Best products from r/FulfillmentByAmazon

Hey there, and welcome to the forums.

Go to your inventory page on seller central. On the item that you want to try FBA out with, click on the "edit" button on that item. There should be an option that says "change to fulfillment by amazon". I would recommend to also click on "copy listing" so you can still sell your item and ship it yourself, in the time it'll take your items to get to amazon and be processed.

Once you have your listing as "fulfilled by amazon", click that same edit button as earlier and click send inventory. It'll prompt you through it, ask you how many you are sending, weight of the package, etc.

The FBA process it fairly simple. You'll ship them the 10, or however many products, all in a single box. You pay shipping, but it is discounted. I bet it'll cost you $5 in total. You'll need to create and attach an amazon barcode to each of the items, called a FNSKU. It's the same barcode for each like item. You'll have to either buy a label printer or get something like this Avery 5160 to print and attach with. The items need to be fully ready to ship, meaning amazon will pick your items out of a bin, and throw it in a box. They'll take care of adding bubble wrap or whatever they use to cushion it in the box.

FBA is the way to go. Customers love prime.

No need to apologize for "noob" questions. Every question sounds noobish to someone :)

I'm a huge fan of the Dymo 450 Turbo. It's pretty standard.

As for labels, I use HouseLabels labels. They're much more affordable. I used to use the 30252 labels (1 1/8" x 3 1/2"). However, I just switched to 30334 (2 1/4" x 1 1/4") and I love the size, plus it prints even faster (being horizontal instead of vertical. And it is a better size for the cosmetics. You also get 3,000 labels per roll, compared with 350. Much less frequent switching.

30252 on Amazon

30334 on Amazon


As for what goes on the labels, the best advice I can give is to review Amazon's labeling guidelines.

Guide to labeling your products.

Guide to the labels themselves

Let me know if any of that didn't make sense - I'd be happy to expand on it.

Wow. Powerhouse of a listing. They really got their stuff perfected.

They have good descriptions, pictures, everything.

In the table tennis market, you really can't make different products like I stated above lol.

Looking at the market for: "ping pong set" the competition is pretty fierce.

By the looks of it, there is really no way you can own the entire market, but you could try and steal a slice of the pie.

My advice is to make your product a little different from this big seller, like adding an extra item they don't have.

PERSONALLY, I would add a carrying bag.

(Just make sure the added cost is justified; for a extra bag, I would add only $2-3USD)

You can see here: https://www.amazon.com/JP-WinLook-Ping-Pong-Paddle/dp/B0731VQ7VP/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=ping+pong+set&qid=1566182013&s=gateway&sr=8-3

This is a bestselling product in the category (currently OOS atm I think), but it doesn't have the net like you do.

So, if you also add a bag, you can give the customers a different option compared to the big seller, and you will be able to get some market share.

Disclaimer: I have no experience selling in the table tennis market, so I don't know the full economics, take my advice with a grain of salt and make sure the pricing works on your end.

I have a DYMO 450 turbo also and I mainly use 30334 size labels. Both Amazon and Inventory Lab will print this size.
***
>I've seen a lot of people basically taking snapshots on every label from a 30sheet which seems kind of wonky.

If you want to use the Dymo with Amazon directly you need to use Amazon's Scan & Label page. Inventory > Manage FBA Shipments, then near the top of the page look for Scan & Label

It prints out labels for one SKU at a time.

Since Chrome changed, it's a little more difficult but you pick the product you need a label for by scanning it or entering your SKU. Then you can either print it or save it. If you print, the chrome print window opens and you need to play with settings to make sure the label fits.

1. Select the Dymo printer
   
2. More Settings > select paper size. 30334 if you are using that size. If you don't see it, you need to print using system dialog
   
3. No margins.
   
   You only need to do this for the first label.
   
   
   
   Inventory Lab is a lot easier. You run the printer setup under account settings to choose your label size. Then you choose if you want the label to print automatically when you list an item, or only when you click the print button.
   
   
   
   Keep in mind, you are suppose to use removable labels when applying directly to the products. That said, Amazon doesn't follow their own rule here and I've learned that the longer removable labels are on, the less removable they are.
   
   I've used a few label brands.
   
   

• Best quality is the DYMO brand but they are absurdly expensive.
  
• For permanent labels, I'm using https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IC8B5VA right now but I also have https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JPPLU32 sitting on the shelf. Both seem to work fine.
  
• For removable labels I use https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CBAPJ30
  
• I also have some 3.5 x 1.125 labels I rarely use on some specific larger items https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AVNLHC
  
  ***
  
  As far as printers: I use the Dymo 450 turbo and brother laser https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LZS5EEI/
  
  I use the laser printer for shipping labels mostly but sometimes for product labels if I'm sending like 80 of the same thing.
  
  I spent a lot of time when I started, trying to decide what printer to get. I started with the laser because: 1. I can use it as a regular printer for non-fba stuff, 2. It will print both fnsku and shipping labels, 3. It is really inexpensive.
  
  I added the DYmo later because: 1. I hated all the wasted labels if I wasn't printing a full sheet, 2. I do RA and matching labels from a sheet with 30+ different products is time-consuming, 3. I often need 1 or 2 labels and it was difficult to do on the laser.
  
  I haven't looked in awhile but my dream printer would be a thermal transfer printer that is large enough to print shipping labels as well as fnsku. I just can't justify spending $500 on it.

Amazon will label products for a fee, but they do so by scanning the existing product barcodes and matching that up to your inventory. Most products have one printed on the packaging.

There are a couple of size options for the printer label templates that Amazon provides. Simplest way is to see for yourself. Create a quick shipment, the labelling page is the third stage I believe. You can see at the bottom of the page the different sizes. These are all for standard A4 printers.

Something like this is the paper you need.

Not my product nor any client of mine. I don't sell on Amazon myself, I work for a company that sells support in selling on Amazon. I don't endorse the seller for the quality of the product or service, they're just the first that came up for me searching. In fact, the listing's a bit crap, clearly breaking multiple rules. Not important. It serves as a good example of the sort of paper you need. You need to match the paper to the template you want to use, so it all lines up properly.

I guess he lists an item at a lower price but with a high shipping price using FBM, then if it sells he fulfills it by placing an order for the actual product. He skims off the top a little if he is actually paying for shipping. If he is using prime to get free shipping than he is making a decent amount, but it is certainly against the ToS.

It's basically like dropshipping inception I guess.

Thanks for the detailed response!

Okay, so let me see if I have this right:

Super URL:

http://www.amazon.com/Conair-Velvet-Touch-Paddle-Brush/dp/B001126XOI/ref=sr_1_1?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1421798144&sr=1-1&keywords=hair+brush

Not so Super URL:

http://www.amazon.com/Conair-Velvet-Touch-Paddle-Brush/dp/B001126XOI

So that's literally all you have to do, is make sure it's the first type and not the second? You told me something similar earlier this week, but I didn't really think it was that simple, and thought I was missing a piece of the puzzle.

I have a list, but it's not huge because I have this thing about email lists, which I need to get over, so I've never cultivated email addresses really. As a businessperson, I'm able to separate the personal from the professional, EXCEPT when it comes to this. I hate being emailed by companies even when I opt-in because they bombard you. I'll get over it though because you're absolutely right, it's probably my greatest asset and I'm throwing it away. I've seen the light and I'll start working on it. It'll be interesting to see the impact it has.

If you don't have any supplies at the moment I'd highly recommend you spend as little as possible ~$20 on supplies such as tape, 30-up labels Amazon Basics works fine, and reuse boxes if possible.

If you end up going through will selling on Amazon (you're making a few thousand a month) I'd recommend spending the ~$200 and get the proper supplies

DYMO Scale https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0053HCP8K/ref=psdc_1068986_t1_B00U93G6C4

3" Tape https://www.amazon.com/Uline-Clear-Industrial-Tape-Rolls/dp/B00BNIM7OA/ref=sr_1_17?keywords=uline+3%22+tape&qid=1564200633&s=office-products&sr=1-17

Tape Dispenser https://www.amazon.com/Uline-H-596-Packing-Dispenser-3-Inch/dp/B005XYJGTO/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=uline+3%22+tape+dispenser&qid=1564200672&s=office-products&sr=1-3

I personally spend $200 once in a blue moon on Home Depot small/medium/large boxes

You're not getting a prepper or going to think about getting one for a long time. Selling on Amazon is a super manual business even though people on YouTube never show it (because most don't actually sell).

Anyone have a full sized thermal printer?

I have one that fits 8.5x11, but I can't seem to find the right labels for it. I want to get full page sticky labels for FBA shipments, and 30 sheets of address labels for FNSKU's but I actually can't find anything that big.

Is my best bet regular thermal paper and put it in one of those sticky clear "bags" that UPS puts on boxes? And then I think I can get address labels for my 4xl but seems tedious to have a giant roll of FNSKU's rather than say, 5 pages.

Edit: these are what I'm referring to:

Full page labels (except for thermal, not inkjet): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MNKMCDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_5A5IDb6WM9KNV

30 per page labels (again, for thermal): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006B8FZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_VB5IDb5GRKY8Z

Plastic bag things: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K89717B/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Jz5IDb6WCVR3N

I think I understand. How important are the other parameters? Using the above example, let's say that I want to win on the keywords "crew forming cream". Is there a difference if I use
http://www.amazon.com/Forming-Cream-Mens-Hair-Package/dp/B00JBDEXO6/&keywords=crew+forming+cream

VS

http://www.amazon.com/Forming-Cream-Mens-Hair-Package/dp/B00JBDEXO6/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1427354106&sr=8-11&keywords=crew+forming+cream

As far as I can tell, the 'ref' tag is important because it tells Amazon where you came from, and the 'sr' tag looks important also. However, it looks like the ref tag changes all the time as your ranking changes. Not sure how go about this if the rank changes constantly...

Fee's. Learn to avoid fee's. If you plan on listing more than 40 items get the pro FBA seller account for $39.99 and get rid of that $1 fee per item.

Then get labels, I bought Avery knockoffs on amazon and print with a laser printer.30 labels per sheet and label the products yourself before sending them in. The only fee's you should incur are the commission fee, and 2x FBA fee's.

Some times you might need to place a suffocate warning sticker, or wrap an item and then I usually have FBA do the wrapping since I don't have the shrink wrap or plastic for that. I think you can print your own suffocate warning stickers but haven't looked into that yet.

Since you are doing FBA, I recommend you price based on Prime availability. I have priced most of my items based on Prime and have sold when there have been others with merchant fulfilled that were cheaper. People just want free shipping and 2 day from Prime.

Other than these basics and trying to post it before you buy in bulk suggestion is all I have!

Sorry, maybe I misstated my problem... I meant some listings have a "Free Return" next to its price while some don't. Mine always has "Free Return" there, and it means the customer can return it for free for simply not like it.

​

If you click on "Free Return" it shows.

>Return this item for free
>
>You can return this item for any reason and get a full refund: no shipping charges. The item must be returned in new and unused condition.

​

E.g. https://www.amazon.com/Rain-Mate-Compact-Travel-Umbrella-Reinforced/dp/B01LZ75ROQ (not my listing)

http://www.amazon.com/Aviditi-SIZER-Carton-Sizer-Reducer/dp/B000ZJOGHE


One of these babies to save on packing materials and having to find the perfectly sized boxes.

Buy box increase sales. Here's all the sellers for Monopoly, if you navigate to the product page notice it says "Shipped and sold by Amazon", because Amazon owns the buy box meaning whoever searches monopoly, lands on that page, and clicks to "Add Cart" gives Amazon the sale. If it was "Sold by gbcanadian and fulfilled by Amazon" then you would own the buy box.

There are 3 name fields for PL on FBA.

1. Your business entity. John Doe and Company LLC. It's invisible to the public.
   
   
2. Your amazon seller name. You can modify this as you wish. It's not a registered name. It's something like a reddit username and is displayed to the public. For example: Notebook XXL was until recently known as BOGZON
   
   
3. Your PL brand name. Same variables as the amazon seller name. Example: Cosima was once Bogzon Brand - see it's image

That box on the bottom brings fond memories of starting out on Amazon. The days before I stumbled across a weird looking ruler with cowboy boot spurs on the bottom

Lumpy boxes are a rite of passage! =]

You can place all 2,000 items in one box, but they must be individually bagged and labeled with that product's FNSKU (pronounced eff'in skews).

Use poly bags (or poly tube) and an impulse sealer ($40). Or use poly bags with a self-sealing strip.

Label the bags / tubes before inserting the item and sealing - easier and faster to get the label to fully adhere.

Get bags / poly tube with a <5" opening to avoid needing to apply suffocation stickers.

The minimum thickness is 1.5 mil.

Avery branded 30 up address labels ($25 for 100 sheets, 3,000 labels) and a <$99 laser printer. If you cheap out on the labels, you risk having stickers fall off or toner not fusing to the labels. Some people have had good experiences with cheap labels, some have not. My $80 Brother 2270DW has worked flawlessly for the past three years. Every couple of weeks, Amazon and Newegg briefly drop their prices on Brother printers.

I'm not particularly fast, and I can label well over 1,000 bags during the commercials and half time of one NFL game. And this is while sitting on a couch with the labels and bag boxes on a coffee table.

Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Avery3000/dp/B00006B8FZ

http://www.amazon.com/Adhesive-Resealable-Plastic-Cellophane-cello-D/dp/B00DEQ9QA2

The order IS chosen by the system, but its just numbers then alphabetical

​

see below examples and notice color text is "number-words"

​

- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QCE3JU6

- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QGLPJ5S

- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Z4ZXI0

​

Just curious if there are other ways to achieve the same outcome(sorted colors), but with the colorname being JUST the color and not "0019-Blue"

Box cutter + one of these

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JBDEXO6/keywords=crew+forming+cream

That's the only portion you need to rank for those keywords. I've run many ad campaigns using links built this way and have ranked all of my products on page one.

Just as an example, these are the ones I use when I need removable labels. I'm not sure what kind of labels you use but there are removable ones out there.