There's been a lot of buzz about Fulfillment by Amazon. If you have (or want to start) an online retail business, this is the most secure way to fulfill your inventory. When you sell through Amazon, you can sign up for Fulfillment by Amazon, or FBA. Customers are more likely to purchase item that are at least fulfilled by Amazon because they are highly trusted. Items fulfilled by Amazon also have the Amazon Prime option, allowing customers to receive their products within two days, or next day. Once you have an item ready for sale, ship it to Amazon’s warehouse. From there, whenever a customer orders your product, amazon will fulfill and ship the order. They will also handle the customer service after shipment. Of course this service has fees for storage and fulfillment which can be viewed here, but if you are making sales, you should have factored that into your budget for business expenses.
If you are just starting and have no inventory, I suggest finding a wholesale retailer from whom you can purchase bulk items to sell. Many people use the mega wholesaler Alibaba. There is an endless supply of products and categories on their website. You can also contact other domestic wholesalers to ask about their products and prices if you want to receive products from companies within the United States.Once You choose your products, you can have them shipped to the Amazon Warehouse where they will be fulfilled.
TIP: If you decide to purchase a bulk order and have them shipped directly to the Amazon Warehouse, ALWAYS order a sample product so you can see what the customers will receive. If you are not satisfied with the packaging you can spend the few extra bucks and package them differently before going to the Warehouse. You can sometimes even request that the manufacturer you purchased from package the item differently.
Don’t know what to sell?
Choose a Niche that works for you. If you have a website or blog, choose products that appeal to both your niche with that site, and your audience or followers.
Just starting out? Not a problem. If you want to see what items and in which categories are selling well, check the Amazon Best Sellers list, which they update HOURLY. You can see what items people are buying, you can see the categories that people shop in, you can also see what other people are charging for items similar to the ones you plan to sell. This is a great tool to use when sizing up competition in pricing.
Consider Branding
If you invest in a product straight from manufacturers like the ones on Alibaba, most of them offer "Private Label" products. This is when you purchase their products to sell with your own logo on them. Many of the companies offer that option for not much more money. You can then submit your logo and brand name to them and they will manufacture the products with your branding.
Always communicate with the suppliers. Ask lots of questions. This is your product; you must make sure the items are what you envisioned to sell. Many times the product is coming from overseas, so make sure customs affairs and procedures are in order and understood.
Negotiate! Some manufacturers will work with you on pricing especially when it comes to customizing items to fit your brand.
Advertising
With social media, you have no excuse not to get eyes on your brand. Not only can you advertise on Amazon, but google, your social media accounts, YouTube, all of it. It is not necessary to spend lots of money on advertising, but you have to be the judge of that decision.
This may not be a quick or easy process, but it is one that can take you far if you stick with it.
Be blessed.
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