Today we have a guest post filled with great information to help sellers of all levels.
Ken Szovati is an Amazon FBA Seller and Entrepreneur, who also runs a group called Amazon Reseller Central which can be found here.
If you’ve already started selling on Amazon, I have good news for you. You made an excellent decision! If you haven’t yet, that’s okay too. Eventually, that light bulb will go off and you’ll be out doing your shopping in no time. When that time comes, whether you’re already going, or just beginning, here’s some tips to bring with you to make your life
a little easier.
- Search Using Amazon Flow –If you’re anything like me, when you walk into a store to do your Retail Arbitrage, you fire up your scanning app and start hunting UPCs. By all means that’s a wonderful game plan. In some cases a UPC won’t work on an item despite how popular it is, especially if Amazon doesn’t recognize it.What if I told you there’s other ways to find products to sell on Amazon?
New sellers, like I once was, may not know that there’s more to scanning and sourcing than a barcode. Sometimes when I search for an item by its UPC, it takes me right to a product on Amazon based on that set of digits. That’s great, but Amazon Flow does a different type of search. It can search by image and decode it for you. On an item that you may not have had any luck searching, this could give you access to its Individual Listing, or even a Multi-Pack!
- Check Your Expiration Dates –Okay, hear me out.Most grocery items expire.
This can’t be stressed enough. Che
ck your items, double check them, and do it once more for good measure. An expired item is useless and if there’s one that gets hidden in a multi-pack it could mean trouble for your seller account!Stores run Clearance Sales to move product. I’ve seen plenty of items that have some great profit potential, but have 30 – 60 days until they expire.
Don’t get caught up in the dollar signs without researching.
- Max Out Your Profit Potential (Store Coupons, Sales, Manufacturer Coupons) –
Speaking of potential profits, couponing is a GREAT way to expand your margins. Take advantage of Sale Prices (Present and Future), Store Coupons, and even Manufacturer Coupons. These are easy discounts that help you score a few extra pennies when sourcing.It may not seem like a lot at first, but that stuff adds up!
- Sometimes it’s All in a Name –
I was discussing with my group some of these ideas on how to make for better Grocery sourcing. One of the most unique tips I heard was that “Sexy Names” sell.The person who shared this mentioned it to be more effective in Sauces and Spices.
So after this is posted, post a comment with your findings! I’d love to hear about the types of names you guys found.
- Think Replenishment –
Last, but certainly not least, is my favorite tip.Personally, I LOVE the Grocery category. I know of some hotspots for Clearance items but my favorite way to source this category is with replenishable items. The nice difference between a category like Grocery and say, Toys or Electronics, is that people burn through these quickly. As a country we have to consume to survive. So look for a product that sells well, and has a decent margin.
It doesn’t even have to be on sale.
If you can find a solid item to flip, selling at regular store price, you have yourself a steady income!
Keep these tips (and the blog) in a safe place. Helpful links related to the post are included below.
Amazon Flow App
iOS Devices : https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flow-powered-by-amazon/id474664425?mt=8
Android Devices: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.a9.flow&hl=en
Amazon – Date and Temperture-Sensitive Products Info
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200339730