Welcome To Episode #133 of the Amazon FBA Private Label Show Podcast!
In this episode I share 6 awesome tips to help you crush and eliminate Amazon listing hijackers and counterfeit sellers.
Listen to this Amazon FBA Podcast!
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6 Tips to Crush Amazon Listing Hijackers and Counterfeiters - EP133
If you've been selling on Amazon long enough then you surely have experience in dealing with Amazon listing hijackers. You've worked hard building your listing over time and for some other seller to be able to latch onto your success is terribly frustrating. Sometimes these sellers will even steal your buy box and take your sales. Many of these Amazon listing hijackers tend to be counterfeit sellers which makes matters even worse. These counterfeit sellers are total losers in my opinion. Over the years I have used some of the tips I am about to share with you here to help you prevent and combat these hijackers.
The key to successfully avoiding Amazon listing hijackers altogether is to not become an easy target. Most hijackers and counterfeiters will look for the listings that are "low hanging fruit" and easy to jump on and mess with.
PREVENTION TIPS
1. BUNDLE YOUR PRODUCTS - If you bundle your product with another product you make it really difficult for another seller to come on to hijack your listing. They will simply go find easier targets. You can try to bundle your product with an accessory or related product. You can also try to include some sort of e-book or training guide as part of the offer. Any products that I have bundled never have any hijackers. They simply go on to other easier targets.
2. BRANDING AND LOGOS - Make sure you brand your products with your custom logo. Also consider upgrading to custom packaging that also has your logo on it. Make sure you showcase your product and packaging in at least one of your product images. Also if you include any sort of insert card with the product make sure you show that in one of the product images. If you are only selling your product as "generic" then you are opening up yourself up to a hoard of hijackers.
3. ENROLL IN AMAZON BRAND REGISTRY - Once you enroll your brand and products into Brand Registry then you will have access to counterfeit tools such as Amazon Transparency and Amazon Project Zero. These tools help you prevent and combat hijackers and counterfeit sellers. Yes you need a valid trademark to gain access to Brand Registry but it's worth the effort. You can apply for one by going to USPTO.GOV or by using a trademark service such as Trademark Engine.
Want to know more about Amazon Transparency?
- Check out a recent podcast I did here: Amazon Transparency Program - First Thoughts EP106
AFTER HIJACKERS ARE ALREADY ON
4. SEND A CEASE AND DESIST LETTER - Once you notice a Amazon listing hijacker you should send them a message or email through Amazon telling them to remove themselves from your listing. This will remove about 70% of the hijackers. I personally would send a follow up message as well to show them that I am serious and will take action against them accordingly.
5. DO A TEST BUY - After you send your messages to the sellers I would buy the item from the hijacker and have it quickly sent to you. You want to see exactly what they are selling. Once the package arrives simply inspect what they sent. If it's a counterfeit item then take pictures of it and make notes of what is different about it compared to what you send the customers. Then file a claim with Amazon and upload your images from the test buy. Amazon should act and remove them from your listing within time.
If you have access to Amazon Project Zero you don't need to file a report with Amazon. You can simply remove them yourself. How cool is that?
6. SETUP HIJACKER ALERTS - For an extra layer of protection you should consider setting up Amazon listing hijacker alerts. You can be notified immediately once you have unwanted hijackers. Then you can take action right away. If you have Helium 10 then you have access to this hijacker alerts tool and should have it set up. If you want this particular tool from Helium 10 then use my link and discount code to get a deal on Helium 10.
Helium 10 – A full suite of insanely powerful keyword tools designed to help you dominate Amazon and your competition. Find hot keywords to maximize sales, spy on your competition and so much more. Try it out and see how you like it.
DISCOUNT CODES:
If you use any or all of these tips and tools you should be setup to effectively crush hijackers and counterfeit sellers. What tips or tools do you use to fight off Amazon listing hijackers? Let us know in the Facebook group!
Here are the 2 cease and desist letters I use. (I didn't personally create these)
Not a member of the Facebook Mastermind group yet?
WANT ACCESS TO A FREE AMAZON TRAINING COURSE?
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Helium 10 – A full suite of insanely powerful keyword tools designed to help you dominate Amazon and your competition. Find hot keywords to maximize sales, spy on your competition and so much more. Try it out and see how you like it.
DISCOUNT CODES:
For all other resources and tools that I use in my Amazon business please see the resources link.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW!
I NEED YOUR HELP!
If you felt you got any value out of this podcast, then please support me with an iTunes review. It's simple to do! Just click here to head to iTunes and leave an honest rating and review of the podcast. Every review helps!
6 Tips to Crush Amazon Listing Hijackers and Counterfeiters - EP133
Welcome To Episode #132 of the Amazon FBA Private Label Show Podcast!
In this episode we share simple and actionable Amazon pricing strategies that you can implement today to make more money!
Listen to this Amazon FBA Podcast!
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Pricing Strategies Every Amazon Seller Should be Using Right Now w/Paulina Masson
Are you using the correct Amazon pricing strategies to maximize sales and profit? I have found that most sellers tend to guess how to price their products. If you are guessing and don't have a strategy then you could be leaving a lot of money on the table. Sometimes small tweaks can have dramatic effects on how shoppers view your products which could lead to increased sales and profit.
On this episode I am joined by Paulina Masson of Shopkeeper.com where she breaks down some effective Amazon pricing strategies that every seller needs to be using. Paulina is an Amazon seller herself and has lots of knowledge around the psychology of pricing and how it effects buying behaviors.
EPISODE BREAKDOWN
Have A Clear Plan
Before you even have your product made you should determine what type of buyer you are going to price and market your product to. You should have already evaluated the current market on Amazon to determine your potential pricing strategy. As an example if you notice that there are no "luxury" offers available on the market for a product then you could fill that void by creating a higher quality product in which you can charge higher prices.
You also should be studying the historical pricing of all the top competitors to get a feel for what the other sellers have been charging. You can use a tool like Jungle Scout to see this information.
Determine Your Buyer
There are essentially 3 different main buckets of customers on Amazon. You have budget shoppers, value shoppers and luxury seekers. You should be evaluating the current marketplace to see where your competition fits in. If everyone is competing on having the lowest price then you may have opportunities to raise your prices to appeal to value or luxury shoppers.
- Budget Shoppers - they are mainly looking for the lowest priced products and aren't to concerned with quality.
- Value Shoppers - They are seeking a mix of value and quality. They won't just seek to find the cheapest option available.
- Luxury Shoppers - They want a premium product with all the "bells and whistles" and they will be willing to spend a lot to get it.
Price Endings Matter
Most products you see in retail end with the price of $0.99. We know that buying something for $12.99 looks like a much better deal than charging $13.00. Even though it's only a $0.01 difference. While using a price ending is ok you may want to consider using other odd number endings such as $0.97 or $0.95. Those price endings will get the customers attention as they are quickly scanning the sales page. Try to avoid even endings such as $0.92 or $0.94. Also if you are a selling luxury item then consider using a $0.00 ending. So instead of charging $34.99 simply charge $35.00. As with anything you should split test these price endings to determine which gets the most clicks and conversions.
- Use odd price endings such as .99, .97, .95
- Avoid even price endings such as .92, .94
- Use .00 endings for luxury items
- Split test to determine what sells the best for your items
Amazon Coupons
To drive clicks and more sales consider running coupons on your listings. The green banner will stand out as customers are scanning Amazon and it will catch their attention. A lot of sellers are not using coupons currently so you can really stand out. You can then experiment with using "percentage off" or "dollar off" coupons. Make sure to keep your coupons simple and easy for the customer to calculate. If you make the customer think too much they will get confused and move on to the next product.
What About Bundling?
Once you have been selling a product for a while you should look at your sales reports to determine if bundling makes sense. If you notice that customer are often buying 2 or more of that product then you can create a variation and offer the customer more quantity options. You can then give the customer a better deal per unit if they buy more however you will usually save money in FBA fees when you ship out the bundled option.
Free Shipping?
While a huge amount of Amazon customers are Prime members who automatically get free shipping there still are millions of shoppers that are non-prime. For them to receive free shipping they currently need to spend $25 or more. This is important to know when selling a product in that price range. If you are priced in the $20-$24.99 range then simple increase your price to something like $25.97 so that purchase no qualifies for free shipping. You will convert more non-prime customer with this type of pricing.
Business Pricing?
If you aren't enrolled into Amazon Business yet then you should do that immediately. It should be free to enroll into and by doing so you can have access to business pricing for your products. You can set different quantity discount options right inside of your seller central dashboard. By doing so you will attract lots of business buyers and start generating extra sales by default. You will then be able to see your sales generated from business customers. Don't worry if you don't have business related products. It doesn't matter.
SPECIAL OFFER FOR YOU
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Simply visit Shopkeeper.com and open the chat bubble and enter code "STINGRAY180" to get 6 months FREE!
- Track your sales
- Track your inventory
- Know your profit breakdown
- Use data to make business decisions
Not a member of the Facebook Mastermind group yet?
WANT ACCESS TO A FREE AMAZON TRAINING COURSE?
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Jungle Scout Web App – This is one of the premier Amazon product research tools out on the market now. This essential software will help you find and discovery new and hot product opportunities, track products, spy on your competitors and more. This is my go to tool right now that I use constantly.
—> USE THIS LINK TO RECEIVE AND EXCLUSIVE LISTENER DISCOUNT
Splitly is an AWESOME tool that now allows us to split test various things on your product listings like pricing and images to measure how they perform over time. If you want to maximize your profits and destroy the competition you need to be split testing your listings. I have been using this so for a while now and I am loving it because Splitly does all the heaving lifting for me.
Receive an exclusive PLS discount off your first month of Splitly===> Use Special PLS Link Here
For all other resources and tools that I use in my Amazon business please see the resources link.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW!
I NEED YOUR HELP!
If you felt you got any value out of this podcast, then please support me with an iTunes review. It's simple to do! Just click here to head to iTunes and leave an honest rating and review of the podcast. Every review helps!
Pricing Strategies Every Amazon Seller Should be Using Right Now w/Paulina Masson
Welcome To Episode #131 of the Amazon FBA Private Label Show Podcast!
In this episode I give you my 3 step formula for creating a $1,00,000 dollar business and brand.
Listen to this Amazon FBA Podcast!
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My 3 Step Formula for a $1,000,000 Business - Amazon FBA
Recently I was at SellerCon in Las Vegas and I was listening to a presentation given by Ryan Danial Moran. Ryan was talking about how Amazon FBA has changed a lot over the years and that we as business owners need to think differently about our business and brands. Tactics that worked just a few years ago no longer work anymore. Ryan specified that we as business owners need to become real entrepreneurs and build real brands that we can grow and scale on and off of Amazon. We have the power and the tools to create real brands that are making money and making a difference in the world.
In this podcast I break down my 3 step formula for creating successful brand and how you can get to your first $1,000,000 in sales. You will see that once you build a real audience around your brand and products that achieving your sales goals will be easy. The focus should be on building real assets that you can control such as e-mail lists, ManyChat audiences, and social media assets. If you build valuable assets that are engaged with your brand and content then you won't be so reliant on the changes that frequently happen on Amazon FBA.
THE FORMULA TO $1 MILLION
- Find a niche and a specific customer to serve
- Build your audience + Launch 3-5 related products
- Your brand X-Factor
Now if you are just starting out selling online and on Amazon FBA then the thought of hitting $1 million is sales for the year may seem unattainable. If you follow the formula and shift your mindset a bit then you will find out you can easily hit the $1 million mark very quickly.
- $1,000,000 = $2,739 per day
- Sell 5 products doing just $547 per day per product
- Sell 5 products at $25 doing an average of 22 units a day for each product
STEP 1 - FIND A NICHE AND CUSTOMER TO SERVE
- Build a brand and a business in and around a niche that interests you.
- Generate ideas by writing down your interests and hobbies. Also browse Amazon categories for ideas.
- Make sure the niche is thriving and has lots of demand
- Build a customer avatar for your target customer
- Age, Sex, Education, Interests, Hobbies, etc...
- What does your customer care about?
- Where do they hang out online?
- What problems are they facing?
- Design your business, brand and products around solving your customers problems
STEP 2 - BUILD YOUR AUDIENCE + LAUNCH 3-5 PRODUCTS
- Research and identify your first core product
- Start building and growing your audience and lists
- Start posting enraging content on social media
- Invest $5-$10 per day on Facebook ads to grow your platform and audience
- Start building your email list and ManyChat audience
- Include your new and growing audience in on your products development
- Build excitement for your upcoming product launch
- Launch your product to your new "tribe" and use Amazon PPC
- Get tunnel vision on getting your product ranked to page 1 on Amazon
- Ask your "tribe" for testimonials of your brand and product
- Share these as pieces of content
- Use product inserts to build a VIP customer list
Repeat the process for product # 2
Repeat the process for products 3-5
- Start using other larger influencers audiences to launch products with
- Continue spending money every day on content and Facebook ads to grow your audience
- Become obsessed with your customers product/brand experience and journey
STEP 3 - YOUR BRANDS X-FACTOR
- Why does your brand exist?
- What separates your products and brand from the competition?
- Understand that people care about what your brand represents
- Connect your brand with a purpose, charity, movement, idea, etc...
- Then communicate that to them often
- Focus on creating raving fans
The fastest way to get to $1,000,000 from a small micro brand selling on Amazon FBA is to get your customer to buy from you over and over again. Once they buy from you once they should be exposed to your brand story and what you represent. If your brand has an X-factor that speaks to your target customer then they will support you and buy the rest of your products over time. That's how you win. When you can get a single customer to buy everything you have to offer because they know and trust you.
Not a member of the Facebook Mastermind group yet?
WANT ACCESS TO A FREE AMAZON TRAINING COURSE?
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Jungle Scout Market – Hire pre-vetted Amazon experts to help you build, run and grow your Amazon FBA business. Created by the Jungle Scout team.
Upwork – I have been using this site for many years now to find freelancers and workers to complete various tasks for me. You can find people to do just about anything that you need done in your c-commerce business.
For all other resources and tools that I use in my Amazon business please see the resources link.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW!
I NEED YOUR HELP!
If you felt you got any value out of this podcast, then please support me with an iTunes review. It's simple to do! Just click here to head to iTunes and leave an honest rating and review of the podcast. Every review helps!