Selling On Amazon Grrrrrrrr Rant Grrrrr

[pisquee]

Amazon discounts other sellers' products as retail competition stiffens.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazo ... ce=twitter

Yeah just read about that too over on NOTHS FB Forum.

As for Amazon ripping off designs/products, another thing they do if watch sellers who are performing well, and instead of ripping them off they buy products wholesale from the seller to sell themselves. (I know companies that this has happened to)

[Sedgewick]

it absolutely is reprehensible


Personally - I choose not to do business with them - going it alone, and occasionally on other selling platforms.

May I ask which platforms you've found most helpful? Ebay, Etsy or Folksy?

I am worried that if I don't use Amazon I just won't get the sales.

I have a website, and subscribers (all 70 of them...and I'm only getting about 100 unique viewers on my website a day...) it's a VERY new brand, and I've only just finished creating the first mug designs),my four social media channels have only about 300 followers on each.

Realistically, Amazon was where I was thinking I could get traffic from. Now I may do Facebook Advertising instead. I've found it costs me 30p to get a blog subscriber, but no idea how much I'd have to pay to get sales! Will find out once I've printed some mugs!

I wonder though - if a design of yours is successful it would probably rank high on Google Shopping and come to Amazon's attention that way? So, it's not an insurance against them copying you, and you'd probably get so many more sales via Amazon?

NOTE: I'm a newbie and I know NOTHING! These are just my assumptions!

[Customprintwales]

Not sure there is a google sandbox, in fact it is just the opposite. Google gives extra prominence to new sites to see how searchers respond to it. It used to be called the Google Honeymoon period and lasts for about 3 months.

Google uses the data from this promoted period to determine what sort of click through you get and the keywords that people respond to regarding your site.

That's how it used to be a few years ago when I was a TC at Google Webmaster Forums. I've not heard of any major changes resulting in a 'sandbox' effect.

[Sedgewick]

Yeah just read about that too over on NOTHS FB Forum.

As for Amazon ripping off designs/products, another thing they do if watch sellers who are performing well, and instead of ripping them off they buy products wholesale from the seller to sell themselves. (I know companies that this has happened to)

But that's different - as long as you can say no! I would not sell to them wholesale!

We need to work out if there is an upcoming Amazon competitor - and get in early. My understanding is that Amazon is doing similar to what Ebay did - they begin by making it a fantastic place to sell, then they get greedy, and sellers leave.

So, if I could just get in EARLY somewhere...

What do you think of Not On The High Street?

[TerryQ]

May I ask which platforms you've found most helpful? Ebay, Etsy or Folksy?

I am worried that if I don't use Amazon I just won't get the sales.

I have a website, and subscribers (all 70 of them...and I'm only getting about 100 unique viewers on my website a day...) it's a VERY new brand, and I've only just finished creating the first mug designs),my four social media channels have only about 300 followers on each.

Realistically, Amazon was where I was thinking I could get traffic from. Now I may do Facebook Advertising instead. I've found it costs me 30p to get a blog subscriber, but no idea how much I'd have to pay to get sales! Will find out once I've printed some mugs!

I wonder though - if a design of yours is successful it would probably rank high on Google Shopping and come to Amazon's attention that way? So, it's not an insurance against them copying you, and you'd probably get so many more sales via Amazon?

NOTE: I'm a newbie and I know NOTHING! These are just my assumptions!

Hi there.

personally, I do get sales from my Facebook business pages, by boosting posts(cheaply) and also regular adverts. I do well from my website and subscribers too.

I have played with e-bay and etsy - but, for me, they rent great

I also go to lots of local things, and set up stall - such as School Christmas/Summer Fayres, Have a display at a local Golf club where members see the products and order. I made flyers and distributed them, left them in GP surgeries etc (with their permission of course) Placed small advertisements in a couple of local rags - that kind of thing.

Usually, once you get a few orders under your belt, you should find that orders come via recommendations too, as one person you do a mug for, will either gift it or drink from it, then their friends will ask where they got it from etc

With the website, just do as much set as you can on it, and make sure you try and select the best keywords you can think of for your products, make your website content unique - don't copy and paste content from other websites (Google will penalise you) etc

Your website can take quite some time to be indexed and move up the page rank for the given keywords, but keep at it, and hopefully you will see results

[Sedgewick]

Hi there.

personally, I do get sales from my Facebook business pages, by boosting posts(cheaply) and also regular adverts. I do well from my website and subscribers too.

I have played with e-bay and etsy - but, for me, they rent great

I also go to lots of local things, and set up stall - such as School Christmas/Summer Fayres, Have a display at a local Golf club where members see the products and order. I made flyers and distributed them, left them in GP surgeries etc (with their permission of course) Placed small advertisements in a couple of local rags - that kind of thing.

Usually, once you get a few orders under your belt, you should find that orders come via recommendations too, as one person you do a mug for, will either gift it or drink from it, then their friends will ask where they got it from etc

With the website, just do as much set as you can on it, and make sure you try and select the best keywords you can think of for your products, make your website content unique - don't copy and paste content from other websites (Google will penalise you) etc

Your website can take quite some time to be indexed and move up the page rank for the given keywords, but keep at it, and hopefully you will see results

Thank you so much for your helpful advice. Yes, I regularly post original content (a blog) on the website, each post is based around a keyword, I use Yoast - a free Wordpress plugin, as I have a WordPress site.

I feel so disappointed to hear about Amazon's behaviour though. I'm stunned.

I bet there's a watchdog out there who can call them out for this? Even if it's not illegal, they would hate the bad press.

I'm sure there are LOTS of Amazon sellers who would sign a petition to get this raised in the House of Commons - you only need 100,000 signatures.

It's bad for UK business if Amazon is undercutting its sellers. We are a nation of small business owners. I believe public opinion would also be on our side.

Look at these THREE virtually identical mug designs!! I wonder if this is Amazon or other sellers creating virtually the same mug??

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Do-What-Want-Q ... dpSrc=srch


https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Want-Funn ... dpSrc=srch


https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Funny-Cof ... pSrc=srch\

[froggy]

It will be three sellers creating "similar" designs, You wont get a line to yourself for long, thats another price of exposure, sellers are searching for lines that sell, if they find one then they will either piggyback on your listing or create another similar listing(and undercut you to try and get the product ranked.)

There will be lots of sellers on Amazon, who understand the marketplace properly and are geared up to sell on it, who will be hoping their competitors leave either through being priced out or give up due to the difficulties of operating on that marketplace.

Trouble is, that for every one who goes there are two or three more wanting to take their place.

Unless you are set up for it, then marketplace selling is really tough, the ones who have been there a while are finding things harder, if you are new, then the odds are (IMO) stacked against you.

IMO if you are a one man band set up, then Etsy, folksy and other "craft" type market places are maybe better suited than the volume sites.

[Sedgewick]

Unless you are set up for it, then marketplace selling is really tough, the ones who have been there a while are finding things harder, if you are new, then the odds are (IMO) stacked against you.

IMO if you are a one man band set up, then Etsy, folksy and other "craft" type market places are maybe better suited than the volume sites.

Hmm... I hear what you're saying. Depressing stuff. The only thing I have in my favour is that (probably) unlike the "quick buck" sellers who lurk about trying to steal designs, I've built a brand around my upcoming designs.

Meaning that I created the brand first, and although my following is small - it's very passionate. I've created videos, memes, blogs, etc. I hope people will feel like they're buying into something bigger than just mugs.

I'd rather fight than run from thieves. I think I would write on my profile: Accept no imitations, these are the real deal. Some won't care, but many don't even KNOW that people are simply stealing other people's designs on Amazon. I didn't. I'd acknowledge on my listing that there are similar mugs, and make people aware that they're copycats.

And I'd brand my packaging in a way that they're getting something special.

Something in me can't allow that I would stay away from the largest marketplace, and miss out on a lot of profit, because of lazy scammers.

You've given the best advice, but something in me can't accept it.

I know, I know - I'm being naive but this is how I feel.

[froggy]

I wish you all the best, IMO establishing brands, especially premium brands is extremely difficult on a "value led" market place. To establish strong brand loyalty is extremely expensive and takes time...not a great combination of factors.

Ive been doing this for 4/5 years, the value of my "brand" is realistically, virtually zero, I could change my brand name tomorrow and sales would remain the same (or drop slightly- due to messing with the listings) the value of my sales and profitability, well thats a different story.

Sales virtually conquers all (just make sure you are making a nett profit) otherwise they will just put you out of business a bit quicker.

[Sedgewick]

I wish you all the best, IMO establishing brands, especially premium brands is extremely difficult on a "value led" market place. To establish strong brand loyalty is extremely expensive and takes time...not a great combination of factors.

Ive been doing this for 4/5 years, the value of my "brand" is realistically, virtually zero, I could change my brand name tomorrow and sales would remain the same (or drop slightly- due to messing with the listings) the value of my sales and profitability, well thats a different story.

Sales virtually conquers all (just make sure you are making a nett profit) otherwise they will just put you out of business a bit quicker.

Mine is not a premium brand!! It's a fun and quirky, maverick brand - think Cards Against Humanity - only in the sense that it's bold and playful.

I know what you're thinking - few are going to go to Amazon looking for my brand! True!

But people who buy my mugs and don't know about the brand, will learn about it through the packaging. I hope to get some sign ups to my email list where I can keep that customer and maybe get more purchases from them in the future via discounts if they buy two mugs, etc.

I am an incurable optimist - but I've found little else works in life! With my last business, I always took on contracts that were a big stretch and pride wouldn't allow me to fail.

With this, if I fail, I will try new designs. I will just keep testing and testing and testing, taking on board feedback, until something works!

You have made me think twice about Amazon. I will definitely focus more on Facebook ads /posts than Amazon.