Six Steps to Six Figures

1.Create Your Account

The first step to selling on Amazon is to go to Amazon Seller Central.

Amazon offers two types of selling plans and I go over in detail the differences between the two and in depth how to sign up for both here.

Once you've decided which plan is right for you, you'll follow the prompts and enter all information it asks of you.

Information you may need:

• Name and Address (Government Issued ID)

• Telephone Number (Amazon may verify by calling or texting)

• Bank Account - Deposit Method

• Credit Card

• Tax Method (SSN, Tax ID, EIN)

• Display Name

• Utility Statement in your name and address

• Bank Statement in your name and address

*Any files you upload should be uploaded as a .PDF, not an image.

2.Gather Your Supplies to Send Your First Shipment

In order to prep and ship your items to Amazon you'll need supplies, some things are absolutely necessary and other things are good to have to make the process flow easier.

The absolute minimum to send shipments to Amazon, you'll need:

• Laptop/Desktop Computer

• Printer (or access to one that you can change the paper)*

• 30 up labels*

• Scale

• Polybags

• Tape

• Scale

• Large, moving size boxes

If you're interested in reading all my recommended supplies and how I use them to save time, I go more in depth here.

3.Source Your Products

With arbitrage, there's countless amounts of stores and websites you can use to source your products. However, there's two main sourcing ideologies:

1. Deal Hunting:

• You're always looking for the best deals (shopping clearance or discount stores: TJ Maxx or Ross etc.) or to capitalize on the season (Back to School backpacks, Halloween costumes, Christmas toys, etc.)

• Most of the items you find have large ROI, however, there's usually limited availability so you're constantly needing to find the next thing.

2. Replen Focused:

   • With a replen model, you find ASIN's and listings that you're always able to pick up for the same price at stores or websites with stable, unchanging inventory like Walmart or your local supermarket.

   • Replens typically have lower ROI, however, you're able to save time by not having to hunt down new inventory every week once your catalog is established.

I think you should consider what you most enjoy doing, the time availability you have, and your desired growth when deciding which you focus on. I do believe most sellers use a healthy mix of the two, especially in their beginning and scaling phases.

Beginner's Advice:

1. Try to work your way through a variety of categories, i.e. office supplies, sporting equipment, clothing, lawn and garden, etc.

2. Always remember to go wide and not deep on products and categories, there's a lot of trial and error in the beginning and it's best to learn with least risk.

3. Set strict rules for yourself on profit and rank requirements in the beginning, with time and experience you can bend or adjust them as you're ready to.

The simplest way to learn is to do it! I've written a beginner's sourcing activity and an important setting to update when you first download your app here.

4.Send Your Products to Amazon

The three step process of sending a shipment to Amazon is:

1. List

2. Prep

3. Pack

Creating a listing is the process of getting an FNSKU for the ASIN, this is a unique number that identifies your products as yours in the Amazon warehouse. I highly recommend the software Inventory Lab for your Amazon business. Not only does it have a more efficient listing and box content process, it also streamlines your accounting process by capturing your COGs as you are listing your item. Read about my other recommended software here.

After creating your listings, you’ll need to prep your items and adhere your FNSKU labels. Each item and category may require specific prepping requirements and that's why it's best to read and understand Amazon's official prep requirements. As a general rule, you should package all items as you would expect and appreciate to receive them as the customer.

Once your items are listed, prepped and labeled, you're ready to pack them! This is where you'll create your shipment so Amazon knows what to expect from you. After Amazon approves your shipment, you'll weigh and measure your box to purchase shipping using Amazon's UPS discount (a large, 48 lbs box is about $12 to ship!)

Some of the links above are affiliate links, so I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. All opinions and reviews are my own. See my disclosure.