This is the seventh installment in my series about the differences between the eBay and Amazon selling platforms. For each of the next six weeks I will continue to discuss these areas and try to dispel some of the myths that surround selling on Amazon.com
I asked veteran Amazon sellers via Facebook what differences they found between selling on eBay and Amazon FBA. There were ten areas identified as noticeably different between the two platforms:
- What You Can Sell
- The Rules
- Listing
- Fees
- Customer Service
- Getting Paid
- Vacation
- Control
- Sales Tax
- Profit Potential
Have you gone on vacation while running your eBay store? Then you know what kind of a hassle it is. If you have an eBay store you can select vacation settings that allow you to hide your Buy It Now listings (but not your auction listings), or allow them to be active with a notice (that no one reads). If you choose the second option you almost always need to email everyone to let the know their shipment will be delayed because they don’t read the notice on your listings. It’s a customer service nightmare. If you choose to shut down your store completely you’ll loose out of the sales that normally come in each week. Depending on the size of your store this can be substantial.
If you sell on Amazon using FBA your items can keep selling AND shipping while you are enjoying Mai Tai’s on the beach or wrestling alligators in the Everglades. All customer service is handled by Amazon so there won’t be any emails to deal with either. That sounds more like a vacation to me. This is only for Amazon FBA not Merchant Fulfilled (MF). To learn more about setting up vacation settings for Merchant Fulfilled items you can head over here.
When is the last time you went on a vacation and truly disconnected from the world – no phone, no internet, no digital footprint? To behonest I'm not sure that I ever have! As an entrepreneur it is even harder to walk away from our work and take time for ourselves. I challenge you to take a mini vacation this week from ALL your devices. Turn off your phone, computer, iPad, Kindle, etc and take one hour to disconnect and enjoy life without being in constant contact. Go for a walk in a local Japanese garden, or take a kayak out on the river, sit in the hammock in the backyard listening to the birds sing. The list is endless. I'd love to hear what you did to disconnect this week. Let me know in the comments below.
What are you doing TODAY to move your business forward?
Interested in selling on Amazon with Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) or know someone who is? Not sure where to start?
Amazon FBA Launch Pad is the most current and comprehensive step-by-step guide to LAUNCH and GROW your Amazon FBA business from novice to startup success without spending a fortune. To find out more information click HERE.
If you are looking for more specialized one-on-one direction to grow your business and or manage your life balance, I highly recommend heading over here and checking out the individualized coaching available from the amazing Kristin Ostrander.