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 abo...
Feb 18, 2020•26 min
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 fundi...
Feb 11, 2020•24 min
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, incl...
Feb 04, 2020•26 min
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 righ...
Jan 28, 2020•40 min
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...
Jan 21, 2020•28 min
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: SMART smartestseller.eventbrite.com
Jan 20, 2020•6 min
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 experi...
Jan 14, 2020•18 min
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 manageme...
Jan 07, 2020•38 min
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 ...
Dec 31, 2019•20 min
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 be...
Dec 24, 2019•29 min
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...
Dec 17, 2019•33 min
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 0:33 Why Do PPC? 3:03 What’s Unique About Amazon PPC? 5:13 Choosing and Managing Campaigns 8:43 What’s the Right “A Cost”? 10:29 What Does BuyBoxer Do for I...
Dec 10, 2019•25 min
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 ...
Dec 03, 2019•17 min
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/
Nov 26, 2019•27 min
In this episode of The Best Amazon Seller, we dive a little deeper into what a mini-conference (meet up) of mine looks like and why they are so helpful. I will be starting to visit cities around America and hosting these mini-conferences for sellers so if you are interested in attending one please DM me on my social media platforms. - Introduction 1:17 - My Goals for Meet-Ups 6:59 - How I will keep it Exciting 9:38 - What you get out of the Meetup 13:57 “I think only 5% of sellers attend confere...
Nov 19, 2019•17 min
In this episode of the Best Amazon Seller we talk about the different categories to sell on Amazon. There are a wide variety of categories to choose from and each one has its value. I will highlight just a few, talk about the up sides and downsides of each, and share a little on the categories Buyboxer focuses on. - Sports 2:32 - Home and Kitchen 6:46 - Toys 7:48 - Grocery 9:43 - Arts and Crafts 12:01 - Electronics 12:48 - Health 14:27 - Beauty Baby and Pets 15:03 “I’m growing more stubborn abou...
Nov 12, 2019•19 min
In this episode of the Best Amazon Seller, we talk about how to improve your shipping process. Some of the topics we cover are figuring out how software can help increase productivity in your business and when it’s needed. We also give examples from my business and give an overview of what we use in our shipping process, things we avoid and products we lean toward. - Introduction 0:15 - Designing your own software 5:53 - Using Amazon’s API 7:05 - Our Shipping Process 8:35 “There’s one type of in...
Nov 05, 2019•14 min
In this episode of the Best Amazon Seller, we interview Albert Polanco, a founding member of Zon Product Photography. He gives us a wealth of knowledge not only on product pictures for Amazon but also on the subject of general marketing tips. - How did you start? 1:20 - The Primary Image 5:37 - Show Don’t Tell 11:55 - Good and Bad Lifestyle Photos 15:01 - Text and Badges 20:01 - Mistakes of Past 30:09 “If your product is stronger than the competition, don’t say that. Show your product doing some...
Oct 29, 2019•41 min
On this episode of the Best Amazon Seller we talk about the power of having good photography. With many people using the mobile app for amazon, people are looking for quick quality pictures that tell the story well. People often would prefer looking at a picture rather than looking at the bullet points to find information. We talk about different routes including hiring or doing it yourself. - How photography affects your business 1:21 - Few things to consider 3:56 - Rewards on Amazon 11:35 - Gr...
Oct 22, 2019•16 min
On this episode of The Best Amazon Seller we talk about The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg and how we can relate this to an e-commerce business. The book delves deeply into how our habits can rule our lives for the good or the bad. These habits influence practically all of our choices and understanding this can help our efforts in our online sales. - New Things within Buyboxer - The Power of Habit 2:50 - 3 Take Aways from Book 4:05 - Applying the Book to E-Commerce 9:35 “We are e-commerce prof...
Oct 15, 2019•14 min
Refunding can depend a lot on your inventory. Depending on your inventory, this can vary a lot, but you really need to know your reports to even know if you are getting your product back. Figuring this out can impact your business, so listen in to this episode to learn more about refund percentages and how to optimize your business. https://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/ https://www.buyboxer.com/
Oct 08, 2019•16 min
In this episode, Scott talks about the things he wishes he knew when he started out in Amazon FBA. No matter how large their business is, even the massive FBA businesses have issues selling on the Amazon marketplace. Amazon isn't a place where you can just set something up, leave it alone, and expect it to sell while you coast. Listen in and learn about some tricks and tips that you can start applying today. https://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/ https://www.buyboxer.com/...
Oct 01, 2019•18 min
In this episode of the Smartest Amazon Seller, Scott interviews Alex representing Payability. They talk about when it is appropriate to take out a loan or an advance, how to work in the ecommerce world with advertising, and financial products for ecommerce based companies. They also discuss the difference between a loan and an advance. Alex - When is it worth the risk of taking an advance or loan? 4:28 - financial products for ecommerce based companies. 9:20 - differences between a loan and an a...
Sep 24, 2019•36 min
This episode dives into the benefits of attending conferences and how this can help you sell on Amazon. Meeting and interfacing with other sellers can lead huge growth and connections. The episode also dives into the various conferences that Scott has attended including Amazon hosted conferences. Conferences there lead Scott to insights that give sellers an upper hand. Learning From Others 1:37 Meeting New Sellers 2:37 IRCE 6:12 Amazon Hosted Conferences 8:57
Sep 17, 2019•13 min
Today's subject is the Marketplace Growth Program / Strategic Account Services. One of the most useful things you can do to with Strategic Account Services is getting into an account that can benefit you and getting introduced to a particular team, which can be done by talking to an account manager. If you haven't heard of or used this before, this can be an amazing way to work with Amazon in very specialized ways. Account managers have a lot of experience and can maneuver through a lot of the i...
Sep 10, 2019•18 min
Scott's full-time job is developing automation for his company's seller account, so this week he is sharing his insights about this kind of software development. The majority of the ordering processes, profitability analysis, and advertising automation is done by unique software that they have developed. What you want to consider when you hire someone to develop software or start to do it yourself is the API, or the connection point between you and Amazon. This is where you get reports, submit f...
Sep 03, 2019•25 min
What is KEEPA and why would you want to use it? Scott discusses the importance of KEEPA, the database that contains the history of products on the Amazon Marketplace. Using this tool, you can see the story of products, its prices, what happens during certain seasons, and much more. 1:23 What is KEEPA 5:30 History of reviews and analyzing competitors 8:49 Sourcing leads https://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/ https://www.buyboxer.com/...
Aug 27, 2019•13 min
Today's episode features an interview with Michael Erickson Facchin, an expert in advertising, host of the PPC Den Podcast, and the founder of Ad Badger. He has spent years optimizing Google Ads for 10 years and Amazon Ads for 7 years. In this episode, Scott and Michael discuss digital marketing, confirmation-bias in ads, twin-engine strategy, click-through rates, keyword rankings, and much more. Listen in to get advice on how to optimize your products. Scott's info: https://www.instagram.com/sm...
Aug 20, 2019•35 min
Today's subject is liquidating inventory. When making a decision on what to do with products on Amazon if they aren't selling, no matter what you do, action is better than non-action. You really need to answer one question, and that is 'why is this product not selling'? There are 3 reasons for this - discoverability, click-through, and conversion. If people aren't buying, it really comes down to these issues most of the time. Listen in and learn about add ons, coupons, and other methods of liqui...
Aug 13, 2019•24 min
Is Amazon a fair marketplace? What should you think about as you enter into Q4? In this episode, Scott addresses these two questions. When dealing with Amazon, even hard work and intelligence don't make it a fair marketplace, and sometimes you just need to take advantage of the opportunities you may have and others may not while on the Amazon marketplace. https://www.instagram.com/smartestseller/
Aug 06, 2019•31 min