When 'FREE' Really Sucks

NOTE: This blog has moved to: http://www.HonestOnlineSelling.com

eBay and Amazon sellers: Some 'free' online help may be hazardous to your health.

Let me explain:

Members of my other site (FBAFinds) pay up to $29.99/month (FBAFinds is the site that tells you 'What to Sell on Amazon and Where To Find it').

So FBAFinds is an 'exclusive' resource and forum: a capped pool of Amazon sellers with access to our mined information. (Remember, it costs me money and time to cull and analyze said information, so that's why I charge a fee. This is a business, after all).

But a handful of online sellers have thrown some pot shots, stating they are appalled that I'm not 'giving the information away (for free!)' (That's actually counter-productive, isn't it? If I gave away FBAFinds' daily list of 'what to sell on Amazon and where to find it' for free, EVERY seller would have access to the list - and thus the marketplace would become truly flooded with those 'finds', driving down the price. BTW, I also keep a cap on the # of FBAFinds subscribers.)

So I charge a modest price (less than a cup of coffee per day)' for my "friendliest online forum", as Debra Conrad puts it, and that does a MIRACULOUS thing:

It (somehow) keeps out the destructive, hurtful Amazon and eBay 'experts'.

I'll explain further.

If you're a member of any of these three free online help forums, you've probably bumped into some profoundly destructive and antagonistic Amazon sellers:

> ToySellersFBA : ToySellers FBA - Yahoo!
> Yahoo Group's FBAForum
and yes, even
Amazon.com's official seller help forum.

I've had several sellers write to me, aghast that they ask a simple question about how to sell online (on those forums), and they get immediately cast off, degraded, or subjected to a bombadment smart-aleck answers.

Participants in those free forums have been repeatedly subject to overwhelming negativity from folks who spend more energy and time bashing each other than actually helping sellers (or spending the same energy to...gasp...actually manage their selling business).

I'm not saying those forums can't help you. Yes, they're free. But free forums tend to (not always, but many times) attract the worst of the bunch. I proved that here and here.

On the other hand, paid forums - in my experience - have nary a negative tirade. There's likely some psychology/sociology-based correlation between a paid forum and the level of professional hospitaltiy, no?

Witness (and I don't get paid for referring you to these):

> MySilentTeam.com (forums with expert advice and content for selling just about anything online (Amazon, eBay, Craigslist, etc.) (I'm a member)
and
> Treasure Hunters' Cove (eBay and now Amazon selling experts) (I'm also member)

An 'investment' in either of those forums costs far less than a cup of coffee per day, but the level of help and positive encouragement is priceless. Negativity is almost non-existent.

Do you have a similar or opposite experience with any online help forum (paid or free)? Sound off by clicking 'Comments' below.

Amazon Begs Sellers, Part Two: 277 Software Titles Wanted

NOTE: This blog has moved to: http://www.HonestOnlineSelling.com

Some/all Amazon FBA Sellers (including myself) got the below email from Amazon today. This is a gold mine of information - Amazon is essentially giving you the exact information about 270 HOT HOT HOT Software items that they are running low on. Read more below. 


Why is this information a 'gold mine'?  Because these items have extremely good sales ranks AND they are in short supply in Amazon, you (as an Amazon seller) can essentially 'name your price' (within reason) if you are able to source any of these. (Good-bestseller-ranked items in short supply mean that customer Demand is far outpacing Supply. Pure 'economics' lets you raise the price of an item in short supply, that is in high demand. That's just the nature of efficient markets). 

How can you find some of these 277+ toys? Some are impossible to find, of course, but you can do a search on TheFind.com (which searches multiple online stores), or place a Craigslist.org wanted ad in your local neighborhood (a successful method many of my subscribers have had via my instructions in this guide).

Amazon's email to sellers is below:

Dear FBA Seller,

Thank you for selling on Amazon.com with our Fulfillment by Amazon service (FBA).

Right now, there are Software products that have high customer demand but that aren't being fulfilled by Amazon (but may be in the future). If you have any of these products or can get them, you might want to list them on Amazon.com and fulfill them using FBA.  Note that, at this time, we are looking for products in new condition only.   

We know that customers love buying items with FBA benefits, such as FREE Super Saver Shipping, Amazon Prime, and Guaranteed Accelerated Delivery, so this is a great time to consider testing a small quantity of these items in FBA.

See the list of 277 products here:  (Link will expire in 14 days)

Thank you again for selling on Amazon.com.

Sincerely,
Amazon Selling Coach

Amazon Begs Sellers, Part One: 9,231 Toys Wanted

NOTE: This blog has moved to: http://www.HonestOnlineSelling.com

Some/all Amazon FBA Sellers (including myself) got the below email from Amazon today. This is a gold mine of information - Amazon is essentially giving you the exact information about 9200 HOT HOT HOT 'Toys and Games' items that they are running low on. Read more below. 


Why is this information a 'gold mine'?  Because these items have extremely good sales ranks AND they are in short supply in Amazon, you (as an Amazon seller) can essentially 'name your price' (within reason) if you are able to source any of these. (Good-bestseller-ranked items in short supply mean that customer Demand is far outpacing Supply. Pure 'economics' lets you raise the price of an item in short supply, that is in high demand. That's just the nature of efficient markets). 

How can you find some of these 9,200+ toys? Some are impossible to find, of course, but you can do a search on TheFind.com (which searches multiple online stores), or place a Craigslist.org wanted ad in your local neighborhood (a successful method many of my subscribers have had via my instructions in this guide).

Amazon's email to sellers is below:

Dear FBA Seller,

Thank you for selling on Amazon.com with our Fulfillment by Amazon service (FBA).

Right now, there are Toys products that have high customer demand but that aren't being fulfilled by Amazon (but may be in the future). If you have any of these products or can get them, you might want to list them on Amazon.com and fulfill them using FBA.  Note that, at this time, we are looking for products in new condition only.   

We know that customers love buying items with FBA benefits, such as FREE Super Saver Shipping, Amazon Prime, and Guaranteed Accelerated Delivery, so this is a great time to consider testing a small quantity of these items in FBA.

See the list of 9,231 products here:  (Link will expire in 14 days)

Thank you again for selling on Amazon.com.
Sincerely,
Amazon Selling Coach

Podcast Here: Your Questions, Answered.

NOTE: This blog has moved to: http://www.HonestOnlineSelling.com

Last week I invited your questions about making money in 2012.

I made a podcast (with the answers to your questions), below (totally free for you, about 72 minutes long). Press 'Play' or download it (mp3) directly to your computer/device via this link).

In some parts I mention web addresses,  I listed the corresponding time they are mentioned (hh:mm:ss) below the podcast (scroll down)

Please post your feedback (click the 'Comment' link below this post) and let me know what you think.

Thanks to everyone who contributed...

----------------------------
00:00:01 to 00:03:15  Introduction - Jordan's background

URLs mentioned:
FBAFinds.com
HonestOnlineSelling.com
FBADeals.com
ResellToys.com
ResellBlackFriday.com

----------------------------

00:06:35 to 00:08:30 -  Providing local marketing services ('offline' marketing)
URLs mentioned:
OfflineBiz.com (free to sign up.)

----------------------------

00:06:35 to 00:08:30 - Selling Clothes on ebay

URLs mentioned:
http://www.eBay.com
http://www.etsy.com

----------------------------

00:08:35 to 00:10:20   - MLM (Multi-level- Marketing)

----------------------------
00:10:30 to 00:11:30 - Selling Jewelry
URLs mentioned:
Etsy.com

----------------------------

00:11:30 to 00:14:45  -  Selling Books on Amazon

URLs mentioned:

Neatsocan.com (subscription with Amazon pricing data, requires PDA Setup (next link):

Jordan's Recommended PDA/Scanner setup for Neatoscan
FBAScout.com

http://www.FBAFinds.com
----------------------------

00:14:50 to 00:19:20  - Amazon buyer feedback

URLs Mentioned:
http://www.FeedbackFive.com (use code 'JBMALIK' to extend the free trial from 14 days to 28 days)

----------------------------

00:25:38 to 00:33:20 - Building a residual income

----------------------------

00:23:35 to 00:25:35 - Simple/Easy ways to get started selling on eBay/Amazon

URLs Mentioned:
www.WhatCanIsellNow.com  - Sell on eBay:(If you are already selling on eBay, buy this guide to figure out what to sell)) - get 50% off with coupon code JBMALIK  through February 28, 2012

www.SellFBA.com/jm.html (Free)  - Sell on Amazon (if you are just starting selling on Amazon.com)

www.FBADeals.com (Free) - Sell on Amazon (if you have already read the previous free guide).

http://www.officialgeezerguide.com/ - If you're starting from 'Zero', Skip McGrath's Geezer series.

----------------------------

00:25:38 to 00:33:20:  Feedback on Amazon lacking; How do you grow/expand Amazon selling business?

URLs Mentioned:

http://www.Feedbackfive.com -  Get more Feedback (use coupon JBMALIK) for an extended  trial period

http://paydotcom.net/r/93810/jbmalik/26795322/ - My #1 resource for finding very inexpensive used books, CDs, DVDs, etc, to resell on Amazon for 300%+ Return on Investment (ROI).

http://www.booksalesfound.net/ - My #1 resource for finding libraries that sell books

http://www.craigslist.org - list free 'wanted' ads for merchandise

http://www.freecycle.org - list free 'wanted' ads for merchandise

Listtee.com  - Amazon.com product Listing programs (used to quickly list items on Amazon)

FBAPower.com - Like Listtee.com, Amazon.com product listing program (see above).

ResellToys.com: Contains list of toys you can find locally to resell on Amazon; also gives you 'how to' steps to creating a Craigslist and/or Freecycle.org WANTED ad (to get inventory 'coming to you')

----------------------------

00:33:30 to 00:36:00 - What to do when Amazon damages your inventory (FBA)

----------------------------

00:36:00 to 00:40:30 - Why FBAFinds.com focuses mostly on Toys; what other categories work

----------------------------

00:40:45 to 00:42:00 - What quantities to buy when FBAFinds.com recommends a product to resell on Amazon; why Diversification is key

----------------------------

00:42:00 to  00:45:00 - Price changes on Amazon, how to handle; how to use a repricer

URLs mentioned:
Repriceit.com
FBAFinds.com

----------------------------

00:45:20 to 00:47:30 - Why FBAFinds.com recommends toys for reselling - Why not Automotive? Clothing?

----------------------------
00:48:00 to 00:49:00 - Should I ever have an item sent back to me (from Amazon.com FBA warehouse)
----------------------------

00:49:05 to 00:51:30 - What about dropshipping?

URLs mentioned:
http://www.mysilentteam.com/public/ECommerce_Site_Training_with_Mark_Mathis.cfm

----------------------------

00:51:45 to 00:54:00 - fulfilling/shipping sold merchandise from home (amazon)

URLs mentioned:
https://sellercentral.amazon.com/gp/fbacalc/fba-calculator.html

---------------------------------

00:54:00 - 00:55:00 - Self-fulfilling beauty products/Hazmat
URLs mentioned:
biglots.com (brick-and-mortar stores, not online purchases).

----------------------------

00:55:00 - 01:01:00  - How to distinguish yourself among other Amazon sellers

----------------------------
01:00:00 - 01:00:52 - Does a blog help with Amazon.com product sales?

----------------------------

01:00:52 - 01:06:00 If I had to recommend one - EITHER FBAScout (tool to see Amazon selling data for items when you are scouting) OR Pro Merchant (Amazon.com selling subscription), which one would I pick?

URLs mentioned:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=1161306 (Amazon.com pro merchant description/comparison)
FBAScout.com

----------------------------

01:06:05 to 01:07:45 - What to do with books that are sitting on Amazon's FBA warehouses (inventory) that have not sold in a long time)

URL Mentioned (Amazon.com fees for removing your inventory):
Here.

----------------------------

01:07:50 to 01:10:00 - How to find items to Sell on Amazon.

URLs mentioned:
Neatsocan.com (subscription with Amazon pricing data, requires PDA Setup (next link):

Jordan's Recommended PDA/Scanner setup for Neatoscan

FBAScout.com

http://www.FBAFinds.com