My story selling on Amazon

Aloha Amazon Sellers and fellow entrepreneurs! I’m excited to take on the challenge presented by Helium 10 to share my journey as an Amazon seller. This blog is not just a recount of my personal experiences but also an invitation to explore the incredible opportunities that selling on Amazon has provided to many like me.

First of all, I’m just a reseller using online and retail arbitrage. I haven’t tried Private Label. At least, not in a while. Actually I had this project based on a product for self employees years ago but running +10 clients almost on your own and having 2 kids is the perfect excuse / storm to focus on much simple methods like online arbitrage.

How it started

My venture into the world of Amazon selling began out of necessity mixed with a dash of curiosity.

I was deeply involved in digital marketing and e-commerce strategies, helping clients boost their online presence and sales. Yet, there was this massive marketplace, Amazon, where I saw immense potential to apply my skills in new and dynamic ways.

Remember I live in Spain, so Amazon exploded later than on the US. Amazon’s journey begun around 1.994 and Amazon Spain was launched in 2.011. That’s 17 years later!

My first product was an extension of one of my own ecommerce. I started selling guitar strings. Wrong move, that’s for sure. But that was a product I knew and I used since I was a kid. I’ve tried D’Addario, Dean Markley, GHS, Fender… but I, somehow, decided Ernie Ball Regular Slinky had to be the first product to sell on Amazon for me. That was on a Monday. Jan 26 2015, 4:34PM. One of my first Amazon listing submissions ever.

Actually, not a proper submission, as the listing already existed. I submitted my stock, my pricing and my fulfillment to the existing listing.

Why the wrong move? Man, I didn’t knew about the Buy Box back in the day and Amazon Vendor was already selling the product for 6€

Didn’t knew about the Amazon Seller fees either or how to calculate them so I was trying to sell a product for 6,10€ + 2,99€ (shipping) and I was buying it for almost 2€

Of course, I couldn’t calculate it back in the day, because I didn’t knew about Amazon Seller tools, nor Helium 10 (Helium 10 was founded the same year I started selling on Amazon!). Here’s my P&L for the product. My net margin was 0,06€ per sale!

But that’s now! If you check the fees on the email screenshot, there was no below 10€ reduced fee, so I had to pay 2,52€ for a 6,10€ product. It’s 1,39€ now. So my actual net margin was -1€!

So, as you can anticipate, my early days were filled with trial and error. Learning how Seller Central worked, Amazon SEO strategies, understanding the Buy Box rules… at least I hadn’t to learn FBA because… there was no FBA it started a year later.

However, the chills I got when I got my first order… wow! And that was the day after I listed my first products! And, of course, it was an Ernie Ball Slinky 2221. Little did I knew that I had won the Buy Box against Amazon Retail itself by “just” losing 1€ per sale!

Building and scaling

As my familiarity with the platform grew (and thank God my knowledge about the Amazon numbers and operations too), so did my strategies.

I quickly learned that selling on Amazon isn’t just about having a good product, but about strategically positioning your product. Keyword research, competitive analysis, and customer feedback became my go-to tools for refining product listings and marketing tactics. But that was long ago I started selling, of course.

A turning point, for me, was started using Amazon PPC advertising. Allocating the right budget and selecting the right keywords were critical decisions that significantly boosted my product visibility and sales. Which is difficult, if you’re reselling stuff, you know what I mean. Winning the Buy Box is the key and, then, if the product does not have enough sales velocity, you have to boost it using ads.

Passion behind the scenes

What excites me most about selling on Amazon isn’t just the profits—though they are a nice bonus! It’s the ability to connect with a global audience and learning new stuff every day.

The joy of having someone from a different part of the world purchase your product is incredibly rewarding and still feels like magic today. I grew using a landline and my first time using Internet was around 1,998 so getting an order from someone who’s thousand of miles away from you feels like sorcery.

Moreover, Amazon continually innovates, whether through updates to the A9 algorithm or the introduction of new tools (and fees, hehehe) for Sellers and Vendors, keeping us all engaged and constantly learning.

Why I keep selling on Amazon

I’d say it is an ecosystem that rewards effort and innovation, plus I want to stay in the game, because knowing the platform is the best way to help your clients.

Also, the more you learn and use Amazon’s extensive array of tools and data, the better your performance.

Your turn!

If you’ve ever thought about selling on Amazon, my advice is to start small but think big. Start using the platform by reselling. Retail and online arbitrage is a great school to start learning the ways of the platform.

Use resources like Helium 10 to get a head start on understanding the market dynamics. And remember, every successful seller began exactly where you are right now.

I encourage all aspiring Amazon sellers to take the plunge. You never know where this journey might take you! And if you’re ready to dive in, don’t forget to use this link to start your Amazon selling adventure.

Thank you for reading, and here’s to your success on Amazon!

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