What is Amazon FBA?
Amazon gives their sellers two different options, you can ship the items to customers yourself or you can have them ship it for you. The latter of the two is Amazon FBA. You will be responsible for sourcing, listing, and shipping to Amazon. That's all folks. You don't have to worry about running to the post office randomly to drop off 1 item nor do you have to micro manage your customer service. In short, FBA helps out drastically.
What Do I Need To Get Started With Amazon FBA?
First, you will need to get an Amazon Seller's account set up. The Individual account option is better than Professional when starting out. Unless 40 items a month are getting sold, getting that free month of Professional isn't going to be beneficial. You can do FBA with either.
You also need:
A credit/debit card
A US-based bank account for deposits
Tax ID - This can be Social Security, EIN or a Corporate TIN
What Can I Sell?
You can sell just about anything on Amazon.com
When you first start off you are allowed to sell in a couple of different categories straight off the back without getting approval.
Here is a list of the categories:
Amazon Device Accessories
Amazon Kindle
Baby Products (excluding apparel) - Nursery, Feeding, Gear
Books - Books, Calendars, Card Decks, Sheet Music, Magazines, Journals, Other Publications
Camera & Photo - Cameras, Camcorders, Telescopes
Cell Phones
Consumer Electronics - TVs, CD Players, Car Audio, GPS
Electronics Accessories - Audio, Video, Camera, Photo, Cell Phone, Car Electronics, Computer, and Office Accessories
Home & Garden - Kitchen, Dining, Pet Supplies, Furniture, Décor, Bedding, Bath, Craft, Hobby, Home Appliances, Storage, Patio, Lawn, Garden, Pool Supplies, Landscaping, Snow Removal, Generators
Music - CDs, Cassettes, Vinyl, and other sound recordings
Musical Instruments - Guitars, Orchestra, Recording Equipment
Office Products - Supplies, Furniture, Printers, Calculators
Outdoors - Outdoor Gear, Outdoor Sports Apparel, Cycling, and Action Sports
Personal Computers - Desktops, Laptops, Drives, Storage
Software & Computer Games - Business, Media Education, Utility, Security, Children's Software and PC Games
Sports - Exercise & Fitness, Hunting Accessories, Team Sports, Licensed/Fan Shop, Athletic Apparel, Boating & Fishing, and Game Room
Tools & Home Improvement - Hand & Power Tools, Plumbing, Electrical, Building Materials, Appliance Parts
Toys & Games - Infant and Preschool, Learning and Exploration Toys, Ride-ons, Action Figures, Dolls, Board Games, Arts, Crafts, Hobbies, Furniture
Video Games & Video Game Consoles - Game Consoles, Console Games, Accessories
Sourcing
Sourcing is the process of finding and buying the items that you will be sending into Amazon for FBA.
Tools of the Trade
Amazon Seller App (Mobile App) - This will be your starting scanning app. It is a free mobile download that will allow you to scan the bar codes of items. In return, you will get the key information that you need to make your purchasing decision easier.
There are other scanning apps which are overall faster than the Amazon Seller App.You will find these apps typically offer a 30-Day Free Trial
Where To Find Items:
Home
Friends
Yard Sales
Estate Sales
Garage Sales
Goodwill and other Thrift Stores
Wal-Mart
Target
The list goes on and on. Scouting for new places is all part of the adventure and is one of the most fun parts.
I have a few helpful infographics and such that I couldn’t add to this post, but you will be able to find on the site in the bio.
DK Lee is the owner of several sites including successcrashtest.com where he gives step by step guides to Amazon success. The mentality, effort, and motivation is all covered. The only time better than yesterday to make a change in your life is today. Capture your moment.