4 Things Amazon Doesn’t Want You to Know…

Personally delivered to you by Steve Lindhorst, author of

Selling on 'the River', Amazon - The Quick & Dirty Guide, and
The Quick & Dirty Guide to Storage Auctions.

OR SO IT SEEMS...they certainly don't make this stuff easy to find. In this issue, I've collected a bunch of little items I think you'll find helpful, or at least fascinating if you're an Amazon seller.  Even though this information is on Amazon, most people never find it - so I'm calling it the "Double-Secret Amazon" issue. I hope you enjoy it.

SPECIAL NOTICE: On Monday, March 7, 2011 at 4:30 PM (New York time), you'll receive an email from me with a brand-new Amazon course. This course has been created by real experts. It is the real deal, not a bunch of guru slop. They're all real Amazon sellers, and the combined knowledge is absolutely priceless. The experts I'm referring to include, Adam Bertram, Nathan Holmquist, Skip McGrath, Chris Green, and even yours truly is participating. This is a package of video, audio, and written instruction that will help you make money.

Keep your eyes open for Monday's email from me...

The "Double-Secret Amazon" Issue:

1. Discover what's HOT on Amazon.com?
2. How can I see the "double secret" graphic versions of my sales reports?
3. What types of Amazon accounts are there?
4. How do I sell on Amazon.com if I live outside the U.S.?

---

1. Discover what's HOT on Amazon?

All sellers want to know what the hottest, best-selling products are. They want to jump in and ride the profit wave while it lasts. eBay has it's Terapeak, a program that takes eBay's sales statistics and reports on them in nearly every way imaginable. On the other hand, Amazon doesn't make their sales statistics known to the general public. So there is no "Terapeak" for Amazon.

So how can an Amazon seller decide what to sell?

Amazon does give you some information that you can use to your advantage. You'll need to do a little work, but you can dig out some good trends and spot demand that can help you as seller that's looking for products that are likely to sell.

The items on this list are not bestsellers, but they are items with high page views (demand/interest) and low, or zero stock. Demand is high and supply is low - if you can find a source, you can probably name your price!

Here are the steps:

1. Visit: http://www.amazonservices.com/content/product_alerts.htm
2. Click "Download category list"  zip file and unzip - it's a CSV (comma separated value) file
3. Open the file with your spreadsheet program (MS Excel, or even Google Docs)
4. Sort the data by Category, then by Title.
5. Look for repeats such as "Acer..." or "Fisher Price ..."  or do a search to find common terms.

By doing this, I found several brands that stand out as hot sellers among thousands of products. It gave me several ideas for products to seek out for purchase, and resale on Amazon.

-

2. How can I see the "double-secret" graphic versions of my sales reports?

Amazon has not caught up with eBay when it comes to reporting and seller metrics. As a seller, I like to track what I'm selling, and see where I can make adjustments to sell more, liquidate inventory, or watch my margins.

For Pro Merchants, there is a secret place to see some really cool reports on your Amazon metrics. Here's two ways to find them:

The super-simple way:

1. Login to your Amazon Seller Account
2. Paste this URL into your browser: https://sellercentral.amazon.com/gp/site-metrics/report.html

Or the sorta-complicated way:

1. Login to your Amazon seller account
2. On your seller account page under the heading "Reports" click "Amazon Selling Coach"
3. Click the link "View listings missing important information"
4. In the URL, delete everything after .html
5. Viola! Play with your reports!

-

3. What types of Amazon accounts are there?

This is a confusing question, it appears - even to Amazon staff members.

There are 3 types of selling accounts available to most users

1. Marketplace (can sell both media and non media) (optional $39.99/mo. Pro Merchant subscription).
2. Non-Media Pro Merchant ($39.99/mo.)
3. Media Pro Merchant ($39.99/mo.)
   • Amazon Featured Merchant - A Pro Merchant that meets certain standards may be chosen to be an Amazon Featured Merchant. These sellers are basically hand-chosen by humans at Amazon. There aren't any certain ways to "apply" for this status. (Although I've heard knowing the secret handshake is a plus.)

For the Marketplace account,  you sign up thru the "Sell Your Items" link in Amazon's main website.   For the second and third types, you can sign up here:

http://www.amazonservices.com/content/sell-on-amazon.htm

-

4. How do I sell on Amazon.com if I live outside the U.S.?

I get this question from a lot of folks around the world. I've seen others give answers that make it seem as if international sellers are doing something wrong if they want to sell on the Amazon.com site. Not true. It is legal in Amazon's eyes. But there are some requirements:

For any seller account (international or domestic), you will need the following:

• Your business name, address, and contact information
• An internationally-chargeable credit card with valid billing address
• A phone number where you can be reached during this registration process

International sellers will need the above, as well as:

• If you are registering from a country which is outside of the United States, there are important steps you must take before you begin selling on our Amazon.com website to ensure a great experience for you and for customers. These steps include:

• You will have to provide a bank account in a country supported by Amazon.com in order to be paid. Currently Amazon supports UK, Austrian, French, German and US bank accounts.
• You must accurately state the 'shipping from' country in your Amazon.com seller profile for display to customers.
• You will be responsible for assuring that you will meet the shipping expectations for all orders you receive.
• Products must be listed in US Dollars.
• All customer facing content and communications must be in English.
• You should understand the laws that apply to you as a seller on our website and only list, sell, and export products that comply with those laws.

(I said it could be done, I didn't say it would be easy.)

Besides all of that - there's a bit more. Amazon would like to remind you of your obligations as an international seller. Basically, it's a whole page saying, "If you're going to do business here - you'd better behave yourself!" (Insomnia? Read the whole page.)

http://mcsurf.us/intl-seller1

-

Aaaand Cut! That's a wrap!

Like I said, a lot of this stuff is confusing, hidden, difficult, etc. Some Amazon employees don't even understand it all.

Just as a reminder - keep your eyes peeled for a pretty amazing announcement that has the potential to make you some solid, honest cash! I'll send all of the details tomorrow. Less than 24 hours to go!

 

Thanks!
Steve

 

 

 

Tagged as: Amazon answers, amazon tips, Amazon Tips & Tricks, Hidden Amazon Reports