q4 Archives - Riverbend Consulting

Why Amazon “deal sites” put 3P accounts at risk

November 6, 2020 Leave a Comment

Sellers should avoid flipping heavily discounted items

By: Lesley Hensell

Internet deal sites let users buy heavily discounted products on Amazon. That’s why new third-party sellers embrace these sites. It’s cheap inventory to get started. What could go wrong?

Unfortunately, this is a very high-risk strategy it’s best to avoid.

Why these deal sites exist

Deal sites and rebate sites are not for the convenience or happiness of the Amazon customer. These sites exist to help private-label sellers launch their products on Amazon. They are also used to increase Best Seller Rank (BSR) or gain product reviews.

There is an unspoken agreement between these sellers and the deal site customers. Most of the customers on deal sites understand that a product review is expected in return for the steep discount. When sales are made and reviews posted, a product’s Best Seller Rank rises. This, in turn, helps the product pop up higher in organic search results.

In most cases, the sellers using these deal sites are offering significant discounts – so much that they are violating Amazon policies against Platform Manipulation. As a result of these discounts, the sellers are losing money on sales made via the discount sites. In return, they hope to drive more buyers to their products.

What makes deal-buying dangerous

Third-party sellers purchase these deals and then flip them on their own Amazon accounts. But this is a risky strategy:

Amazon does not always accept invoices from Amazon-to-Amazon flips that involve third-party sellers.
Private-label sellers can easily file intellectual property complaints against other sellers who pop up on their listings – especially if their distribution is Amazon-only.

The private-label sellers are not going to remove their intellectual property complaints, once filed against you. This makes it particularly difficult to get the ASIN or account reinstated – whichever is the case.

What to do instead

There are lots of places to source products. Yes, they are more challenging than deal sites, retail arbitrage and online arbitrage. But they can help you develop a sustainable business:

Manufacturers
Distributors
Wholesalers

If you need assistance working through product lists, contact us at 877-289-1017 or visit Riverbend Consulting. Our team can help you uncover potentially lucrative sourcing relationships!

Lesley is co-founder and co-owner of Riverbend Consulting, where she oversees the firm’s client services team. She has personally helped hundreds of third-party sellers get their accounts and ASINs back up and running. Lesley leverages two decades as a small business consultant to advise clients on profitability and operational performance. She has been an Amazon seller for almost a decade, thanks to her boys (18 and 12) who do most of the heavy lifting.

Selling toys and games: play by the rules

October 30, 2020 Leave a Comment

Selling toys and games on Amazon? Be ready.

By: Caitlyn Way

Every year in prep for Q4 and the holiday season, Amazon emails sellers updating them on this year’s requirements. These updated requirements usually sent to those who sell toys and games on their platform throughout the holiday season.

These requirements can vary slightly year by year. They also differ from the normal Q1-3 requirements for Toys and Games.

For MFN Sellers in 2020, the requirements are as follows:

Performance Criteria based on Seller-Fulfilled Orders (not fulfilled by Amazon)

Your first sale on Amazon must be prior to September 1, 2020 and does not need to be specific to Toys & Games.
You must have processed and shipped at least 25 seller-fulfilled orders from August 15, 2020 through October 14, 2020.
Pre-fulfillment cancel rates must be no greater than 1.75% from September 15, 2020 through October 14, 2020.
Late shipment rates must be no greater than 4% from September 15, 2020 through October 14, 2020.
Order defect rate must be no greater than 1% as of October 14, 2020.

If your Amazon account doesn’t meet these requirements:

Amazon encourages you to take corrective action now to be able to sell through seller fulfillment in Toys & Games during the holiday season.

We have included the following suggestions to remain eligible or improve your performance.

Monitor your customer metrics and take corrective action when necessary.
Check your orders frequently in the Manage Orders section of your account.
Minimize order cancellations; only show inventory for sale that you have available to ship.
Update your account status when you are not available to fulfill orders (for example, on vacation).
Ship orders and confirm shipment in a timely manner.
Ensure your seller policies are up-to-date.

You can also review the below Seller Central Help Pages for more information:

Holiday Selling Requirements in Toys & Games

Monitor your account health

If you have any questions on these standards for the holiday season be sure to contact Riverbend Consulting. 877-289-1017

Cait provides support to our clients and our operations team. She creates meaningful monthly reports that help us identify trends in client accounts. In addition, she helps manage workflow and ensure everything runs smoothly. Cait spent two years in Amazon Seller Support, where she specialized in feeds, variations, escalations, product compliance and gating. In her off time enjoys baking and exploring with her two daughters.

Product Bundling 101 for the holidays

October 28, 2020 Leave a Comment

Product Bundling might just save you this holiday season

By: Matt Nasatasi

In my experience, it’s in a Seller’s best interest to have a wide and diverse slate of product offerings on Amazon and other online platforms. Not everyone is so fortunate as to be the exclusive source for the hot new “It” product that sells thousands of units a week.

This task can feel daunting in the crowded sea of online sales. Even if your company offers something highly desirable to the purchasing public. It feels like it’s only a matter of time before your product listing becomes lost among dozens of other listings for the same or similar items.

And that takes a little creativity.

Prepping for your Product Bundle strategy.

One strategy that the savviest Sellers have found successful is Product Bundling.

Bundling is the practice of grouping several different items together and selling them as a single unit in a single package.

Bundling products for sale on Amazon is a fantastic way to generate some activity around your products. By grouping them in creative ways you are able to capture more views and more sales.

It’s always important to know the rules of the road before starting a new adventure. Be sure to check out Amazon’s Product Bundling Policy before attempting this strategy.

Without further ado, here is some “Bundling 101” information we hope you find helpful!

What makes a good Bundle?

Whether you are selling products you made, have under your own brand, or selling unbranded merchandise you got from other sources, the key to making a good bundle is to think about the many ways your products could complement each other:

Functionality

Think about how your customers will be using your product. Try to group them with other products that complement that use.

If your products play together, they can sell together:

Garden tools, knee pads, and a floppy hat
Scarves, hats, and gloves
Face cleanser, moisturizer, and a soft face cloth
You get the idea…

Many Products Need Accessories

Bundling commonly used accessories with your main product can entice Buyers by being a convenient time- and thought-saver. Helping you to sell through otherwise hard-to-move unbranded inventory.

Make your phones more attractive to Buyers by bundling them with a case and charger!
Up the enticement of your mixing bowls by bundling them with a whisk and a frosting spatula!
And never underestimate the convenience of bundling HDMI cables with a TV, laptop, or other A/V electronics.

Bundle Naming: Group Thematically-similar Items to Make a “Kit”

This can be especially helpful to differentiate your common items from the majority of similar listings.

Do you have a pallet of clip-on book lights to move? Bundle yours with a neck pillow and a glow-in-the-dark bookmark, and your “Night-time Reading Kit” is now something special!
Do you sell wireless keyboards? Bundle one with a wireless mouse and a wireless headset -you’ve just made a “Working From Home Essentials Kit!”

Add More Variety: Bundle Kits by Styles and Colors – items that look great together sell well together.

Bundle your items with functional or thematic accessories that have the same color or print or are made of the same material.

Anyone who wears make-up uses a make-up light, make-up cases, and a ton of brushes, sponges, curlers and such. These are all readily available from any number of sources as separate items.

However your “Make-up Enthusiast’s Kit” in Black, Leopard, or Glittery Purple is as fun as it is convenient for the Buyer, allowing them to choose something special that appeals to their individual taste and expression.

Bundling Dos and Don’ts

DO – Protect Your Listing with Unique Identifiers –
- Unbranded products grouped and sold together are a unique item that you have created. Keep them unique and prevent other Sellers from listing them by purchasing UPC, EAN, or other Global Shipment Identification Numbers (GSINs).
  - Pro-tip – EANs can be purchased by the thousand for pennies each (costing significantly less than UPCs), and Amazon accepts them as unique identifiers!
DON’T – Use Bundles to Get Around Amazon’s Product Restrictions –
- Some products cannot be sold unless you are an “Authorized Seller” of the brand. Nike brand products come to mind. Other products are in “gated categories” that require you to apply for permission to sell within them. Apparel is a good example. Still other products are not allowed to be sold at all due to regulations.
- For example, no products containing pseudoephedrine can be sold on Amazon, nor can e-cigarettes.
  - Do not include these kinds of products in your bundles. It’s a fast way to come up against enforcement. And it could include the removal of your permission to sell on the platform. You don’t need that kind of interruption. Avoid using Bundles as a way to get around gating or other restrictions.
DO – Use Brand Registry for Bundles Bearing Your Brand
- Package your bundles with unique packaging that bears your brand name. Assign a UPC or EAN that you have purchased to each type of bundle, and your bundles are now distinct branded products.
- This will allow you to register your bundles with Amazon’s Brand Registry and should enable you to get your own detail page. If other sellers try to sell their products on the page for your product, you can report those sellers for listing their products on the wrong page. Your detail page isn’t just for any items – it’s for a YouBrand Bundle that is in the Brand Registry!
DON’T – Break Up Other Brands’ Bundles for Your Bundles
- Products that are sold in multi-packs are often labeled with some notification that the products should not be sold individually. Whether it’s chewing gum, bars of soap, or spark plugs – if packaging states “Not for Individual Sale” or something similar, don’t include one in your bundles (unless you’re including the whole multi-pack with the original packaging).
- Breaking up a 24-pack of bars of soap to include one in your “Bath-time Bundle” isn’t okay. Each item in a bundle should be intended for individual sale.

Bundling can be a big win on online marketplaces.

Grouping your items together in creative ways can bring a fantastic boost to your products’ visibility and sell-through rate. Buyers are always on the lookout for a deal, and the ease and convenience of getting multiple items for a single price can be very enticing to many customers.

A well-constructed bundle will spur customers to purchase your items rather than taking additional time to search for numerous items individually.

A well-named bundle can separate your products from the pack, so get creative.

A well-packaged bundle with your own branding will add visibility to your business, and may result in additional sales in the future.

Also, please check out a recent interview we did with Kristin Ostrander of MommyIncome! Click HERE.

Good luck in the upcoming Holiday Season – and Happy Selling!

Have questions about bundling? Let us help! Contact Riverbend Consulting today. (877)289-1017

Matt spent 20+ years building processes for Amazon’s Seller Support and Customer Service departments. Founding manager of Executive Seller Relations, Matt drove hundreds of policy and process changes for Sellers through his Seller Experience Deep Dive and Seller Trust programs for Amazon executives, exposing members of Amazon’s senior management to the challenges of life as an Amazon Seller. In his off hours, enjoys being a grandpa to his seven grandchildren. Matt is an avid reader and has provided coaching and first-draft feedback to authors. He also is a dedicated MMO gamer and guild leader with his wife, Veronica.