I can’t help but think of two different people as I write this post.
- Leroy Jethro Gibbs from NCIS. He has those rules that you have to learn like Rule 23 – Never mess with a marine’s coffee.
- My personal friend Scott Oliver. I can remember when we thought that manifesto was an awesome word.
This post is dedicated to both of them.
As an FYI, there is a chance this post will be updated from time to time. I would highly recommend that you bookmark this post and come back to it anytime you have a question.
Rule #1: Thou shall follow all of the rules that are issued by Amazon. If thou aren’t confused, please reference this site and make sure that you read everything you can. There is no test, but this is the most important rule of them all.
Rule #2: Thou shall not list an item against a listing that is not correct. This should be covered in Rule #1, but it is worth repeating.
Rule #3: When shipping items to Amazon, one must prep the items for consumption of the end user (customer). This will include poly bagging, bubble wrap, etc. Prep the item as you would like to receive it as a customer.
Rule #4: Thou shall not ensue a race to the bottom. Essentially – You should price your items at the current low price (or higher), but not artificially lower the price to a new level.
Rule #5: Thou shall not put down new sellers. We were all new once. You once asked why Amazon sent shipments to different locations. Remember that and pay it forward.
Rule #6: Thou shall not ever post about Ray Bans in any FBA related Facebook group. Any one who does so will be banished from the FBA Facebook world for eternity.
Rule #7: A reseller should never leave a store without scanning at least 10 new items.
Rule #8: The saving of wrapping paper, boxes, and packing material should not be shameful. It should be encouraged.
Rule #9: Thou should fully understand why there are gated categories before they actually try to get ungated.
Rule #10: Thou shall realize that one can learn everything for free, but remember that time is a very valuable asset.
Rule #11: Thou shall never be afraid to talk to a manager about a discount. The answer to every question you don’t ask is always no.
Rule #12: Thou shall be a member of the FBA Master Facebook group.
Rule #13: If you have to ask if something is good enough to be listed as “New,” it’s not.
Rule #14: Thou should worry about sales tax before it becomes an issue.
Rule #15: Thou shall always pay it forward.
Rule #16: Thou shall have the Keepa plugin installed on every computer they own.
Rule #17: Thou shall never compare their sales to that of their peers.
Rule #18: Thou shall always keep track of their mileage while sourcing.
Rule #19: If you have a family, you need to read this book.
Rule #20: Thou shall search Google before asking a question that can be easily found on Google.
Rule #21: Thou shall subscribe to the Online Selling Podcast.
Rule #22: Thou shall not use Prime to buy items they plan to resell.
Rule #23: Thou shall not assume that people have the same information about pricing as we do.
Rule #24: Thou shall respect the power of a scotty peeler.
Rule #25: Thou shall follow Chris on Periscope.
Know and follow these rules.
CW
And Chris, thou shalt post more frequently to thy podcast. Thou art ignoring audience members subscribing to thy podcast app…but seriously, car time is my best learning time, so podcasts are my go to.
Also, as this article is targeted on beginners, it would be great to explain some “professional humor” parts, like “Thou shall respect the power of a scotty peeler” and “Thou shall not ever post about Ray Bans in any FBA related Facebook group”.