Any person that is thinking of getting into the Amazon FBA business, will inevitably wonder what to sell on Amazon FBA and what to watch out for when choosing the right product. The answer to this question is actually not so straightforward, but I will try to do my best to explain why I believe some products are ok or good to sell and why others are an absolute no-no.
Research
Any business you will ever create in your life must always start with a thorough research. You have to research the field you are getting yourself into, the market for that service or product you want to sell (its demand), the competition, etc. Moreover, you will continue to research as you work on your business in order to make sure you are going in the right direction and making the right decisions. If anything, your research and analysis will become only more complicated as your business grows.
It’s no different when deciding what to sell on Amazon FBA – you must be sure that the product you want to sell has a demand. You cannot just guess or go with the gut feeling here. If you don’t do the necessary research, you will order a product that doesn’t sell and you will inevitably lose money.
In order to find out whether a product sells well on Amazon or not, you can check its “best seller rank”. The lower the number, the more it sells. But make sure to look at the topmost rank, which is the most general category that it sells in. Don’t look at the other, specific categories, which are found below the main rank.
Don’t choose a product you love
Just like many inexperienced sellers out there, I knew what to sell on Amazon FBA long before even getting on the platform. This was an incorrect approach.
Yes, you may be passionate about selling golf clubs, microwaves, toothbrushes, office chairs, etc., but it doesn’t mean that you should do it. The reason why it is not only wrong, but also dangerous to be focused on the product you love, is because it is a sure way to make a bad business decision and to throw away all of your money.
By being stuck with the idea that your product must be perfect and something that you deeply care about, you may end up picking a product that no else cares about, that is not profitable, that is too difficult to transport and will simply be a pain to work with. Remember, there are many things that can go wrong if you don’t properly research what you plan to sell.
In my case, the dream product that I was planning to sell could have been a health risk if sourced from the wrong factory. Once I realized this, I quickly made the decision not to proceed with it, and was happy that I didn’t. It could have been a major disaster in the start of my Amazon FBA career.
My advice is that unless you are 100% sure that the product you are going to sell is safe to use/consume, don’t order anything hazardous. To be sure, you either have to be there personally or have professionals test the product.
Please don’t get me wrong, a business can and should be made around something you care about, but this is not something you should worry about when picking what to sell on Amazon FBA, at least not in the beginning. Yes, your dream product can actually turn out to be a very profitable one, but either way, you won’t know it until you have researched it. Guessing here should not be an option. This was taught very well to me in the MarketPlace Superheroes course, which I reviewed here.
Should I sell trendy products?
When choosing what to sell on Amazon FBA, many people go for the trendy products. Fidget spinners, latest iPhone cases, water bottles, etc. The idea is that trendy products sell in large quantities and very fast because of the large demand.
Of course, if your goal is to sell a product for only one season, then sure, trendy is what you need. But if are there for the longterm and you want a passive income online business, then I would encourage you not to do it.
Selling a trendy product usually means a very high amount of competition, which also means that you will need to somehow stand out. The most simple way to do this is to pay a lot for advertisements and have your product ahead of everyone else. The ads, however, might end up costing you so much that you will have a negative profit.
Moreover, as mentioned above, as soon as the trend ends, you will need to look for another product. This means more hassle and more work from your side, which beats the whole purpose of having a passive income Amazon FBA business. Ideally, your product should always be in demand and sell forever.
Look at what the product is made out of
If you have identified what to sell on Amazon FBA, make sure you know what the product is made of and what are the possible consequences of sourcing that product.
Is the product electronic? If it is, it means it could easily break if poorly manufactured, which would cause a high return rate, which means loss of money. Also, does it have lithium batteries? If it does, you need to comply with certain regulations to be able to sell that product. If Amazon asks you to prove that the batteries are of correct type and you don’t have the necessary documents to show, you will have problems.
Is the product fragile? Think about how you will transport it. Shipping something all the way from China to the US or EU is not the same as carefully carrying a box to your friend’s house down the street. Things can get really shaky and the boxes will be thrown around. This is very often the case. Keep in mind that the product still needs to make it from the Amazon fulfillment center to its final destination (buyer) without falling apart or breaking.
Recommended read: Amazon FBA: The Mistake That Could Have Cost Me $3000
Again, check whether the product is meant to be consumed or applied on to your skin. Look at what it consists of and make sure that you know the laws and rules for every single ingredient in that product. Nine out of ten ingredients can be safe to use, but if that last one is not, you may have problems either with the customs or with Amazon itself.
Make sure to check whether that product is legal in the country, whether there are special regulations and whether it needs approval from Amazon. You can find the list of products that need approval here.
Which price range to go for
When deciding what to sell on Amazon FBA, some people prefer to go for the cheap products, while others sell items that cost hundreds of dollars.
If you sell an item that is very low in price, it is possible that you won’t make any money at all. In fact, you may lose money due to the fees that Amazon charges.
At first glance, it may seem that selling expensive products is the right way to go. This would probably mean a bigger profit margin and less competition. However, the problem with this is Amazon’s return policy.
Amazon is very much client oriented. What this means is that the client is usually right, even if they are scamming. I have very many times come across posts in which sellers share how some person had bought an expensive product and claimed that they never received it. In this case, the buyer got a full refund and the seller got nothing.
Or even worse, a person purchased a new $700 mobile phone, but ended up returning it. When the seller opened the returned box, there was a completely different, old phone inside. The buyer, in this case, would still get a full refund, unless the seller can prove that the returned phone has been replaced with a different one.
These cases are not rare at all. So regardless of what to sell on Amazon, make sure you take into account the fact that you will have losses.
International products
One other thing that I would encourage you to do when choosing what to sell on Amazon, is to pick a product that sells not only at Amazon.com, but also at Amazon.co.uk, Amazode.de, Amazon.ca, etc.
Recommended read: Is Amazon FBA Too Saturated? Is There Still Money to Make?
The reason why I say that you should pick a product that sells all over the world is because, sooner or later, you will sell globally. And if you do, why sell a product only in America that is in demand all over the world? You can sell the exact same product in other parts of the world as well, making triple the amount of money over the same period of time.
To figure out whether something sells on other Amazon marketplaces, use the same research you apply for the main marketplace. If the best seller rank is low enough, then you might have found the right product to sell.
Hopefully, you now have a better idea of what to sell on Amazon FBA. If you have any more questions or comments, feel free to drop them in the comment section below or to contact me directly.
Thank you for stopping by and good luck!
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April 22, 2018 at 00:36
I have never sold on Amazon FBA, so this is good information to know. Thank you for the valuable insights!
April 22, 2018 at 08:46
Thank you, Shannon.
April 22, 2018 at 10:49
Ideas are the greatest products. And, surely your ideas are greater than the greatest.
April 22, 2018 at 13:45
I never thought that far into what to sell on Amazon or to see if it is available in other countries as well. Thank you so much for sharing this, there is so much insightful information in this post!
April 22, 2018 at 13:48
Thank you, Ally, for taking your time to read the post and for your feedback.
April 22, 2018 at 17:17
You shared so much helpful information for those that want to sell on Amazon. Great post
April 22, 2018 at 17:23
Thanks, Arleene!
April 22, 2018 at 21:37
I haven’t thought about selling on Amazon. There is a special place for handmade there but I didn’t really like their terms so I didn’t pursue it. Thanks for the eye opening information.
April 23, 2018 at 07:41
It’s great though that you took your time to go through the terms before actually selling there. 🙂 Thanks for the feedback!
April 23, 2018 at 01:53
Really helpful ideas to make money selling on Amazon. Very detailed.
April 23, 2018 at 07:40
Thanks!
April 23, 2018 at 05:50
I’ve been selling books on Amazon for years. Its a great market place and the tips you have provided are great for anyone that wants to venture into selling there.
April 23, 2018 at 07:40
Thanks a lot, Tina!
April 23, 2018 at 06:46
I’ve sold a few things on Amazon (used books) and I never thought so far on the price range. This read was very informational for my future sells on Amazon. Thanks!
April 23, 2018 at 07:42
Thanks, Essi!
April 23, 2018 at 07:15
These are such helpful information. Thanks for sharing.
April 23, 2018 at 07:40
Thanks, Ophelia!
April 23, 2018 at 07:18
These are great tips. Thank you so much for this information. That is so helpful.
April 23, 2018 at 07:40
Thank you, Holly!
April 23, 2018 at 07:41
That’s a great post. It gave me some really good ideas about products to sell. I was considering selling some products on Amazon, but didn’t know which one to. This may help me decide I am hoping. Thanks. Keep writing such informational posts.
April 23, 2018 at 07:42
Thanks a lot, I appreciate it. 🙂
April 23, 2018 at 13:30
Thanks for the tips! You know, “selling a product I love” is actually my way of thinking when it comes to selling. Now, you have enlightened me..
April 23, 2018 at 14:55
That was my way of thinking too. It works sometimes, but you have to be careful and analyze every case separately. 🙂
April 23, 2018 at 19:31
I used to work for an Amazon retailer and you are absolutely correct about how customers just scam the sellers and Amazon all the time. It’s really frustrating. Amazon has the final say and often the seller is not the priority. But these tips are excellent for anyone starting out as an FBA seller on Amazon. Great advice!
April 23, 2018 at 19:52
Thank you for the comment and your feedback. 🙂
April 23, 2018 at 21:01
Thanks for the tips! It was super informative to read and I’ll be sure to pass it along to some friends of mine who sell things on Amazon.
April 24, 2018 at 18:03
Thanks a lot, Jocelyn!
April 23, 2018 at 23:21
I’ve not really heard about all this so it was interesting to read. I use amazon a lot though!
April 24, 2018 at 18:03
🙂
April 24, 2018 at 22:20
Yes, it is unfortunate that many customers scam sellers and Amazon always sides with sellers. Great post!
April 25, 2018 at 08:29
Thanks a lot, BFel HLife!
April 25, 2018 at 14:49
Great tips! I’ve never tried selling products just my own stuff when we move. Lots of details people must now before embarking on this endeavor it sounds like.
April 26, 2018 at 07:40
🙂
April 25, 2018 at 20:23
So excited with this post! I have been interested in doing this for a long time! I also really appreaciate the video!
April 26, 2018 at 07:40
Thanks, Yuli! 🙂
May 19, 2018 at 12:20
Thanks for the great post, never tried shopping with them before. Great tips
May 20, 2018 at 15:15
Thank you!