{"appState":{"pageLoadApiCallsStatus":true},"categoryState":{"relatedCategories":{"headers":{"timestamp":"2022-05-17T12:31:23+00:00"},"categoryId":34250,"data":{"title":"Sales","slug":"sales","image":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"},"slug":"sales","categoryId":34250}],"parentCategory":{"categoryId":34225,"title":"Business","slug":"business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"}},"childCategories":[],"description":"If you want to be able to sell umbrellas in the desert, look no further than the actionable tips found here.","relatedArticles":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles?category=34250&offset=0&size=5"}},"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"}},"relatedCategoriesLoadedStatus":"success"},"listState":{"list":{"count":10,"total":232,"items":[{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:46:55+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-04-26T20:28:48+00:00","timestamp":"2022-04-27T00:01:25+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"},"slug":"sales","categoryId":34250}],"title":"Sales Management For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"sales management for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"sales-management-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Identify new talent, run an effective sales meeting, and track and set goals to be a successful sales manager.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Being a successful sales manager means so much more than being a good sales person (although that certainly is a big part of it). You have to be skilled at identifying new talent, know how to run an effective sales meeting, and set and track the progress of goals for your team. Nobody said the job was easy, but it's certainly never dull.","description":"Being a successful sales manager means so much more than being a good sales person (although that certainly is a big part of it). You have to be skilled at identifying new talent, know how to run an effective sales meeting, and set and track the progress of goals for your team. Nobody said the job was easy, but it's certainly never dull.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9044,"name":"Butch Bellah","slug":"butch-bellah","description":"Butch Bellah is a speaker, sales coach, and author. He spent almost 16 years with a large regional wholesale distributor whose annual sales he helped grow from $35 million to more than $250 million before he bought the company with a business partner. He is the author of Sales Management For Dummies.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9044"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34250,"title":"Sales","slug":"sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":141196,"title":"There’s No &#147;I&#148; in Sales","slug":"theres-no-i-in-sales","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/141196"}},{"articleId":141190,"title":"Sales Management: Dealing with the Hard Stuff, Even When You Dread It","slug":"sales-management-dealing-with-the-hard-stuff-even-when-you-dread-it","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/141190"}},{"articleId":141193,"title":"Everyone Needs Training in Sales","slug":"everyone-needs-training-in-sales","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/141193"}},{"articleId":141194,"title":"5 Tips for a Better Sales Meeting","slug":"5-tips-for-a-better-sales-meeting","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/141194"}},{"articleId":141000,"title":"Sales Team Goals Checklist","slug":"sales-team-goals-checklist","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/141000"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":271837,"title":"How to Add Your Trademark to the Amazon Brand Registry","slug":"how-to-add-your-trademark-to-the-amazon-brand-registry","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271837"}},{"articleId":271834,"title":"Manage Your Amazon Seller Account with the Mobile App","slug":"manage-your-amazon-seller-account-with-the-mobile-app","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271834"}},{"articleId":271831,"title":"How to Track Your Amazon Seller Account’s Health and Performance","slug":"how-to-track-your-amazon-seller-accounts-health-and-performance","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271831"}},{"articleId":271827,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Manage Inventory","slug":"selling-on-amazon-manage-inventory","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271827"}},{"articleId":271824,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Choose an Order Fulfillment Method","slug":"selling-on-amazon-choose-an-order-fulfillment-method","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271824"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282556,"slug":"sales-management-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119094227","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119094224/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119094224/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119094224-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119094224/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119094224/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/sales-management-for-dummies-cover-9781119094227-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Sales Management For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><b data-author-id=\"9044\">Butch Bellah</b> is an expert salesperson, trainer, author, motivational speaker, and one-time stand-up comedian. For more than 30 years, he has honed his sales skills and trained others in the fine art of gaining more appointments, winning more business, and retaining more customers. </p>","authors":[{"authorId":9044,"name":"Butch Bellah","slug":"butch-bellah","description":"Butch Bellah is a speaker, sales coach, and author. He spent almost 16 years with a large regional wholesale distributor whose annual sales he helped grow from $35 million to more than $250 million before he bought the company with a business partner. He is the author of Sales Management For Dummies.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9044"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;sales&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119094227&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-626887d590765\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;sales&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119094227&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-626887d590cbb\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":140989,"title":"Questions for the Salespeople Hiring Process","slug":"questions-for-the-salespeople-hiring-process","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/140989"}},{"articleId":140994,"title":"Sales Meeting Checklist","slug":"sales-meeting-checklist","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/140994"}},{"articleId":141000,"title":"Sales Team Goals Checklist","slug":"sales-team-goals-checklist","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/141000"}}],"content":[{"title":"Questions for the salespeople hiring process","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Sooner or later you&#8217;re going to find yourself needing to hire a new salesperson and you&#8217;ll be faced with that daunting stack of resumes or applications. After you work your way through it deciding who to talk to and who to eliminate, you&#8217;ll need to interview the select few to find your next sales superstar.</p>\n<p>Everybody is (or should be) ready to answer the age-old, &#8220;Tell me about yourself&#8221;. Many of them have pat answers that sound so great — but they end up being better at being interviewed than they do at selling.</p>\n<p>Here are a few helpful questions in getting people to open up and talk in the sales interview:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">(If they aren&#8217;t employed) Most great salespeople seldom find themselves without a job. What led to you being here today?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">(If they are employed) I see you have a job now, what puts you in the market to find another one?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Who was the best sales manager you ever worked for and why?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Who was the worst sales manager you ever worked for and why?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Give me an example of a time when you had to be really creative to either save a customer or make a sale.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">What&#8217;s the last good business book you read?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">What type of personal development and continuous education are you currently practicing?</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>As you can see, these aren&#8217;t your run-of-the-mill interview questions they&#8217;ve practiced for over and over. You&#8217;re likely to get a good idea of a person&#8217;s true capabilities when they have to think on their feet and answer honestly.</p>\n<p>If they struggle or squirm, let them. Don&#8217;t throw them a lifeline and skip over the question. These are meant to be tough. But, that&#8217;s the type of talent you want for your department, isn&#8217;t it?</p>\n"},{"title":"Sales meeting checklist","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Here&#8217;s a quick checklist you can use to help put on the best sales meeting possible. You may have a few more specific to your industry, but this is a good start and will get you thinking. Also, immediately following a sales meeting, have a debriefing with your key people to see what you could&#8217;ve done better to improve your next meeting.</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Venue booked or room reserved</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Theme/Content selected and created</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">All department heads notified</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Vendor partners invited and confirmed</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Other guest(s) invited and confirmed</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Food and beverage ordered</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Product samples ordered and arranged for delivery</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Hotel rooms booked and confirmed for out-of-town salespeople</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Schedules arranged to cover sales floor (if meeting is during working hours)</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Agenda created and provided to everyone</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Copies of all documents, new item information and data sheets printed</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Post-meeting cleanup arranged</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Sales team goals checklist","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>The following checklist provides you and your salespeople with the opportunity to write down your goals and use &#8220;mile markers&#8221; to make sure you stay on target.</p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/491595.image0.jpg\" alt=\"image0.jpg\" width=\"535\" height=\"417\" /></p>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-04-26T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":207448},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:47:01+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-04-11T18:41:30+00:00","timestamp":"2022-04-12T00:01:08+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"},"slug":"sales","categoryId":34250}],"title":"Direct Selling For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"direct selling for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"direct-selling-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Direct sales models aren't one-size-fits-all. Discover the different types of direct selling and how to set reachable goals.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Direct selling has come a long way from its humble, domestic roots in 1950s Americana. Today’s top independent representatives run highly efficient, modern businesses that often leave more traditional retailers in the dust. There are three main types of direct sales models: Party Plan, Network Marketing, and Hybrid, and each finds its niche in the industry. Being successful means setting and meeting goals. Doing so keeps you on your toes and engaged in your business. Once you get going in your business, there are lots of hard-earned tips and tricks you can apply to really maximize your profit.","description":"Direct selling has come a long way from its humble, domestic roots in 1950s Americana. Today’s top independent representatives run highly efficient, modern businesses that often leave more traditional retailers in the dust. There are three main types of direct sales models: Party Plan, Network Marketing, and Hybrid, and each finds its niche in the industry. Being successful means setting and meeting goals. Doing so keeps you on your toes and engaged in your business. Once you get going in your business, there are lots of hard-earned tips and tricks you can apply to really maximize your profit.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9033,"name":"Belinda Ellsworth","slug":"belinda-ellsworth","description":"Belinda Ellsworth is a veteran motivational speaker, sales trainer, and expert for the direct sales industry. With more than 30 years of experience, she has trained thousands of independent sales representatives, managers, and executives and has worked with more than 100 direct sales companies. ","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9033"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34250,"title":"Sales","slug":"sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":141607,"title":"Attending Shows as Part of Direct Sales","slug":"attending-shows-as-part-of-direct-sales","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/141607"}},{"articleId":141603,"title":"Using the Power of Groups to Promote Your Direct Sales Leaders and Train Your Team","slug":"using-the-power-of-groups-to-promote-your-direct-sales-leaders-and-train-your-team","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/141603"}},{"articleId":141604,"title":"Top Facebook Tips for Direct Sales","slug":"top-facebook-tips-for-direct-sales","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/141604"}},{"articleId":141606,"title":"Never Stop Learning: What’s Old Can Become New Again in Direct Sales","slug":"never-stop-learning-whats-old-can-become-new-again-in-direct-sales","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/141606"}},{"articleId":141605,"title":"Practice Makes Perfect: Improving Your Skill Sets for Success in Direct Sales","slug":"practice-makes-perfect-improving-your-skill-sets-for-success-in-direct-sales","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/141605"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":271837,"title":"How to Add Your Trademark to the Amazon Brand Registry","slug":"how-to-add-your-trademark-to-the-amazon-brand-registry","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271837"}},{"articleId":271834,"title":"Manage Your Amazon Seller Account with the Mobile App","slug":"manage-your-amazon-seller-account-with-the-mobile-app","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271834"}},{"articleId":271831,"title":"How to Track Your Amazon Seller Account’s Health and Performance","slug":"how-to-track-your-amazon-seller-accounts-health-and-performance","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271831"}},{"articleId":271827,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Manage Inventory","slug":"selling-on-amazon-manage-inventory","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271827"}},{"articleId":271824,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Choose an Order Fulfillment Method","slug":"selling-on-amazon-choose-an-order-fulfillment-method","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271824"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282155,"slug":"direct-selling-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119076483","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/111907648X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/111907648X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/111907648X-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/111907648X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/111907648X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/direct-selling-for-dummies-cover-9781119076483-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Direct Selling For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><b data-author-id=\"9033\">Belinda Ellsworth</b> is a veteran motivational speaker, sales trainer, and expert for the direct sales industry. With more than 30 years of experience, she has trained thousands of independent sales representatives, managers, and executives and has worked with more than 100 direct sales companies. </p>","authors":[{"authorId":9033,"name":"Belinda Ellsworth","slug":"belinda-ellsworth","description":"Belinda Ellsworth is a veteran motivational speaker, sales trainer, and expert for the direct sales industry. With more than 30 years of experience, she has trained thousands of independent sales representatives, managers, and executives and has worked with more than 100 direct sales companies. ","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9033"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;sales&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119076483&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6254c1449b0c6\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;sales&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119076483&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6254c1449b609\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":141600,"title":"The 3 Types of Direct Sales","slug":"the-3-types-of-direct-sales","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/141600"}},{"articleId":141598,"title":"Setting Goals to Achieve Success in Direct Selling","slug":"setting-goals-to-achieve-success-in-direct-selling","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/141598"}},{"articleId":141599,"title":"Making More Money with Your Direct Sales Business","slug":"making-more-money-with-your-direct-sales-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/141599"}}],"content":[{"title":"The 3 types of direct sales","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p><i>Direct sales</i> or <i>direct selling </i>refers to the sale of products or services away from a fixed retail location. These products are marketed and sold directly through independent sales representatives, also known as consultants, presenters, distributors, and a variety of other names.</p>\n<p>With a starter kit purchase for a small fee, direct sales offers the average person a way to earn income with an established business model and a marketable product line. It works almost like a mini‐franchise but without the initial investment. It is a low‐risk opportunity to earn more money than you could realistically by starting from scratch alone.</p>\n<p class=\"Tip\">There are three types of direct sales models:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Party Plan:</b> This model focuses on efficiently selling to groups of people who have been gathered together by a host whom they know personally, either in person or virtually (online). These types of gatherings are typically referred to as parties. These parties are hosted at a customer’s home, and this customer is known as the <i>host.</i> The host traditionally is rewarded with a series of discounted and free products as well as host-exclusive specials. The host invites her friends over as guests to attend the party. The party usually consists of light refreshments, socializing, and a presentation done by the representative.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">The purpose of a home party is to create a fun, relaxing, home shopping experience with friends. This model lends the power of the host’s personal recommendation to the products and facilitates <i>social proof,</i> which means the weight of influence carried by a group of people. Party Plan parties are quite effective in generating sales, attracting recruits, and teaching others how to sell. One clear strength of the Party Plan model is the easy-to-understand emphasis on selling products to customers.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Network Marketing:</b> <i>Network Marketing</i> refers to a company structure designed to move consumable products through a network of independent representatives, via both personal use and sales to end consumers. When a Network Marketing company is building its sales force, it is focused on building a network of consumers. The company doesn’t distinguish between those who join as independent representatives to earn money and those who join merely for a discount on their personal products.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">One strength of the Network Marketing model is that companies can grow very large and sell huge amounts of products through a vast network of people who have, in many senses of the word, joined as members. Many members set themselves up for a subscription to receive their products each month — an arrangement often called <i>auto</i><i>&#8211;</i><i>ship.</i> These continuous re-orders through a network of people affiliated with the company by choice can lead to consistent sales growth, as long as people in the network continue to see the benefit of the product.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Hybrid:</b> As you might guess, <i>hybrid</i> blends the practices of Network Marketing and Party Plan. In Hybrid companies, as with those in the Party Plan model, independent representatives have hosts gather their friends and family to experience a product demonstration, in person or online. But with Hybrid, the emphasis is as much on the business opportunity as it is on sales of the product. The compensation plans tend to borrow traditional elements from both Party Plan and Network Marketing. As in Network Marketing, these products lend themselves well to auto‐ship, the subscription order model where independent representatives and customers get monthly replenishment orders shipped to their homes automatically.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">In Hybrid companies, auto‐ship usually offers a price break for the customer (sometimes referred to as a <i>preferred customer rate</i>). Some programs offer vanishing auto‐ship or free auto‐ship for customers who refer other customers through referral programs. These referral programs can also include free auto‐ship for independent representatives who have a certain number of customers on auto-ship, meaning that the representative’s own monthly consumption of product is covered. These referral programs, which combine the customer‐focused Party Plan outlook with the Network Marketing‐style auto‐ship approach, have been very successful and have led to significant growth for the companies and leaders involved.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Setting goals to achieve success in direct selling","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>In order to build a successful direct selling business, you need to define what success means to you. That means deciding what your vision for your business is and setting the goals you need to get there:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Creating your vision:</b> Vision is the big picture of where you see yourself and what motivates you. Keeping your vision front and center can help set you apart — very few people develop a vision. Picture what you really want in life. Make that picture very clear. Don’t just envision more free time and more money. Get into detail. Paint a picture of what you really want the time and money <i>for.</i> Perhaps you would like to buy a new home, become debt‐free, or help your spouse retire. Writing down your vision and placing it prominently on a bulletin board is a good way to keep your vision alive.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Setting goals as your milestones to success:</b> Vision and goals both contribute to success, but they are not the same thing. <i>Success</i> is achieving your vision by reaching the goals you set. <i>Goals</i> are the milestones on the way to your success. Goals are a way to break down your vision into manageable steps. Look closely at your vision. What steps, or goals, will it take to get there? For example, if you want to take your loved ones to Disney World, you need to determine how much that trip will cost. Once you know the dollar amount, you can easily plan how you are going to achieve that in commission.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Reaching your destination:</b> When you make a decision, the desire builds, you follow through with the details, and you reach your destination. You may need to pull over and get directions (meaning you may need to get help from your upline or an accountability partner), but you don’t ever give up. Success is a journey — a road traveled. You will have speed bumps, roadblocks, and detours along the way. If you don’t know where you’re going, the detours that you come across in life may take you off in different directions. By having the destination in your mind, plus written down and posted around your home or office as reminders, you’ll be able to get through the detours and challenges and still be headed in the direction you want.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Staying determined:</b> Success requires determination. Tell yourself that you’re not giving up. And then don’t. When a party cancels, don’t just think, <i>Oh well, I guess I have the night off,</i> and then hang out watching TV. Instead, make some calls and book another party (or two). If you’re short on your sales goals for a trip, don’t hang out watching TV — instead make up the sales with more bookings, one-on-ones, or re-servicing orders.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Making more money with your direct sales business","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Most people get into direct sales to earn an income, of course. There are many ways in which you can work your business and many different opportunities to generate sales. You can utilize all of the following suggestions or focus on just two or three services:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Home parties:</b> When people get to attend a party and interact with other guests, they experience that great energy that comes from having a good time together. The right balance of fun, the excitement of seeing friends make similar purchases, the information provided in the brief presentation, and the added bonus of expert advice all combine to create social proof (the strength of personal recommendations). Social proof can create stronger sales, result in more bookings, and even make recruiting new team members easier.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para Tip\">Follow the elements of a successful party: Always create desire for the product, hosting a party, and the opportunity. Greet guests as they come in and get them excited for the evening ahead. Do an opening talk where you introduce yourself and plant opportunity and hosting seeds. Present products and you focus on selling their benefits, not the details. Give a booking talk where you make the hosting opportunity sound fun and appealing to other guests. Deliver a recruiting talk where you build the desire for joining the company and earning an income. Always do a full-service checkout where you review their products with them to make sure they aren’t missing anything and offer the hosting and joining opportunities.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>One-on-one appointments:</b> One‐on‐one selling is an excellent way to gain new clients, party hosts, and recruits. It gives you the opportunity to discover your prospects’ needs and cater your presentation to offer them a specific solution. This personal experience is the perfect situation for relationship‐building, so it also helps set you up for re‐servicing. It’s also an excellent time to sit with someone one-on-one to discuss the business opportunity.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Trade shows and vendor events:</b> Trade shows can help you reach out into your community and meet people you may not have met otherwise. Note that smaller, less expensive events tend to provide a bigger return on your investment. Decide on your purpose for that particular event and don’t get distracted by anything else. If your focus is to get bookings, then don’t focus on selling product. Concentrate on engaging people so that you get bookings. If your goal is to earn enough to pay for your booth as you expand your contacts, focus on selling product you have on hand. If your goal is recruiting, make sure all your conversations include the message “I’m looking for people to join me.”</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Out and about:</b> Meeting new people — or <i>networking</i> — is important because you never know where you will find business. Always be prepared to talk to the people around you. Being prepared means being ready mentally and physically. You want to look professional, have your 30‐second commercial prepared and rehearsed, and be sure your marketing items are on hand. If someone asks you what you do, you want to be able to follow up with marketing materials such as promo cards, catalogs, and business cards.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Online:</b> When it comes to doing a great online party, you use exactly the same skills as an in‐home party. The difference is in how you utilize those skills. To succeed with virtual parties, you need to engage guests, make it fun, and show them how your product really answers a need they have. Successful online parties also demonstrate why hosting a party is exciting and rewarding and how becoming a representative meets a need that each guest has. There’s no question that online parties can be a great boost to your business. They allow you to reach people outside your general vicinity and offer the best fit for both you and your hosts. You don’t have to leave your house, you can put the kids in bed, and you can sit down and do your virtual party.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Fundraisers:</b> Fundraising is a $19 billion market. The great part of fundraising programs is that people want to support their community. Fundraising can introduce you and your products to an entirely different crowd. Many companies offer a fundraising program that divides your normal profit so that the bulk of it goes to your school or organization or whatever beneficiary you have chosen. Or you can develop your own program. Focus on offering about a dozen top items on a flyer rather than using the entire catalog. Make sure the receipt offers an opt‐out option for future contact and that the products are delivered with your contact information included. People who come from a long‐term corporate background find this model of doing business very successful and appealing.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Re-servicing:</b> This is a piece of the business that many people leave out, and that’s a huge amount of cash to leave on the table. Re‐servicing is more than simply posting on Facebook “I’m putting in an order, does anyone want anything?” Re‐servicing is true customer care, meaning it involves contacting customers by phone with a simple, short conversation to ensure that they’re doing well and like the products, and to determine whether they need more or would like to try the monthly special. If your company doesn’t offer a monthly special, create one for just your customers. Or look at each customer’s previous purchases and suggest something tailored just to them. Re‐servicing can turn into an independent stream of income. You can also schedule about 15–20 minutes a day for this task.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Personal shopping experience:</b> Consider providing this kind of service as well as selling products. For example, those who sell food‐storage products might tell prospective customers something like, “For a fee, I will come in and organize your pantry.” The customer then pays the fee, and you come in, show them how to organize, and recommend products that should be used — and tell them they can apply their fee as a credit toward their order. Representatives who offer cooking tools can offer to streamline kitchens. Those offering clothing can also offer seasonal wardrobe‐organization services. For many companies, it’s appropriate to offer this service twice a year.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Show-on-the-go:</b> Your mini show‐on‐the‐go is an excellent opportunity to sell your product one‐on‐one while you’re out running errands. An afternoon out at the mall can quickly turn into a sale, a booking, or a new recruit for your team. You can quickly create a show‐on‐the‐go kit by putting three catalogs (or mini‐catalogs or product brochures) into a tote bag with five to eight product samples, a host packet, and an opportunity packet.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-04-11T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":207469},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:54:28+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-03-01T21:59:47+00:00","timestamp":"2022-03-02T00:01:04+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"},"slug":"sales","categoryId":34250}],"title":"Selling For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"selling for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"selling-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"This Cheat Sheet summarizes the keys to successful selling, including making a great first impression to closing the sale.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"With the right selling skills in your arsenal, you’ll have more happiness and satisfaction in <i>all</i> areas of your life, not just in your selling career (although your selling will certainly benefit, too).\r\n\r\nTo start down the road to sales success, you need to know how to make a good first impression, ensure that your prospective clients need what you have, give fantastic presentations, address client concerns, and close sales.","description":"With the right selling skills in your arsenal, you’ll have more happiness and satisfaction in <i>all</i> areas of your life, not just in your selling career (although your selling will certainly benefit, too).\r\n\r\nTo start down the road to sales success, you need to know how to make a good first impression, ensure that your prospective clients need what you have, give fantastic presentations, address client concerns, and close sales.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9234,"name":"Tom Hopkins","slug":"tom-hopkins","description":"Tom Hopkins is the epitome of sales success. A millionaire by the time he reached the age of 27, he is now chairman of Tom Hopkins International Inc., one of the most prestigious sales-training organizations in the world.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9234"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34250,"title":"Sales","slug":"sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":189004,"title":"Meeting Sales Prospects for the First Time","slug":"meeting-sales-prospects-for-the-first-time-2","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/189004"}},{"articleId":188976,"title":"Handling Objections as You Sell","slug":"handling-objections-as-you-sell-2","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/188976"}},{"articleId":188968,"title":"Quick Pointers for Closing Any Sale","slug":"quick-pointers-for-closing-any-sale-2","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/188968"}},{"articleId":188960,"title":"Making Winning Sales Presentations","slug":"making-winning-sales-presentations-2","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/188960"}},{"articleId":188959,"title":"Qualifying Your Prospective Clients during the Selling Cycle","slug":"qualifying-your-prospective-clients-during-the-selling-cycle","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/188959"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":271837,"title":"How to Add Your Trademark to the Amazon Brand Registry","slug":"how-to-add-your-trademark-to-the-amazon-brand-registry","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271837"}},{"articleId":271834,"title":"Manage Your Amazon Seller Account with the Mobile App","slug":"manage-your-amazon-seller-account-with-the-mobile-app","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271834"}},{"articleId":271831,"title":"How to Track Your Amazon Seller Account’s Health and Performance","slug":"how-to-track-your-amazon-seller-accounts-health-and-performance","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271831"}},{"articleId":271827,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Manage Inventory","slug":"selling-on-amazon-manage-inventory","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271827"}},{"articleId":271824,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Choose an Order Fulfillment Method","slug":"selling-on-amazon-choose-an-order-fulfillment-method","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271824"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282567,"slug":"selling-for-dummies-4th-edition","isbn":"9781118967232","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118967232/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1118967232/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1118967232-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1118967232/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1118967232/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-for-dummies-4th-edition-cover-9781118967232-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Selling For Dummies, 4th Edition","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><b data-author-id=\"9234\">Tom Hopkins</b> is the epitome of sales success. A millionaire by the time he reached the age of 27, he is now chairman of Tom Hopkins International Inc., one of the most prestigious sales-training organizations in the world. </p>","authors":[{"authorId":9234,"name":"Tom Hopkins","slug":"tom-hopkins","description":"Tom Hopkins is the epitome of sales success. A millionaire by the time he reached the age of 27, he is now chairman of Tom Hopkins International Inc., one of the most prestigious sales-training organizations in the world.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9234"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;sales&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781118967232&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-621eb3c01fc7d\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;sales&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781118967232&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-621eb3c0201c8\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":189004,"title":"Meeting Sales Prospects for the First Time","slug":"meeting-sales-prospects-for-the-first-time-2","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/189004"}},{"articleId":188959,"title":"Qualifying Your Prospective Clients during the Selling Cycle","slug":"qualifying-your-prospective-clients-during-the-selling-cycle","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/188959"}},{"articleId":188960,"title":"Making Winning Sales Presentations","slug":"making-winning-sales-presentations-2","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/188960"}},{"articleId":188976,"title":"Handling Objections as You Sell","slug":"handling-objections-as-you-sell-2","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/188976"}},{"articleId":188968,"title":"Quick Pointers for Closing Any Sale","slug":"quick-pointers-for-closing-any-sale-2","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/188968"}}],"content":[{"title":"Meeting sales prospects for the first time","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>When you meet prospective clients during the selling cycle — or anyone, for that matter — for the first time, your goal is for them to like and trust you. You can accomplish that goal and be on your way to making a sale by completing the following steps, in this order:</p>\n<ol class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Smile, deep and wide.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Make eye contact.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Offer a greeting.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Shake hands.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Offer your name and get the prospect’s name.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Long-term relationships begin in the first ten seconds.</p>\n"},{"title":"Qualifying your prospective clients during the selling cycle","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>When you first meet with prospective clients, you need to <i>qualify</i> them — in other words, you need to see whether the product or service you sell meets their needs.</p>\n<p>To help you remember what to ask during this stage of the selling cycle, use this creatively spelled acronym — NEADS:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>N:</b> What does your prospect have now?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>E:</b> What does your prospect enjoy most about what she has now?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>A:</b> What would your prospect alter or change about what she has now?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>D:</b> Who is the final decision-maker?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>S:</b> Tell your prospect of your goal to help her find the best solution.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Making winning sales presentations","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>People don’t buy logically. They buy emotionally and then defend their decisions with logic. Your sales presentation must not only capture and hold the attention of potential clients but should also involve as many of their senses as possible.</p>\n<p>These tips can help you make an effective sales presentation:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Never give your prospect something to read until it’s time to read it.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Keep your presentation to 17 minutes (people tend to lose interest in anything after this time frame). It should run longer only because your prospect is actively involved and asking questions.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">If there’s a break in your presentation for any reason, do a brief recap when you begin again to get your prospect back to the same emotionally involved point he was at before the break.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Let the product be the star by getting yourself out of the way. Don’t stand between your prospect and the product. Get the prospect actively engaged with the product if at all possible. Let him handle it, push buttons, move levers, whatever is appropriate.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Salt your presentation with your prospect’s lingo. For example, if you’re selling window coverings to an architect, use the industry names for the styles of windows or other features of her home or office.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Handling objections as you sell","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>An important step in the selling cycle is listening to and responding to your prospect’s concerns and objections. Here are the steps to take when a person objects to something about the product or service you’re selling:</p>\n<ol class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><strong>Hear the prospect out.</strong></p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">Don’t be too quick to address every phrase your prospect utters. Give him time; encourage him to tell you the whole story behind his concern. If you don’t get the whole story, you won’t know what to do or say to change his mind.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><strong>Feed the objection back.</strong></p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">By rephrasing what your prospect’s concerns are, you’re asking for even more information. You want to be sure that he’s aired it all so that no other concerns crop up after you’ve handled this one.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><strong>Question the objection.</strong></p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">This step is where subtlety and tact come into play. Be sure to find out what feeling is behind that objection and reassure your prospect that your product or service is right for him.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><strong>Answer the objection.</strong></p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">When you’re confident that you have the whole story behind your prospect’s concern, you can answer that concern with confidence.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><strong>Confirm the answer.</strong></p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">You confirm your answers simply by saying, “That answers your concern, doesn’t it, Mr. Parker?” If you don’t complete this step, the prospect very likely will raise that objection again.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><strong>Change gears with “By the way. . . .”</strong></p>\n<p class=\"child-para\"><i>By the way</i> are three of the most useful words to move beyond the concern. Use these words to change gears — to move on to the next topic. Take a conscious, purposeful step back into your presentation.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n"},{"title":"Quick pointers for closing any sale","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Most sales are lost because salespeople didn’t clearly ask for the business or asked at the wrong time. If your product or service has proven to be truly a good decision for your client, it’s your obligation to ask them to own it!</p>\n<p>Develop your closing instinct with the help of these guidelines:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">When you feel the client warming up to the sale by asking more questions, leaning forward, or touching the actual product, take his temperature by saying something like this: “Mr. Barnes, tell me, how are you feeling about all of this so far?”</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Have at least six closing strategies in your arsenal because most clients dodge making the commitment five times.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Close with sincerity and empathy for their situation. For example: “Mr. and Mrs. White, I can appreciate your excitement about finally having a backyard pool of your own so you can swim with your family anytime you like.”</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Be prepared to wait silently for an answer after you ask a closing question. If you start talking before they answer, you may interrupt their train of thought and take them out of the buying mode.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-03-01T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":208701},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2020-06-26T21:00:40+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-02-22T19:50:03+00:00","timestamp":"2022-02-24T17:07:36+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"},"slug":"sales","categoryId":34250}],"title":"Selling on Amazon For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"selling on amazon for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"selling-on-amazon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Explore the world of selling products on Amazon—from what to sell and how to source products to creating your own brand on Amazon.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Selling on Amazon is a broad topic that covers everything from researching products to sell and sourcing products to listing products for sale, fulfilling orders, and serving customers after a sale. This Cheat Sheet highlights a few key topics.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271692\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271692\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/amazon-selling.jpg\" alt=\"selling on Amazon\" width=\"556\" height=\"371\" /> © paulaphoto/Shutterstock.com[/caption]","description":"Selling on Amazon is a broad topic that covers everything from researching products to sell and sourcing products to listing products for sale, fulfilling orders, and serving customers after a sale. This Cheat Sheet highlights a few key topics.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271692\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271692\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/amazon-selling.jpg\" alt=\"selling on Amazon\" width=\"556\" height=\"371\" /> © paulaphoto/Shutterstock.com[/caption]","blurb":"","authors":[],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34250,"title":"Sales","slug":"sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33589,"title":"Amazon","slug":"amazon","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33589"}},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":271837,"title":"How to Add Your Trademark to the Amazon Brand 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Inventory","slug":"selling-on-amazon-manage-inventory","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271827"}},{"articleId":271824,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Choose an Order Fulfillment Method","slug":"selling-on-amazon-choose-an-order-fulfillment-method","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271824"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":271837,"title":"How to Add Your Trademark to the Amazon Brand Registry","slug":"how-to-add-your-trademark-to-the-amazon-brand-registry","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271837"}},{"articleId":271834,"title":"Manage Your Amazon Seller Account with the Mobile App","slug":"manage-your-amazon-seller-account-with-the-mobile-app","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271834"}},{"articleId":271831,"title":"How to Track Your Amazon Seller Account’s Health and Performance","slug":"how-to-track-your-amazon-seller-accounts-health-and-performance","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271831"}},{"articleId":271827,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Manage Inventory","slug":"selling-on-amazon-manage-inventory","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271827"}},{"articleId":271824,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Choose an Order Fulfillment 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on Amazon For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><b data-author-id=\"33370\">Deniz Olmez</b> is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup and management, FBA, and branding services. <b data-author-id=\"8993\">Joe Kraynak</b> has authored and coauthored numerous books including <i>Flipping Houses For Dummies</i> and <i>Foreclosure Self-Defense For Dummies.</i> </p>","authors":[{"authorId":33370,"name":"Deniz Olmez","slug":"deniz-olmez","description":"Deniz Olmez is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup, and management, and branding services.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33370"}},{"authorId":8993,"name":"Joseph Kraynak","slug":"joseph-kraynak","description":"Joseph Kraynak is a writer who's contributed to several Dummies books, including Flipping Houses For Dummies, Oceans For Dummies, and Selling on Amazon For Dummies.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8993"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;sales&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119689331&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6217bb5867db9\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;sales&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119689331&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6217bb5868793\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":0,"title":"","slug":null,"categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/"}}],"content":[{"title":"What to sell on Amazon","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>One of the most challenging tasks you have as an Amazon Seller is choosing products to sell. Ideally, you want to sell items in high demand and low supply, so you can sell a boatload of items at a huge markup. That usually happens only for sellers who invent their own amazing products. Other sellers must settle for products that sell fairly well and generate a reasonable profit. Here are some tips for choosing products with respectable sales and profit potential:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use a third-party product research tool to identify potentially hot-selling, profitable products.</li>\n<li>Lean toward products that sell for more than $25 and have at least a 50 percent profit margin; otherwise, packing, storage, and shipping costs are likely to consume a significant portion of your profit.</li>\n<li>Steer clear of products with lots of competitors.</li>\n<li>Find products with poorly developed product listings, such as lousy product photos or a terrible product description.</li>\n<li>Look for products with an Amazon Best Seller Rating (BSR) of 3,000 or better in its main product category. This rating identifies the best-selling products on Amazon.</li>\n<li>Avoid product categories dominated by one or only a few brands.</li>\n<li>Lean toward product categories with several competing products, none of which has more than 50 reviews.</li>\n<li>Opt for small, compact products that weigh no more than a few pounds, to minimize your storage, packing, and shipping costs.</li>\n<li>Choose products commonly searched for on Amazon. (You can find plenty of third-party product research tools to help with this.)</li>\n<li>Lean toward products you’re excited about.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Your product sourcing options when selling on Amazon","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p><em>Product sourcing </em>is the process of obtaining products to sell at a profit. You can acquire products to sell from a number of different sources, including these:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Retail arbitrage:</strong> You buy deeply discounted products, typically from large brick-and-mortar retailers, mark up the price, and list them for sale on Amazon.</li>\n<li><strong>Auctions and liquidation sales:</strong> Local and online auctions (and estate sales) allow you to bid on items and often buy them for significantly less than they would be sold for in traditional retail stores, although you may be required to list these items as “used.”</li>\n<li><strong>Drop-shipping:</strong> With drop-shipping, you select items from a drop shipper’s catalog and list them on Amazon. When a customer orders the item, you pass the order to the drop-shipper who picks, packs, and ships the item to the customer according to your specifications, so it looks as though it came from you.</li>\n<li><strong>Wholesalers: </strong>Traditional sourcing involves purchasing a large quantity of products from a wholesaler, then selling them individually at a significant markup to consumers. You can find plenty of domestic and foreign suppliers, such as <a href=\"https://www.alibaba.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">alibaba.com</a><u>,</u> that offer products at wholesale prices.</li>\n<li><strong>Manufacturers: </strong>You have two options here:</li>\n</ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">You can invent your own product and contract with a manufacturer to make it.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">You can buy generic products from a manufacturer, label them with your brand, and sell them as brand name (<em>private label</em>) products.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Handmade products: </strong>You can make your own products to sell on Amazon and list them for sale in the handmade category. However, you must register with Amazon as an “artisan,” and your products must be hand-crafted, not mass-produced.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"10 tips for winning the buy box on Amazon","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>The <em>buy box</em> is the rectangle in the upper right corner of a product detail page that enables a shopper to add the item to her cart. More than 80 percent of all sales go through the buy box, so you want to be the seller who owns that buy box. Here are ten tips for improving your odds of winning the buy box:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Upgrade to a professional seller account. </strong>Individual seller accounts are not buy-box eligible.</li>\n<li><strong>Set a competitive total price. </strong>When setting a product’s price, take into consideration what the customer will pay for shipping, then compare that total price with what competitors are charging.</li>\n<li><strong>Ship and deliver products on time. </strong>Late shipment rate and on-time delivery rate are separate metrics Amazon uses to determine which sellers have a chance to compete for the buy box.</li>\n<li><strong>Use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) to ship your products. </strong>Leverage the speed and reliability of FBA to meet your customers’ delivery expectations.</li>\n<li><strong>Maintain a low order defect rate (ODR). </strong>Avoid negative seller feedback, A-to-Z Guarantee claims, and credit card chargebacks. In other words, deliver superior customer service consistently.</li>\n<li><strong>Maintain enough inventory to fill orders. </strong>Amazon won’t award you the buy box if there’s a chance that you’ll run out of stock and be unable to fill an order.</li>\n<li><strong>Maintain a high valid tracking rate. </strong>If you’re using FBA, you don’t need to be concerned about tracking numbers, because FBA supplies them. If you’re fulfilling orders yourself, be sure you have a system in place to provide valid tracking numbers to your customers from your carriers.</li>\n<li><strong>Improve your seller feedback count and rating. </strong>The more positive feedback you receive from customers, the better your chance of winning the buy box.</li>\n<li><strong>Keep your order cancellation and refund rates low.</strong> Avoid situations in which you need to cancel a customer’s order because you run out of stock or for any other reason. In addition, manage customer expectations to keep your refund rate low.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"How to leverage the power of fulfillment by Amazon","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) boils down to this: You sell it, Amazon stores, picks, packs, and ships it. If you’re on the fence about whether to use FBA or fulfill orders yourself, consider the following benefits of FBA:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>FBA products are eligible for free two-day shipping to Prime customers, which has the potential to significantly boost sales. (This is usually reason enough to use FBA.)</li>\n<li>FBA products have a better chance of winning the buy box — being the featured offer that most shoppers will choose to buy.</li>\n<li>Amazon stores, picks, packs, and ships your products; handles returns and refunds; and provides customer service, so you can focus on higher level activities to maximize your success.</li>\n<li>Although Amazon charges storage and fulfillment fees, these may be offset lower shipping rates Amazon is able to negotiate with carriers.</li>\n<li>FBA ensures reliable, speedy delivery and accurate tracking, and if FBA drops the ball on shipping and delivery, you’re not penalized for it.</li>\n<li>FBA can handle multi-channel fulfillment (MCF), so if you sell products through other channels, such as your own webstore, Amazon can ship your products for you.</li>\n<li>Your products are stored in Amazon distribution centers, not in your home or garage.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"How to create your own brand on Amazon","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Selling as a brand on Amazon provides you with numerous advantages. Amazon protects your brand, gives you full control over your product listings, and provides access to several additional marketing and advertising tools, including A+ Pages, Stores, Sponsored Brands, and the Brand Dashboard.</p>\n<p>The easiest and quickest way to register your brand’s trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and add it to Amazon’s Brand Registry is to do it through Amazon’s IP Accelerator:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Go to <a href=\"https://brandservices.amazon.com/ipaccelerator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">brandservices.amazon.com/ipaccelerator</a>.</li>\n<li>Click the Get Started button.</li>\n<li>Follow the onscreen instructions.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>IP Accelerator connects you with a reputable law firm that facilitates the process of applying for trademark registration. As soon as you pass that job to your assigned trademark attorney, Amazon invites you to enroll your brand in its Brand Registry, so you can start reaping the benefits of having a brand without having to wait several months to receive your registered trademark certificate from the USPTO.</p>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Six months","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-02-22T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":271691},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2020-07-02T19:39:10+00:00","modifiedTime":"2020-07-02T19:39:10+00:00","timestamp":"2022-02-24T17:05:58+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"},"slug":"sales","categoryId":34250}],"title":"How to Add Your Trademark to the Amazon Brand Registry","strippedTitle":"how to add your trademark to the amazon brand registry","slug":"how-to-add-your-trademark-to-the-amazon-brand-registry","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn how to create an Amazon Brand Registry account and add your approved trademark to the Brand Registry, which has a few benefits.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"If you have an approved trademark, as an <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/online-business/selling-on-amazon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\">Amazon seller</a> you can create an Amazon Brand Registry account and add your trademark to the Brand Registry, assuming you meet the following program requirements:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>You have an active trademark that appears on your products and packaging.</li>\r\n \t<li>You can verify that you’re the owner of the trademark. (You have a trademark registration certificate from the USPTO or you applied for trademark registration through Amazon’s IP Accelerator.)</li>\r\n \t<li>You have an Amazon Brand Registry account, which you can create using your existing Seller Central credentials.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIn the following discussion, we list the benefits of having your brand registered on Amazon and provide instructions on how to add your brand to Amazon’s Brand Registry.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >The benefits of Amazon Brand Registry</h2>\r\nAmazon’s Brand Registry delivers several benefits to brand owners, including the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Accurate brand representation:</strong> The listings you create for your branded products are the listings shoppers see. You’re the only seller who can change the content of your branded product listings.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Brand protection: </strong>Amazon prohibits other sellers from using your brand and provides you with search and report tools to identify potential infringements and report them to Amazon. In addition, Amazon’s predictive protection mechanisms identify and remove any content that’s suspected of infringing on your brand or providing inaccurate content about your branded products.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>24/7/365 support:</strong> As a registered brand owner, you have access to Amazon support teams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days of the year to answer questions and address concerns.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Brand-building tools:</strong> Registered brands have access to Amazon’s brand building tools including A+ Pages, Sponsored Brands, Stores and the Brand Dashboard.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Adding your brand to Amazon’s Brand Registry</h2>\r\nWhen you’re ready to add your brand/trademark to Amazon’s Brand Registry, take the following steps:\r\n\r\n<strong> 1. Go to </strong><a href=\"https://brandservices.amazon.com/\"><strong>Brand Services</strong></a><strong> and press the Get Started button.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> 2. Review the eligibility requirements and press the Enroll Now button.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> 3. Select the country-specific marketplace where you want to enroll your brand. </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> 4. After the Tell Us About Your Business page appears, enter the requested details about your business and press the Create Account button. </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> 5. From the Amazon Brand Registry page, press the Enroll a New Brand button.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Amazon asks you to confirm your brand eligibility, as shown.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271782\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271782\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-brand-eligibility.jpg\" alt=\"Confirm your brand eligibility.\" width=\"556\" height=\"469\" /> Confirm your brand eligibility.[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong> 6. Answer the following questions and press the Next button:</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Do your products and packaging have a permanently affixed brand name and logo?</li>\r\n \t<li>Do you intend to enroll more than ten brands in the Brand Registry?</li>\r\n \t<li>Do you have a brand name to be registered?</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">After you click the Next button, the Intellectual Property page appears, as shown.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271805\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"521\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271805\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-trademark.jpg\" alt=\"trademark on Amazon\" width=\"521\" height=\"600\" /> Enter details about your trademark.[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong> 7. Enter the requested information, as follows, and press the Next button:</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Trademark type:</strong> Open the list and select Word Mark or Design Mark.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Mark name:</strong> Click in the box and type the mark name as it appears on your trademark registration certificate.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Trademark number:</strong> Click in the box and type the trademark number that appears on your trademark registration certificate.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Trademark office: </strong>Open the list and select the country or region from which the trademark registration certificate was issued.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">After you click the Next button, the Tell Us More About page appears, as shown.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271806\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"320\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271806\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-trademark-characteristics.jpg\" alt=\"trademark characteristics\" width=\"320\" height=\"600\" /> Describe additional trademark characteristics.[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong> 8. Answer the following questions about your trademark, products, seller and vendor accounts, and manufacturing and licensing:</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Do you products have UPCs, ISBNs, EANs, or other GTINs?</li>\r\n \t<li>If you sell your products online, let us know where (optional).</li>\r\n \t<li>Does your brand have an existing relationship with Amazon? If it does, specify your role: Seller, Vendor, or Both. Otherwise, choose No, my brand doesn’t have an existing seller or vendor relationship with Amazon.</li>\r\n \t<li>Does your brand manufacture products?</li>\r\n \t<li>Does your brand license the trademarks to others who manufacture products associated with your intellectual property?</li>\r\n \t<li>Where are your brand’s products manufactured? Select your answers from the lists provided.</li>\r\n \t<li>Where are your brand’s products distributed? Select your answers from the lists provided.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong> 9. Press the Submit Application button. </strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Amazon sends an email message with the case ID and another with a verification code to the contact you specified on your trademark application (you or your attorney). If you don’t receive these messages, ask your attorney to forward them to you.</p>\r\n<strong> 10. Log in to Seller Central and scroll down to the Manage Your Case Log section.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> 11. Open the case message that applies to your adding your brand to the Brand Registry and choose the option to reply to the message.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> 12. Type or paste the verification code into your reply and choose the option to send the message. </strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The Amazon Brand Registry support team completes the brand registration process and notifies you of its completion within one or two days.</p>","description":"If you have an approved trademark, as an <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/online-business/selling-on-amazon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\">Amazon seller</a> you can create an Amazon Brand Registry account and add your trademark to the Brand Registry, assuming you meet the following program requirements:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>You have an active trademark that appears on your products and packaging.</li>\r\n \t<li>You can verify that you’re the owner of the trademark. (You have a trademark registration certificate from the USPTO or you applied for trademark registration through Amazon’s IP Accelerator.)</li>\r\n \t<li>You have an Amazon Brand Registry account, which you can create using your existing Seller Central credentials.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIn the following discussion, we list the benefits of having your brand registered on Amazon and provide instructions on how to add your brand to Amazon’s Brand Registry.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >The benefits of Amazon Brand Registry</h2>\r\nAmazon’s Brand Registry delivers several benefits to brand owners, including the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Accurate brand representation:</strong> The listings you create for your branded products are the listings shoppers see. You’re the only seller who can change the content of your branded product listings.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Brand protection: </strong>Amazon prohibits other sellers from using your brand and provides you with search and report tools to identify potential infringements and report them to Amazon. In addition, Amazon’s predictive protection mechanisms identify and remove any content that’s suspected of infringing on your brand or providing inaccurate content about your branded products.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>24/7/365 support:</strong> As a registered brand owner, you have access to Amazon support teams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days of the year to answer questions and address concerns.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Brand-building tools:</strong> Registered brands have access to Amazon’s brand building tools including A+ Pages, Sponsored Brands, Stores and the Brand Dashboard.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Adding your brand to Amazon’s Brand Registry</h2>\r\nWhen you’re ready to add your brand/trademark to Amazon’s Brand Registry, take the following steps:\r\n\r\n<strong> 1. Go to </strong><a href=\"https://brandservices.amazon.com/\"><strong>Brand Services</strong></a><strong> and press the Get Started button.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> 2. Review the eligibility requirements and press the Enroll Now button.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> 3. Select the country-specific marketplace where you want to enroll your brand. </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> 4. After the Tell Us About Your Business page appears, enter the requested details about your business and press the Create Account button. </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> 5. From the Amazon Brand Registry page, press the Enroll a New Brand button.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Amazon asks you to confirm your brand eligibility, as shown.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271782\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271782\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-brand-eligibility.jpg\" alt=\"Confirm your brand eligibility.\" width=\"556\" height=\"469\" /> Confirm your brand eligibility.[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong> 6. Answer the following questions and press the Next button:</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Do your products and packaging have a permanently affixed brand name and logo?</li>\r\n \t<li>Do you intend to enroll more than ten brands in the Brand Registry?</li>\r\n \t<li>Do you have a brand name to be registered?</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">After you click the Next button, the Intellectual Property page appears, as shown.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271805\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"521\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271805\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-trademark.jpg\" alt=\"trademark on Amazon\" width=\"521\" height=\"600\" /> Enter details about your trademark.[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong> 7. Enter the requested information, as follows, and press the Next button:</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Trademark type:</strong> Open the list and select Word Mark or Design Mark.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Mark name:</strong> Click in the box and type the mark name as it appears on your trademark registration certificate.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Trademark number:</strong> Click in the box and type the trademark number that appears on your trademark registration certificate.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Trademark office: </strong>Open the list and select the country or region from which the trademark registration certificate was issued.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">After you click the Next button, the Tell Us More About page appears, as shown.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271806\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"320\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271806\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-trademark-characteristics.jpg\" alt=\"trademark characteristics\" width=\"320\" height=\"600\" /> Describe additional trademark characteristics.[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong> 8. Answer the following questions about your trademark, products, seller and vendor accounts, and manufacturing and licensing:</strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Do you products have UPCs, ISBNs, EANs, or other GTINs?</li>\r\n \t<li>If you sell your products online, let us know where (optional).</li>\r\n \t<li>Does your brand have an existing relationship with Amazon? If it does, specify your role: Seller, Vendor, or Both. Otherwise, choose No, my brand doesn’t have an existing seller or vendor relationship with Amazon.</li>\r\n \t<li>Does your brand manufacture products?</li>\r\n \t<li>Does your brand license the trademarks to others who manufacture products associated with your intellectual property?</li>\r\n \t<li>Where are your brand’s products manufactured? Select your answers from the lists provided.</li>\r\n \t<li>Where are your brand’s products distributed? Select your answers from the lists provided.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<strong> 9. Press the Submit Application button. </strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Amazon sends an email message with the case ID and another with a verification code to the contact you specified on your trademark application (you or your attorney). If you don’t receive these messages, ask your attorney to forward them to you.</p>\r\n<strong> 10. Log in to Seller Central and scroll down to the Manage Your Case Log section.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> 11. Open the case message that applies to your adding your brand to the Brand Registry and choose the option to reply to the message.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> 12. Type or paste the verification code into your reply and choose the option to send the message. </strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The Amazon Brand Registry support team completes the brand registration process and notifies you of its completion within one or two days.</p>","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":33370,"name":"Deniz Olmez","slug":"deniz-olmez","description":"Deniz Olmez is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup, and management, and branding services.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33370"}},{"authorId":8993,"name":"Joseph Kraynak","slug":"joseph-kraynak","description":"Joseph Kraynak is a writer who's contributed to several Dummies books, including Flipping Houses For Dummies, Oceans For Dummies, and Selling on Amazon For Dummies.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8993"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34250,"title":"Sales","slug":"sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33589,"title":"Amazon","slug":"amazon","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33589"}},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"The benefits of Amazon Brand Registry","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Adding your brand to Amazon’s Brand Registry","target":"#tab2"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":271834,"title":"Manage Your Amazon Seller Account with the Mobile App","slug":"manage-your-amazon-seller-account-with-the-mobile-app","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271834"}},{"articleId":271831,"title":"How to Track Your Amazon Seller Account’s Health and Performance","slug":"how-to-track-your-amazon-seller-accounts-health-and-performance","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271831"}},{"articleId":271827,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Manage Inventory","slug":"selling-on-amazon-manage-inventory","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271827"}},{"articleId":271824,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Choose an Order Fulfillment Method","slug":"selling-on-amazon-choose-an-order-fulfillment-method","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271824"}},{"articleId":271821,"title":"Selling on Amazon: How to Source Products from Alibaba","slug":"selling-on-amazon-how-to-source-products-from-alibaba","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271821"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":271834,"title":"Manage Your Amazon Seller Account with the Mobile App","slug":"manage-your-amazon-seller-account-with-the-mobile-app","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271834"}},{"articleId":271831,"title":"How to Track Your Amazon Seller Account’s Health and Performance","slug":"how-to-track-your-amazon-seller-accounts-health-and-performance","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271831"}},{"articleId":271827,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Manage Inventory","slug":"selling-on-amazon-manage-inventory","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271827"}},{"articleId":271824,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Choose an Order Fulfillment Method","slug":"selling-on-amazon-choose-an-order-fulfillment-method","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271824"}},{"articleId":271821,"title":"Selling on Amazon: How to Source Products from Alibaba","slug":"selling-on-amazon-how-to-source-products-from-alibaba","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271821"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282568,"slug":"selling-on-amazon-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119689331","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119689333/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119689333/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119689333-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119689333/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119689333/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-on-amazon-for-dummies-cover-9781119689331-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Selling on Amazon For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><b data-author-id=\"33370\">Deniz Olmez</b> is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup and management, FBA, and branding services. <b data-author-id=\"8993\">Joe Kraynak</b> has authored and coauthored numerous books including <i>Flipping Houses For Dummies</i> and <i>Foreclosure Self-Defense For Dummies.</i> </p>","authors":[{"authorId":33370,"name":"Deniz Olmez","slug":"deniz-olmez","description":"Deniz Olmez is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup, and management, and branding services.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33370"}},{"authorId":8993,"name":"Joseph Kraynak","slug":"joseph-kraynak","description":"Joseph Kraynak is a writer who's contributed to several Dummies books, including Flipping Houses For Dummies, Oceans For Dummies, and Selling on Amazon For Dummies.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8993"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;sales&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119689331&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6217baf635893\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = 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Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"},"slug":"sales","categoryId":34250}],"title":"Manage Your Amazon Seller Account with the Mobile App","strippedTitle":"manage your amazon seller account with the mobile app","slug":"manage-your-amazon-seller-account-with-the-mobile-app","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn how to manage your Amazon seller account with the free Amazon Seller mobile app from your iOS or Android device.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Success as an <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/online-business/selling-on-amazon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\">Amazon seller</a> relies on providing superior customer service 24/7/365. It requires being responsive to customer questions and complaints whether the customer tries to contact you during or outside business hours and even when you’re on vacation with your family.\r\n\r\nTo stay in close contact with Amazon and your Amazon customers, consider downloading and installing the Amazon Seller app on your smartphone. With this free app, you can do the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Receive Amazon notifications and address critical issues when you’re away from your office</li>\r\n \t<li>Snap, edit, and save product photos using your mobile device</li>\r\n \t<li>Scan products with or without a barcode using visual search, so you can easily create product listings for new products</li>\r\n \t<li>Conduct sale analysis and track your sales growth</li>\r\n \t<li>Manage orders, inventory, and advertising and promotional campaigns</li>\r\n \t<li>Contact Amazon Seller support when you need help</li>\r\n \t<li>Share the app with your team to become even more responsive to customers and have more eyes on opportunities and critical issues</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Where to get the Amazon Seller Mobile App</h2>\r\nThe Amazon Seller Mobile App is currently available for iOS (Apple) and Android devices, and it’s free to install and use. To get the app, go to the app store for your device, search for “amazon seller,” and, when the Amazon Seller app appears, press the Install button. You can find the Amazon Seller app at any of the following App Stores:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Apple’s App Store</li>\r\n \t<li>Google Play</li>\r\n \t<li>Amazon App Store</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nAfter installing the app, press the button to run it and then select your primary marketplace (country). When prompted to log on, enter your login credentials (username and password), just as you would do to log on to your Amazon seller account from a computer.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >How to navigate the Amazon Seller Mobile App</h2>\r\nThe Amazon Seller Mobile App has many of the same features and functionality as are built into the version you access via your computer’s web browser; everything is just presented a little differently. Most of the opening screen is dedicated to displaying your recent sales performance over the past seven days. Just above the main area is a bar you can swipe left or right to view key information, such as today’s total sales (in dollars and units), your current Amazon balance, when you can expect your next payment from Amazon, and your customer feedback rating.\r\n\r\nIn the upper left corner of the screen is a menu button you can tap to view a list of options for returning to the Home page, managing inventory, viewing orders, communicating with customers or Amazon staff, getting help, signing out, and more. Near the bottom of the opening screen is another menu with options for performing common tasks, such as adding a product listing, managing orders, and checking your Amazon account health.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Tap the camera icon in the upper right corner of the screen to scan a product, using its barcode or just a snapshot of the product, and create a product listing from it. This technique is a great way to add listings for specific products when you encounter a product anywhere that you want to start selling.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271794\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"487\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271794\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-mobile-app-opening-screen.jpg\" alt=\"The Amazon Seller Mobile App.\" width=\"487\" height=\"600\" /> The Amazon Seller Mobile App.[/caption]","description":"Success as an <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/online-business/selling-on-amazon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\">Amazon seller</a> relies on providing superior customer service 24/7/365. It requires being responsive to customer questions and complaints whether the customer tries to contact you during or outside business hours and even when you’re on vacation with your family.\r\n\r\nTo stay in close contact with Amazon and your Amazon customers, consider downloading and installing the Amazon Seller app on your smartphone. With this free app, you can do the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Receive Amazon notifications and address critical issues when you’re away from your office</li>\r\n \t<li>Snap, edit, and save product photos using your mobile device</li>\r\n \t<li>Scan products with or without a barcode using visual search, so you can easily create product listings for new products</li>\r\n \t<li>Conduct sale analysis and track your sales growth</li>\r\n \t<li>Manage orders, inventory, and advertising and promotional campaigns</li>\r\n \t<li>Contact Amazon Seller support when you need help</li>\r\n \t<li>Share the app with your team to become even more responsive to customers and have more eyes on opportunities and critical issues</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Where to get the Amazon Seller Mobile App</h2>\r\nThe Amazon Seller Mobile App is currently available for iOS (Apple) and Android devices, and it’s free to install and use. To get the app, go to the app store for your device, search for “amazon seller,” and, when the Amazon Seller app appears, press the Install button. You can find the Amazon Seller app at any of the following App Stores:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Apple’s App Store</li>\r\n \t<li>Google Play</li>\r\n \t<li>Amazon App Store</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nAfter installing the app, press the button to run it and then select your primary marketplace (country). When prompted to log on, enter your login credentials (username and password), just as you would do to log on to your Amazon seller account from a computer.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >How to navigate the Amazon Seller Mobile App</h2>\r\nThe Amazon Seller Mobile App has many of the same features and functionality as are built into the version you access via your computer’s web browser; everything is just presented a little differently. Most of the opening screen is dedicated to displaying your recent sales performance over the past seven days. Just above the main area is a bar you can swipe left or right to view key information, such as today’s total sales (in dollars and units), your current Amazon balance, when you can expect your next payment from Amazon, and your customer feedback rating.\r\n\r\nIn the upper left corner of the screen is a menu button you can tap to view a list of options for returning to the Home page, managing inventory, viewing orders, communicating with customers or Amazon staff, getting help, signing out, and more. Near the bottom of the opening screen is another menu with options for performing common tasks, such as adding a product listing, managing orders, and checking your Amazon account health.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Tap the camera icon in the upper right corner of the screen to scan a product, using its barcode or just a snapshot of the product, and create a product listing from it. This technique is a great way to add listings for specific products when you encounter a product anywhere that you want to start selling.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271794\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"487\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271794\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-mobile-app-opening-screen.jpg\" alt=\"The Amazon Seller Mobile App.\" width=\"487\" height=\"600\" /> The Amazon Seller Mobile App.[/caption]","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":33370,"name":"Deniz Olmez","slug":"deniz-olmez","description":"Deniz Olmez is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup, and management, and branding services.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33370"}},{"authorId":8993,"name":"Joseph Kraynak","slug":"joseph-kraynak","description":"Joseph Kraynak is a writer who's contributed to several Dummies books, including Flipping Houses For Dummies, Oceans For Dummies, and Selling on Amazon For Dummies.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8993"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34250,"title":"Sales","slug":"sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33589,"title":"Amazon","slug":"amazon","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33589"}},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Where to get the Amazon Seller Mobile App","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"How to navigate the Amazon Seller Mobile App","target":"#tab2"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":271837,"title":"How to Add Your Trademark to the Amazon Brand Registry","slug":"how-to-add-your-trademark-to-the-amazon-brand-registry","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271837"}},{"articleId":271831,"title":"How to Track Your Amazon Seller Account’s Health and Performance","slug":"how-to-track-your-amazon-seller-accounts-health-and-performance","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271831"}},{"articleId":271827,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Manage Inventory","slug":"selling-on-amazon-manage-inventory","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271827"}},{"articleId":271824,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Choose an Order Fulfillment Method","slug":"selling-on-amazon-choose-an-order-fulfillment-method","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271824"}},{"articleId":271821,"title":"Selling on Amazon: How to Source Products from Alibaba","slug":"selling-on-amazon-how-to-source-products-from-alibaba","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271821"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":271837,"title":"How to Add Your Trademark to the Amazon Brand Registry","slug":"how-to-add-your-trademark-to-the-amazon-brand-registry","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271837"}},{"articleId":271831,"title":"How to Track Your Amazon Seller Account’s Health and Performance","slug":"how-to-track-your-amazon-seller-accounts-health-and-performance","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271831"}},{"articleId":271827,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Manage Inventory","slug":"selling-on-amazon-manage-inventory","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271827"}},{"articleId":271824,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Choose an Order Fulfillment Method","slug":"selling-on-amazon-choose-an-order-fulfillment-method","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271824"}},{"articleId":271821,"title":"Selling on Amazon: How to Source Products from Alibaba","slug":"selling-on-amazon-how-to-source-products-from-alibaba","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271821"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282568,"slug":"selling-on-amazon-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119689331","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119689333/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119689333/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119689333-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119689333/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119689333/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-on-amazon-for-dummies-cover-9781119689331-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Selling on Amazon For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><b data-author-id=\"33370\">Deniz Olmez</b> is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup and management, FBA, and branding services. <b data-author-id=\"8993\">Joe Kraynak</b> has authored and coauthored numerous books including <i>Flipping Houses For Dummies</i> and <i>Foreclosure Self-Defense For Dummies.</i> </p>","authors":[{"authorId":33370,"name":"Deniz Olmez","slug":"deniz-olmez","description":"Deniz Olmez is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup, and management, and branding services.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33370"}},{"authorId":8993,"name":"Joseph Kraynak","slug":"joseph-kraynak","description":"Joseph Kraynak is a writer who's contributed to several Dummies books, including Flipping Houses For Dummies, Oceans For Dummies, and Selling on Amazon For Dummies.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8993"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;sales&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119689331&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6217baf62d003\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = 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Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"},"slug":"sales","categoryId":34250}],"title":"How to Track Your Amazon Seller Account’s Health and Performance","strippedTitle":"how to track your amazon seller account’s health and performance","slug":"how-to-track-your-amazon-seller-accounts-health-and-performance","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Examine the tools Amazon provides from Seller Central via the Performance menu to evaluate and improve your selling performance.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"To a certain degree, Amazon’s success hinges on the performance of its <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/online-business/selling-on-amazon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\">third-party sellers</a>. To ensure consistent product quality and customer satisfaction across all sellers, Amazon sets performance targets and policies and provides sellers with tools for evaluating and improving their own performance. You can access the tools from Seller Central via the Performance menu to provide guidance.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >How to check your Account Health</h2>\r\nOpen the Performance menu and choose Account Health to access an overview of how well you’re doing in terms of complying with Amazon’s performance targets and policies (see the following figure). Overall account health is reflected by three metrics: customer service performance, product policy compliance, and shipping performance.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271777\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271777\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-account-health.jpg\" alt=\"A sample Account Health page.\" width=\"556\" height=\"276\" /> A sample Account Health page.[/caption]\r\n<h3>Customer service performance</h3>\r\nCustomer service performance is measured in terms of <em>Order Defect Rate (ODR)</em> — the percentage of total orders that result in negative seller feedback, an A-to-Z Guarantee claim that’s not denied, or a chargeback. (A <em>chargeback</em> is a reversal of a credit card payment initiated by the bank that issued the card.)\r\n\r\nAmazon sets a target order defect rate for all sellers of less than 1 percent. Here you can view your order defect rate broken down by Seller Fulfilled versus Fulfilled by Amazon orders and by the three metrics: negative feedback, A-to-Z Guarantee claims, and chargeback claims.\r\n<h3>Product policy compliance</h3>\r\nAmazon has a long list of policies it expects its sellers to comply with. Even a single violation of one of Amazon’s policies places your seller account at risk of suspension. To determine whether you have a clean record, check the Product Policy Compliance section of the Account Health page. Product compliance complaints include the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Suspected intellectual property violations</li>\r\n \t<li>Received intellectual property complaints</li>\r\n \t<li>Product authenticity customer complaints</li>\r\n \t<li>Product condition customer complaints</li>\r\n \t<li>Product safety customer complaints</li>\r\n \t<li>Listing policy violations</li>\r\n \t<li>Restricted product policy violations</li>\r\n \t<li>Customer product reviews policy violations</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nAmazon sets a target of zero product policy complaints or violations. If you receive a performance notification from Amazon indicating that you’re guilty of a violation or that someone has filed a complaint against you, respond immediately to address the issue.\r\n<h3>Shipping performance</h3>\r\nAmazon gauges shipping performance by late shipment rate (with a target of under 4 percent), a pre-fulfillment cancellation rate (with a target of under 2.5 percent), and a valid tracking rate (with a target above 95 percent). You’re responsible only for orders you fulfill. Amazon is responsible for Fulfillment by Amazon performance.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">When filling orders yourself, underpromise and overdeliver. Promise a deliver window you’re fairly certain you can beat by a day or two and try to get your products delivered a day or two early to impress your customers.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >How to review Amazon customer feedback</h2>\r\nThe Account Health page includes a section for negative customer feedback, but if you’re looking for additional customer feedback metrics, open the Performance menu and choose Feedback.\r\n\r\nThe Feedback Manager page appears (refer to the following figure), displaying your overall customer feedback rating and breaking it down into periods of 30, 90, 365, and Lifetime. Metrics are broken down into percentages of positive (four or five stars), neutral (three stars), and negative (one or two stars). This page also includes all the feedback you received along with a set of actions (on the far right) for responding publicly to the feedback or requesting its removal if you think it violates Amazon’s feedback policy.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271785\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271785\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-feedback.jpg\" alt=\"A sample Feedback page.\" width=\"556\" height=\"275\" /> A sample Feedback page.[/caption]\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">The Feedback Manager page also has an option to download your feedback report.<a name=\"_Toc35339310\"></a></p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Monitor and manage your A-to-Z Guarantee claims</h2>\r\nAmazon’s A-to-Z Guarantee ensures customer satisfaction when they buy from third-party sellers by guaranteeing that products are delivered on time and in good condition. If a customer contacts you about a problem with a product or its timely delivery, and the two of you are unable to resolve the issue, the customer can file an A-to-Z Guarantee claim to seek resolution from Amazon.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Amazon requires that customers contact the seller prior to filing an A-to-Z Guarantee claim, either via Buyer-Seller messaging or by submitting a return request. If the customer isn’t satisfied within 48 hours of filing the request, she can file an A-to-Z Guarantee claim. Amazon notifies you upon receipt of the claim, and you have 72 hours to respond. If you don’t respond, Amazon grants the claim, refunds the customer’s payment, and takes the money out of your account. Worse yet, because A-to-Z Guarantee claims are a key component of your order defect rate (ODR), which needs to be below 1 percent, not handling a claim increases your ODR, jeopardizing your account.</p>\r\nTo monitor and manage your A-to-Z Guarantee claims, open the Performance menu and choose A-to-Z Guarantee claims. The resulting page includes four tabs for filtering your A-to-Z Guarantee claims: Action Required, Under Review, Option to Appeal, and All. You can also search for a claim by order number.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">When a customer contacts you about an order, respond promptly and do your best to resolve any issues, even if you must take a loss on a transaction. You certainly shouldn’t give into scammers who just want free products, but be open to resolving any issue that seems remotely legitimate. Depending on the A-to-Z Guarantee claim and how it’s resolved, it may or may not add to your ODR.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Monitor and manage your chargeback claims</h2>\r\nA chargeback typically occurs when a disgruntled customer is unable to resolve a dispute with a seller or service provider and turns to her credit card company for help. If the credit card company investigates the transaction, can’t resolve the issue with the seller/service provider, and determines that the customer is right, the company may reverse the charge.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">As seller on Amazon, you want to avoid chargebacks, because they negatively impact your ODR and overall customer service performance rating.</p>\r\nTo check whether you have any chargebacks and to manage any chargeback disputes, open the Performance menu and choose Chargeback Claims. The Chargebacks page appears, showing any chargeback claims that customers have filed against you. You can click the Action Required tab to view only active chargeback claims or the All tab to view a list of all chargeback claims.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab5\" >Access Amazon’s performance notifications</h2>\r\nIf Amazon’s performance metrics indicate any issues that may negatively impact your account health or ability to sell, Amazon sends you a performance notification via email and stores a copy of it for reference. To access your performance notifications, open the Performance menu and choose Performance Notifications. To view the contents of a performance notification, click its subject line.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">To avoid having your account suspended, read all performance notifications and reply to any that indicate a response is expected.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab6\" >Gain additional insight via the Voice of the Customer feature</h2>\r\nVoice of the Customer is a customer experience (CX) dashboard that uses statistical analysis to identify potential issues with product listings. Behind the scenes, Voice of the Customer analyzes your product listings and product and listing feedback from customers and uses the results to rank your listings as very poor, poor, fair, good, or excellent. You can then dig down to review issues with specific listings and address them to improve the customer experience.\r\n\r\nTo access Voice of the Customer, open the Performance menu and choose Voice of the Customer. The following figure shows a sample of the opening Voice of the Customer dashboard. Near the top of the dashboard is a CX Health breakdown of your listings, showing the total number of very poor, poor, fair, good, and excellent ratings. Below that is a table that shows CX details for each product you’ve listed.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271807\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271807\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-voice-customer.jpg\" alt=\"Voice of the Customer dashboard\" width=\"556\" height=\"282\" /> A sample Voice of the Customer dashboard.[/caption]\r\n\r\nPay special attention to the details in the following columns:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>NCX Rate</strong> is a percentage of orders that received negative feedback out of the total number of orders.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>CX health </strong>is an indication of the average customer experience ranked from very poor to excellent.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Last updated</strong> is the most recent date a sale was made or an NCX was received.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf you just listed a product and haven’t sold any yet, the product won’t have an NCX or CX rating.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab7\" >Improve your performance via Seller University</h2>\r\nThe one item on the Performance menu that seems to be out of place is Seller University, which would seem better suited for a Help menu. However, its placement on the Performance menu reflects how valuable Amazon believes Seller University can be in helping sellers quickly optimize their performance.\r\n\r\nSeller University is a collection of brief video clips designed to bring sellers quickly up to speed on the process of selling on Amazon and using Amazon tools and applications to their advantage.","description":"To a certain degree, Amazon’s success hinges on the performance of its <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/online-business/selling-on-amazon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\">third-party sellers</a>. To ensure consistent product quality and customer satisfaction across all sellers, Amazon sets performance targets and policies and provides sellers with tools for evaluating and improving their own performance. You can access the tools from Seller Central via the Performance menu to provide guidance.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >How to check your Account Health</h2>\r\nOpen the Performance menu and choose Account Health to access an overview of how well you’re doing in terms of complying with Amazon’s performance targets and policies (see the following figure). Overall account health is reflected by three metrics: customer service performance, product policy compliance, and shipping performance.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271777\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271777\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-account-health.jpg\" alt=\"A sample Account Health page.\" width=\"556\" height=\"276\" /> A sample Account Health page.[/caption]\r\n<h3>Customer service performance</h3>\r\nCustomer service performance is measured in terms of <em>Order Defect Rate (ODR)</em> — the percentage of total orders that result in negative seller feedback, an A-to-Z Guarantee claim that’s not denied, or a chargeback. (A <em>chargeback</em> is a reversal of a credit card payment initiated by the bank that issued the card.)\r\n\r\nAmazon sets a target order defect rate for all sellers of less than 1 percent. Here you can view your order defect rate broken down by Seller Fulfilled versus Fulfilled by Amazon orders and by the three metrics: negative feedback, A-to-Z Guarantee claims, and chargeback claims.\r\n<h3>Product policy compliance</h3>\r\nAmazon has a long list of policies it expects its sellers to comply with. Even a single violation of one of Amazon’s policies places your seller account at risk of suspension. To determine whether you have a clean record, check the Product Policy Compliance section of the Account Health page. Product compliance complaints include the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Suspected intellectual property violations</li>\r\n \t<li>Received intellectual property complaints</li>\r\n \t<li>Product authenticity customer complaints</li>\r\n \t<li>Product condition customer complaints</li>\r\n \t<li>Product safety customer complaints</li>\r\n \t<li>Listing policy violations</li>\r\n \t<li>Restricted product policy violations</li>\r\n \t<li>Customer product reviews policy violations</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nAmazon sets a target of zero product policy complaints or violations. If you receive a performance notification from Amazon indicating that you’re guilty of a violation or that someone has filed a complaint against you, respond immediately to address the issue.\r\n<h3>Shipping performance</h3>\r\nAmazon gauges shipping performance by late shipment rate (with a target of under 4 percent), a pre-fulfillment cancellation rate (with a target of under 2.5 percent), and a valid tracking rate (with a target above 95 percent). You’re responsible only for orders you fulfill. Amazon is responsible for Fulfillment by Amazon performance.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">When filling orders yourself, underpromise and overdeliver. Promise a deliver window you’re fairly certain you can beat by a day or two and try to get your products delivered a day or two early to impress your customers.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >How to review Amazon customer feedback</h2>\r\nThe Account Health page includes a section for negative customer feedback, but if you’re looking for additional customer feedback metrics, open the Performance menu and choose Feedback.\r\n\r\nThe Feedback Manager page appears (refer to the following figure), displaying your overall customer feedback rating and breaking it down into periods of 30, 90, 365, and Lifetime. Metrics are broken down into percentages of positive (four or five stars), neutral (three stars), and negative (one or two stars). This page also includes all the feedback you received along with a set of actions (on the far right) for responding publicly to the feedback or requesting its removal if you think it violates Amazon’s feedback policy.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271785\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271785\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-feedback.jpg\" alt=\"A sample Feedback page.\" width=\"556\" height=\"275\" /> A sample Feedback page.[/caption]\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">The Feedback Manager page also has an option to download your feedback report.<a name=\"_Toc35339310\"></a></p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Monitor and manage your A-to-Z Guarantee claims</h2>\r\nAmazon’s A-to-Z Guarantee ensures customer satisfaction when they buy from third-party sellers by guaranteeing that products are delivered on time and in good condition. If a customer contacts you about a problem with a product or its timely delivery, and the two of you are unable to resolve the issue, the customer can file an A-to-Z Guarantee claim to seek resolution from Amazon.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Amazon requires that customers contact the seller prior to filing an A-to-Z Guarantee claim, either via Buyer-Seller messaging or by submitting a return request. If the customer isn’t satisfied within 48 hours of filing the request, she can file an A-to-Z Guarantee claim. Amazon notifies you upon receipt of the claim, and you have 72 hours to respond. If you don’t respond, Amazon grants the claim, refunds the customer’s payment, and takes the money out of your account. Worse yet, because A-to-Z Guarantee claims are a key component of your order defect rate (ODR), which needs to be below 1 percent, not handling a claim increases your ODR, jeopardizing your account.</p>\r\nTo monitor and manage your A-to-Z Guarantee claims, open the Performance menu and choose A-to-Z Guarantee claims. The resulting page includes four tabs for filtering your A-to-Z Guarantee claims: Action Required, Under Review, Option to Appeal, and All. You can also search for a claim by order number.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">When a customer contacts you about an order, respond promptly and do your best to resolve any issues, even if you must take a loss on a transaction. You certainly shouldn’t give into scammers who just want free products, but be open to resolving any issue that seems remotely legitimate. Depending on the A-to-Z Guarantee claim and how it’s resolved, it may or may not add to your ODR.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Monitor and manage your chargeback claims</h2>\r\nA chargeback typically occurs when a disgruntled customer is unable to resolve a dispute with a seller or service provider and turns to her credit card company for help. If the credit card company investigates the transaction, can’t resolve the issue with the seller/service provider, and determines that the customer is right, the company may reverse the charge.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">As seller on Amazon, you want to avoid chargebacks, because they negatively impact your ODR and overall customer service performance rating.</p>\r\nTo check whether you have any chargebacks and to manage any chargeback disputes, open the Performance menu and choose Chargeback Claims. The Chargebacks page appears, showing any chargeback claims that customers have filed against you. You can click the Action Required tab to view only active chargeback claims or the All tab to view a list of all chargeback claims.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab5\" >Access Amazon’s performance notifications</h2>\r\nIf Amazon’s performance metrics indicate any issues that may negatively impact your account health or ability to sell, Amazon sends you a performance notification via email and stores a copy of it for reference. To access your performance notifications, open the Performance menu and choose Performance Notifications. To view the contents of a performance notification, click its subject line.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">To avoid having your account suspended, read all performance notifications and reply to any that indicate a response is expected.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab6\" >Gain additional insight via the Voice of the Customer feature</h2>\r\nVoice of the Customer is a customer experience (CX) dashboard that uses statistical analysis to identify potential issues with product listings. Behind the scenes, Voice of the Customer analyzes your product listings and product and listing feedback from customers and uses the results to rank your listings as very poor, poor, fair, good, or excellent. You can then dig down to review issues with specific listings and address them to improve the customer experience.\r\n\r\nTo access Voice of the Customer, open the Performance menu and choose Voice of the Customer. The following figure shows a sample of the opening Voice of the Customer dashboard. Near the top of the dashboard is a CX Health breakdown of your listings, showing the total number of very poor, poor, fair, good, and excellent ratings. Below that is a table that shows CX details for each product you’ve listed.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271807\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271807\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-voice-customer.jpg\" alt=\"Voice of the Customer dashboard\" width=\"556\" height=\"282\" /> A sample Voice of the Customer dashboard.[/caption]\r\n\r\nPay special attention to the details in the following columns:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>NCX Rate</strong> is a percentage of orders that received negative feedback out of the total number of orders.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>CX health </strong>is an indication of the average customer experience ranked from very poor to excellent.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Last updated</strong> is the most recent date a sale was made or an NCX was received.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf you just listed a product and haven’t sold any yet, the product won’t have an NCX or CX rating.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab7\" >Improve your performance via Seller University</h2>\r\nThe one item on the Performance menu that seems to be out of place is Seller University, which would seem better suited for a Help menu. However, its placement on the Performance menu reflects how valuable Amazon believes Seller University can be in helping sellers quickly optimize their performance.\r\n\r\nSeller University is a collection of brief video clips designed to bring sellers quickly up to speed on the process of selling on Amazon and using Amazon tools and applications to their advantage.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":33370,"name":"Deniz Olmez","slug":"deniz-olmez","description":"Deniz Olmez is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup, and management, and branding services.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33370"}},{"authorId":8993,"name":"Joseph Kraynak","slug":"joseph-kraynak","description":"Joseph Kraynak is a writer who's contributed to several Dummies books, including Flipping Houses For Dummies, Oceans For Dummies, and Selling on Amazon For Dummies.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8993"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34250,"title":"Sales","slug":"sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33589,"title":"Amazon","slug":"amazon","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33589"}},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"How to check your Account Health","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"How to review Amazon customer feedback","target":"#tab2"},{"label":"Monitor and manage your A-to-Z Guarantee claims","target":"#tab3"},{"label":"Monitor and manage your chargeback claims","target":"#tab4"},{"label":"Access Amazon’s performance notifications","target":"#tab5"},{"label":"Gain additional insight via the Voice of the Customer feature","target":"#tab6"},{"label":"Improve your performance via Seller University","target":"#tab7"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":271837,"title":"How to Add Your Trademark to the Amazon Brand Registry","slug":"how-to-add-your-trademark-to-the-amazon-brand-registry","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271837"}},{"articleId":271834,"title":"Manage Your Amazon Seller Account with the Mobile App","slug":"manage-your-amazon-seller-account-with-the-mobile-app","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271834"}},{"articleId":271827,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Manage Inventory","slug":"selling-on-amazon-manage-inventory","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271827"}},{"articleId":271824,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Choose an Order Fulfillment 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on Amazon For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><b data-author-id=\"33370\">Deniz Olmez</b> is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup and management, FBA, and branding services. <b data-author-id=\"8993\">Joe Kraynak</b> has authored and coauthored numerous books including <i>Flipping Houses For Dummies</i> and <i>Foreclosure Self-Defense For Dummies.</i> </p>","authors":[{"authorId":33370,"name":"Deniz Olmez","slug":"deniz-olmez","description":"Deniz Olmez is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup, and management, and branding services.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33370"}},{"authorId":8993,"name":"Joseph Kraynak","slug":"joseph-kraynak","description":"Joseph Kraynak is a writer who's contributed to several Dummies books, including Flipping Houses For Dummies, Oceans For Dummies, and Selling on Amazon For 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Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"},"slug":"sales","categoryId":34250}],"title":"Selling on Amazon: Manage Inventory","strippedTitle":"selling on amazon: manage inventory","slug":"selling-on-amazon-manage-inventory","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn how to use Amazon's Manage Inventory page to search, view, and update inventory records. Ensure you have an inventory replenishment system.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Use Amazon’s Manage Inventory page to search, view, and update the inventory records for products you <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/online-business/selling-on-amazon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\">sell on Amazon</a>. To access the Manage Inventory page, log in to Seller Central, open the Inventory menu, and select Manage Inventory. The Manage Inventory page appears, as shown in the figure, where you can do the following:\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271790\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271790\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-manage-inventory.jpg\" alt=\"Amazon’s Manage Inventory page.\" width=\"556\" height=\"321\" /> Amazon’s Manage Inventory page.[/caption]\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Search for a product: </strong>To search for a specific product, click in the Search box, near the top of the page, type the product’s SKU, Title, ISBN, or other attribute, and press the Search button.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Filter inventory: </strong>Use the options above the table to view all products in inventory or only active or inactive inventory or to view all products or only FBA or only Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) products. You may also see filters for displaying only those products with suppressed listings, quality issues, or price alerts — product listings that have specific problems you need to address before those products will appear in searches.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">One of the most common uses of the Manage Inventory page is to quickly identify suppressed listings and make corrections to those listings. Click Suppressed near the top left of the Manage Inventory page to display a complete list of suppressed listings. In the table of suppressed listings, check the Issue(s) to Fix box to find out why the listing is suppressed. Press the Edit button next to the listing, choose the option for correcting the issue, and follow the onscreen cues to complete the task. Click Save All to save your changes.</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Sort inventory: </strong>Select an inventory header attribute such as SKU or product name at the top of the inventory table to sort product listings according to that attribute.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Customize the inventory table:</strong> Press the Preferences button, above and to the right of the inventory table, use the resulting options to specify the columns you want included in the table and other display options, and press the Save Changes button.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Update the quantity available: </strong>In the Qty field next to a product, type the quantity currently in stock and press the Save</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Change the price: </strong>In the Price field next to an item, type the price of the item and press the <strong>Save</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Edit a product:</strong> Open the Edit drop-down list (to the right of a product listing) to access additional actions, including changing the product’s image, matching to the lowest price, or closing or deleting the product listing. (Closing a listing deactivates it, making it unavailable to shoppers. Deleting a listing removes the SKU, which is best if you plan never to list the product again.)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">If you sell on channels other than Amazon, look for a third-party inventory management utility that supports Amazon and your other sales channels, such as eBay, Shopify, and your own ecommerce store.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" ><a name=\"_Toc34747638\"></a>Maintain sufficient stock</h2>\r\nAs long as you have products listed for sale, you never want to run out, so you need to have a system in place to replenish inventory <em>before</em> you get to the point at which you don’t have enough to fill an order. Having enough inventory comes down to math; you need to crunch the numbers to forecast total sales over a given period of time and then place an order to replenish inventory early enough for your supplier to deliver the goods before supplies run out.\r\n\r\nIn the following discussion, we lead you through the calculations and provide additional guidance on how to automate the inventory replenishment process.\r\n<h3><a name=\"_Toc34747639\"></a>Forecasting sales</h3>\r\nTo avoid running out of stock, you first need to know the quantity of an item you sell over a given period of time. Calculating your average daily sales volume provides you with a number you can use to forecast sales for the coming weeks, months, quarter, and even year.\r\n\r\nUse the following equation to calculate average daily sales volume for a product:\r\n<blockquote>Quantity Sold divided by Number of Days = Average Daily Sales Volume</blockquote>\r\nFor example, if I sold 450 items in three months or 90 days:\r\n<blockquote>450 divided by 90 = 5</blockquote>\r\nKnowing the average daily sales volume simplifies the process of forecasting sales for any given period of time — a week, a month, a quarter, or a year. Just multiply the average daily sales volume by the number of days in the period, as shown in the table:\r\n<table><caption><strong>Forecasting Your Sales</strong></caption>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"64\"><strong>Period</strong></td>\r\n<td width=\"108\"><strong>Multiply Days in Period</strong></td>\r\n<td width=\"186\"><strong>By Average Daily Sales Volume</strong></td>\r\n<td width=\"91\"><strong>Equal Total Sales</strong></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"64\">Week</td>\r\n<td width=\"108\">7</td>\r\n<td width=\"186\">5</td>\r\n<td width=\"91\">35</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"64\">Month</td>\r\n<td width=\"108\">30</td>\r\n<td width=\"186\">5</td>\r\n<td width=\"91\">150</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"64\">Quarter</td>\r\n<td width=\"108\">90</td>\r\n<td width=\"186\">5</td>\r\n<td width=\"91\">450</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"64\">Year</td>\r\n<td width=\"108\">365</td>\r\n<td width=\"186\">5</td>\r\n<td width=\"91\">1,825</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">After forecasting your total sales for a given period, add 25 to 30 percent to the quantity as a buffer. Also, be sure to consider the fact that sales volume of some products is likely to increase during certain periods of the year, such as Christmas, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Amazon Prime Day. Analyze your sales reports (accessible via Seller Central’s Reports menu) to identify and better understand demand fluctuations for specific products.</p>\r\n\r\n<h3>Accounting for lead times</h3>\r\nSuppliers need time to manufacture, pack, and ship products. Be sure to account for the time required, and place your order earlier enough so the products reach you or arrive at Amazon fulfillment centers before you run out of stock.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">Communicate with your suppliers to identify any potential supplier downtimes or other factors that may impact lead time, such as the following:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Holiday seasons: </strong>Holidays can impact lead times in two ways. First, if a number of employees take time off, the supplier may not have the workforce required to fill orders. For example, most Chinese suppliers slow down or shut down for at least seven days (and some for several weeks) in late January and early February, in honor of Chinese New Year. Second, suppliers often are busier in the days leading up to holiday seasons, during which period they may need more time to fill orders.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Order sizes: </strong>Suppliers can typically fill small orders faster than large orders, so find out from your supplier how order quantity impacts fulfillment and then plan for these variations in lead times.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Shipping/delivery: </strong>Delivery times vary according to the location of the supplier and how the items are shipped, such as via air, land, or sea.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Customs inspections: </strong>If products need to cross borders, expect delays due to customs inspections.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Inventory processing: </strong>Whether items are shipped to you or to Amazon or other third-party fulfillment centers, they need to be logged in to inventory.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">With inventory planning, you need to think months in advance, not merely days or weeks. From the time you place an order with a supplier until the product is ready to be shipped (from you or an Amazon fulfillment center) generally requires at least 30 days and often longer.</p>\r\n\r\n<h3><a name=\"_Toc34747641\"></a>Replenishing FBA inventory</h3>\r\nIf you use FBA, you can start the process of replenishing inventory from Amazon’s Manage Inventory page:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li><strong> In Seller Central, open the Inventory menu and select Manage FBA Inventory. </strong>The Inventory Amazon Fulfills page appears, as shown in the following figure.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Scroll down the product list to the product you want to replenish and click the check box to the left of that product.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Open the Actions menu and select Send/Replenish Inventory.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process. </strong></li>\r\n</ol>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271784\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271784\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-fba-inventory.jpg\" alt=\"replenish FBA inventory\" width=\"556\" height=\"340\" /> Start the process of replenishing FBA inventory.[/caption]\r\n<h3>Setting up replenishment alerts</h3>\r\nReplenishment alerts notify you via email when the quantity of a product in inventory dips below the threshold you specify. With replenishment alerts, you don’t have to constantly monitor your product listings via Amazon’s Manage Inventory page. You simply set up an alert and then take action when you receive a replenishment notification.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Replenishment alerts are available only for FBA products. For FBM products check the low stock alerts on your Seller Central homepage. These alerts are generated automatically based on sales over the past 30 days and the number of items in stock you entered when you first listed the product or most recently updated your quantity in stock.</p>\r\nWhen creating a replenishment alert for an FBA product, Amazon allows you to specify your replenishment threshold in terms of units or <em>weeks-of-cover</em> (the number of weeks’ worth of inventory you have on hand based on sales over the past 30 days):\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Units: </strong>To figure out when to replenish based on number of units in stock, multiply your lead time by your daily sales volume and add a buffer to ensure you don’t run out of stock. For example, if your lead time is 45 days and you sell an average of five units per day, should set a replenishment alert for when you have a minimum of 225 items in stock. You would be wise to add a buffer of say 50 to 75 units to be sure you don’t run short, such as 225 + 75 = 300 units.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Weeks-of-cover: </strong>To set a replenishment alert based on weeks-of-cover, start with your lead time in weeks and add a buffer of a couple weeks. For example, if your lead time is 75 days, that’s about 11 weeks, plus two weeks equal 13 weeks. Every 13 weeks, you need to order enough items to cover the next 13 weeks.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Revisit your alerts regularly and make adjustments when necessary. You don’t want to run out of inventory, but inventory can build up over time leading to overstock conditions that increase your storage costs and your risk of getting stuck with products you can’t sell.</p>\r\nTo set a replenishment alert, take the following steps:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li><strong> In Seller Central, open the Inventory menu and select Manage Inventory. </strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> After the Manage Inventory page appears, check the box next to each product for which you want to set a replenishment alert in the table of product listings.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Open the Action menu, select Set Replenishment Alerts, and press the Go button. </strong>The Set Inventory Replenishment Alerts page appears.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> In the When do you want to be alerted column, open the Apply to All list and select When Fulfillable Quantity Reaches (Units) or When Weeks-of-Cover Reaches (Weeks) to set the same replenishment level for all products listed or select the desired unit for each individual product.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Enter the desired alert threshold quantity in the Alert Threshold box at the top of the column to use the same threshold for all items in the list or enter the desired quantity in the Alert Threshold box for each product individually.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Press the Save button to save the alert.</strong></li>\r\n</ol>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271779\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271779\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-alert-threshold.jpg\" alt=\"inventory alert threshold\" width=\"556\" height=\"189\" /> Enter the desired alert threshold.[/caption]\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Use Amazon’s Restock Inventory tool to obtain recommendations on products to restock, replenishment quantities, and ship dates. To access the Restock Inventory tool, open the Inventory menu, select Inventory Planning, and select the Restock Inventory tab.</p>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Although Amazon will notify you via email when your fulfillment threshold is reached, you can check for alerts on Seller Central. Open the Inventory menu and select Manage FBA Inventory. A gold bell appears in the Available column next to the quantity when an alert has been set but not yet reached. A red bell indicates that the threshold has been reached.</p>\r\n\r\n<h3>Avoiding FBA’s long-term storage fees</h3>\r\nInventory that has been in an Amazon fulfillment center is subject to long-term storage fees charged per item or per cubic foot, whichever is greater. To help sellers avoid these fees, Amazon features an inventory planner that enables you to monitor how long your products have been stored in Amazon fulfillment centers. To access the inventory planner from Seller Central, open the Inventory menu and select Inventory Planning. The inventory planner appears with the Inventory Age tab selected, as shown.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271789\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271789\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-inventory-planner.jpg\" alt=\"Amazon’s inventory planner.\" width=\"556\" height=\"314\" /> Amazon’s inventory planner.[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor each product stored in FBA inventory, the inventory planner displays its name, sales rank, sales (units shipped in the last 90 days), FBA sell-through (in the last 90 days), inventory age, estimated long-term storage fees, your price, and the buy box price. Use these details to make informed decisions about each product; for example, you may want to avoid long-term storage fees by dropping a product’s price to quickly sell any remaining units or have FBA ship any remaining items back to you and then close or delete the listing.","description":"Use Amazon’s Manage Inventory page to search, view, and update the inventory records for products you <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/online-business/selling-on-amazon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\">sell on Amazon</a>. To access the Manage Inventory page, log in to Seller Central, open the Inventory menu, and select Manage Inventory. The Manage Inventory page appears, as shown in the figure, where you can do the following:\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271790\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271790\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-manage-inventory.jpg\" alt=\"Amazon’s Manage Inventory page.\" width=\"556\" height=\"321\" /> Amazon’s Manage Inventory page.[/caption]\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Search for a product: </strong>To search for a specific product, click in the Search box, near the top of the page, type the product’s SKU, Title, ISBN, or other attribute, and press the Search button.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Filter inventory: </strong>Use the options above the table to view all products in inventory or only active or inactive inventory or to view all products or only FBA or only Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) products. You may also see filters for displaying only those products with suppressed listings, quality issues, or price alerts — product listings that have specific problems you need to address before those products will appear in searches.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">One of the most common uses of the Manage Inventory page is to quickly identify suppressed listings and make corrections to those listings. Click Suppressed near the top left of the Manage Inventory page to display a complete list of suppressed listings. In the table of suppressed listings, check the Issue(s) to Fix box to find out why the listing is suppressed. Press the Edit button next to the listing, choose the option for correcting the issue, and follow the onscreen cues to complete the task. Click Save All to save your changes.</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Sort inventory: </strong>Select an inventory header attribute such as SKU or product name at the top of the inventory table to sort product listings according to that attribute.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Customize the inventory table:</strong> Press the Preferences button, above and to the right of the inventory table, use the resulting options to specify the columns you want included in the table and other display options, and press the Save Changes button.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Update the quantity available: </strong>In the Qty field next to a product, type the quantity currently in stock and press the Save</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Change the price: </strong>In the Price field next to an item, type the price of the item and press the <strong>Save</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Edit a product:</strong> Open the Edit drop-down list (to the right of a product listing) to access additional actions, including changing the product’s image, matching to the lowest price, or closing or deleting the product listing. (Closing a listing deactivates it, making it unavailable to shoppers. Deleting a listing removes the SKU, which is best if you plan never to list the product again.)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">If you sell on channels other than Amazon, look for a third-party inventory management utility that supports Amazon and your other sales channels, such as eBay, Shopify, and your own ecommerce store.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" ><a name=\"_Toc34747638\"></a>Maintain sufficient stock</h2>\r\nAs long as you have products listed for sale, you never want to run out, so you need to have a system in place to replenish inventory <em>before</em> you get to the point at which you don’t have enough to fill an order. Having enough inventory comes down to math; you need to crunch the numbers to forecast total sales over a given period of time and then place an order to replenish inventory early enough for your supplier to deliver the goods before supplies run out.\r\n\r\nIn the following discussion, we lead you through the calculations and provide additional guidance on how to automate the inventory replenishment process.\r\n<h3><a name=\"_Toc34747639\"></a>Forecasting sales</h3>\r\nTo avoid running out of stock, you first need to know the quantity of an item you sell over a given period of time. Calculating your average daily sales volume provides you with a number you can use to forecast sales for the coming weeks, months, quarter, and even year.\r\n\r\nUse the following equation to calculate average daily sales volume for a product:\r\n<blockquote>Quantity Sold divided by Number of Days = Average Daily Sales Volume</blockquote>\r\nFor example, if I sold 450 items in three months or 90 days:\r\n<blockquote>450 divided by 90 = 5</blockquote>\r\nKnowing the average daily sales volume simplifies the process of forecasting sales for any given period of time — a week, a month, a quarter, or a year. Just multiply the average daily sales volume by the number of days in the period, as shown in the table:\r\n<table><caption><strong>Forecasting Your Sales</strong></caption>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"64\"><strong>Period</strong></td>\r\n<td width=\"108\"><strong>Multiply Days in Period</strong></td>\r\n<td width=\"186\"><strong>By Average Daily Sales Volume</strong></td>\r\n<td width=\"91\"><strong>Equal Total Sales</strong></td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"64\">Week</td>\r\n<td width=\"108\">7</td>\r\n<td width=\"186\">5</td>\r\n<td width=\"91\">35</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"64\">Month</td>\r\n<td width=\"108\">30</td>\r\n<td width=\"186\">5</td>\r\n<td width=\"91\">150</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"64\">Quarter</td>\r\n<td width=\"108\">90</td>\r\n<td width=\"186\">5</td>\r\n<td width=\"91\">450</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"64\">Year</td>\r\n<td width=\"108\">365</td>\r\n<td width=\"186\">5</td>\r\n<td width=\"91\">1,825</td>\r\n</tr>\r\n</tbody>\r\n</table>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">After forecasting your total sales for a given period, add 25 to 30 percent to the quantity as a buffer. Also, be sure to consider the fact that sales volume of some products is likely to increase during certain periods of the year, such as Christmas, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Amazon Prime Day. Analyze your sales reports (accessible via Seller Central’s Reports menu) to identify and better understand demand fluctuations for specific products.</p>\r\n\r\n<h3>Accounting for lead times</h3>\r\nSuppliers need time to manufacture, pack, and ship products. Be sure to account for the time required, and place your order earlier enough so the products reach you or arrive at Amazon fulfillment centers before you run out of stock.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">Communicate with your suppliers to identify any potential supplier downtimes or other factors that may impact lead time, such as the following:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Holiday seasons: </strong>Holidays can impact lead times in two ways. First, if a number of employees take time off, the supplier may not have the workforce required to fill orders. For example, most Chinese suppliers slow down or shut down for at least seven days (and some for several weeks) in late January and early February, in honor of Chinese New Year. Second, suppliers often are busier in the days leading up to holiday seasons, during which period they may need more time to fill orders.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Order sizes: </strong>Suppliers can typically fill small orders faster than large orders, so find out from your supplier how order quantity impacts fulfillment and then plan for these variations in lead times.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Shipping/delivery: </strong>Delivery times vary according to the location of the supplier and how the items are shipped, such as via air, land, or sea.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Customs inspections: </strong>If products need to cross borders, expect delays due to customs inspections.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Inventory processing: </strong>Whether items are shipped to you or to Amazon or other third-party fulfillment centers, they need to be logged in to inventory.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">With inventory planning, you need to think months in advance, not merely days or weeks. From the time you place an order with a supplier until the product is ready to be shipped (from you or an Amazon fulfillment center) generally requires at least 30 days and often longer.</p>\r\n\r\n<h3><a name=\"_Toc34747641\"></a>Replenishing FBA inventory</h3>\r\nIf you use FBA, you can start the process of replenishing inventory from Amazon’s Manage Inventory page:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li><strong> In Seller Central, open the Inventory menu and select Manage FBA Inventory. </strong>The Inventory Amazon Fulfills page appears, as shown in the following figure.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Scroll down the product list to the product you want to replenish and click the check box to the left of that product.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Open the Actions menu and select Send/Replenish Inventory.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process. </strong></li>\r\n</ol>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271784\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271784\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-fba-inventory.jpg\" alt=\"replenish FBA inventory\" width=\"556\" height=\"340\" /> Start the process of replenishing FBA inventory.[/caption]\r\n<h3>Setting up replenishment alerts</h3>\r\nReplenishment alerts notify you via email when the quantity of a product in inventory dips below the threshold you specify. With replenishment alerts, you don’t have to constantly monitor your product listings via Amazon’s Manage Inventory page. You simply set up an alert and then take action when you receive a replenishment notification.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Replenishment alerts are available only for FBA products. For FBM products check the low stock alerts on your Seller Central homepage. These alerts are generated automatically based on sales over the past 30 days and the number of items in stock you entered when you first listed the product or most recently updated your quantity in stock.</p>\r\nWhen creating a replenishment alert for an FBA product, Amazon allows you to specify your replenishment threshold in terms of units or <em>weeks-of-cover</em> (the number of weeks’ worth of inventory you have on hand based on sales over the past 30 days):\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Units: </strong>To figure out when to replenish based on number of units in stock, multiply your lead time by your daily sales volume and add a buffer to ensure you don’t run out of stock. For example, if your lead time is 45 days and you sell an average of five units per day, should set a replenishment alert for when you have a minimum of 225 items in stock. You would be wise to add a buffer of say 50 to 75 units to be sure you don’t run short, such as 225 + 75 = 300 units.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Weeks-of-cover: </strong>To set a replenishment alert based on weeks-of-cover, start with your lead time in weeks and add a buffer of a couple weeks. For example, if your lead time is 75 days, that’s about 11 weeks, plus two weeks equal 13 weeks. Every 13 weeks, you need to order enough items to cover the next 13 weeks.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Revisit your alerts regularly and make adjustments when necessary. You don’t want to run out of inventory, but inventory can build up over time leading to overstock conditions that increase your storage costs and your risk of getting stuck with products you can’t sell.</p>\r\nTo set a replenishment alert, take the following steps:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li><strong> In Seller Central, open the Inventory menu and select Manage Inventory. </strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> After the Manage Inventory page appears, check the box next to each product for which you want to set a replenishment alert in the table of product listings.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Open the Action menu, select Set Replenishment Alerts, and press the Go button. </strong>The Set Inventory Replenishment Alerts page appears.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> In the When do you want to be alerted column, open the Apply to All list and select When Fulfillable Quantity Reaches (Units) or When Weeks-of-Cover Reaches (Weeks) to set the same replenishment level for all products listed or select the desired unit for each individual product.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Enter the desired alert threshold quantity in the Alert Threshold box at the top of the column to use the same threshold for all items in the list or enter the desired quantity in the Alert Threshold box for each product individually.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Press the Save button to save the alert.</strong></li>\r\n</ol>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271779\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271779\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-alert-threshold.jpg\" alt=\"inventory alert threshold\" width=\"556\" height=\"189\" /> Enter the desired alert threshold.[/caption]\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Use Amazon’s Restock Inventory tool to obtain recommendations on products to restock, replenishment quantities, and ship dates. To access the Restock Inventory tool, open the Inventory menu, select Inventory Planning, and select the Restock Inventory tab.</p>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Although Amazon will notify you via email when your fulfillment threshold is reached, you can check for alerts on Seller Central. Open the Inventory menu and select Manage FBA Inventory. A gold bell appears in the Available column next to the quantity when an alert has been set but not yet reached. A red bell indicates that the threshold has been reached.</p>\r\n\r\n<h3>Avoiding FBA’s long-term storage fees</h3>\r\nInventory that has been in an Amazon fulfillment center is subject to long-term storage fees charged per item or per cubic foot, whichever is greater. To help sellers avoid these fees, Amazon features an inventory planner that enables you to monitor how long your products have been stored in Amazon fulfillment centers. To access the inventory planner from Seller Central, open the Inventory menu and select Inventory Planning. The inventory planner appears with the Inventory Age tab selected, as shown.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271789\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271789\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-inventory-planner.jpg\" alt=\"Amazon’s inventory planner.\" width=\"556\" height=\"314\" /> Amazon’s inventory planner.[/caption]\r\n\r\nFor each product stored in FBA inventory, the inventory planner displays its name, sales rank, sales (units shipped in the last 90 days), FBA sell-through (in the last 90 days), inventory age, estimated long-term storage fees, your price, and the buy box price. Use these details to make informed decisions about each product; for example, you may want to avoid long-term storage fees by dropping a product’s price to quickly sell any remaining units or have FBA ship any remaining items back to you and then close or delete the listing.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":33370,"name":"Deniz Olmez","slug":"deniz-olmez","description":"Deniz Olmez is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup, and management, and branding services.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33370"}},{"authorId":8993,"name":"Joseph Kraynak","slug":"joseph-kraynak","description":"Joseph Kraynak is a writer who's contributed to several Dummies books, including Flipping Houses For Dummies, Oceans For Dummies, and Selling on Amazon For Dummies.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8993"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34250,"title":"Sales","slug":"sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33589,"title":"Amazon","slug":"amazon","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33589"}},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Maintain sufficient stock","target":"#tab1"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":271837,"title":"How to Add Your Trademark to the Amazon Brand Registry","slug":"how-to-add-your-trademark-to-the-amazon-brand-registry","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271837"}},{"articleId":271834,"title":"Manage Your Amazon Seller Account with the Mobile App","slug":"manage-your-amazon-seller-account-with-the-mobile-app","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271834"}},{"articleId":271831,"title":"How to Track Your Amazon Seller Account’s Health and Performance","slug":"how-to-track-your-amazon-seller-accounts-health-and-performance","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271831"}},{"articleId":271824,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Choose an Order Fulfillment Method","slug":"selling-on-amazon-choose-an-order-fulfillment-method","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271824"}},{"articleId":271821,"title":"Selling on Amazon: How to Source Products from Alibaba","slug":"selling-on-amazon-how-to-source-products-from-alibaba","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271821"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":271837,"title":"How to Add Your Trademark to the Amazon Brand Registry","slug":"how-to-add-your-trademark-to-the-amazon-brand-registry","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271837"}},{"articleId":271834,"title":"Manage Your Amazon Seller Account with the Mobile App","slug":"manage-your-amazon-seller-account-with-the-mobile-app","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271834"}},{"articleId":271831,"title":"How to Track Your Amazon Seller Account’s Health and Performance","slug":"how-to-track-your-amazon-seller-accounts-health-and-performance","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271831"}},{"articleId":271824,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Choose an Order Fulfillment Method","slug":"selling-on-amazon-choose-an-order-fulfillment-method","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271824"}},{"articleId":271821,"title":"Selling on Amazon: How to Source Products from Alibaba","slug":"selling-on-amazon-how-to-source-products-from-alibaba","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271821"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282568,"slug":"selling-on-amazon-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119689331","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119689333/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119689333/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119689333-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119689333/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119689333/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-on-amazon-for-dummies-cover-9781119689331-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Selling on Amazon For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><b data-author-id=\"33370\">Deniz Olmez</b> is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup and management, FBA, and branding services. <b data-author-id=\"8993\">Joe Kraynak</b> has authored and coauthored numerous books including <i>Flipping Houses For Dummies</i> and <i>Foreclosure Self-Defense For Dummies.</i> </p>","authors":[{"authorId":33370,"name":"Deniz Olmez","slug":"deniz-olmez","description":"Deniz Olmez is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup, and management, and branding services.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33370"}},{"authorId":8993,"name":"Joseph Kraynak","slug":"joseph-kraynak","description":"Joseph Kraynak is a writer who's contributed to several Dummies books, including Flipping Houses For Dummies, Oceans For Dummies, and Selling on Amazon For Dummies.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8993"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;sales&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119689331&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6217baf61bb83\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = 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Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"},"slug":"sales","categoryId":34250}],"title":"Selling on Amazon: Choose an Order Fulfillment Method","strippedTitle":"selling on amazon: choose an order fulfillment method","slug":"selling-on-amazon-choose-an-order-fulfillment-method","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn about order Amazon seller's fulfillment options: Fulfillment by Amazon, Fulfillment by Merchant, Seller Fulfilled Prime, and drop-shipping.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Order fulfillment plays a big role in ecommerce success, especially on Amazon where more than one million Prime customers expect free two-day delivery or faster, and Amazon rewards sellers with higher product placement for satisfying its customers’ delivery expectations.\r\n\r\nOne of your first decisions as an <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/online-business/selling-on-amazon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\">Amazon Seller</a> is how to fulfill customer orders. You have four options (not mutually exclusive), as we explain in the following.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" ><a name=\"_Toc32773713\"></a><a name=\"_Toc31012335\"></a><a name=\"_Toc31011831\"></a>Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)</h2>\r\nWith FBA, you send your products or arrange to have them sent from your suppliers to Amazon fulfillment centers in various locations in your marketplace(s) — the United States, Canada, Mexico, wherever. Your customers order from you on Amazon, and Amazon picks, packs, labels, and ships your products from their fulfillment centers to your customers and provides them with tracking information. Amazon’s customer-service team manages customer inquiries and processes returns and refunds.\r\n\r\nWhen considering FBA, weigh the pros and cons.\r\n\r\nHere are the pros:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>All FBA products receive two-day shipping to Prime customers, which improves your chances of closing sales. About half of Amazon’s customers (101 million in the United States alone) are Prime, with each spending on average about $1,400 annually in products on Amazon.</li>\r\n \t<li>Using FBA is hassle-free. All you need to do is get your products to Amazon fulfillment centers, and Amazon handles the rest.</li>\r\n \t<li>You get reduced shipping rates to Amazon fulfillment centers and from those centers to your customers: Amazon negotiates high-volume shipping contracts with carriers, and you reap the benefits of lower shipping costs.</li>\r\n \t<li>An FBA product has a greater chance than a Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) product of winning the buy box (being the featured offer). Buy box placement accounts for more than 80 percent of all Amazon sales.</li>\r\n \t<li>FBA can also be integrated into your other sales channels, so if customers purchase a product on your own ecommerce site (outside Amazon), FBA can fulfill the order (subject to a higher FBA fee).</li>\r\n \t<li>Offsite product storage is much more convenient. If you’re running your ecommerce business out of your home or garage, you avoid the clutter of having to store inventory onsite.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nMeanwhile, here are the cons:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Amazon charges FBA fees to cover storage, fulfillment, and customer service, plus you pay for shipping products to fulfillment centers. You may also incur a high-volume listing fee on some items and long-term storage fees if products don’t sell through within a year’s time.</li>\r\n \t<li>Preparing and shipping products to Amazon fulfillment centers requires some work. Each unit must be labeled with a bar code, so it can be picked and packed easily with outgoing orders.</li>\r\n \t<li>Access to your inventory is limited because it’s stored in Amazon fulfillment centers.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">We strongly encourage you to use FBA as your primary fulfillment method, especially for high-volume, high-margin products, leveraging Amazon’s industry-leading logistics and customer service to cater most effectively to Amazon customers and simplify the process of scaling your business. Reserve other fulfillment methods for specialty items, such as custom-made furniture that requires special packing or a more personal touch.</p>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">To compare the costs of FBA and FBM, use the Fulfillment by Amazon Revenue Calculator:</p>\r\n\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li><strong> Go to the </strong><a href=\"https://sellercentral.amazon.com/fba/revenuecalculator/index?lang=en_US\"><strong>Fulfillment by Amazon Revenue Calculator</strong></a><strong>. </strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> In the Find Your Product on Amazon.com text box, type the product name, UPC, EAN, ISBN, or ASIN and select Search. </strong>Amazon presents a collection of products that match your search term or phrase.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Below the product you’re interested in, click Select. </strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> In the Your Fulfillment column, type your fulfillment costs in the Item Price, Shipping, Cost of Seller Fulfillment, and Cost of Product fields.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> In the Amazon Fulfillment Current column, enter your numbers for Item Price, the per-item cost to ship the product to an Amazon fulfillment center, and the cost of the product.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Press the Calculate button. </strong>The calculator crunches the numbers and displays a comparison of your net profit and margin percentage for your fulfillment costs versus Amazon fulfillment costs.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271786\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271786\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-fulfillment-costs.jpg\" alt=\"fulfillment costs\" width=\"556\" height=\"371\" /> Compare your fulfillment costs to those of FBA.[/caption]\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" ><a name=\"_Toc32773714\"></a><a name=\"_Toc31012336\"></a><a name=\"_Toc31011832\"></a>Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM)</h2>\r\nIf you’re testing a product or selling low-volume, low-margin products, FBM may be the better choice. For comparison, check out the pros and cons of FBM.\r\n\r\nHere are the pros:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Avoiding FBA fees may help to lower your costs, which can boost profit margins. Crunch the numbers, though, to determine whether Amazon’s lower shipping fees offset other FBA fees.</li>\r\n \t<li>Fulfilling orders yourself gives you greater control over inventory, packing, and shipping, which can be beneficial when selling custom products or adding a personal touch to outgoing packages.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nAnd the cons:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>With FBM, you spend more time and effort to pick, pack, label, and ship products and process customer service requests, returns, and refunds.</li>\r\n \t<li>FBM products aren’t automatically eligible for Prime. You may be able to qualify for Seller Fulfilled Prime.</li>\r\n \t<li>You have less opportunity to win the buy box (and be the featured offer).</li>\r\n \t<li>Although profit margins may be higher with FBM, sales volume is likely to be lower.</li>\r\n \t<li>You need to store products in your home or garage or procure warehouse storage.</li>\r\n \t<li>Overhead costs, including shipping fees, are generally higher.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" ><a name=\"_Toc32773715\"></a><a name=\"_Toc31012337\"></a><a name=\"_Toc31011833\"></a>Seller Fulfilled Prime</h2>\r\nWith Seller Fulfilled Prime, you store and ship products from your own warehouses, while committing to delivering products to Prime customers within Amazon’s required two-day delivery window. If approved for Seller Fulfilled Prime, you’re allowed to display the Prime badge for products shipped from your warehouses. In addition to other benefits, Amazon provides access to discounted transportation solutions to help meet the two-day Prime delivery promise.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">During the time of this writing, Amazon wasn’t accepting new registrations for <a href=\"https://services.amazon.com/services/seller-fulfilled-prime.html\">Seller Fulfilled Prime</a>, but you can join the waitlist.</p>\r\n\r\n<h3><a name=\"_Toc32773716\"></a>Recognizing the benefits of Seller Fulfilled Prime</h3>\r\nSeller Fulfilled Prime offers several benefits, including the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>You pick, pack, and ship products from your warehouses, so you have greater control over your own inventory and operations.</li>\r\n \t<li>You can list products as Prime, which is very appealing to Amazon’s most loyal customers. Prime customers often filter product listings so as to display only Prime products. To have a chance to win this business, your products must qualify as Prime offerings.</li>\r\n \t<li>Prime listings have a greater chance of winning the buy box.</li>\r\n \t<li>By offering free two-day guaranteed shipping, you improve your chances of repeat and multiple orders.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Seller Fulfilled Prime is generally best suited for high value items, seasonal products with unpredictable demand, slow moving goods, items with variations, and inventory that requires special handling or preparation.</p>\r\n\r\n<h3><a name=\"_Toc32773717\"></a>Meeting Seller Fulfilled Prime requirements</h3>\r\nBeing able to deliver products from your warehouse(s) to Prime customers within Amazon’s two-day window is only one of several Seller Fulfilled Prime requirements. To qualify for and maintain good standing in this program, you must meet the following requirements:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Offer premium shipping options.</li>\r\n \t<li>Ship more than 99 percent of the orders on time (the same day you receive the orders).</li>\r\n \t<li>Maintain order cancellation rate of less than 0.5 percent.</li>\r\n \t<li>Buy Amazon shipping services for at least 98.5 percent of Amazon orders; for the most part, you buy shipping labels from Amazon-approved carriers, who deliver orders to customers.</li>\r\n \t<li>Allow Amazon to handle customer service queries.</li>\r\n \t<li>Agree to and comply with Amazon Returns Policy.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h3><a name=\"_Toc32773718\"></a>Successfully navigating the trial period</h3>\r\nTo participate in Seller Fulfilled Prime, you must successfully complete a trial period, which traditionally consists of filling a certain number of orders within a set period of time — for example, 50 orders in 90 days or fewer. Products aren’t listed with the Prime badge during this time, and all orders must be processed with a zero-day handling time.\r\n\r\nAssuming you successfully complete the trial period, you’re enrolled in the program, and the Prime badge is displayed for participating ASINs.\r\n<h3><a name=\"_Toc32773719\"></a>Participating in Seller Fulfilled Prime</h3>\r\nTo meet your Seller Fulfilled Prime obligations, take the following steps:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li><strong> Maintain sufficient inventory in your warehouse(s) to fill customer orders.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Buy shipping labels from Amazon-approved carriers. </strong>In Seller Central, select Orders and then Manage Orders and press the Buy Shipping button for the order you want to ship. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Pick, pack, and ship the orders the same day they’re received, typically by 4 p.m. </strong>Orders will be delivered within two days by Amazon-approved carriers.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">Inspect shipping costs closely prior to deciding whether to “Buy Shipping” from Amazon-approved carriers. Seller Fulfilled Prime free shipping options may be cost-prohibitive for certain products or product categories.</p>\r\nFor questions about Seller Fulfilled Prime, email <a href=\"mailto:[email protected]\">[email protected]</a>.\r\n<h3><a name=\"_Toc31012338\"></a><a name=\"_Toc31011834\"></a><a name=\"_Toc32773720\"></a>Managing Seller Fulfilled Prime orders</h3>\r\nTo manage Seller Fulfilled Prime SKUs, log on to Seller Central, open the Inventory menu, and select Manage Seller Fulfilled Prime. The Manage Seller Fulfilled Prime dashboard appears providing the tools you need to manage orders.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" ><a name=\"_Toc32773721\"></a>Drop-shipping</h2>\r\nDrop-shipping is the ultimate in look-ma-no-hands order fulfillment and low-cost, low-risk startups and product testing! You build a store and list products that the drop-ship supplier has available. Customers order products through your store, and the order goes to the drop-shipper, which fulfills the order for you. (Most drop-shippers merely act as a conduit between sellers and numerous suppliers that offer their own drop-shipping services.) Because you don’t have to stock up on inventory, you can start selling without having to buy any products up front.\r\n\r\nAlthough drop-shipping may strike you as the ideal option, consider a couple potential (and significant) drawbacks:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Although drop-shipping is a low-cost, low-risk approach to testing the waters with customers, as your sales and business grow, the costs eat into your profit margins. If you’re selling high-volume or low-margin items, drop-shipping may not be the best choice for selling any product long term.</li>\r\n \t<li>If the drop-shipper drops the ball on an order, you suffer the consequences of disappointing a customer.</li>\r\n \t<li>You’re at the mercy of the drop-shipper regarding inventory. If your drop-shipper runs out of stock or discontinues a product, you’re out of luck.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nEven though Amazon generally accepts drop-shipping to its customers, it enforces certain criteria to maintain a high-quality shopping experience. All the sellers who intend to fulfill the orders through drop-shipping must meet the following criteria:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Be the seller on record</li>\r\n \t<li>Identify as the seller of the products on all the packaging material, invoices, and any other documentation</li>\r\n \t<li>Remove any mention of the drop-shipper from invoices, packaging, products, and anything else sent to customers</li>\r\n \t<li>Be responsible for all the product returns</li>\r\n \t<li>Comply with all other seller policies and Amazon policies</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Drop-shipping is a great way to test the market for any new, unproven products. You can list the product without investing in inventory. If the product takes off, you can switch to FBA or FBM.</p>\r\nTo find out more about drop-shipping, check out some of the top drop-shipping suppliers:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https://home.aliexpress.com/dropshippercenter/dashboard.htm\">AliExpress</a></li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"http://www.doba.com\">Doba</a></li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"http://www.oberlo.com\">Oberlo</a></li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"http://www.salehoo.com\">SaleHoo</a></li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"http://www.spocket.co\">Sprocket</a></li>\r\n</ul>","description":"Order fulfillment plays a big role in ecommerce success, especially on Amazon where more than one million Prime customers expect free two-day delivery or faster, and Amazon rewards sellers with higher product placement for satisfying its customers’ delivery expectations.\r\n\r\nOne of your first decisions as an <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/online-business/selling-on-amazon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\">Amazon Seller</a> is how to fulfill customer orders. You have four options (not mutually exclusive), as we explain in the following.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" ><a name=\"_Toc32773713\"></a><a name=\"_Toc31012335\"></a><a name=\"_Toc31011831\"></a>Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)</h2>\r\nWith FBA, you send your products or arrange to have them sent from your suppliers to Amazon fulfillment centers in various locations in your marketplace(s) — the United States, Canada, Mexico, wherever. Your customers order from you on Amazon, and Amazon picks, packs, labels, and ships your products from their fulfillment centers to your customers and provides them with tracking information. Amazon’s customer-service team manages customer inquiries and processes returns and refunds.\r\n\r\nWhen considering FBA, weigh the pros and cons.\r\n\r\nHere are the pros:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>All FBA products receive two-day shipping to Prime customers, which improves your chances of closing sales. About half of Amazon’s customers (101 million in the United States alone) are Prime, with each spending on average about $1,400 annually in products on Amazon.</li>\r\n \t<li>Using FBA is hassle-free. All you need to do is get your products to Amazon fulfillment centers, and Amazon handles the rest.</li>\r\n \t<li>You get reduced shipping rates to Amazon fulfillment centers and from those centers to your customers: Amazon negotiates high-volume shipping contracts with carriers, and you reap the benefits of lower shipping costs.</li>\r\n \t<li>An FBA product has a greater chance than a Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) product of winning the buy box (being the featured offer). Buy box placement accounts for more than 80 percent of all Amazon sales.</li>\r\n \t<li>FBA can also be integrated into your other sales channels, so if customers purchase a product on your own ecommerce site (outside Amazon), FBA can fulfill the order (subject to a higher FBA fee).</li>\r\n \t<li>Offsite product storage is much more convenient. If you’re running your ecommerce business out of your home or garage, you avoid the clutter of having to store inventory onsite.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nMeanwhile, here are the cons:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Amazon charges FBA fees to cover storage, fulfillment, and customer service, plus you pay for shipping products to fulfillment centers. You may also incur a high-volume listing fee on some items and long-term storage fees if products don’t sell through within a year’s time.</li>\r\n \t<li>Preparing and shipping products to Amazon fulfillment centers requires some work. Each unit must be labeled with a bar code, so it can be picked and packed easily with outgoing orders.</li>\r\n \t<li>Access to your inventory is limited because it’s stored in Amazon fulfillment centers.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">We strongly encourage you to use FBA as your primary fulfillment method, especially for high-volume, high-margin products, leveraging Amazon’s industry-leading logistics and customer service to cater most effectively to Amazon customers and simplify the process of scaling your business. Reserve other fulfillment methods for specialty items, such as custom-made furniture that requires special packing or a more personal touch.</p>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">To compare the costs of FBA and FBM, use the Fulfillment by Amazon Revenue Calculator:</p>\r\n\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li><strong> Go to the </strong><a href=\"https://sellercentral.amazon.com/fba/revenuecalculator/index?lang=en_US\"><strong>Fulfillment by Amazon Revenue Calculator</strong></a><strong>. </strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> In the Find Your Product on Amazon.com text box, type the product name, UPC, EAN, ISBN, or ASIN and select Search. </strong>Amazon presents a collection of products that match your search term or phrase.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Below the product you’re interested in, click Select. </strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> In the Your Fulfillment column, type your fulfillment costs in the Item Price, Shipping, Cost of Seller Fulfillment, and Cost of Product fields.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> In the Amazon Fulfillment Current column, enter your numbers for Item Price, the per-item cost to ship the product to an Amazon fulfillment center, and the cost of the product.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Press the Calculate button. </strong>The calculator crunches the numbers and displays a comparison of your net profit and margin percentage for your fulfillment costs versus Amazon fulfillment costs.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271786\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271786\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-fulfillment-costs.jpg\" alt=\"fulfillment costs\" width=\"556\" height=\"371\" /> Compare your fulfillment costs to those of FBA.[/caption]\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" ><a name=\"_Toc32773714\"></a><a name=\"_Toc31012336\"></a><a name=\"_Toc31011832\"></a>Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM)</h2>\r\nIf you’re testing a product or selling low-volume, low-margin products, FBM may be the better choice. For comparison, check out the pros and cons of FBM.\r\n\r\nHere are the pros:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Avoiding FBA fees may help to lower your costs, which can boost profit margins. Crunch the numbers, though, to determine whether Amazon’s lower shipping fees offset other FBA fees.</li>\r\n \t<li>Fulfilling orders yourself gives you greater control over inventory, packing, and shipping, which can be beneficial when selling custom products or adding a personal touch to outgoing packages.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nAnd the cons:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>With FBM, you spend more time and effort to pick, pack, label, and ship products and process customer service requests, returns, and refunds.</li>\r\n \t<li>FBM products aren’t automatically eligible for Prime. You may be able to qualify for Seller Fulfilled Prime.</li>\r\n \t<li>You have less opportunity to win the buy box (and be the featured offer).</li>\r\n \t<li>Although profit margins may be higher with FBM, sales volume is likely to be lower.</li>\r\n \t<li>You need to store products in your home or garage or procure warehouse storage.</li>\r\n \t<li>Overhead costs, including shipping fees, are generally higher.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" ><a name=\"_Toc32773715\"></a><a name=\"_Toc31012337\"></a><a name=\"_Toc31011833\"></a>Seller Fulfilled Prime</h2>\r\nWith Seller Fulfilled Prime, you store and ship products from your own warehouses, while committing to delivering products to Prime customers within Amazon’s required two-day delivery window. If approved for Seller Fulfilled Prime, you’re allowed to display the Prime badge for products shipped from your warehouses. In addition to other benefits, Amazon provides access to discounted transportation solutions to help meet the two-day Prime delivery promise.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">During the time of this writing, Amazon wasn’t accepting new registrations for <a href=\"https://services.amazon.com/services/seller-fulfilled-prime.html\">Seller Fulfilled Prime</a>, but you can join the waitlist.</p>\r\n\r\n<h3><a name=\"_Toc32773716\"></a>Recognizing the benefits of Seller Fulfilled Prime</h3>\r\nSeller Fulfilled Prime offers several benefits, including the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>You pick, pack, and ship products from your warehouses, so you have greater control over your own inventory and operations.</li>\r\n \t<li>You can list products as Prime, which is very appealing to Amazon’s most loyal customers. Prime customers often filter product listings so as to display only Prime products. To have a chance to win this business, your products must qualify as Prime offerings.</li>\r\n \t<li>Prime listings have a greater chance of winning the buy box.</li>\r\n \t<li>By offering free two-day guaranteed shipping, you improve your chances of repeat and multiple orders.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Seller Fulfilled Prime is generally best suited for high value items, seasonal products with unpredictable demand, slow moving goods, items with variations, and inventory that requires special handling or preparation.</p>\r\n\r\n<h3><a name=\"_Toc32773717\"></a>Meeting Seller Fulfilled Prime requirements</h3>\r\nBeing able to deliver products from your warehouse(s) to Prime customers within Amazon’s two-day window is only one of several Seller Fulfilled Prime requirements. To qualify for and maintain good standing in this program, you must meet the following requirements:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Offer premium shipping options.</li>\r\n \t<li>Ship more than 99 percent of the orders on time (the same day you receive the orders).</li>\r\n \t<li>Maintain order cancellation rate of less than 0.5 percent.</li>\r\n \t<li>Buy Amazon shipping services for at least 98.5 percent of Amazon orders; for the most part, you buy shipping labels from Amazon-approved carriers, who deliver orders to customers.</li>\r\n \t<li>Allow Amazon to handle customer service queries.</li>\r\n \t<li>Agree to and comply with Amazon Returns Policy.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h3><a name=\"_Toc32773718\"></a>Successfully navigating the trial period</h3>\r\nTo participate in Seller Fulfilled Prime, you must successfully complete a trial period, which traditionally consists of filling a certain number of orders within a set period of time — for example, 50 orders in 90 days or fewer. Products aren’t listed with the Prime badge during this time, and all orders must be processed with a zero-day handling time.\r\n\r\nAssuming you successfully complete the trial period, you’re enrolled in the program, and the Prime badge is displayed for participating ASINs.\r\n<h3><a name=\"_Toc32773719\"></a>Participating in Seller Fulfilled Prime</h3>\r\nTo meet your Seller Fulfilled Prime obligations, take the following steps:\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li><strong> Maintain sufficient inventory in your warehouse(s) to fill customer orders.</strong></li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Buy shipping labels from Amazon-approved carriers. </strong>In Seller Central, select Orders and then Manage Orders and press the Buy Shipping button for the order you want to ship. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong> Pick, pack, and ship the orders the same day they’re received, typically by 4 p.m. </strong>Orders will be delivered within two days by Amazon-approved carriers.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">Inspect shipping costs closely prior to deciding whether to “Buy Shipping” from Amazon-approved carriers. Seller Fulfilled Prime free shipping options may be cost-prohibitive for certain products or product categories.</p>\r\nFor questions about Seller Fulfilled Prime, email <a href=\"mailto:[email protected]\">[email protected]</a>.\r\n<h3><a name=\"_Toc31012338\"></a><a name=\"_Toc31011834\"></a><a name=\"_Toc32773720\"></a>Managing Seller Fulfilled Prime orders</h3>\r\nTo manage Seller Fulfilled Prime SKUs, log on to Seller Central, open the Inventory menu, and select Manage Seller Fulfilled Prime. The Manage Seller Fulfilled Prime dashboard appears providing the tools you need to manage orders.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" ><a name=\"_Toc32773721\"></a>Drop-shipping</h2>\r\nDrop-shipping is the ultimate in look-ma-no-hands order fulfillment and low-cost, low-risk startups and product testing! You build a store and list products that the drop-ship supplier has available. Customers order products through your store, and the order goes to the drop-shipper, which fulfills the order for you. (Most drop-shippers merely act as a conduit between sellers and numerous suppliers that offer their own drop-shipping services.) Because you don’t have to stock up on inventory, you can start selling without having to buy any products up front.\r\n\r\nAlthough drop-shipping may strike you as the ideal option, consider a couple potential (and significant) drawbacks:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Although drop-shipping is a low-cost, low-risk approach to testing the waters with customers, as your sales and business grow, the costs eat into your profit margins. If you’re selling high-volume or low-margin items, drop-shipping may not be the best choice for selling any product long term.</li>\r\n \t<li>If the drop-shipper drops the ball on an order, you suffer the consequences of disappointing a customer.</li>\r\n \t<li>You’re at the mercy of the drop-shipper regarding inventory. If your drop-shipper runs out of stock or discontinues a product, you’re out of luck.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nEven though Amazon generally accepts drop-shipping to its customers, it enforces certain criteria to maintain a high-quality shopping experience. All the sellers who intend to fulfill the orders through drop-shipping must meet the following criteria:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Be the seller on record</li>\r\n \t<li>Identify as the seller of the products on all the packaging material, invoices, and any other documentation</li>\r\n \t<li>Remove any mention of the drop-shipper from invoices, packaging, products, and anything else sent to customers</li>\r\n \t<li>Be responsible for all the product returns</li>\r\n \t<li>Comply with all other seller policies and Amazon policies</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Drop-shipping is a great way to test the market for any new, unproven products. You can list the product without investing in inventory. If the product takes off, you can switch to FBA or FBM.</p>\r\nTo find out more about drop-shipping, check out some of the top drop-shipping suppliers:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https://home.aliexpress.com/dropshippercenter/dashboard.htm\">AliExpress</a></li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"http://www.doba.com\">Doba</a></li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"http://www.oberlo.com\">Oberlo</a></li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"http://www.salehoo.com\">SaleHoo</a></li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"http://www.spocket.co\">Sprocket</a></li>\r\n</ul>","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":33370,"name":"Deniz Olmez","slug":"deniz-olmez","description":"Deniz Olmez is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup, and management, and branding services.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33370"}},{"authorId":8993,"name":"Joseph Kraynak","slug":"joseph-kraynak","description":"Joseph Kraynak is a writer who's contributed to several Dummies books, including Flipping Houses For Dummies, Oceans For Dummies, and Selling on Amazon For Dummies.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8993"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34250,"title":"Sales","slug":"sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":33589,"title":"Amazon","slug":"amazon","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33589"}},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM)","target":"#tab2"},{"label":"Seller Fulfilled Prime","target":"#tab3"},{"label":"Drop-shipping","target":"#tab4"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":271837,"title":"How to Add Your Trademark to the Amazon Brand Registry","slug":"how-to-add-your-trademark-to-the-amazon-brand-registry","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271837"}},{"articleId":271834,"title":"Manage Your Amazon Seller Account with the Mobile App","slug":"manage-your-amazon-seller-account-with-the-mobile-app","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271834"}},{"articleId":271831,"title":"How to Track Your Amazon Seller Account’s Health and Performance","slug":"how-to-track-your-amazon-seller-accounts-health-and-performance","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271831"}},{"articleId":271827,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Manage Inventory","slug":"selling-on-amazon-manage-inventory","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271827"}},{"articleId":271821,"title":"Selling on Amazon: How to Source Products from Alibaba","slug":"selling-on-amazon-how-to-source-products-from-alibaba","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271821"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":271837,"title":"How to Add Your Trademark to the Amazon Brand Registry","slug":"how-to-add-your-trademark-to-the-amazon-brand-registry","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271837"}},{"articleId":271834,"title":"Manage Your Amazon Seller Account with the Mobile App","slug":"manage-your-amazon-seller-account-with-the-mobile-app","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271834"}},{"articleId":271831,"title":"How to Track Your Amazon Seller Account’s Health and Performance","slug":"how-to-track-your-amazon-seller-accounts-health-and-performance","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271831"}},{"articleId":271827,"title":"Selling on Amazon: Manage Inventory","slug":"selling-on-amazon-manage-inventory","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271827"}},{"articleId":271821,"title":"Selling on Amazon: How to Source Products from Alibaba","slug":"selling-on-amazon-how-to-source-products-from-alibaba","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271821"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282568,"slug":"selling-on-amazon-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119689331","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","sales"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119689333/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119689333/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119689333-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119689333/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119689333/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-on-amazon-for-dummies-cover-9781119689331-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Selling on Amazon For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><b data-author-id=\"33370\">Deniz Olmez</b> is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup and management, FBA, and branding services. <b data-author-id=\"8993\">Joe Kraynak</b> has authored and coauthored numerous books including <i>Flipping Houses For Dummies</i> and <i>Foreclosure Self-Defense For Dummies.</i> </p>","authors":[{"authorId":33370,"name":"Deniz Olmez","slug":"deniz-olmez","description":"Deniz Olmez is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup, and management, and branding services.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33370"}},{"authorId":8993,"name":"Joseph Kraynak","slug":"joseph-kraynak","description":"Joseph Kraynak is a writer who's contributed to several Dummies books, including Flipping Houses For Dummies, Oceans For Dummies, and Selling on Amazon For Dummies.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8993"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;sales&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119689331&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6217baf612c89\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = 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Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Sales","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34250"},"slug":"sales","categoryId":34250}],"title":"Selling on Amazon: How to Source Products from Alibaba","strippedTitle":"selling on amazon: how to source products from alibaba","slug":"selling-on-amazon-how-to-source-products-from-alibaba","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn how to source products from Alibaba, where you can search for suppliers of products at prices that enable you to maximize your profits.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Alibaba is a Chinese ecommerce behemoth serving both consumers and businesses. It has revolutionized product sourcing, enabling hundreds of thousands of businesses across the globe to access millions of products at prices previously available only to big-box retailers. To optimize your success as an <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/online-business/selling-on-amazon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\">Amazon Seller</a>, we strongly encourage you to become familiar with Alibaba, where you’ll often find the best deals.\r\n\r\nStart by conducting some basic product research to answer the following questions:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>What kind of products do you want to sell — clothing, tools, toys, household products?</li>\r\n \t<li>Which products have the greatest sales and profit potential?</li>\r\n \t<li>What price are consumers willing to pay for each product?</li>\r\n \t<li>How much will it cost me to sell each product? Consider the product’s cost, Amazon selling fees, and any FBA fees.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWhen you have a pretty good idea of a product you want to sell, visit <a href=\"https://www.alibaba.com\">Alibaba.com</a>, open the drop-down list to the left of the Search box, and choose Suppliers (see the following figure). Click in the Search box, type a brief description of the product, and press the Search button. (The Search box also has a camera icon you can tap to search for a product by uploading an image of it.)\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271780\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271780\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-alibaba.jpg\" alt=\"Alibaba\" width=\"556\" height=\"360\" /> Search for suppliers on Alibaba.[/caption]\r\n\r\nAlibaba displays a long list of suppliers that sell products like the one you searched for. Use the filters above the list of suppliers and those on the left side of the page to narrow your search. You can narrow your search by product category, supplier type and location, company size (by revenue or number of employees), and more.\r\n\r\nAs shown in the figure, for each supplier in the list, Alibaba displays its name, how long it has been in business, and other details to help you make an informed choice of supplier. Details about each supplier include the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Badges: </strong>A supplier may have one or more of the following badges to indicate its credentials:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Trade Assurance</strong> indicates the supplier supports Alibaba’s Trade Assurance service, which protects your order from payment to delivery.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Gold Supplier </strong>indicates the supplier supports Trade Assurance and has passed one or more onsite checks to verify the business type and commercial or industrial capabilities. The Gold Supplier badge gives the supplier more credibility, but it doesn’t guarantee product quality or authenticity.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Verified Supplier </strong>indicates the supplier has been assessed and certified by independent third-party entities via online or offline methods. Again, this badge gives suppliers more credibility but doesn’t guarantee product quality or authenticity.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Transaction Level: </strong>The more diamonds a supplier has the greater the number of transactions it has on the Alibaba platform.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Response Rate:</strong> This metric indicates the percentage of buyers who have received a response within 24 hours of contacting the supplier.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Transactions:</strong> This metric indicates the number of transactions and their total dollar value over the past six months.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf you need additional information from a supplier, press the Contact Supplier button for the chosen supplier and use the resulting form to compose and send your question.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">To obtain quotes from a number of suppliers, submit a request for quote (RFQ). Return to Alibaba’s home page, open the Services menu, select Submit RFQ, and use the resulting form to enter the details of your RFQ, including the product name and category, quantity, and terms. Within hours and over the course of the coming days, you’ll receive quotes from suppliers. You can manage your RFQs by going to My Alibaba and choosing Manage RFQ.</p>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">As you evaluate prospective suppliers, follow these best practices:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Arrange a phone call or videoconference with the supplier before placing an order, so you can get a feel for how trustworthy the supplier is.</li>\r\n \t<li>Ask questions to obtain all the details you need to make a well-informed choice. Legitimate suppliers won’t hesitate to provide the requested details.</li>\r\n \t<li>Visit the supplier’s warehouse, if possible. If an in-person visit isn’t possible, request a video tour of the facility.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Big suppliers may have warehouses in multiple countries to avoid the hassles and headaches of dealing with customs and taxes. Ask the supplier if it has a warehouse in your country that would be more convenient for you to visit.</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Search the warehouse and business location online to verify their existence.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">Beware of fraudsters, even on Alibaba:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Compare the supplier’s name and address on its website and any correspondence you receive from the supplier with the name and address on Alibaba.</li>\r\n \t<li>Verify the supplier’s email address and website. Reputable suppliers often have email addresses associate with the domain instead of “google.com” or “yahoo.com.”</li>\r\n \t<li>Think twice before moving forward on any offer that seems to be too good to be true; it probably is.</li>\r\n \t<li>Avoid suppliers who ask for early payment, because fraudsters often want to grab the money and disappear. Legitimate suppliers won’t ask for payment prior to signing an agreement.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nAlso, before contracting with a supplier, order product samples. Getting your hands on actual products is a great quality assurance precaution.\r\n\r\nAfter deciding on a supplier, you’re ready to start negotiations and work out the logistics, such as agreeing to payment terms and methods, customs and import process, and any arrangements to ship products to Amazon fulfillment centers.","description":"Alibaba is a Chinese ecommerce behemoth serving both consumers and businesses. It has revolutionized product sourcing, enabling hundreds of thousands of businesses across the globe to access millions of products at prices previously available only to big-box retailers. To optimize your success as an <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/online-business/selling-on-amazon-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\">Amazon Seller</a>, we strongly encourage you to become familiar with Alibaba, where you’ll often find the best deals.\r\n\r\nStart by conducting some basic product research to answer the following questions:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>What kind of products do you want to sell — clothing, tools, toys, household products?</li>\r\n \t<li>Which products have the greatest sales and profit potential?</li>\r\n \t<li>What price are consumers willing to pay for each product?</li>\r\n \t<li>How much will it cost me to sell each product? Consider the product’s cost, Amazon selling fees, and any FBA fees.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWhen you have a pretty good idea of a product you want to sell, visit <a href=\"https://www.alibaba.com\">Alibaba.com</a>, open the drop-down list to the left of the Search box, and choose Suppliers (see the following figure). Click in the Search box, type a brief description of the product, and press the Search button. (The Search box also has a camera icon you can tap to search for a product by uploading an image of it.)\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_271780\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-271780\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/selling-amazon-alibaba.jpg\" alt=\"Alibaba\" width=\"556\" height=\"360\" /> Search for suppliers on Alibaba.[/caption]\r\n\r\nAlibaba displays a long list of suppliers that sell products like the one you searched for. Use the filters above the list of suppliers and those on the left side of the page to narrow your search. You can narrow your search by product category, supplier type and location, company size (by revenue or number of employees), and more.\r\n\r\nAs shown in the figure, for each supplier in the list, Alibaba displays its name, how long it has been in business, and other details to help you make an informed choice of supplier. Details about each supplier include the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Badges: </strong>A supplier may have one or more of the following badges to indicate its credentials:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Trade Assurance</strong> indicates the supplier supports Alibaba’s Trade Assurance service, which protects your order from payment to delivery.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Gold Supplier </strong>indicates the supplier supports Trade Assurance and has passed one or more onsite checks to verify the business type and commercial or industrial capabilities. The Gold Supplier badge gives the supplier more credibility, but it doesn’t guarantee product quality or authenticity.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Verified Supplier </strong>indicates the supplier has been assessed and certified by independent third-party entities via online or offline methods. Again, this badge gives suppliers more credibility but doesn’t guarantee product quality or authenticity.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Transaction Level: </strong>The more diamonds a supplier has the greater the number of transactions it has on the Alibaba platform.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Response Rate:</strong> This metric indicates the percentage of buyers who have received a response within 24 hours of contacting the supplier.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Transactions:</strong> This metric indicates the number of transactions and their total dollar value over the past six months.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nIf you need additional information from a supplier, press the Contact Supplier button for the chosen supplier and use the resulting form to compose and send your question.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">To obtain quotes from a number of suppliers, submit a request for quote (RFQ). Return to Alibaba’s home page, open the Services menu, select Submit RFQ, and use the resulting form to enter the details of your RFQ, including the product name and category, quantity, and terms. Within hours and over the course of the coming days, you’ll receive quotes from suppliers. You can manage your RFQs by going to My Alibaba and choosing Manage RFQ.</p>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">As you evaluate prospective suppliers, follow these best practices:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Arrange a phone call or videoconference with the supplier before placing an order, so you can get a feel for how trustworthy the supplier is.</li>\r\n \t<li>Ask questions to obtain all the details you need to make a well-informed choice. Legitimate suppliers won’t hesitate to provide the requested details.</li>\r\n \t<li>Visit the supplier’s warehouse, if possible. If an in-person visit isn’t possible, request a video tour of the facility.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Big suppliers may have warehouses in multiple countries to avoid the hassles and headaches of dealing with customs and taxes. Ask the supplier if it has a warehouse in your country that would be more convenient for you to visit.</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Search the warehouse and business location online to verify their existence.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">Beware of fraudsters, even on Alibaba:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Compare the supplier’s name and address on its website and any correspondence you receive from the supplier with the name and address on Alibaba.</li>\r\n \t<li>Verify the supplier’s email address and website. Reputable suppliers often have email addresses associate with the domain instead of “google.com” or “yahoo.com.”</li>\r\n \t<li>Think twice before moving forward on any offer that seems to be too good to be true; it probably is.</li>\r\n \t<li>Avoid suppliers who ask for early payment, because fraudsters often want to grab the money and disappear. Legitimate suppliers won’t ask for payment prior to signing an agreement.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nAlso, before contracting with a supplier, order product samples. Getting your hands on actual products is a great quality assurance precaution.\r\n\r\nAfter deciding on a supplier, you’re ready to start negotiations and work out the logistics, such as agreeing to payment terms and methods, customs and import process, and any arrangements to ship products to Amazon fulfillment centers.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":33370,"name":"Deniz Olmez","slug":"deniz-olmez","description":"Deniz Olmez is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup, and management, and branding services.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33370"}},{"authorId":8993,"name":"Joseph Kraynak","slug":"joseph-kraynak","description":"Joseph Kraynak is a writer who's contributed to several Dummies books, including Flipping Houses For Dummies, Oceans For Dummies, and Selling on Amazon For 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on Amazon For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"\n <p><b data-author-id=\"33370\">Deniz Olmez</b> is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup and management, FBA, and branding services. <b data-author-id=\"8993\">Joe Kraynak</b> has authored and coauthored numerous books including <i>Flipping Houses For Dummies</i> and <i>Foreclosure Self-Defense For Dummies.</i> </p>","authors":[{"authorId":33370,"name":"Deniz Olmez","slug":"deniz-olmez","description":"Deniz Olmez is an Amazon consultant who specializes in search engine optimization, new account setup, and management, and branding services.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33370"}},{"authorId":8993,"name":"Joseph Kraynak","slug":"joseph-kraynak","description":"Joseph Kraynak is a writer who's contributed to several Dummies books, including Flipping Houses For Dummies, Oceans For Dummies, and Selling on Amazon For 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Sales Sales Management For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-26-2022

Being a successful sales manager means so much more than being a good sales person (although that certainly is a big part of it). You have to be skilled at identifying new talent, know how to run an effective sales meeting, and set and track the progress of goals for your team. Nobody said the job was easy, but it's certainly never dull.

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Sales Direct Selling For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-11-2022

Direct selling has come a long way from its humble, domestic roots in 1950s Americana. Today’s top independent representatives run highly efficient, modern businesses that often leave more traditional retailers in the dust. There are three main types of direct sales models: Party Plan, Network Marketing, and Hybrid, and each finds its niche in the industry. Being successful means setting and meeting goals. Doing so keeps you on your toes and engaged in your business. Once you get going in your business, there are lots of hard-earned tips and tricks you can apply to really maximize your profit.

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Sales Selling For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-01-2022

With the right selling skills in your arsenal, you’ll have more happiness and satisfaction in all areas of your life, not just in your selling career (although your selling will certainly benefit, too). To start down the road to sales success, you need to know how to make a good first impression, ensure that your prospective clients need what you have, give fantastic presentations, address client concerns, and close sales.

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Sales Selling on Amazon For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-22-2022

Selling on Amazon is a broad topic that covers everything from researching products to sell and sourcing products to listing products for sale, fulfilling orders, and serving customers after a sale. This Cheat Sheet highlights a few key topics.

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Sales How to Add Your Trademark to the Amazon Brand Registry

Article / Updated 07-02-2020

If you have an approved trademark, as an Amazon seller you can create an Amazon Brand Registry account and add your trademark to the Brand Registry, assuming you meet the following program requirements: You have an active trademark that appears on your products and packaging. You can verify that you’re the owner of the trademark. (You have a trademark registration certificate from the USPTO or you applied for trademark registration through Amazon’s IP Accelerator.) You have an Amazon Brand Registry account, which you can create using your existing Seller Central credentials. In the following discussion, we list the benefits of having your brand registered on Amazon and provide instructions on how to add your brand to Amazon’s Brand Registry. The benefits of Amazon Brand Registry Amazon’s Brand Registry delivers several benefits to brand owners, including the following: Accurate brand representation: The listings you create for your branded products are the listings shoppers see. You’re the only seller who can change the content of your branded product listings. Brand protection: Amazon prohibits other sellers from using your brand and provides you with search and report tools to identify potential infringements and report them to Amazon. In addition, Amazon’s predictive protection mechanisms identify and remove any content that’s suspected of infringing on your brand or providing inaccurate content about your branded products. 24/7/365 support: As a registered brand owner, you have access to Amazon support teams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days of the year to answer questions and address concerns. Brand-building tools: Registered brands have access to Amazon’s brand building tools including A+ Pages, Sponsored Brands, Stores and the Brand Dashboard. Adding your brand to Amazon’s Brand Registry When you’re ready to add your brand/trademark to Amazon’s Brand Registry, take the following steps: 1. Go to Brand Services and press the Get Started button. 2. Review the eligibility requirements and press the Enroll Now button. 3. Select the country-specific marketplace where you want to enroll your brand. 4. After the Tell Us About Your Business page appears, enter the requested details about your business and press the Create Account button. 5. From the Amazon Brand Registry page, press the Enroll a New Brand button. Amazon asks you to confirm your brand eligibility, as shown. 6. Answer the following questions and press the Next button: Do your products and packaging have a permanently affixed brand name and logo? Do you intend to enroll more than ten brands in the Brand Registry? Do you have a brand name to be registered? After you click the Next button, the Intellectual Property page appears, as shown. 7. Enter the requested information, as follows, and press the Next button: Trademark type: Open the list and select Word Mark or Design Mark. Mark name: Click in the box and type the mark name as it appears on your trademark registration certificate. Trademark number: Click in the box and type the trademark number that appears on your trademark registration certificate. Trademark office: Open the list and select the country or region from which the trademark registration certificate was issued. After you click the Next button, the Tell Us More About page appears, as shown. 8. Answer the following questions about your trademark, products, seller and vendor accounts, and manufacturing and licensing: Do you products have UPCs, ISBNs, EANs, or other GTINs? If you sell your products online, let us know where (optional). Does your brand have an existing relationship with Amazon? If it does, specify your role: Seller, Vendor, or Both. Otherwise, choose No, my brand doesn’t have an existing seller or vendor relationship with Amazon. Does your brand manufacture products? Does your brand license the trademarks to others who manufacture products associated with your intellectual property? Where are your brand’s products manufactured? Select your answers from the lists provided. Where are your brand’s products distributed? Select your answers from the lists provided. 9. Press the Submit Application button. Amazon sends an email message with the case ID and another with a verification code to the contact you specified on your trademark application (you or your attorney). If you don’t receive these messages, ask your attorney to forward them to you. 10. Log in to Seller Central and scroll down to the Manage Your Case Log section. 11. Open the case message that applies to your adding your brand to the Brand Registry and choose the option to reply to the message. 12. Type or paste the verification code into your reply and choose the option to send the message. The Amazon Brand Registry support team completes the brand registration process and notifies you of its completion within one or two days.

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Sales Manage Your Amazon Seller Account with the Mobile App

Article / Updated 07-02-2020

Success as an Amazon seller relies on providing superior customer service 24/7/365. It requires being responsive to customer questions and complaints whether the customer tries to contact you during or outside business hours and even when you’re on vacation with your family. To stay in close contact with Amazon and your Amazon customers, consider downloading and installing the Amazon Seller app on your smartphone. With this free app, you can do the following: Receive Amazon notifications and address critical issues when you’re away from your office Snap, edit, and save product photos using your mobile device Scan products with or without a barcode using visual search, so you can easily create product listings for new products Conduct sale analysis and track your sales growth Manage orders, inventory, and advertising and promotional campaigns Contact Amazon Seller support when you need help Share the app with your team to become even more responsive to customers and have more eyes on opportunities and critical issues Where to get the Amazon Seller Mobile App The Amazon Seller Mobile App is currently available for iOS (Apple) and Android devices, and it’s free to install and use. To get the app, go to the app store for your device, search for “amazon seller,” and, when the Amazon Seller app appears, press the Install button. You can find the Amazon Seller app at any of the following App Stores: Apple’s App Store Google Play Amazon App Store After installing the app, press the button to run it and then select your primary marketplace (country). When prompted to log on, enter your login credentials (username and password), just as you would do to log on to your Amazon seller account from a computer. How to navigate the Amazon Seller Mobile App The Amazon Seller Mobile App has many of the same features and functionality as are built into the version you access via your computer’s web browser; everything is just presented a little differently. Most of the opening screen is dedicated to displaying your recent sales performance over the past seven days. Just above the main area is a bar you can swipe left or right to view key information, such as today’s total sales (in dollars and units), your current Amazon balance, when you can expect your next payment from Amazon, and your customer feedback rating. In the upper left corner of the screen is a menu button you can tap to view a list of options for returning to the Home page, managing inventory, viewing orders, communicating with customers or Amazon staff, getting help, signing out, and more. Near the bottom of the opening screen is another menu with options for performing common tasks, such as adding a product listing, managing orders, and checking your Amazon account health. Tap the camera icon in the upper right corner of the screen to scan a product, using its barcode or just a snapshot of the product, and create a product listing from it. This technique is a great way to add listings for specific products when you encounter a product anywhere that you want to start selling.

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Sales How to Track Your Amazon Seller Account’s Health and Performance

Article / Updated 07-02-2020

To a certain degree, Amazon’s success hinges on the performance of its third-party sellers. To ensure consistent product quality and customer satisfaction across all sellers, Amazon sets performance targets and policies and provides sellers with tools for evaluating and improving their own performance. You can access the tools from Seller Central via the Performance menu to provide guidance. How to check your Account Health Open the Performance menu and choose Account Health to access an overview of how well you’re doing in terms of complying with Amazon’s performance targets and policies (see the following figure). Overall account health is reflected by three metrics: customer service performance, product policy compliance, and shipping performance. Customer service performance Customer service performance is measured in terms of Order Defect Rate (ODR) — the percentage of total orders that result in negative seller feedback, an A-to-Z Guarantee claim that’s not denied, or a chargeback. (A chargeback is a reversal of a credit card payment initiated by the bank that issued the card.) Amazon sets a target order defect rate for all sellers of less than 1 percent. Here you can view your order defect rate broken down by Seller Fulfilled versus Fulfilled by Amazon orders and by the three metrics: negative feedback, A-to-Z Guarantee claims, and chargeback claims. Product policy compliance Amazon has a long list of policies it expects its sellers to comply with. Even a single violation of one of Amazon’s policies places your seller account at risk of suspension. To determine whether you have a clean record, check the Product Policy Compliance section of the Account Health page. Product compliance complaints include the following: Suspected intellectual property violations Received intellectual property complaints Product authenticity customer complaints Product condition customer complaints Product safety customer complaints Listing policy violations Restricted product policy violations Customer product reviews policy violations Amazon sets a target of zero product policy complaints or violations. If you receive a performance notification from Amazon indicating that you’re guilty of a violation or that someone has filed a complaint against you, respond immediately to address the issue. Shipping performance Amazon gauges shipping performance by late shipment rate (with a target of under 4 percent), a pre-fulfillment cancellation rate (with a target of under 2.5 percent), and a valid tracking rate (with a target above 95 percent). You’re responsible only for orders you fulfill. Amazon is responsible for Fulfillment by Amazon performance. When filling orders yourself, underpromise and overdeliver. Promise a deliver window you’re fairly certain you can beat by a day or two and try to get your products delivered a day or two early to impress your customers. How to review Amazon customer feedback The Account Health page includes a section for negative customer feedback, but if you’re looking for additional customer feedback metrics, open the Performance menu and choose Feedback. The Feedback Manager page appears (refer to the following figure), displaying your overall customer feedback rating and breaking it down into periods of 30, 90, 365, and Lifetime. Metrics are broken down into percentages of positive (four or five stars), neutral (three stars), and negative (one or two stars). This page also includes all the feedback you received along with a set of actions (on the far right) for responding publicly to the feedback or requesting its removal if you think it violates Amazon’s feedback policy. The Feedback Manager page also has an option to download your feedback report. Monitor and manage your A-to-Z Guarantee claims Amazon’s A-to-Z Guarantee ensures customer satisfaction when they buy from third-party sellers by guaranteeing that products are delivered on time and in good condition. If a customer contacts you about a problem with a product or its timely delivery, and the two of you are unable to resolve the issue, the customer can file an A-to-Z Guarantee claim to seek resolution from Amazon. Amazon requires that customers contact the seller prior to filing an A-to-Z Guarantee claim, either via Buyer-Seller messaging or by submitting a return request. If the customer isn’t satisfied within 48 hours of filing the request, she can file an A-to-Z Guarantee claim. Amazon notifies you upon receipt of the claim, and you have 72 hours to respond. If you don’t respond, Amazon grants the claim, refunds the customer’s payment, and takes the money out of your account. Worse yet, because A-to-Z Guarantee claims are a key component of your order defect rate (ODR), which needs to be below 1 percent, not handling a claim increases your ODR, jeopardizing your account. To monitor and manage your A-to-Z Guarantee claims, open the Performance menu and choose A-to-Z Guarantee claims. The resulting page includes four tabs for filtering your A-to-Z Guarantee claims: Action Required, Under Review, Option to Appeal, and All. You can also search for a claim by order number. When a customer contacts you about an order, respond promptly and do your best to resolve any issues, even if you must take a loss on a transaction. You certainly shouldn’t give into scammers who just want free products, but be open to resolving any issue that seems remotely legitimate. Depending on the A-to-Z Guarantee claim and how it’s resolved, it may or may not add to your ODR. Monitor and manage your chargeback claims A chargeback typically occurs when a disgruntled customer is unable to resolve a dispute with a seller or service provider and turns to her credit card company for help. If the credit card company investigates the transaction, can’t resolve the issue with the seller/service provider, and determines that the customer is right, the company may reverse the charge. As seller on Amazon, you want to avoid chargebacks, because they negatively impact your ODR and overall customer service performance rating. To check whether you have any chargebacks and to manage any chargeback disputes, open the Performance menu and choose Chargeback Claims. The Chargebacks page appears, showing any chargeback claims that customers have filed against you. You can click the Action Required tab to view only active chargeback claims or the All tab to view a list of all chargeback claims. Access Amazon’s performance notifications If Amazon’s performance metrics indicate any issues that may negatively impact your account health or ability to sell, Amazon sends you a performance notification via email and stores a copy of it for reference. To access your performance notifications, open the Performance menu and choose Performance Notifications. To view the contents of a performance notification, click its subject line. To avoid having your account suspended, read all performance notifications and reply to any that indicate a response is expected. Gain additional insight via the Voice of the Customer feature Voice of the Customer is a customer experience (CX) dashboard that uses statistical analysis to identify potential issues with product listings. Behind the scenes, Voice of the Customer analyzes your product listings and product and listing feedback from customers and uses the results to rank your listings as very poor, poor, fair, good, or excellent. You can then dig down to review issues with specific listings and address them to improve the customer experience. To access Voice of the Customer, open the Performance menu and choose Voice of the Customer. The following figure shows a sample of the opening Voice of the Customer dashboard. Near the top of the dashboard is a CX Health breakdown of your listings, showing the total number of very poor, poor, fair, good, and excellent ratings. Below that is a table that shows CX details for each product you’ve listed. Pay special attention to the details in the following columns: NCX Rate is a percentage of orders that received negative feedback out of the total number of orders. CX health is an indication of the average customer experience ranked from very poor to excellent. Last updated is the most recent date a sale was made or an NCX was received. If you just listed a product and haven’t sold any yet, the product won’t have an NCX or CX rating. Improve your performance via Seller University The one item on the Performance menu that seems to be out of place is Seller University, which would seem better suited for a Help menu. However, its placement on the Performance menu reflects how valuable Amazon believes Seller University can be in helping sellers quickly optimize their performance. Seller University is a collection of brief video clips designed to bring sellers quickly up to speed on the process of selling on Amazon and using Amazon tools and applications to their advantage.

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Sales Selling on Amazon: Manage Inventory

Article / Updated 07-02-2020

Use Amazon’s Manage Inventory page to search, view, and update the inventory records for products you sell on Amazon. To access the Manage Inventory page, log in to Seller Central, open the Inventory menu, and select Manage Inventory. The Manage Inventory page appears, as shown in the figure, where you can do the following: Search for a product: To search for a specific product, click in the Search box, near the top of the page, type the product’s SKU, Title, ISBN, or other attribute, and press the Search button. Filter inventory: Use the options above the table to view all products in inventory or only active or inactive inventory or to view all products or only FBA or only Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) products. You may also see filters for displaying only those products with suppressed listings, quality issues, or price alerts — product listings that have specific problems you need to address before those products will appear in searches. One of the most common uses of the Manage Inventory page is to quickly identify suppressed listings and make corrections to those listings. Click Suppressed near the top left of the Manage Inventory page to display a complete list of suppressed listings. In the table of suppressed listings, check the Issue(s) to Fix box to find out why the listing is suppressed. Press the Edit button next to the listing, choose the option for correcting the issue, and follow the onscreen cues to complete the task. Click Save All to save your changes. Sort inventory: Select an inventory header attribute such as SKU or product name at the top of the inventory table to sort product listings according to that attribute. Customize the inventory table: Press the Preferences button, above and to the right of the inventory table, use the resulting options to specify the columns you want included in the table and other display options, and press the Save Changes button. Update the quantity available: In the Qty field next to a product, type the quantity currently in stock and press the Save Change the price: In the Price field next to an item, type the price of the item and press the Save Edit a product: Open the Edit drop-down list (to the right of a product listing) to access additional actions, including changing the product’s image, matching to the lowest price, or closing or deleting the product listing. (Closing a listing deactivates it, making it unavailable to shoppers. Deleting a listing removes the SKU, which is best if you plan never to list the product again.) If you sell on channels other than Amazon, look for a third-party inventory management utility that supports Amazon and your other sales channels, such as eBay, Shopify, and your own ecommerce store. Maintain sufficient stock As long as you have products listed for sale, you never want to run out, so you need to have a system in place to replenish inventory before you get to the point at which you don’t have enough to fill an order. Having enough inventory comes down to math; you need to crunch the numbers to forecast total sales over a given period of time and then place an order to replenish inventory early enough for your supplier to deliver the goods before supplies run out. In the following discussion, we lead you through the calculations and provide additional guidance on how to automate the inventory replenishment process. Forecasting sales To avoid running out of stock, you first need to know the quantity of an item you sell over a given period of time. Calculating your average daily sales volume provides you with a number you can use to forecast sales for the coming weeks, months, quarter, and even year. Use the following equation to calculate average daily sales volume for a product: Quantity Sold divided by Number of Days = Average Daily Sales Volume For example, if I sold 450 items in three months or 90 days: 450 divided by 90 = 5 Knowing the average daily sales volume simplifies the process of forecasting sales for any given period of time — a week, a month, a quarter, or a year. Just multiply the average daily sales volume by the number of days in the period, as shown in the table: Forecasting Your Sales Period Multiply Days in Period By Average Daily Sales Volume Equal Total Sales Week 7 5 35 Month 30 5 150 Quarter 90 5 450 Year 365 5 1,825 After forecasting your total sales for a given period, add 25 to 30 percent to the quantity as a buffer. Also, be sure to consider the fact that sales volume of some products is likely to increase during certain periods of the year, such as Christmas, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Amazon Prime Day. Analyze your sales reports (accessible via Seller Central’s Reports menu) to identify and better understand demand fluctuations for specific products. Accounting for lead times Suppliers need time to manufacture, pack, and ship products. Be sure to account for the time required, and place your order earlier enough so the products reach you or arrive at Amazon fulfillment centers before you run out of stock. Communicate with your suppliers to identify any potential supplier downtimes or other factors that may impact lead time, such as the following: Holiday seasons: Holidays can impact lead times in two ways. First, if a number of employees take time off, the supplier may not have the workforce required to fill orders. For example, most Chinese suppliers slow down or shut down for at least seven days (and some for several weeks) in late January and early February, in honor of Chinese New Year. Second, suppliers often are busier in the days leading up to holiday seasons, during which period they may need more time to fill orders. Order sizes: Suppliers can typically fill small orders faster than large orders, so find out from your supplier how order quantity impacts fulfillment and then plan for these variations in lead times. Shipping/delivery: Delivery times vary according to the location of the supplier and how the items are shipped, such as via air, land, or sea. Customs inspections: If products need to cross borders, expect delays due to customs inspections. Inventory processing: Whether items are shipped to you or to Amazon or other third-party fulfillment centers, they need to be logged in to inventory. With inventory planning, you need to think months in advance, not merely days or weeks. From the time you place an order with a supplier until the product is ready to be shipped (from you or an Amazon fulfillment center) generally requires at least 30 days and often longer. Replenishing FBA inventory If you use FBA, you can start the process of replenishing inventory from Amazon’s Manage Inventory page: In Seller Central, open the Inventory menu and select Manage FBA Inventory. The Inventory Amazon Fulfills page appears, as shown in the following figure. Scroll down the product list to the product you want to replenish and click the check box to the left of that product. Open the Actions menu and select Send/Replenish Inventory. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process. Setting up replenishment alerts Replenishment alerts notify you via email when the quantity of a product in inventory dips below the threshold you specify. With replenishment alerts, you don’t have to constantly monitor your product listings via Amazon’s Manage Inventory page. You simply set up an alert and then take action when you receive a replenishment notification. Replenishment alerts are available only for FBA products. For FBM products check the low stock alerts on your Seller Central homepage. These alerts are generated automatically based on sales over the past 30 days and the number of items in stock you entered when you first listed the product or most recently updated your quantity in stock. When creating a replenishment alert for an FBA product, Amazon allows you to specify your replenishment threshold in terms of units or weeks-of-cover (the number of weeks’ worth of inventory you have on hand based on sales over the past 30 days): Units: To figure out when to replenish based on number of units in stock, multiply your lead time by your daily sales volume and add a buffer to ensure you don’t run out of stock. For example, if your lead time is 45 days and you sell an average of five units per day, should set a replenishment alert for when you have a minimum of 225 items in stock. You would be wise to add a buffer of say 50 to 75 units to be sure you don’t run short, such as 225 + 75 = 300 units. Weeks-of-cover: To set a replenishment alert based on weeks-of-cover, start with your lead time in weeks and add a buffer of a couple weeks. For example, if your lead time is 75 days, that’s about 11 weeks, plus two weeks equal 13 weeks. Every 13 weeks, you need to order enough items to cover the next 13 weeks. Revisit your alerts regularly and make adjustments when necessary. You don’t want to run out of inventory, but inventory can build up over time leading to overstock conditions that increase your storage costs and your risk of getting stuck with products you can’t sell. To set a replenishment alert, take the following steps: In Seller Central, open the Inventory menu and select Manage Inventory. After the Manage Inventory page appears, check the box next to each product for which you want to set a replenishment alert in the table of product listings. Open the Action menu, select Set Replenishment Alerts, and press the Go button. The Set Inventory Replenishment Alerts page appears. In the When do you want to be alerted column, open the Apply to All list and select When Fulfillable Quantity Reaches (Units) or When Weeks-of-Cover Reaches (Weeks) to set the same replenishment level for all products listed or select the desired unit for each individual product. Enter the desired alert threshold quantity in the Alert Threshold box at the top of the column to use the same threshold for all items in the list or enter the desired quantity in the Alert Threshold box for each product individually. Press the Save button to save the alert. Use Amazon’s Restock Inventory tool to obtain recommendations on products to restock, replenishment quantities, and ship dates. To access the Restock Inventory tool, open the Inventory menu, select Inventory Planning, and select the Restock Inventory tab. Although Amazon will notify you via email when your fulfillment threshold is reached, you can check for alerts on Seller Central. Open the Inventory menu and select Manage FBA Inventory. A gold bell appears in the Available column next to the quantity when an alert has been set but not yet reached. A red bell indicates that the threshold has been reached. Avoiding FBA’s long-term storage fees Inventory that has been in an Amazon fulfillment center is subject to long-term storage fees charged per item or per cubic foot, whichever is greater. To help sellers avoid these fees, Amazon features an inventory planner that enables you to monitor how long your products have been stored in Amazon fulfillment centers. To access the inventory planner from Seller Central, open the Inventory menu and select Inventory Planning. The inventory planner appears with the Inventory Age tab selected, as shown. For each product stored in FBA inventory, the inventory planner displays its name, sales rank, sales (units shipped in the last 90 days), FBA sell-through (in the last 90 days), inventory age, estimated long-term storage fees, your price, and the buy box price. Use these details to make informed decisions about each product; for example, you may want to avoid long-term storage fees by dropping a product’s price to quickly sell any remaining units or have FBA ship any remaining items back to you and then close or delete the listing.

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Sales Selling on Amazon: Choose an Order Fulfillment Method

Article / Updated 07-02-2020

Order fulfillment plays a big role in ecommerce success, especially on Amazon where more than one million Prime customers expect free two-day delivery or faster, and Amazon rewards sellers with higher product placement for satisfying its customers’ delivery expectations. One of your first decisions as an Amazon Seller is how to fulfill customer orders. You have four options (not mutually exclusive), as we explain in the following. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) With FBA, you send your products or arrange to have them sent from your suppliers to Amazon fulfillment centers in various locations in your marketplace(s) — the United States, Canada, Mexico, wherever. Your customers order from you on Amazon, and Amazon picks, packs, labels, and ships your products from their fulfillment centers to your customers and provides them with tracking information. Amazon’s customer-service team manages customer inquiries and processes returns and refunds. When considering FBA, weigh the pros and cons. Here are the pros: All FBA products receive two-day shipping to Prime customers, which improves your chances of closing sales. About half of Amazon’s customers (101 million in the United States alone) are Prime, with each spending on average about $1,400 annually in products on Amazon. Using FBA is hassle-free. All you need to do is get your products to Amazon fulfillment centers, and Amazon handles the rest. You get reduced shipping rates to Amazon fulfillment centers and from those centers to your customers: Amazon negotiates high-volume shipping contracts with carriers, and you reap the benefits of lower shipping costs. An FBA product has a greater chance than a Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) product of winning the buy box (being the featured offer). Buy box placement accounts for more than 80 percent of all Amazon sales. FBA can also be integrated into your other sales channels, so if customers purchase a product on your own ecommerce site (outside Amazon), FBA can fulfill the order (subject to a higher FBA fee). Offsite product storage is much more convenient. If you’re running your ecommerce business out of your home or garage, you avoid the clutter of having to store inventory onsite. Meanwhile, here are the cons: Amazon charges FBA fees to cover storage, fulfillment, and customer service, plus you pay for shipping products to fulfillment centers. You may also incur a high-volume listing fee on some items and long-term storage fees if products don’t sell through within a year’s time. Preparing and shipping products to Amazon fulfillment centers requires some work. Each unit must be labeled with a bar code, so it can be picked and packed easily with outgoing orders. Access to your inventory is limited because it’s stored in Amazon fulfillment centers. We strongly encourage you to use FBA as your primary fulfillment method, especially for high-volume, high-margin products, leveraging Amazon’s industry-leading logistics and customer service to cater most effectively to Amazon customers and simplify the process of scaling your business. Reserve other fulfillment methods for specialty items, such as custom-made furniture that requires special packing or a more personal touch. To compare the costs of FBA and FBM, use the Fulfillment by Amazon Revenue Calculator: Go to the Fulfillment by Amazon Revenue Calculator. In the Find Your Product on Amazon.com text box, type the product name, UPC, EAN, ISBN, or ASIN and select Search. Amazon presents a collection of products that match your search term or phrase. Below the product you’re interested in, click Select. In the Your Fulfillment column, type your fulfillment costs in the Item Price, Shipping, Cost of Seller Fulfillment, and Cost of Product fields. In the Amazon Fulfillment Current column, enter your numbers for Item Price, the per-item cost to ship the product to an Amazon fulfillment center, and the cost of the product. Press the Calculate button. The calculator crunches the numbers and displays a comparison of your net profit and margin percentage for your fulfillment costs versus Amazon fulfillment costs. Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) If you’re testing a product or selling low-volume, low-margin products, FBM may be the better choice. For comparison, check out the pros and cons of FBM. Here are the pros: Avoiding FBA fees may help to lower your costs, which can boost profit margins. Crunch the numbers, though, to determine whether Amazon’s lower shipping fees offset other FBA fees. Fulfilling orders yourself gives you greater control over inventory, packing, and shipping, which can be beneficial when selling custom products or adding a personal touch to outgoing packages. And the cons: With FBM, you spend more time and effort to pick, pack, label, and ship products and process customer service requests, returns, and refunds. FBM products aren’t automatically eligible for Prime. You may be able to qualify for Seller Fulfilled Prime. You have less opportunity to win the buy box (and be the featured offer). Although profit margins may be higher with FBM, sales volume is likely to be lower. You need to store products in your home or garage or procure warehouse storage. Overhead costs, including shipping fees, are generally higher. Seller Fulfilled Prime With Seller Fulfilled Prime, you store and ship products from your own warehouses, while committing to delivering products to Prime customers within Amazon’s required two-day delivery window. If approved for Seller Fulfilled Prime, you’re allowed to display the Prime badge for products shipped from your warehouses. In addition to other benefits, Amazon provides access to discounted transportation solutions to help meet the two-day Prime delivery promise. During the time of this writing, Amazon wasn’t accepting new registrations for Seller Fulfilled Prime, but you can join the waitlist. Recognizing the benefits of Seller Fulfilled Prime Seller Fulfilled Prime offers several benefits, including the following: You pick, pack, and ship products from your warehouses, so you have greater control over your own inventory and operations. You can list products as Prime, which is very appealing to Amazon’s most loyal customers. Prime customers often filter product listings so as to display only Prime products. To have a chance to win this business, your products must qualify as Prime offerings. Prime listings have a greater chance of winning the buy box. By offering free two-day guaranteed shipping, you improve your chances of repeat and multiple orders. Seller Fulfilled Prime is generally best suited for high value items, seasonal products with unpredictable demand, slow moving goods, items with variations, and inventory that requires special handling or preparation. Meeting Seller Fulfilled Prime requirements Being able to deliver products from your warehouse(s) to Prime customers within Amazon’s two-day window is only one of several Seller Fulfilled Prime requirements. To qualify for and maintain good standing in this program, you must meet the following requirements: Offer premium shipping options. Ship more than 99 percent of the orders on time (the same day you receive the orders). Maintain order cancellation rate of less than 0.5 percent. Buy Amazon shipping services for at least 98.5 percent of Amazon orders; for the most part, you buy shipping labels from Amazon-approved carriers, who deliver orders to customers. Allow Amazon to handle customer service queries. Agree to and comply with Amazon Returns Policy. Successfully navigating the trial period To participate in Seller Fulfilled Prime, you must successfully complete a trial period, which traditionally consists of filling a certain number of orders within a set period of time — for example, 50 orders in 90 days or fewer. Products aren’t listed with the Prime badge during this time, and all orders must be processed with a zero-day handling time. Assuming you successfully complete the trial period, you’re enrolled in the program, and the Prime badge is displayed for participating ASINs. Participating in Seller Fulfilled Prime To meet your Seller Fulfilled Prime obligations, take the following steps: Maintain sufficient inventory in your warehouse(s) to fill customer orders. Buy shipping labels from Amazon-approved carriers. In Seller Central, select Orders and then Manage Orders and press the Buy Shipping button for the order you want to ship. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. Pick, pack, and ship the orders the same day they’re received, typically by 4 p.m. Orders will be delivered within two days by Amazon-approved carriers. Inspect shipping costs closely prior to deciding whether to “Buy Shipping” from Amazon-approved carriers. Seller Fulfilled Prime free shipping options may be cost-prohibitive for certain products or product categories. For questions about Seller Fulfilled Prime, email [email protected] Managing Seller Fulfilled Prime orders To manage Seller Fulfilled Prime SKUs, log on to Seller Central, open the Inventory menu, and select Manage Seller Fulfilled Prime. The Manage Seller Fulfilled Prime dashboard appears providing the tools you need to manage orders. Drop-shipping Drop-shipping is the ultimate in look-ma-no-hands order fulfillment and low-cost, low-risk startups and product testing! You build a store and list products that the drop-ship supplier has available. Customers order products through your store, and the order goes to the drop-shipper, which fulfills the order for you. (Most drop-shippers merely act as a conduit between sellers and numerous suppliers that offer their own drop-shipping services.) Because you don’t have to stock up on inventory, you can start selling without having to buy any products up front. Although drop-shipping may strike you as the ideal option, consider a couple potential (and significant) drawbacks: Although drop-shipping is a low-cost, low-risk approach to testing the waters with customers, as your sales and business grow, the costs eat into your profit margins. If you’re selling high-volume or low-margin items, drop-shipping may not be the best choice for selling any product long term. If the drop-shipper drops the ball on an order, you suffer the consequences of disappointing a customer. You’re at the mercy of the drop-shipper regarding inventory. If your drop-shipper runs out of stock or discontinues a product, you’re out of luck. Even though Amazon generally accepts drop-shipping to its customers, it enforces certain criteria to maintain a high-quality shopping experience. All the sellers who intend to fulfill the orders through drop-shipping must meet the following criteria: Be the seller on record Identify as the seller of the products on all the packaging material, invoices, and any other documentation Remove any mention of the drop-shipper from invoices, packaging, products, and anything else sent to customers Be responsible for all the product returns Comply with all other seller policies and Amazon policies Drop-shipping is a great way to test the market for any new, unproven products. You can list the product without investing in inventory. If the product takes off, you can switch to FBA or FBM. To find out more about drop-shipping, check out some of the top drop-shipping suppliers: AliExpress Doba Oberlo SaleHoo Sprocket

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Sales Selling on Amazon: How to Source Products from Alibaba

Article / Updated 07-02-2020

Alibaba is a Chinese ecommerce behemoth serving both consumers and businesses. It has revolutionized product sourcing, enabling hundreds of thousands of businesses across the globe to access millions of products at prices previously available only to big-box retailers. To optimize your success as an Amazon Seller, we strongly encourage you to become familiar with Alibaba, where you’ll often find the best deals. Start by conducting some basic product research to answer the following questions: What kind of products do you want to sell — clothing, tools, toys, household products? Which products have the greatest sales and profit potential? What price are consumers willing to pay for each product? How much will it cost me to sell each product? Consider the product’s cost, Amazon selling fees, and any FBA fees. When you have a pretty good idea of a product you want to sell, visit Alibaba.com, open the drop-down list to the left of the Search box, and choose Suppliers (see the following figure). Click in the Search box, type a brief description of the product, and press the Search button. (The Search box also has a camera icon you can tap to search for a product by uploading an image of it.) Alibaba displays a long list of suppliers that sell products like the one you searched for. Use the filters above the list of suppliers and those on the left side of the page to narrow your search. You can narrow your search by product category, supplier type and location, company size (by revenue or number of employees), and more. As shown in the figure, for each supplier in the list, Alibaba displays its name, how long it has been in business, and other details to help you make an informed choice of supplier. Details about each supplier include the following: Badges: A supplier may have one or more of the following badges to indicate its credentials: Trade Assurance indicates the supplier supports Alibaba’s Trade Assurance service, which protects your order from payment to delivery. Gold Supplier indicates the supplier supports Trade Assurance and has passed one or more onsite checks to verify the business type and commercial or industrial capabilities. The Gold Supplier badge gives the supplier more credibility, but it doesn’t guarantee product quality or authenticity. Verified Supplier indicates the supplier has been assessed and certified by independent third-party entities via online or offline methods. Again, this badge gives suppliers more credibility but doesn’t guarantee product quality or authenticity. Transaction Level: The more diamonds a supplier has the greater the number of transactions it has on the Alibaba platform. Response Rate: This metric indicates the percentage of buyers who have received a response within 24 hours of contacting the supplier. Transactions: This metric indicates the number of transactions and their total dollar value over the past six months. If you need additional information from a supplier, press the Contact Supplier button for the chosen supplier and use the resulting form to compose and send your question. To obtain quotes from a number of suppliers, submit a request for quote (RFQ). Return to Alibaba’s home page, open the Services menu, select Submit RFQ, and use the resulting form to enter the details of your RFQ, including the product name and category, quantity, and terms. Within hours and over the course of the coming days, you’ll receive quotes from suppliers. You can manage your RFQs by going to My Alibaba and choosing Manage RFQ. As you evaluate prospective suppliers, follow these best practices: Arrange a phone call or videoconference with the supplier before placing an order, so you can get a feel for how trustworthy the supplier is. Ask questions to obtain all the details you need to make a well-informed choice. Legitimate suppliers won’t hesitate to provide the requested details. Visit the supplier’s warehouse, if possible. If an in-person visit isn’t possible, request a video tour of the facility. Big suppliers may have warehouses in multiple countries to avoid the hassles and headaches of dealing with customs and taxes. Ask the supplier if it has a warehouse in your country that would be more convenient for you to visit. Search the warehouse and business location online to verify their existence. Beware of fraudsters, even on Alibaba: Compare the supplier’s name and address on its website and any correspondence you receive from the supplier with the name and address on Alibaba. Verify the supplier’s email address and website. Reputable suppliers often have email addresses associate with the domain instead of “google.com” or “yahoo.com.” Think twice before moving forward on any offer that seems to be too good to be true; it probably is. Avoid suppliers who ask for early payment, because fraudsters often want to grab the money and disappear. Legitimate suppliers won’t ask for payment prior to signing an agreement. Also, before contracting with a supplier, order product samples. Getting your hands on actual products is a great quality assurance precaution. After deciding on a supplier, you’re ready to start negotiations and work out the logistics, such as agreeing to payment terms and methods, customs and import process, and any arrangements to ship products to Amazon fulfillment centers.

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