COMMON AMAZON SELLER MISTAKES TO AVOID
Thursday, August 13, 2015Global Administrator
Amazon is a huge online marketplace, with plenty of opportunity for new sellers. It has become increasingly easy to sell your products and get your foot in the door. They have developed a platform that is great for both individuals and businesses new to selling. Having said that, being new to anything often leads to mistakes being made. We have compiled a list of common mistakes to avoid when beginning to sell on Amazon.
1.
Registering for the wrong type of seller account: There are two types of seller accounts and it’s important that you take time to understand the pros and cons of each one. This decision could affect how successful you are. We can help you decide
2.
You’re registered for more than one account: This is a big Amazon policy violation. There should only be one account per seller. Just don’t do it!
3.
Typos: This may seem like a small mistake and could in some cases be pretty harmless. Having said that, a simple transposing of numbers could cost you quite a bit of money in the long wrong. There is a big dollar difference between $10.00 and $100.00, but it’s only a simple change of decimals when typing. This could cost you greatly; proof read every time! Also try to be careful when you type how much inventory you have. Misleading inventory count can lead to an account suspension.
4.
Poor customer service: Amazon is very strict about their policy; you have 24 hours (no matter what) to respond to any customer inquiry. If you fail to do so, you will be dinged by Amazon. Too many of these dings will result in an account suspension. No one wants that! A great tool to use for this is
Reply Manager.
5.
Feedback: Gathering positive seller feedback is crucial to becoming a successful seller on Amazon, but is often overlooked. Amazon tracks both the quantity and quality of feedback, thus you should strive to obtain both. Some of the ways you can improve your feedback rating are accurately describing your items, shipping on time and with care, and providing helpful and prompt customer service. Also, don’t pay for feedback, it’s an Amazon policy violation.
6.
Order fulfillment and shipping problems: Fulfillment is a bit of a process and can take a bit to really understand it and be good at it. One slip up in your process can easily lead to late shipments and poor customer service. New sellers should try to nail down order fulfillment as much as possible before starting to sell. If you feel that fulfillment and shipping are too much too handle in the early going it may be worth looking into outsourcing your operations.
7.
You’re using price to compete: Competition is high and sometimes price is the only way you can compete on Amazon. Having said that, make sure you don’t out price yourself. Always leave room for shipping costs, selling fees and profit. You may have won the pricing battle with a lower price, but you’ll lose the profit war. Keep track of all of these factors when pricing your items.
8.
Don’t rely on email for all notifications: Make sure you’re logging into your seller account regularly to check into your notifications. Emails get lost, and you may not get the message, so ensure you make a conscious effort to check manually.
9.
Don’t forget your sales tax: These rules will vary on where you’re selling but it’s important that you do your research and account for all tax costs. Keep in mind that in most cases you will be paying for these expenses later on regardless, so you will want to collect them up front. This information is very specific to your location; you can get more information
Did we miss any potential mistakes? Tell us in the comments below!