how to identify products with high saleability and profit potential, find a low-cost source for those products, list them for sale on Amazon, and pack and ship them to customers. After presenting the overall selling-on-Amazon-process, we discuss two more important topics — advertising and customer service. In subsequent chapters, we take a deeper dive into these and other aspects of selling on Amazon.
First Things First: Finding Products to Sell
Selling on Amazon assumes you have something to sell. That’s a foolish assumption, an assumption we didn’t make when writing this book. To the contrary, we assume you don’t have products to sell and that you’re looking for some guidance on how to choose products with great sales and profit potential.
Choosing great products to sell is a key first step to becoming a successful Amazon Seller. If you acquire low-demand products or products with hair-thin profit margins, you risk getting stuck with costly inventory you can’t sell or are forced to sell for a very disappointing profit or even a loss. On the other hand, high-demand products with generous profit margins make your job a whole lot easier and more rewarding.
Finding products to sell is a two-step process — deciding what to sell and finding suppliers that have the product and will sell it to you at the price you need to make profitable sales.
Deciding what to sell and not sell
We can’t tell you what to sell and not sell on Amazon. That would be like trying to hit a moving target. What we can do is provide the guidance you need to find potentially profitable products on your own. First, you need to know what Amazon will and won’t let you sell in its marketplace. Next, you need to know how to gauge demand for a product and estimate its profit margin.
Here we cover the basics. Turn to Part 2 of this book for more detailed instruction and advice.
Brushing up on Amazon product limitations
Assuming you shop on Amazon (a foolish assumption we did make), you’re aware that Amazon groups products into categories and subcategories, such as books, clothing, electronics, movies and TV, office products, and pet supplies. As a seller, you need to know that some of these categories are open, some are off-limits, and some are restricted:
Open categories:
Amazon features product categories in which you can list items for sale with no prior approval, including clothing, shoes, and jewelry; electronics; home and kitchen; patio, lawn, and garden; sports and outdoors; and toys and games. However, even in some open categories, you may encounter restrictions, such as the following:
Restricted (gated) subcategories:
You need to obtain permission from Amazon before you can list products in certain subcategories.
Restricted brands:
You may be prohibited by the brand owner from listing its products.
Restricted products:
Certain products may be prohibited, usually due to health or safety concerns.
Categories requiring approval:
To ensure product quality, safety, and authenticity for its customers, Amazon allows only reputable sellers to list products in certain categories, such as automotive, collectible coins, fine art, music, movies, and watches.
Restricted products: Amazon prohibits the listing of certain products deemed unsafe, unhealthy, illegal, or unacceptable for whatever reason, including products available only by prescription.
Don’t list any restricted products or products you think may be considered harmful or illegal. You’re responsible for making responsible choices regarding which products to list, and the penalties for violating Amazon’s policies are stiff; violations may result in account suspension, termination of selling privileges, destruction of inventory (held at Amazon distribution centers), and permanent withholding of payments.
Amazon does provide some guidance on which products you’re permitted to sell. When you try to list a product, for example, you’re prompted to select a category; restricted categories are displayed with a lock icon.
Turn to Chapter 5 for additional details about what you’re permitted and prohibited from selling on Amazon.
Conducting product research
Product research is an important step to ensure the salability and profitability of a product. You generally want products that meet the following criteria:
High demand:
To spot the best sellers in each product category on Amazon, visit
Amazon.com
, and in the toolbar near the top of the page, click Best Sellers. Use the navigation bar on the left to choose the product category you’re interested in.
Weak competition:
