The Smartest Amazon Seller

Episode 43: Automate, Eliminate, or Delegate? | Using Data Automation for Maximum Efficiency with Will Christensen

Today we talk with Will Christensen, Co-Founder of DataAutomation. He explains Zapier, an iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) that automates repetitive tasks without coding or relying on developers to build the integration. We talk about the unique services that DataAutomation provides using Zapier, including helping you understand how to use the platform to push ahead as well as building applications on Zapier. We make the special offer to listeners that if they email Will at will@dataautomation.com and mention this podcast episode, they can get a free 15-30 min call with DataAutomation to get pro tips on automation and which software piece is best for them. We talk about the advantages of the sessions report and custom fields using Will’s Chrome Extension, Taskrunner, on Seller Central. We discuss examples of other ways to implement this technology for greater efficiency. -Scale With Automation Using Zapier 1:14-Advantages of Using Taskrunner; Examples of Creating Efficiency in Your Business 10:04-Important Principles for Automation 29:25“If you’re considering automation, the first place to start is to ask yourself, ‘Is it time to automate, eliminate, or delegate?’ 29:25https://dataautomation.com/Socialhttps://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/https://www.buyboxer.com/

Episode 42: Smart International Shipping | How Freight Forwarders Can Provide Peace of Mind

Today we interview John Eagan, and Rose Del Rio from Flat World Global Solutions. We talk about the effects of the coronavirus on shipping freight internationally. We talk about the current status of freight and shipping, as well as how it’s affecting the market. We then give valuable expert advice for international shipping, covering topics such as customs and duties. One of these tips is to never let manufacturers take control of the shipment, and we explain the reasons why. We break down terms such as DDP and EIN numbers. We discuss the value of freight forwarding services, including the security, peace of mind, and trust they can provide. We talk about the service that Flat World Global Solutions provides in estimating the cost of tariffs in your final shipment cost. We then talk about what you can do to learn more about moving your freight. We emphasize the importance of calling and reaching out to ask your questions and make sure you have your shipping needs covered. -Status of Freight Ships, Air Cargo, Truck Drivers, and Manufacturers 1:25-How Freight Forwarding Typically Works -- Expert Advice 6:19-Importance of Establishing Trust When Shipping 23:05-What You Can Do To Learn More 32:15“Make sure that when you find somebody to work with that you are settled -- that you are okay. Because in the life of your shipment that’s at least what? A month? Of traveling if you’re going by sea. You want to make sure that you can sleep at night knowing that your shipment is moving and that somebody is looking out for you.” 25:10

Episode 41: How to Grow Your Business | Scott’s Secrets of Scaling

In today’s episode, we invite the listener to dive into Scott’s new content on compliance, found on buyboxer.com/healthyaccount. The topic of this episode is scaling your business for efficiency to get more value for the time you put into it. We talk about how to best spend your time when scaling your business, including continuously educating your employees and improving technology. We read a review from someone who took simple yet effective techniques from our podcast and applied them to get ahead with their business. -Intro: Find Out More About Compliance; Find Nuggets From Past Episodes 0:46-Where to Spend Your Time When Growing Your Business 6:14-Listen to Past Episodes for More Tips On Using Time More Effectively 17:11“We’re telling things about Amazon that no one else knows. I got a masters degree in computer engineering, and I’ve poured through all the data points I can find to figure out how to be a better E-commerce professional. And I am trying to turn you guys into that. It takes a lot of different disciplines to be good at this, from marketing, accounting, to logistics. You’re the business owners, those that are listening to this podcast, and you do need a little bit of knowledge on a lot of it. So, I know what it takes to scale, and everything that I’ve told you guys, I stand behind it as things that will only help you get an edge, and to help you scale your business.” 3:10Socialhttps://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/https://www.buyboxer.com/

Episode 40: Pro Tips from a Champion Seller | Chase Leavitt

Today, we talk with Chase Leavitt, CEO of Upstreet Brands, and cousin of Scott Needham. We discuss the roles and benefits of sourcing agents, who help you negotiate with suppliers and factories. These benefits include simplifying correspondence between you and your supplier, building stronger business relationships, and finding you the right new manufacturers based on your needs. They also help you hold your suppliers accountable for the quality of the product, which is critical for its successful performance on Amazon. We explain how sourcing agents are paid for their work. We talk about how you can find a souring agent that is good for you. We then discuss strategies for staying afloat in competitive markets. We talk about one of these strategies, bundling/variation, in greater detail. We converse about how to prepare your Amazon business for sale, and what to look for when buying an Amazon business. We finish by discussing the benefits of building a business on Amazon. -Sourcing Agents: Roles and Benefits 2:54-Cost of Sourcing Agents; Inventory Inspection; Quality Business Relationships 9:14-Finding a Sourcing Agent; Strategies for Staying Competitive 14:40-Selling Your Amazon Business; What to Look for When Buying; Building Your Business 22:07 “If you’re at the very beginning of a business, and you want to make sure that you can include a trademark or some design patent in there, that would probably mean you need to prove its success for a little bit, and then you’re going to file it. And so, it’s kind of a longer game, but you have to have that endurance in this business. You don’t get rich quick, period.” 25:19Socialhttps://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/https://www.buyboxer.com/

Episode 39: Seller Fulfilled Prime and FBA Onsite

Today’s episode is focused on Seller Fulfilled Prime and the Prime that you can do out of your own warehouse. We explain the Seller Fulfilled Prime program, including their trial period, as well as their higher requirements. We explain why we built an FBM (Fulfilled by Merchant) into our warehouse to increase revenue, and why other businesses would be wise to do the same. We also emphasize the value of a new program called Seller Fulfilled Prime Regional. We talk about the higher requirements to be on SFP, and how they push you to be more efficient. We then discuss a very similar program called FBA Onsite, where Amazon installs their warehouse management system into your warehouse, and the pros and cons associated with it. We recommend FBA onsite for oversize and seasonal products. -Diving Into Seller Fulfilled Prime 1:52-Seller Fulfilled Prime Regional 7:00-FBA Onsite 10:58“And according to their site, we achieved 54% of the population by using UPS ground 2 day shipping. And what’s great about that is it costs us exactly the same amount of money to ship. So we were shipping these products in ground already. But turning on a Prime badge didn’t cost us anything, because, by using this service, Amazon has already determined that they know that the product will get to them in two days.” 8:21Socialhttps://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/https://www.buyboxer.com/

Episode 38: Questions To Ask Your Amazon Agency

Today’s topic is Amazon agencies, which is any person or entity that handles other people’s Amazon business or their problems. We discuss which brands we normally see use the agency. We give examples of businesses that have benefited from using an agency. We talk about questions you should ask an Amazon agency, including pricing, comprehensive/selective management, and services. We go more in depth about payment, talking about the pros and cons of both commission based and flat fees. We talk about factors to consider when determining length of contract. We also emphasize the importance of determining if agencies are stable and realistic, or if they overpromise. We talk about the challenges and risks of becoming an agency for other companies or brands. We talk about other factors to consider when considering third party help. -Amazon Agencies: What to Expect From Using/Joining 1:01-Questions to Ask an Agency 10:03-Challenges in this Model; Other Questions 17:39“What is the price? What do you charge? Are you offering or seeking comprehensive or a selective service? Comprehensive being full account management; everything from inventory, product pages, to marketing. You know, marketing can be the marketing on the page or the PPC.” 10:22Socialhttps://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/https://www.buyboxer.com/

Episode 37: FBA Fees Are Crazy!

Today, we begin the episode by telling you what we want to offer you with this podcast. We point out that instead of telling you things you could easily look up and find out online, we want this podcast to be more in depth and help make real E-commerce professionals out of our listeners. Our topic for today is Amazon’s FBA fees, including what they are, how they move, and how they affect us. We talk about the efficiency of Amazon’s FBA program and operation, including their positioning and funding of fulfillment centers. We share important changes in FBA fees and how much businesses have benefitted from those. We also share which fees have hurt our business, and how Amazon’s taking away some of these fees has saved us a lot of money. We discuss how these fees are designed to motivate efficient practices of inventory. We talk about the Inventory Performance Index and Q4 Storage fees have helped move the FBA program forward, and helps us to keep our focus on providing quality products through our service. What This Podcast is All About 0:10Amazon’s FBA Program and Fees 3:02Important Changes in FBA Fees 7:17FBA Fees Promote Better Business Practices 14:01“I’ve taken a different approach to these fees: It’s that these fees, they actually are designed to motivate good behavior by sellers. What is good behavior? That’s where you’re not stocked too deep or too light. They want you to be mindful of sending in just what you’re going to need for the next 1 to 2 months of sales.” 14:01Socialhttps://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/https://www.buyboxer.com/

Episode 36: Brand Registry | Ryan Morgan

In today’s episode, we talk with one of our BuyBoxer marketing team members, Ryan Morgan. We discuss the Brand Registry Program; what it is, how to get into it, and why it’s helpful. We talk about some of the features of the program, including using it to report violations and infringement of trademarks, patents, and copyright. We also discuss how the brand registry can help you more quickly and effectively update your product pages. We cover some of the other benefits of using the program, including opening up sponsored brands for your business, giving you access to enhanced content features, allowing you to upload and manage videos, use of storefront pages, and giving you access to the Vine Program (an early review program). As we conclude, we invite you to go to smartestseller.eventbrite.com and use the coupon code, SMART if you want to participate in one of our meetups. -How to Get Into brand registry -- Timeline and Cost 2:18-Using brand registry to Manage Unauthorized Activity and Report Violations 7:29-Updating Product Pages With brand registry 10:41-Additional Benefits 12:20“If you have one product, you can go fight all day to get the content you want onto your product page. But when we’re dealing with a few hundred products and lots of changes made across many of them, brand registry simplifies that process for us a lot.” 12:00Socialhttps://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/https://www.buyboxer.com/

Episode 35: Keeping your Amazon Account Healthy with Megan Swanton

In today’s episode, we talk about compliance with Amazon policies to keep your account in good health with Megan Swanton, BuyBoxer’s compliance manager. As a disclaimer, we remind you that we are not legal professionals and that you shouldn’t take anything said on this episode as legal advice. We talk about contacting rights owners as soon as possible when dealing with intellectual property complaints and complaints about selling below minimum advertised price. We discuss what to do in case rights owners don’t respond, including the importance of invoices, as well as what info to include and how to format. We also talk about how best to respond to patent and copyright complaints, as well as dealing with complaints about products you have never sold. We recommend some online groups that talk about compliance issues. Follow this link for a free document that speaks to all the issues discussed here and more: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://docs.google.com/document/d/159lzwUYmtziOLgNmOeUdlK8d5OpHh3CE/edit&sa=D&source=hangouts&ust=1578528588216000&usg=AFQjCNGHw-WAZ4YKJxn7MbKZRYVcMQUNEQ -Compliance: Possibly the Most Valuable Topic We’ve Covered So Far 1:44-Legal Issues You Will Encounter and How To Take Action 5:12-More About Copyright Complaints; Complaints About Products Never Sold 19:23-Keeping You Account Health Page Up to Date; File Management 29:12“So people are out there taking it seriously, and the best thing you can do is learn the skills to get on top of it, because that’s how I sleep better now. You know, there were some times where I thought we could get shut down at any moment, and that has kind of shrunk a little bit over time as we have gotten better at this and actually just have put a lot more resources into it, Megan being that primary resource.” 34:11Socialhttps://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/https://www.buyboxer.com/

Episode 34: Profiles of Other Sellers

In today’s episode, we talk about what we have learned from other large Amazon sellers. We speak briefly about the process of selling our business, Valence Services, our Amazon reimbursement/auditing service. We discuss the advantages of using such services, as well as the advantages and details of selling a business. We then talk about the strengths and differences of sellers such as Pharmapacks; AnkerDirect; Asurion, LLC; and Zappos. We then talk about large Amazon book sellers and what we can uniquely learn from them. We talk about the ups and downs of other companies and what we can learn from them. -Selling Valence Services 2:06-Profiles of Large Amazon Sellers: Pharmapacks, AnkerDirect; Asurion, LLC; Zappos 7:11-What’s Unique about Amazon Book Sellers 15:56-Other Seller Profiles: Juvo+; etailz, Utopia Deals -- What We Can Learn 19:02“I think the fundamentals on Amazon is just being profitable, all things included -- all fees and all employees included -- and knowing your profit margins, and making sure you’re focusing on your highest ROI activities.” 24:59sellerratings.comSocialhttps://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/https://www.buyboxer.com/