The Real Reason Why You Can’t Find a Good Product to Import

At least half of the questions readers send me go something like this…

“I’ve been struggling to find a product for weeks now. Can you help me? How do you find products that make you money? Why can’t I find any profitable products!?”

And MY GOD! It’s getting old…

There’s nothing I hate more than seeing a recurring question come up. That means I’ve failed to answer something.

Luckily, I finally nailed the common thread in all the frustration.

This blog post will answer “Why can’t I find a good product to import” once and for all.

The Common Problem

After answering several hundred emails along those lines, I think I’ve discovered the common problem would-be importers are having.

They’re all looking for a silver-bullet product that does the work for them.
Let me explain…

Many people are still in the “get-rich-quick” phase of their entrepreneurial careers.

Apply that mentality to importing, and you get people that try to play the arbitrage game.

Arbitrage is simply buying something for less than you are selling it for.

Arbitrage products are goldmines; they have great margins and basically sell themselves…

And you can make money with arbitrage products.

For a while…

“Your margin is my opportunity.”Jeff Bezos

But before you know it, you’ll have hundreds of others trying to do the same thing. It’s only a matter of (increasingly spare) time before a big player uncovers your goldmine, and eats it up for themselves.

This is the sad state of importing today, years after the “wild-west-ecommerce” days of 1995-2005.

Any Hope?

This is surely bad news to anybody in that mindset.

Is there any hope left for small time importers? The kind that are just getting started, with little capital to invest…

Spoiler alert – There is!

But it’s going to require a shift in your mindset and how you think about importing.

What Makes a Product Good?

Sure, you want your product to have healthy margins. Great margins even.

And yea, it would be good if it was easy to ship, reliable, had a factory warranty. Sure, all of that is a plus for any product.

But none of that is going to make your product sell over a competitor who will take slimmer margins.

The Right Questions

Most people waste weeks (if not months) of their time looking for a miracle product that will build their business for them.

They are asking themselves the wrong questions, and looking at things from the wrong angle.

What you need to be thinking about is the other side of the transaction…

How are you going to sell your products?

Why would somebody buy your product over the competitors?

How will you acquire and retain customers in a cost-effective way?

These are the questions you should be thinking about while doing product research.

Bubble-Burster: This Is Business…

Many people seem to have the impression that importing is a quick road to easy riches…

It’s not.

It’s a business, like any other.

There’s a lot of things to worry about when starting a business. But when thinking about what you’re going to sell and how you’re going to sell it, you need to think about competitive advantage.

Competitive Advantage Cheat-sheet

You need some sort of competitive advantage that nobody can steal from you.

This means new importers have to focus on a few things.

Advantage 1  – Your Brand

Building a brand that your target customer loves is a sure-fire way to keep an edge on the competition.

In fact, building a good enough brand will even allow you to charge a premium price.

The examples here are endless…

Practically every “counterfeit” you can buy from China is a company that can charge a premium because their brand is so valuable.

Another example I often use is my friend Kevin Schlenker, who built the Skar Audio brand around his importing activities.

The only thing to make sure of if you take this route is to register your trademark.

Advantage 2 – Your Product

Another place you can provide value in ways nobody else can is the product itself.

I’d encourage any importer to really get to know his target customer, and then try to build in new product features that will make the target customer’s life better.

Small things can go a long way here. For some products, something as small as a color change can make a world of difference.

Sometimes, you’ll have to negotiate with your supplier directly and see what’s possible. You’ll be limited by his capabilities, your budget, and your imagination.

And of course, you could always go all out and create your own product. But I’ll save that for another blog post

Advantage 3 – Your Marketing

Simply put, if you can build an audience and a sales funnel; you can pretty much sell whatever you want.

Example – I was just talking the other day with somebody who built a lead-machine for the baby niche.

Before he had anything to sell, or any desire to make money off of it, he just decided to build a few websites and try to get “hot baby leads” (as he calls them).

Now he is out shopping for baby products, knowing that he can sell anything he chooses.

He hasn’t decided if he will start his own brand, begin drop shipping, or get into affiliate marketing.

But no matter what he chooses, I’m confident he’ll make money

Advantage 4 – Your Capital

This won’t apply for many people reading this article.

It actually applies more to the guys you want to avoid in importing. Or beat!

It’s definitely possible to spend your way to the top in importing.

Somebody with deep pockets can quickly negotiate the best prices with the best suppliers. They can also afford to set up a more efficient distribution system.

Luckily, they’re easily defeated with the other competitive advantages (usually).

Advantage 5 – Your Contacts

Your network of contacts can also be a big competitive advantage.

This applies everywhere in business, but perhaps even more in importing. Personal relationships play a huge role in Asian (especially Chinese) culture.

If a Chinese factory owner likes you, you get the friend discount and best quality.

If they don’t like you, you get scammed.

It’s just the way it is…

The relationships you don’t think of are often the ones with the most potential.

Do you have a friend who was put in charge of buying 250 pool chairs? I’d look into pool chairs…

Does your Dad work at a company that uses a limitless supply of zip-ties and box cutters? Try to find out what they’re paying and pitch them otherwise.

Relationships like this can be solid gold.

It’s Tough Work

Any way you spin it, importing is a tough gig.

It’s a lot of fun, and has tons of potential.

But it’s far from a “get-rich-quick” solution.

I hope this guide helps to clarify what really makes a product profitable.

If you have any questions or want to be an awesome person, leave a comment below.

I’ll be sure to respond!

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"How To Sell On Amazon & Make HUGE Profits"

How To Sell On Amazon

I’ve revealed many of these steps and process already in a previous blog post, called “20 Tips For Successful Selling On Amazon“.  There’s many logistical steps that are challenging to explain in a blog post, which is why I recommend investing in a quality training program such as "The FBA Headstart Program" .

However, I’ll outline the primary steps below.

1. Decide On A Niche And Product To Sell

The process that I’ve learned from The FBA Headstart Program is to find “private label products” and sell them.

To do this, you first need to identify the right niche and market you want to pursue.

You need to ensure that there is a DEMAND and MARKET for whatever it is that you want to sell.

One of the ways to do this is to search around on Amazon, specifically the Amazon Bestseller List.

This will give you an idea of what is selling and what is hot.

There’s a certain criteria that is important to follow when deciding.  It’s a challenge to explain all of it in a blog post, but some of that criteria is ensuring the product has good profit margins, isn’t too big or heavy, can be sold for over $10, and doesn’t have too much competition.

THIS BLOG POST will explain.

2. Find A Supplier To Manufacture Your Product

Once you’ve decided on your product, you then need to find a supplier.

The process of private labeling a product means that you’re finding a supplier that is ALREADY MAKING the product that you want to sell.  They’re already making and manufacturing it, and you’re going to place your own label and packaging on it.

So for example, let’s say you want to sell a Yoga Mat.

You’d then do a search on Alibaba or Google and find suppliers that are making yoga mats.  You’d then contact them and ask them a series of questions, to see if you’re a right fit.

If you’re a right fit, then you’ll order the yoga mats from them and have them put on your own label or packaging on the product.  Make sense?


Of course, every supplier makes different types of yoga mats.  So you’d find one that you like, is high quality, is different from what is already out there, and can possibly even be customized (put your logo on it).

This part of the process is perhaps one of the most challenging parts, as there’s many logistics to it, depending if you’re sourcing from China or the United States.

There’s a series of questions you’ll want to ask the potential suppliers, such as the cost of X # of units, minimum order quantity, the quality of the product, how long it’ll take to make, shipping costs, etc…

3. Get Your Packaging And Labeling Created

Once you decide on the supplier, you’ll need to get packaging and labeling done.  I used the website 99Designs for mine and paid about $500.

The package/label must meet the criteria from your supplier.

For example, I am selling a supplement on Amazon and I’m limited in what claims I can make.

Every claim I make must be approved by my supplier and I have to provide a study/factual data to back up any claim made.

4. Set Up Your Amazon Product Listing

While you’re waiting for your product to be manufactured, you can set up your Amazon product listing.

You’ll want to ensure you have high quality graphics and product images.  You’ll also want to make sure that your listing is keyword optimized, contains benefits, a well-written product description, and possibly even bonuses.

The better listing you have, the more sales you’ll get.  You want to find ways to differentiate your product from the others and really sell it well.

5. Ship Your Inventory To Amazon FBA

In Amazon Seller Central, you can create a “Shipping Order” which will indicate the locations of the Amazon Fulfillment Centres that Amazon wants you to send your inventory to.

Amazon requires you to ship your inventory to multiple locations across the United States, so that they can have your inventory spread out and be able to quickly deliver your products to the customers.

If you’re shipping from China, then you have the options of boat or plane.  Plane is much faster, but is more expensive.  You can ship via boat, however it’ll take longer and you need to ship it to a dock that will receive it and have it go through customs first, then forward it to the Amazon Fulfillment Centre.

6. Launch Your Product

Once your inventory is in, it’s time to launch your product to get it ranked and selling.

A successful launch requires getting a large number of sales (in a short period of time), as well as getting a lot of Amazon reviews in a short period of time.  The shorter time-frame you get these things, the higher boost you’ll get in the Amazon search engine for your keyword.

There’s so many strategies for launching and selling your product, but some that I’ve used are:

• Giving away product to friends/family for $2 in exchange for honest review
• Giving away product on coupon code websites for $2 and various services for honest reviews
• Amazon Ads
• Build a Facebook fan page in related niche, launch it to fans
• Use Facebook Ads to target specific niche

These are the strategies I’ve used initially, but I’ve now expanded to many others and I’m building long-term sources of traffic to my product.

7. Build A Brand Presence

Selling on Amazon isn’t a “gimmick” or short-term way of making money.  It’s a long-term, real, sustainable business.

As a result, you want to build a brand.

I’ve built a website for my products and expanded my brand.  I’ve built social media accounts too.

I use blogging, YouTube, and every channel that I can to create content and build a legitimate brand around my products.

Once your product is selling, you want to expand your product line.  You want to release more related products so you can cross-promote them, launch them to your list, and build a big brand!

Want More Amazon Training?

If you want more training on how to sell on Amazon, then subscribe here to get updates of what I’ll be releasing.

I’ve seen a lot of potential with this business model and plan on giving more regular updates on the results that I’m getting on Amazon, being transparent and open with my subscribers.

If you’re interested in investing programs such as"The FBA Headstart Program" or "The Complete Amazon Marketing System" that'll be a VERY wise move!

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VIDEO TRAINING COURSE

"4 Ways to Locate REAL Wholesale Suppliers"

Finding genuine, factory-authorized wholesale suppliers is an absolute must for anyone selling physical products on the Internet. Your e-business will never become truly profitable, if you're sourcing your products from middlemen or fake wholesale sites. But tracking down legitimate wholesale sources will take some legwork on your part.

Talk to the Source
So how do you find suppliers who are the real deal, and avoid worthless posers? You go all the way to the top - of the supply chain that is. One of the most reliable ways to locate factory-authorized wholesalers is to talk to the manufacturer. 

You can usually find the manufacturer located on the product's serial sticker or in the warranty papers or owner's manual.

Once you find them, just call them up and ask for their sales division. Tell their sales rep that you're a retailer interested in carrying their products, and ask for a list of their authorized wholesale suppliers. The manufacturer knows who their authorized wholesalers are, and they shouldn't have any problem sharing that information with you. When you begin calling the suppliers on that list, you'll have complete confidence that you're talking to real wholesalers.

There's More than One Way...
Of course, there are more streamlined methods for tracking down real wholesale product sources. (Big sigh of relief.)

Wholesale trade shows bring thousands of wholesalers, within a single industry, together under one roof. The larger, more reputable shows vet the suppliers they allow to exhibit, which means you'll only be talking to real wholesalers and manufacturers.

Wholesalers also advertise in industry trade publications; you can often find valuable contact info and website addresses intended for retail use only there. Another option is to visit a permanent wholesale mart - these are basically long-standing trade shows; you can find them in most mid-sized to large cities.

A Word of Caution
When you're dealing with trade shows, you need to make sure that they are, in fact, wholesale trade shows. In other words, you want to attend a business to business event, open only to industry insiders. The suppliers you'll find at a public trade expo, such as a car or boat show, are often retailers themselves and are not offering wholesale pricing on their products.

The same holds true for any permanent gift mart or trade mart that admits the general public. Wholesale marts are only open to legal retail businesses, and will require proof before allowing you to register. If you can gain entrance without providing your sales tax ID and legal business name (at a bare minimum), you're not in a wholesale merchandise mart, which means you're not getting wholesale prices.

Legitimate Product Sources
Authentic wholesale suppliers won't come knocking down your door - finding them takes a real, concerted effort. It's not always the most exciting job, but the results are easily worth the work you'll put in.

Sourcing your products at true wholesale prices will enable you to effectively compete in the Internet marketplace and make the highest possible profits on every transaction. And isn't that the point of selling online?

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"How To Sell On Amazon If You Live Outside The USA"

How easy is it to sell on Amazon if you live outside of the USA?  

It used to be pretty hard, now it’s pretty easy.  About all you have to do is press the easy button

As I have contact with my readers and students, I am reminded every day that there are lots and lots of talented and capable people.  Many of them are from outside the US.

I very quickly remember that the US population is only about 5% of the world population.

However, the US market is still the biggest and I certainly understand why someone outside the US would want to sell here.

With email, Skype, translations apps, cheap international shipping, Google hangouts and lots of other tech stuff it’s very possible for non US citizens to do business in the US.

NOTE: Make sure to read THIS ARTICLE about how simple, fun & easy it is to start building your own global Amazon Business From Your Home.

So today I want to answer one of the most frequently asked questions I get which is…
“How do I sell on Amazon.com  (the US version of Amazon) if I live outside the US?

The real answer is that its not very different than if you live in the US.

When you sign up for an account as a US Citizen, Amazon will ask your for the following things.

1. A credit card to charge any amounts such as pay per click advertising
2. Your address
3. A bank account number so they can transfer your profits to you
4. A phone number so they can call you to verify your account
5. You business info such as your Social Security Number (personal government number) or your corporation numbers or EIN (Employer Identification Number)

In the not too recent past if you lived outside of the US you had to have a US phone number, pay for a physical address and even have a US bank account and credit card.

No wonder so few people were able to do all of this.  Thankfully, those days are gone!

Now when you sign up as a non US citizen, the process is significantly easier.
Amazon will walk you through a signup checklist and guide you step by step, it’s actually well thought out and helpful.

However, you will need the following as a non US citizen:

1. A credit card that can be charged internationally,  i.e, a Mastercard or Visa.
2. A local bank in your country that supports ACH which stands for automated clearing house which really means your bank can accept electronic transfers
3. Your local address
4. Your country uses currency supported by Amazon.  Click here to see the list.  This is not an issue for most English speaking countries or non English speaking European countries.
5. A phone number (you’ll also need your international prefix number)
6. A US EIN number.  You don’t have to be a corporation and have any type of legal status in the US to get this number.  You simply fill out online form 10-BEN on the IRS.gov website (Internal Revenue Service which is the US government tax collection agency)

That’s it!

Things do change, so depending on when you’re reading this keep in mind that there may be slight variations but it should still be very similar.

You can now open an Amazon account and have your items shipped directly to Amazon. 
You never even have to touch the items. 

NOTE: See the article "How To Make Money On Amazon Using Fullfillment By Amazon (FBA)"

What a concept, huh?

In future articles I’ll touch on how to ship to Amazon from outside the US, but for now I just want you to realize how easy and possible it is to sell on Amazon.com if you live outside the US.

I’ve just eliminated several excuses for you.  Stop coming up with reasons why you can’t do this and get off your duff and get started selling on Amazon!

NOTE: See "The 10 Simple Steps to Starting An Amazon Private Label Business"

What are your thoughts of selling on Amazon if you live outside the US?  Comment below

See ya next time.

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" The Dirty Truth About The Amazing Selling Machine Course"

I'm certain that you realize that all Amazon courses are not alike....

Sometime ago I heard about a course on Amazon selling called the Amazing Selling Machine.

It came out about 18 months ago and helped many people become successful Amazon sellers.

Although I didn't buy the course, I was able to see the content.  It's a fine course.  Although I don't know them personable, the owners seem reputable and they have certainly sold lot of courses.

The issue I have is that their course is $3500....3500 BUCKS....

I appreciate their ability to ask for and get that much money for a course.

However, if you pay that much, that's a few thousand dollars you can't put towards inventory and marketing if you want to start a profitable business on Amazon.

I'm fortunate, I could afford the $3500, but the better question is why should I have to pay $3500 for a course?  Didn't sit right with me.

A very good friend of mine , Mark Scott Adams, knew he  could create the same information for much less.  SO HE DID..

And the FBAHeadstart course was born.

His course was designed to show you everything you need to know and then some!

So if you have money burning a whole in your pocket, buy their course. 

If you want to have the same knowledge and enough money left over to buy enough inventory for 3-5 items, get his!

If you want to get lost in a community where no one knows who you are, get their course.  If you want to be in a community where people recognize your name, know who you are and will help you however they can, get his.

Seems pretty clear cut to me...

Get  the FBAHeadstart course here

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"How to Deal With A Negative Amazon Review"

You’ve gotten product private labeled from an overseas supplier.  Had it packaged.  Got it listed on Amazon.  Did some marketing, got some sales, got some 5 star reviews.  

Life is good.  This stuff really works.  You’ve told all your friends and family what you’re doing.
Heck, even your Grandma is proud.

Then one morning you check your item and wham, bam, some son of a gun and I don’t mean gun, gave you a 1 star review.  A bleeping, 1 star review.

You can hear the life sucking air go out of your body.  The sun goes dim, the earth stops spinning….Whyyyyyyyyy????

Then you read the review 27 times.  The 42 times.  Then you get really mad.

You pace.  You deny.  Your mind tells you you’ll never sale another product on Amazon again.

Then you think, how can I get rid of the review.  How can I vote their review down.
Then you do a quick scan on your competitors and see that they have 1 star reviews.  Then you look at best sellers in various markets and see that they all have 1 star reviews.

Then you start to realize you’re not going to suffocate,  you look out the window and realize the sun is still shining and best you can tell, the earth is still spinning.

Then you check your sales reports and see that you are still making sales.  

My life is not over.  I don’t have to go buy one bullet and rent a gun…

Here’s the good news…

You’re now a big boy or girl in the world of Amazon selling.  You’re initiated into the club…Anybody who sells any quantity will eventually get 1 star reviews.  It’s the world we live in.

We think as normal people, how could someone get that mad over something so insignificant or inexpensive?

If they didn’t like the product or something happened, they could have simply returned the item or asked for a refund.  Again, you’re thinking like a normal person.
I’m convinced people who write 1 star reviews are angry people to start.  They are miserable at work and unsuccessful at other parts of their life.

The only way they feel any type of power or good about themselves is to criticize others.  

It’s very easy to be critical or so outspoken when you have the anonymity of a computer screen and you don’t even have to sign your own name.

These people would never have the courage to say these things to your face.  Basically they are cowards protected by cyberspace!

I went off on this personal diatribe because I want you to know that 1 star reviews happen to all sellers.

As the day passes, and you have time to calm down, you’ll realize that it could actually not be a bad thing to have a few less than positive reviews.

It gives credibility to your reviews.  There are some people who believe that if you have all positive reviews, something must be fake.

In reality, most people just look for the majority of reviews to be good before they buy.

If you look at some random items with say 100 or more reviews there will usually be anywhere from 5-15% of 1 star reviews and they still are high volume products.

So realize, as much as it hurts, its part of the game.  Keep you chin up, keep working building your Amazon business and you’ll be fine.

What were your experiences with 1 star reviews?  Share them in the comment section below.

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"How to Get Your Amazon Product Listed on the First Page"

Being listed on page one can make or break your product.

But what causes some products to be listed on the first page and some on the ninth page?

Why are some products with very high sales rankings not listed on page one?

What are some new products with very few reviews listed on page one?

Why do some products that seem to do everything right get buried on page nine?
I have spent way too much time pulling my hair out to try and figure out all the things Amazon does to determine where my products are listed.

But all hair club for men jokes aside, I’m fortunate, I have many page one rankings for multiple keywords and the number one listing on some keywords.

*CLICK HERE to see a resource I used to master that process .

Here’s what I learned.

Your listing is determined by many things, but primarily the following

SALES + REVIEWS + CONVERSION RATE + PROPER KEYWORDS

This, of course is my best guess.  The exact algorithm  (what the heck is a bleeping algorithim BTW)  For those of us who are not tech guys it really means math formula.
All of my high school math teachers are falling out of their chairs now, realizing that I really did pay attention in math class….

The algorithm of my youth was the Coca Cola formula. Times have changed, I guess…

Here’s how you have to think of things.  Amazon is just a search engine for physical products.

They want to show you (their customer) the most relevant items to your product search. 

They want to have a dynamic market that shifts to demand and allows for new and relevant products to be shown to their customers.

If they don’t, Alibaba or some smart kid who really is paying attention in math class may overtake them one day and they will become the netscape of this generation.

So let’s take a look at each feature.

Reviews
This is paramount.  Getting even a few positive reviews initially will allow you to be listed, maybe even on page one.  

I am convinced that Amazon gives you a “honeymoon period” and purposefully lists your product higher than it deserves in the beginning to give you a chance to make sales so you won’t get frustrated and quit.

Conversion Rate
The average conversion rate in Amazon is 13.5%.  I am fortunate to have a 20-26% conversion rate.  I believe they tremendously favor items that convert well in higher listings.  

Higher conversions comes from better copywriting, great pictures and an effective title. 

Higher conversions are also a result of the social proof of great reviews.

Proper Keywords
The more you effectively target the correct keywords, the more like the viewer is likely to buy.  Think rifle here, not shotgun. This is not mass marketing…

I use a service like merchant words to determine the amount of searches for each keyword and to make sure there are enough searches for that keyword and then I incorporate those keywords into the title, bullet points and product description.

This ultimately means the right people who are interested in my product are seeing it and there are enough of them to create a high enough sales volume.

When you do these three things in unison, 1 + 1 + 1 = 5 and you get higher listings and more sales and your spouse likes you more.  Heck, even your dog will give you a better greeting when you come home.

*CLICK HERE now to see  another GREAT resource to help you master this really quick!

Sales Volume
Remember sales ranking is different from your sales listing.  The ranking is just your rank in order of most sales.

But when you get reviews, have a higher than normal conversion rate and you will ultimately achieve more sales.  It’s a cycle that perpetuates. That leads to higher listings and you get to stay on the first page.

Hopefully this quick overview gives you a little insight.  If you do these things at the beginning you’ll get off to a great start.

If you’re not ranked where you like, go back and evaluate everything I’ve mentioned.

Getting your products listed high enough to be seen and get sales is really not rocket surgery….

What do you do to get your products ranked higher?  Let me know in the comments section below.

NOTE: I highly recommend you grab a copy of "The Complete Amazon Marketing System" to guarantee your speedy and sustained success in getting your product listed on pg1 of Amazon.

Good luck and see you on the first page!
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"How Much Does It Take to Get Started Selling On Amazon's FBA Program"

In the course of my day, I am often asked how much it takes to get started as an Amazon Private Label seller and how much money can you make.

Let me tell you the real answer, it depends…

In the words of Mr Einstein, it’s relative.

It’s relative because it depends on how much money you want to make and what your life goals are.

There are many people out there who tell you that you can make a gazillion dollars in a very short time by simply selling Amazon private label products.

Can you, yes.  I have met several people selling Amazon products that seem to make more each month than the GNP of all the Caribbean countries combined.

Are you likely to?  Probably not.  
The people who are making $50,000 plus each month started out with large email lists or huge facebook pages of people who they could call on to buy their product.  Not to mention massive advertising budgets to run seemingly endless ads.

Their initial inventory purchases were maybe $50-100,000 plus. 

I think it’s hard for most people to relate to that.  

But deep down you want to believe that you can do that and you’re so thirsty you want to drink the metaphorical Kool-Aid.  (If you’re under thirty and have no clue what that reference means, just google Jim Jones, Guyana)

I don’t want to be Debbie Downer here, but if you’re one of the small percentage of people who are capable of doing this, you’re probably not reading this article.

But what if you want to make a little extra each month?  To pay the mortgage, the car payments or take a decent vacation. Maybe even help pay for the kids college?
Is that possible?  Absolutely!  Is it probable?  Imagine in the best Fargo, North Dakota accent you’ve ever heard….YOU BETCHA.

Possible to make $1000 a month, $3000, $5000?  Enough to eventually quit your job?

Yes and it’s very doable.  I have met 100’s of people who do that.  

They are no different than you or me.  When they started they had no email list or facebook page.  Their inventory budgets and advertising budgets were nominal.

But the beauty is that after they learned, they simply scaled up their business to whatever point they wanted.

OK, Warren this is more what I am interested in doing.  
So what’s the skinny?  Tell Tom Cruise to show me the money…

This is how I started and is fairly typical.

My first product was a whopping $400.  That included shipping from China.

The item was $1.60 w/shipping and I got 250 pieces.

By month 1, I had paid off all the inventory.  By month 3, I was making $1000 a month in profit.  Still do to this day off that one product.

Of course I reorder when needed.  But for me, that $400 has turned into $1000 a month profit or $12,000 a year.  All passive, recurring income.

I now have other products, but that was what I got on just $400

Your initial inventory may be more, but there are thousands of different items available to get started for less than $1000

If you learn how to do this with one product, you can do it with 3, with 5 products.  When you do work once and continue to get paid, you can always scale your business.

So is it realistically possible to make 3 grand a month, yes.  5 grand…yes again.

You do have to get started and yes you do have to work.  Will there be times you’ll be nervous?  Of course.

BTW, let me let you in on a little secret.  Everybody gets scared and nervous.  You just have to have to confidence, confidence from knowledge to be able to manage those emotions so you can move forward.

Will people tell you you’re crazy.  Probably.  These are the same people who have never owned a business and go to work everyday as employees to a job they probably don’t like and feel they can advise you on starting a business.  Yeah right! 

Really???

The irony there speaks volumes…

But Warren, I was born under an unfortunate star…I’m the one person who it won’t work for….I’m different than everyone else. I’m not Irish, I have no luck.  I saw black cat yesterday.

Blah, Blah, Blah……

The worse case scenario for the pessimists among you….

Would a loss of a few hundred dollars ruin your life?  Really???….that kind of thinking is what’s killing you.  I’m getting irritated just typing it.

Should you start selling on Amazon?  Don’t know.  That’s for you to decide.  But at least now you know what to it might cost and some realistic income potential.

So if you're ready to get started "Selling Your Own Products On Amazon"  then, click HERE now!

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"How to Deal With a Chinese Supplier As An Amazon Seller"

As a kid I was always fascinated with the story of Christopher Columbus.

I admired his gaul to reach for the undiscovered, the unknown.

I could almost hear him in an Italian accent saying:  The world-a, she is-a round-a, not-a flat-a

In his day, he was right.  There were vast oceans and tremendous dangers and costs and it took months to cross the sea.

Fast forward a few hundred years.  If he were alive today, I do believe Mr. Columbus would say:  The world-a is no longer round-a.  Its-a flat-a again.

The dangers of crossing an ocean have dropped to a few hours and the risk and cost are practically nothing.
Its like the world is flat again…

We live in a time where you can get items from almost anywhere in the world in a few days and for very little money.  

We can look into an electronic box and see and talk or type to almost anyone, anywhere in the world….for FREE!

Don’t speak the language?  No problem.  One click and the entire written message is translated into any of 100 plus languages.

Manufacturing costs in say China are a fraction of the cost for the same items made in say the USA.  And yes their quality is fine, BTW.
So why do people still have reservations about getting their items manufactured and shipped from outside of their own country?

The simple answer is, I don’t know.

But this wouldn’t be a very good blog post if I didn’t show you how to do this better and make you feel comfortable with ordering your items from overseas, would it?

Here are some comments that people typically say to me.

What if they take my money?
What if they somehow try and take advantage of me?
How do I know if I can trust them?
I don’t know how to communicate with them or I’m uncomfortable with their language.

OK, Here are some ways to make you feel more comfortable…

I think we all sometimes think we’re the only honest person in the world.  Obviously, not true.  99% of people are honest.  We all just assume the 1% are far greater in number than they really are.

Just because someone is from a different country or speaks a different language by no way means they don’t have integrity or pride in their work.

I’ve had the good fortune to travel to alot of places in the world I wanted to go.

Before I traveled, I saw the differences.  After I traveled, I see the similarities.

So accept that most people will be honest and they have incentives to do a good job to get and keep your business.

If you can get over your fears, what’s the next step?  

Protecting Yourself with Suppliers
I’m going to presume you use Alibaba.com.  If not, its a great resource.

Although this article is not about Alibaba, Alibaba is a database of suppliers and manufacturers based in China.

It’s where you start your search for products.

Alibaba has several features that you should be aware of and use.

One is the gold star rating.  This is actually purchased by the supplier.  However to maintain their rating they have to meet and maintain certain standards  This gold start it is not cheap and if a supplier is will to buy this it is a sign that they are an established company and will be serious about their business.  

It is created annually and the rating will also tell you how many years they have been a gold star member.

Another is the response rate.  This measures how well and how fast they respond to inquiries.  To me this shows how much they value you.  I want a supplier who will actually talk to me.

The escrow feature.  Most suppliers will prefer that you wire transfer them the money.  This is fine and common in international business.  However, once wired, you have no recourse.
This is why Alibaba will keep any of your payments in escrow until you agree to release them.

Paypal and Credit Card  If you look at the suppliers information they will show how they can be paid.  Some will list paypal or a credit card.  I prefer to use this type of payment, simply because if I do have an issue, I am protected.

Skype.  Some but not all suppliers will be available to talk to you using the audio or even video aspects of Skype.  I am a big proponent of this in that you get to see them and they get to see you.  Win, win.

Language.  They will speak passable English.  Even they’re the only one at their company, you will be able to communicate.  You don’t have to speak their language.  Just speak, slowly and clearly and you’ll be fine.  

The last time I thought about something being “Lost in Translation” was the Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson movie.

Getting the supplier to trust you
What do you mean?  They doubt you….It’s your responsibility to convince them you’re serious and trustworthy.

Try and see things from their prospective.  To them, you’re just an email inquiring about a custom order, usually for a small quantity.  Accept what we said earlier, everybody believes they are honest and its the other people who are not.

The simple solution is to be professional.  Use good grammar and business language and etiquette.  Honor your commitments and be punctual.

Above all, be polite.  One thing I have found and appreciate is that most non English speaking cultures value politeness and respect much more than western cultures.

See, "The Secret To Becoming A Likable Person"  and THIS Resource for help in successfully working with suppliers.

Just Jump in…

I’ll just say in closing,  There are never any guarantees in life.  But the overwhelming chance is that things will work out.

But even in the worst case, your downside is only a few hundred dollars.  Not life changing is it?  The upside, however is a monthly passive income of several thousand dollars.

Success favors the bold.  Put your fears aside.  Just get started.

What would you like to add about your experiences with suppliers.  Let everyone know in the comment box below.

Click HERE now to start building your own high profit Amazon Business! 
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"10 Simple Steps to Starting An Amazon Private Label Business"

If you’re like me you’re already tired of New Year’s resolutions.  I understand and can relate with you.

I do seem to laugh this time of the year.  Here it is a few days into the new year and I’ve already not done well with my food and exercise goals.  (Hope springs eternal)

However, I’m already well on my way to scaling up my Amazon private label business for this year.

This is possible because last year at this time I sat down and asked myself what I wanted to do with my business and how could I create a scalable passive income business.

I created my 10 Steps to Starting an Amazon Private Label Business plan and more importantly took action and actually far exceeded my goals as an Amazon Private Label seller last year.

As I’m doing my planning for this year, I already have my next 6 products scheduled to be released.


That’s when I started thinking about so many of the people I come across who are talented and capable.  

If this Amazon stuff is so possible and relatively easy compared to trading time for money as an employee or other ways to make money online, why do more of these talented, capable people not sell on Amazon?

I wish I knew.


The how to information is available.
It’s not expensive to get started.  
You can can get started in less than a month.  
If you have a job, you can keep it until you are ready to leave.  
You can scale the business up to whatever level you would like.
You build an asset that you can one day sell.

The list goes on and on.

So is it just a matter of planning?  Having the right steps to follow?  Or is it simple human anxiety?

Probably some of each.
What if you planned to be a successful Amazon Private label seller this year and actually took action?

Next January would you be like me and other Amazon sellers who are coming off of a very financially lucrative December holiday season or would you still be saying wouda, coulda, shouda if you did nothing?

So I decided to put together a very, very basic plan to help you get started.

Here goes…10 Steps to Starting an Amazon Private Label Business

1. Decide on a market
2. Decide on a product
3. Find a supplier
4. Private label and purchase the product
5. List it on Amazon
6. Seek out reviews
7. Spend a little time managing your business
8. Rinse, wash, repeat with new products to scale up your business
9. Enjoy your new passive income lifestyle
10. Kick yourself for not starting sooner….

OK, overly simplistic, but not really.  These are very doable steps.  Will it all fall into your lap.  Of course not?  Will it take some time and effort?  Sure.  What in life doesn’t?

If you’re serious about getting started, I have two ways to help you.

I have some FREE training available at: http://TinyUrl.com/qaxjdmk

For those of you looking to get going sooner without delay or procrastination , I have my paid training available at: http://TinyUrl.com/qaxjdmk

NOTE: This article was reprinted here by permission from one of my mentors, Mark Scott Adam's Blog
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