Personally delivered to you by Steve Lindhorst, author of
"Selling on 'the River', "The Niche Book",
and "Amazon - The Quick & Dirty Guide."
I have finally found some time to write a few things for you. Sales are still going strong on Amazon, and I'm working hard at building up my inventory. So this issue focuses primarily on Amazon selling.
There have been a few book sales in my area lately, and I've seen a few other booksellers with scanners. They can be a bit pushy, even downright rude - so I've come up with an idea for an invention: A book scanner / taser combo! If anyone gets pushy or rude - Zapp!
On to the newsletter...
In This Issue
- Amazon FBA - Now I Know...
- What Sells on Amazon? Amazon Pre-Order Reports
- A Call for Non-Media Amazon Sellers
- Recently Found...
1. Amazon FBA - Now I know...
When I started using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) several months ago, I had a bunch of questions. However, I did not wait for all of the answers before getting started. I figured they would come in time, and they have. Besides that, I've just learned more about the program as I've gone along. Here are a few things I wondered about.
- What happens if my shipment is damaged on the way to Amazon's warehouse?
This has happened to me once. I shipped a box of books (some valued at over $100) to Amazon FBA. They were damaged in transit according to UPS's tracking information, and some of the contents were "discarded."
This caused me some concern, but I was patient and waited to see what would happen. I did take the step of politely inquiring about the shipment through Amazon's Contact Us form and got a response within a day. Even so, it was a "wait and see" situation.
My package (or what was left of it) was sent to Amazon in Washington state for inspection. To make a long story short, they automatically credited me for what was lost, and shipped the rest to the warehouse where it is now in stock. The credit was very fair. Since the shipment was inventoried, they could tell what was missing. They gave me the fair market selling value of the items on Amazon, less Amazon fees. I was completely happy with the outcome. The books that were damaged would not have sold quickly. But with the settlement it was as if they sold right away.
TIP: Amazon guarantees your shipment to their warehouse. You must pack your items properly, according to the specifications in the FBA manual, to avoid damage. Most importantly though - you must use Amazon's Partnered Carrier - UPS. If you don't - you're on your own.
- Do I have to put labels on each item I send to Amazon?
The short answer is "yes." The vast majority of us will be required to put a scannable label on each item. Creating those labels is part of the Shipment Creation process and you can print them on your own printer. You should buy Avery #58160 white, repositionable labels so they can be easily removed later.
There are some circumstances where labeling every item is not necessary. If you're shipping a case of identical, new books for example, you may label the case.
- Do you have to package your products for shipping before sending them to Amazon's warehouse?
A general rule is, if you're selling media items (books, CDs, cassettes, or DVDs) you may combine them all together, and ship them to Amazon. They will pull, pack, and ship the item for you in boxes they provide. (An important exception to this rule is with regard to multiple volume set book publications. They must be packed for Amazon just as you would pack them to ship yourself. The set forms a unit.)
Just about everything besides the media products mentioned above needs to be sent to Amazon labeled, and ready to ship. They won't assemble or combine items for you at their warehouse. For example: you can't send a case of tea cups and a case of tea pots and and expect them to fulfill the combined order for a tea set.
- Doesn't shipping to Amazon's warehouse eat into the profits?
When creating your shipment, you'll see the option to use Amazon's Partnered Carrier (UPS) or your own carrier. If you use Amazon's Partnered Carrier, the shipping label is created on their account, with their (really low) rates. It's the cheapest way to ship to Amazon. Once the shipment arrives at their warehouse, your Amazon Payments account will be debited for the shipping amount.
I'm sure I'll cover more things in the future. A few months ago I talked about an ebook by Nathan Holmquist called Selling on Amazon's FBA Program. This ebook is what got me to try FBA. The original version was pretty short, and I even mentioned that to Nathan that I could use some more details.
He recently revised and expanded Selling on Amazon's FBA Program, and it's for sale now. (If you purchased the earlier version, you should have received an email from him offering the new version at no additional charge.) If you were holding back for some reason, and you want to quickly get up to speed on FBA, and especially how to make money on books, grab this ebook!
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2. What Sells on Amazon? Check the Pre-Orders
Amazon doesn't share their recent sales like eBay does. But they do provide some helpful reports on what people want to buy. Every so often, I receive an Amazon.com Top Out-Of-Stock Products Report. The products listed are the top 50 products in the Books category that customers were interested in during the last month, but are currently unable to purchase because there was no available inventory from any sellers as of January 18, 2010. You may receive that report yourself for the category you sell in the most.
There is another report that gives you much more information, as well as the amount people are actually willing to pay for an out of stock item.
Amazon Pre-Order Reports used to be known as the Buyers Waiting Report. These reports list products that are out of stock, with buyers waiting to buy. It's a good tool to let you know what is in demand, and if you happen to find the actual products listed and list them, you may have a sweet sale.
Here is a good selling tip: Many of the products in demand, are not available in all countries. For example, you may skip over the non-English books in your local shops, but some of them will bring hundreds of dollars. I remember a seller years ago that sold Pampers baby diapers from the US to several countries in Europe for hefty profits.
Here are links to Pre-Order lists in various countries:
Canada: https://secure.amazon.ca/exec/panama/seller-admin/download/preorder-report/
France: https://secure.amazon.fr/exec/panama/seller-admin/download/preorder-report/
Germany: https://secure.amazon.de/exec/panama/seller-admin/download/preorder-report/
United Kingdom: https://secure.amazon.co.uk/exec/panama/seller-admin/download/preorder-report/
United States: https://secure.amazon.com/exec/panama/seller-admin/download/preorder-report/
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3. Do you sell NON-media items on Amazon?
Selling on 'the River' explained many of the basics of selling on Amazon.com. Since then, lots of things have changed, including Amazon. I am currently working on an advanced version of Selling on 'the River.' I'm looking for a few successful non-media sellers to interview and make part of the new book. I'm interested in what challenges you face, and how you've overcome them.
It's a chance for some promotion and maybe some increased business. (No offense to the media sellers, but I'm well-covered in that area already.)
If your Amazon sales are a large percentage of your business, and you'd like to talk, please contact me via email at: steve (at) multichannelsurfer.com.
I'll try to respond to everyone, but please understand, I work alone, and it can take a little time. I look forward to hearing from you!
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4. Recent Finds...
Before I go, I thought I'd share a few of the items I've found poking around my town thrift shops and garage sales.
In one store, I had a pretty dry run and I went to stand in the checkout line. While there, I was looking around the store for anything I'd missed. I noticed a set of books in a slipcase and went to take a look. It was an extremely nice set of 13 Lemony Snicket books called: A Complete Wreck (A Series of Unfortunate Events). I got them for $30 and I'll list the set soon for just under $100.
On the same visit, I found another boxed set of three books by Shel Silverstein. He wrote, what I believe may be, my wife's favorite childhood book, Where the Sidewalk Ends. That book is included along with 
two others by Mr. Silverstein in: The Poems and Drawings of Shel Silverstein Box Set (Where the Sidewalk Ends / A Light in the Attic / Falling Up).
I picked up the set for $12 and it's in pristine condition. It should go for between $80 - $100 once listed.
The lesson for me is, don't get stuck looking in the same old places. Look in places other people may have missed, and you may find some real treasures.
The last "find" came from an garage sale near my home. I went hoping to find a bunch of used books, but found none worth taking home. Before I left though, I decided to take one walk through the sale. There was a box with a bunch of old magazines which I avoided. I have a weakness for stacks of magazines, thinking I will sell them one at time for huge profits. There are literally stacks of them in my garage still waiting to be sold.
In this box at the sale were 98 Down Beat magazines from 1944-1948. The price was $.10 per issue.
Being a music lover, I couldn't resist all the articles on jazz, be-bop, and WWII. I asked how much they'd take for the whole box and I was pretty surprised when the guy said, "How 'bout $5 ?" I gladly paid up.
They are in great condition too. I'll list them on eBay in lots, simply because I know I'll never list them individually. I've found some similar that have sold for $5 and up - per issue! So I'm pretty sure I will make a profit on my $5 investment.
Thanks again for reading! Keep selling!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Well written short and to the point information. Your questions where a couple I had wondered about regarding sending heavy boxes of small items. I look forward to your updates and experiences. Your willingness to share is admirable and honorable. Blessing for continued success.
Just a note to let you know how much I’ve enjoyed your blog and the ebooks, Steve. Each offering is chock full of interesting and useful info, based on reality and thoughtful consideration . I’ve been selling books on Amazon a few years and have been using their FBA program since early last December and you’ve been a great help jump-starting my selling, very helpful, inspiring even. You know what you’re about, man. Thanks for sharing!