The Smartest Amazon Seller

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/

This is an invitation for our loyal listeners to set up an Amazon Seller meetup with Scott! Included below is the link to set up your meetup, as well as a coupon code to get a 50% discount off the cost!Coupon Code: SMARTsmartestseller.eventbrite.com

In today’s episode, we talk about the Amazon lending program. We discuss the different parameters that determine the customized offers they make to each seller. We explain how the program works and highlight why we, at BuyBoxer, chose Amazon Lending above other services. We also explain the particulars of why we now want to switch to another service. We talk about their policies and how they are strictly enforced, as well as some of the pros and cons of using their program. We explain our experience in trying to knock out our Amazon Lending with a lower interest rate and a slower paydown, which is beneficial for both sides. This is through a company called Fundwise, with whom we’ve set up an affiliate link for listeners of this podcast, the link for which is included below. -What is Amazon Lending? 2:13-Amazon Lending’s Enforcement of Policies 6:11-Replacing Amazon Lending With Fundwise 12:12“The first thing I’ll ever suggest is that you know what you’re going to be using that money with, and that you have a very well thought out plan: you know your profit-margins, you know the interest you’re going to be paying on it for the term of that loan, and that the ROI that you’re going to be getting, because of that loan, is higher than that.” 11:12https://apply.fundwise.com/smartestsellerSocialhttps://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/https://www.buyboxer.com/

In today’s episode, we talk with the founder of Junglescout.com, Greg Mercer. Jungle Scout is the #1 Amazon product finder and research tool. Greg gives us his perspective about the challenges of starting a SAS business and he talks about how he planned and built the particular facets of his product. We also discuss the various features of Jungle Scout within the context of Amazon's inner mechanics; such as keyword optimization, promotions/launching, rank tracking, alerts, and inventory management. Today, we also go into Jungle Scout and Buyboxer’s efforts to help educate and enable E-Commerce professionals. Finally, a SPECIAL DEAL FOR LISTENERS OF THIS PODCAST is offered, just follow the link https://junglescout.grsm.io/SmartestSeller-Greg’s Advice for Getting Your SAS Business Going 2:16-Mechanics of Jungle Scout’s Features: Keywords, Promotions/Launching, Rank Tracker, Alerts, and -Inventory Managers 8:23-How Jungle Scout approaches Inventory Management 23:38-Jungle Scout’s Academy 28:50-Jungle Scout and Amazon in 2020 35:01Greg on Jungle Scout’s Inventory Management Feature: “What I’m really excited about with it is our data science team has built some really, really accurate seasonality algorithms that are going to be incorporated in the tool, so it’s seasonality with forecasting.” 24:47Socialhttps://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/https://www.buyboxer.com/

In today’s episode, we do an interview with Yohan Wong, Merchant Service Sales Manager at Ping Pong Payments, a foreign-exchange virtual bank account. We talk about what Ping Pong Payments does and what the advantages are of using their service over their competitors. These advantages include greater profits from better exchange rates and a 1% instead of 1.5% foreign exchange fee (EXCLUSIVE FOR LISTENERS OF THIS PODCAST). We also discuss the benefits of the Supplier Payment Product of Ping Pong Payments, as well as HOW TO CLAIM YOUR FREE YEAR OF SUPPLIER PAYMENTS (another exclusive offer to listeners of this podcast). -What Does Ping Pong Payments Do? 1:36-Saving Money with Ping Pong’s Competitive Rates 4:46-Where Ping Pong is Growing and Other Services 10:32-How To Claim The Smartest Seller Listener’s Exclusive Rate 14:02-How To Reach Out to Yohann/Claim Your Free Year of Supplier Payments 16:02“You know, maybe one transaction, the foreign exchange fee doesn’t feel that big, but over the course of a year, it will add up to some serious numbers, and getting the rate better from Ping Pong Payments for us represents about 4 to 5000 dollars in a year.” Scott, 6:11www.pingpongpayments.comSocialhttps://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/https://www.buyboxer.com/

In today’s episode, we speak with James Thomson from Prosper, an Amazon-specific conference. He was Amazon’s first FBA account manager and then ran Amazon Services, the group that is responsible for recruiting almost all 3rd party sellers to the platform. We discuss how Prosper is different from other conferences in that its main focus is education and providing networking opportunities without bias. While some conferences may try to promote certain methods, Prosper aims to help sellers get a better perspective on Amazon's current circumstances.What Sets Prosper Apart From Other Conferences? 2:14Keeping Ahead of the Curve With Content 11:35How Prosper Has Developed 14:11The Show Is Only As Good As the Attendees 19:45Choosing Speakers and Topics 23:16“Prosper’s meant to be that place where you go and say, ‘Listen, not only are we going to learn from lots of different folks who are living in this space every single day, but we’re going to get different perspectives, and we’re going to try to strip away as much of the bias as possible.’” 7:31Socialhttps://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/https://www.buyboxer.com/

In today’s episode, we do a phone interview with Danny Carlson, E-Commerce professional and founder of the Amazon FBA Agency, Kenji ROI. Danny also hosts the podcasts, Actualize Freedom Podcast and The Danny Carlson Podcast. In this interview, we get into the details of product page optimization and discuss the best approaches to structuring product descriptions. We also talk to Danny about indexing, getting Amazon’s search algorithm to work for you, and the best ways to incentivize customers to leave reviews. What is “Lamplighting?” 2:55Prioritizing The Different Aspects of Product Description 6:15Indexing -- Prioritizing Fields 16:30 Getting Reviews -- What’s Allowed and What’s Not 20:28How Danny Learned About Product Page Optimization 26:20“I think copywriting is one of the most important skills that a small business owner should learn, because it’s going to increase the effectiveness of all of your emails, all of your Facebook ads, all of your Amazon listings -- just anywhere that there’s written copy, if you can make that more effective, it’s going to make pretty much everything you do more effective.” 4:05Socialhttps://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/https://www.buyboxer.com/

In today’s episode, we discuss advertising on Amazon through pay-per-click. We explain the basics of PPC, discuss what’s unique to Amazon’s approach to PPC, and talk about many different strategies to optimize your advertising strategy, including choosing and managing campaigns and determining the best average cost of sale. Introducing Topic 0:33Why Do PPC? 3:03 What’s Unique About Amazon PPC? 5:13Choosing and Managing Campaigns 8:43What’s the Right “A Cost”? 10:29What Does BuyBoxer Do for Its Advertising? 14:57Launching Products With PPC Alone 18:54“Fly-wheel Approach to E-Commerce Lifestyle” 19:43Drawbacks to PPC 20:34Learning the Fundamentals To Optimize Your Own Advertising Strategy 22:30“If everyone is spending money on advertising, then it kind of hits all of our gross margins. You know, you kind of want to get into a space where you just don’t have to spend as much. So that’s why I say its goal is to get to organic spend, so you can actually make more money on Amazon with a reasonable margin and a modest advertising budget.” 21:10

In this episode, we share our perspective on the importance of thinking ahead by diversifying your business on Amazon. We cover the advantages of the Seller Central Program vs. the Vendor Central Program, as well as what agencies are and how we can use them to our advantage. We also discuss the current state of brands and wholesale on Amazon, as well as where they could be going and how diversification can prepare us for the future. -Intro: Where is Amazon Going? 0:20-Negotiation in the Vendor Central Program 1:53-Seeing Amazon’s Profitability Strategies as an Opportunity 3:46-What is an Amazon Agency? 4:21-How Agencies Are Helping Seller Central 5:10-Going From Vendor to Seller 6:19-Brands vs. Wholesale Now 7:30-The Benefits of Diversifying 10:07-Treat Every Day Like Day One 13:09-Amazon is Always Changing--Think Ahead 14:47“If I was talking to my best friend in the world who had a brand, I would tell him, ‘Sell directly yourself on Amazon.” 6:08Socialhttps://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/https://www.buyboxer.com/

In this episode of The Best Amazon Seller, we talk about when to get your own warehouse, what this might require, and what type of warehouse you would best benefit from. - Meet-Ups 1:03- When Should you get Your own Warehouse 7:25 - What Warehouses Allow you to do 13:05- Black stocking 16:53- Payability https://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/https://www.buyboxer.com/