Amazon and Alibaba are massive retail giants that generate most of their traffic online. Each has its own business model that works excellently for many Amazon sellers, allowing them to generate high earnings. The enormous selection of suppliers on Alibaba, however, is a thorn in the side for many. Alibaba offers exceptional opportunities, but at the same time, as a seller, you face dangers that you need to be aware of and avoid from the very beginning. So how do you source products on Alibaba affordably and safely, and then sell them on Amazon? How do you choose the right shipping method for your products? In this article, you will learn about this and more, and discover the rules you must not overlook for successful selling through Amazon.
What do you need to know to find the right supplier for your product?
Your goal in this section is to avoid dishonest sellers and negotiate a fair price.
You need to start at the starting line, where you select exclusively from the best and verified manufacturers or suppliers. How do you know that someone is a trustworthy manufacturer? Among the thousands of products that appear on Alibaba, it is essential to have some kind of filter to help you find quality suppliers.
Alibaba has developed its own badge system that lets you know at a glance what kind of supplier you are dealing with. The Gold supplier badge is carried by those with whom it is most recommended to work — they have proven themselves to be verified and reliable, and additionally pay a monthly membership fee of $3,000 for this status on Alibaba. Extra points for credibility also come from how many years they have been present on Alibaba (at least 3 years). It is advised that before placing a large quantity order, you request samples and check the quality of the materials. At the same time, check the supplier’s responsiveness and order processing speed.
When negotiating for the lowest possible price on products, it can also help to know that many sellers on Alibaba are actually just middlemen. Check the so-called Chinese Alibaba, or 1688.com, which is essentially made for Chinese users. There you can find identical products at very low prices, and you can use this as leverage when negotiating for the lowest per-unit price on Alibaba.
Working with middlemen offers numerous benefits. They also accept low minimum orders — you don’t need to order thousands of products right from the start to secure a low price. They are accustomed to working with Amazon sellers and are skilled in the product labeling process. As a downside of working with middlemen, however, there is a risk that they may change the supplier without your knowledge, which can consequently affect the quality of your products.
Trade Assurance is another key feature that is worth taking advantage of. It is a kind of insurance for your purchases on Alibaba. In practice, this means you can pay for products through the Alibaba Trade Assurance platform, and in the event of any issues, you are much better protected and can get your money back.
Sourcing products from China therefore offers a wide range of choices and additional advantages. You have the option of customizing products to suit your preferences in terms of color and packaging. If you are the owner of your own brand, it is even more important that the products are tailored to your customers. Of course, there are also drawbacks. A stumbling block worth highlighting is the difficulty of ensuring consistent quality across orders, though a good inspector can help you with this. The entire order must be paid in full before shipping. Delivery times can also be delayed due to customs or other issues along the shipping route.
Additional tip: Even the packaging in which customers receive your product says a lot about you. Even through something as simple as packaging, you can make a big impression on the customer and create an opportunity for them to buy from you again next time. How do you do this? Insert an additional flyer offering, for example, a discount coupon for the next purchase, a free product, a prize draw entry with an email address, and similar. Look at everything from a long-term perspective and nurture a good relationship with your customers, as this will definitely pay off.
What should your product inventory levels be in the Amazon warehouse?
The goal is optimized inventory. As long as you don’t yet have consistent sales or highly accelerated sales, don’t worry too much about creating inventory for several months in advance. It’s good to avoid large stockpiles sitting idle, as these are directly linked to paying storage fees for products that have been sitting in Amazon’s warehouse for a long time. Likewise, an Out of stock status is highly undesirable. It’s less damaging to close your listing or raise your price than to run out of stock.
How to transport your products so you can start selling?
Don’t be intimidated by the procurement and shipping process from China, which may seem complicated at first glance. Your main goal here is just one thing — to ensure your products are moved from point A, the supplier’s warehouse, to point B, Amazon’s warehouse. You have several shipping options available, from which you choose what is most appropriate for your needs.
Depending on how quickly you want your products delivered to Amazon’s warehouse and made available to buyers, you choose between two types of transport: sea freight or air freight. Your products will arrive significantly faster by plane, but the costs are also up to 50% higher. If you choose sea freight, shipping costs will be much lower, but the transit time is very long — typically around 45 days.
So what should you choose? For products with low weight or smaller quantities, air freight is absolutely recommended. This way, your products will arrive at Amazon’s warehouse very quickly, and you’ll be able to test the market and start selling sooner. Up to around 1,000 products, air freight is definitely still worthwhile if you’re a beginner and don’t yet have guaranteed accelerated sales. Sea freight is typically chosen by sellers who are transporting large quantities (several thousand units) of products, or when the products are heavy. If you’re not at that point yet, air freight is a good choice, as you can start selling very quickly and generate earnings. The actual transit costs by air for smaller quantities are not that high — after all, we all know that even today the saying holds true: Time is money.
5 things you must not overlook for a successful product listing on Amazon
TITLE:
The first thing your buyer reads is the title. It is therefore important that it is carefully crafted into an attractive phrase that will instantly convince the buyer to click on your listing. It makes sense for it to always differ at least slightly from the competition and highlight the key advantages your product offers. Think about the improvements your product can provide to the buyer, making it better than the competition. Let the title carry a clear message that quickly highlights the features and facts about the product that will give the buyer exactly what they need. Also take the opportunity to include in the title those keywords that buyers type into the Amazon search bar, thereby improving your listing’s SEO.
BULLET POINTS:
In this section, the main emphasis is on the first words, which must be written skillfully and clearly. The goal is to draw the buyer into reading further about your product. Tip: Highlight the problem your product solves. This is the fastest way to capture the buyer’s attention, as you offer them a solution on a silver platter. Also take advantage of the SEO opportunity here, so that your listing is displayed appropriately and as high as possible in keyword search results.
DESCRIPTION:
When a buyer reaches the point of reading your product description, you’re already well on your way. They have recognized that your product is interesting for fulfilling their desires or needs, and so they continue reading the description. Here, offer more concrete information about the actual features of the product, specifications, and other details that leave no room for doubt. You can write more about the actual use of the product and the various options it offers. Also make use of the description space for good SEO.
ADDITIONAL TIP: If you have a registered trademark, you can use EBC (enhanced brand content) to enable an additional display option that is placed over the standard product description. This gives you the advantage of additional promotional text and a direct appeal to the buyer.
IMAGES:
We humans are visual beings and our attention often rushes to the photo before the text itself. The image attracts, the word sells. The first photo on your listing plays a decisive role in whether the product will even catch a buyer’s interest, or whether they won’t give it a second glance. Less is often more, and stick to the rule of clarity. At least in the first photo, avoid additional distractions and let only the product stand out against a white background. This has proven to be the best practice. In this section too, it is recommended that your first photo differs from the competition and doesn’t follow the same template as everyone else.
VIDEO: Experience has shown that including a video in a listing increased conversions by 15%.
ADDITIONAL TIP: The majority of people shop on Amazon through their mobile devices, while occasionally using desktop computers to complete purchases. Keep this fact in mind when designing your listing. It makes sense to adapt it in a way that ensures it is clearly readable on mobile devices as well.
Don’t overlook…
In any business, it is good to have people around you that you can trust. In unpredictable situations, it is essential that they know how to react quickly and effectively, and that is invaluable. If you would like to learn even more about selling and earning through Amazon, you are welcome to download a completely free e-book here: https://zannekrep.com/brezplacna-eknjiga/.
