Is anyone importing/selling/dropshipping products on Amazon as a side hustle?
- Thread starter HonantheBarbarian
- Start date
Killface, you are dropping some serious knowledge right now.
I was thinking about this whole thing earlier today, and if you really think about it, this is the oldest hustle in the book.
Pretty much every average big name item you can think of follows this business model (buy blank item from China, put their own spin on the coloring/visual/logo/box, sell it back to the public.) Amazon just simply provides a catalyst for the average guy to get his feet wet.
I was looking at a Revlon hair dryer that my mom just bought. There is nothing particularly crazy about it. Just a plastic Chinese hairdryer with a Revlon logo on it. The box had some nice graphics and a picture of a model with nice hair.
The box and the logos were in fact the only thing that separated it from the shitty looking no name "super dryer 2000" hair dryer you would find in, say, the wholesale district of Downtown LA or the local swapmeet.
The coherency and ease of reading of the listing has a lot to do with it as well, I think. Whenever im looking for something on ebay, ill usually find a cheaper Chinese seller, but ill often find that their listing will have so many typos and grammatical errors that I feel more comfortable buying the same item from the guy in Texas and paying a dollar or two more.
I was thinking about this whole thing earlier today, and if you really think about it, this is the oldest hustle in the book.
Pretty much every average big name item you can think of follows this business model (buy blank item from China, put their own spin on the coloring/visual/logo/box, sell it back to the public.) Amazon just simply provides a catalyst for the average guy to get his feet wet.
I was looking at a Revlon hair dryer that my mom just bought. There is nothing particularly crazy about it. Just a plastic Chinese hairdryer with a Revlon logo on it. The box had some nice graphics and a picture of a model with nice hair.
The box and the logos were in fact the only thing that separated it from the shitty looking no name "super dryer 2000" hair dryer you would find in, say, the wholesale district of Downtown LA or the local swapmeet.
The coherency and ease of reading of the listing has a lot to do with it as well, I think. Whenever im looking for something on ebay, ill usually find a cheaper Chinese seller, but ill often find that their listing will have so many typos and grammatical errors that I feel more comfortable buying the same item from the guy in Texas and paying a dollar or two more.
Exactly. Write good, keyword dense ad copy. Pay up for a badass graphic designer. Find a supplier that comprehends English well. Do meticulous keyword research. Don't be afraid to spend money getting reviews and spending with PPC to get started.
This is basically just an import export hustle, which is a business model as old as humanity itself. The con is you have to do it through Amazon so you have to follow their rules and they can fuck with you. The pro is Amazon Is a massive, trusted brand with INSANE levels of traffic with their CC info stored and ready to buy. Conversion rates of 20%+ on a page are not uncommon at all. Amazon is much more easygoing and reasonable to work with than say google or Facebook. You can talk to actual humans. It is worth giving up the control I think, especially if you're not already rich.
Pro tip: keep the product in the impulse but range...$20-50. Always use x9.95 or x9.99 (look up pricing psychology if you don't believe me...it's straight up business red pill). I prefer a price of $35.95 to qualify for free shipping. On a $5 product this is a nice margin that gives room for marketing and assorted bullshit.
This is basically just an import export hustle, which is a business model as old as humanity itself. The con is you have to do it through Amazon so you have to follow their rules and they can fuck with you. The pro is Amazon Is a massive, trusted brand with INSANE levels of traffic with their CC info stored and ready to buy. Conversion rates of 20%+ on a page are not uncommon at all. Amazon is much more easygoing and reasonable to work with than say google or Facebook. You can talk to actual humans. It is worth giving up the control I think, especially if you're not already rich.
Pro tip: keep the product in the impulse but range...$20-50. Always use x9.95 or x9.99 (look up pricing psychology if you don't believe me...it's straight up business red pill). I prefer a price of $35.95 to qualify for free shipping. On a $5 product this is a nice margin that gives room for marketing and assorted bullshit.
Killface, going back to giving the first few units away;
How do you find/choose these freebie recipients?
Are they friends of yours with Amazon accounts? Or do you just simply list the item at an insane price and wait for people to buy it and hope they review? If you are giving it away, isn't there a stipulation that you must mention in the review that the item was a "gift" or something like that?
How do you find/choose these freebie recipients?
Are they friends of yours with Amazon accounts? Or do you just simply list the item at an insane price and wait for people to buy it and hope they review? If you are giving it away, isn't there a stipulation that you must mention in the review that the item was a "gift" or something like that?
Friends or family.
Facebook group called "something something product reviewers" i forget but should be easy to find
Tomoson
Productelf
Viral-launch
Zonblast
People do mention that the item was received at a discount in exchange for an honest review. It doesn't effect anything, in my experience or those of anyone I know.
Facebook group called "something something product reviewers" i forget but should be easy to find
Tomoson
Productelf
Viral-launch
Zonblast
People do mention that the item was received at a discount in exchange for an honest review. It doesn't effect anything, in my experience or those of anyone I know.
Disappointing to see that Killface has been banned.. he seemed to be posting some good info in here.
Anyway I have been looking into this stuff in the past few weeks. Here is a great blog post where he outlines the entire process including all the costs ect:
http://www.nichepursuits.com/amazon-fba-in-30-days/
He also links to another blog post which gave him the idea, and a podcast they made about it, check it out! I would be interested to see any other good resources on the topic if anyone else knows of some.
Anyway I have been looking into this stuff in the past few weeks. Here is a great blog post where he outlines the entire process including all the costs ect:
http://www.nichepursuits.com/amazon-fba-in-30-days/
He also links to another blog post which gave him the idea, and a podcast they made about it, check it out! I would be interested to see any other good resources on the topic if anyone else knows of some.
Ecommerce:
Ecommerce Fuel by Andrew Youderian (one of the better podcasts overall on ecommerce).
Ecommerce Pulse by Leighton Taylor.
For FBA podcasts, doing a quick search I found the above worthy of a mention:
Ask Jordan Podcast
Private Label Podcast
These will keep you busy and happy.
Ecommerce Fuel by Andrew Youderian (one of the better podcasts overall on ecommerce).
Ecommerce Pulse by Leighton Taylor.
For FBA podcasts, doing a quick search I found the above worthy of a mention:
Ask Jordan Podcast
Private Label Podcast
These will keep you busy and happy.
samsamsam said:
Why was Killface banned? He was posting good stuff!
Killface was banned most likely because of this:
http://www.rooshvforum.com/thread-47731-post-1029900.html#pid1029900
Sad though, he was just telling people to cheer up.
http://www.rooshvforum.com/thread-47731-post-1029900.html#pid1029900
Sad though, he was just telling people to cheer up.
alphaspiraton
Woodpecker
Why was Killface banned this is ridiculous
I am similarly surprised. I guess I see how his post could have been offensive but I am surprised at the ban.
Killface had good info, but I'd be careful about taking any of his claims too seriously.
Check the thread below. Now, I'm not saying that it's impossible to do what he claims, but I'd be skeptical of anyone making those claims if I didn't see it in person.
But that doesn't change the fact that importing and selling on Amazon appears to be a legitimate way to make real cash. I know a guy who is successful online who I'm pretty sure got into it recently as well. He's a guy whose opinion I would trust. Next time I see him I'll pick his brain, but not sure if I'll be seeing him anytime soon.
http://www.rooshvforum.com/thread-43597.html
Check the thread below. Now, I'm not saying that it's impossible to do what he claims, but I'd be skeptical of anyone making those claims if I didn't see it in person.
But that doesn't change the fact that importing and selling on Amazon appears to be a legitimate way to make real cash. I know a guy who is successful online who I'm pretty sure got into it recently as well. He's a guy whose opinion I would trust. Next time I see him I'll pick his brain, but not sure if I'll be seeing him anytime soon.
http://www.rooshvforum.com/thread-43597.html
Pity Killface got banned, I was enjoying this thread and has started reading up on the advice given.
Never seen that other thread that Rio linked till now...
As for the oil industry thing - it is definitely possible. I made 180k last year before taxes, I meet a guy recently who hasn't posted much about the Oil Sands but he made 140k in 5 months I think. If you find the right area and put in big hours you can make huge money. Most guys in any sort of niche clear upwards of 120-150k if they are being kept busy.
Did he ever say what he did? He mentioned my thread which was nearly all MWD advice but the pay in the States is quite a bit less than Canada for that.
Anyway hopefully someone tries this as there does seem to be some money in it.
Never seen that other thread that Rio linked till now...
As for the oil industry thing - it is definitely possible. I made 180k last year before taxes, I meet a guy recently who hasn't posted much about the Oil Sands but he made 140k in 5 months I think. If you find the right area and put in big hours you can make huge money. Most guys in any sort of niche clear upwards of 120-150k if they are being kept busy.
Did he ever say what he did? He mentioned my thread which was nearly all MWD advice but the pay in the States is quite a bit less than Canada for that.
Anyway hopefully someone tries this as there does seem to be some money in it.
I PM'd with Killface when he first came on the forum (guns blazing), and as far as I can tell, he checks out.
He was doing MWD work and the pay he told me was fairly accurate, no reason to doubt because I think he had an engineering degree.
It's too bad he got banned. He was motivated and did not want to be poor, no matter what happened. His banning was not even bad, he's right, there are some people who still take a blue pill stance to money. It's out there, you just have to go get it.
He was doing MWD work and the pay he told me was fairly accurate, no reason to doubt because I think he had an engineering degree.
It's too bad he got banned. He was motivated and did not want to be poor, no matter what happened. His banning was not even bad, he's right, there are some people who still take a blue pill stance to money. It's out there, you just have to go get it.
Guitarman
Pelican
On a slightly different note, the guy who rents in the industrial unit next to my workshop has a few hustles going. He has. Fork lift truck and last week I saw a van arrive, he unloaded it then less than an hour later a different van arrived and he loaded all the palates of goods into it. Not sure what this deal involved but he was buying from the first guys and selling to the second at a profit. It's all about having the contacts and jumping on opportunities.
A friends dad after losing his job started an Ebay business ( now has his own website) buying car related gadgets ( reversing cameras, reversing sensors and alarms etc) buys them in from China and sells individually on EBay.
So, potential " big baller trolls" aside, the hustles are out there. You just need to buy and the right price and sell at a profit.
A friends dad after losing his job started an Ebay business ( now has his own website) buying car related gadgets ( reversing cameras, reversing sensors and alarms etc) buys them in from China and sells individually on EBay.
So, potential " big baller trolls" aside, the hustles are out there. You just need to buy and the right price and sell at a profit.