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In this episode Cam and Tharyn chat about the pros and cons of private labelling supplements on Amazon. Should you do it? Do the benefits outweigh the cons? Perhaps they do, because supplements can be very lucrative. Cam shares his personal experience, advice, and tips for newbies. Let’s jump in!   Outline:   Introduction – Cam talks about his background in the supplement industry. 3:03 – The benefits (pros) of private labeling supplements on Amazon. 6:59 – The drawbacks (cons) of doing supplements. Is it for you? Questions to ask yourself. 11:43 – How to choose a supplement. Jumping on trends. Examining the numbers and market. Following FDA news. 16:51 – Key tip: Do something you’re interested in. Creating an authentic brand that shows where the ingredients come from. 19:48 – How to source supplements using USA manufacturers. AND which companies to avoid. The benefit of low MOQ’s. 24:06 – Cam’s final words about supplements. How to ask us questions and learn more! Final conclusion with special announcement.   Links & Resources     The FDA’s Recommended Daily Value Chart http://www.dragonherbs.com/ – Dragon Herbs supplement company mentioned in episode. Notice the CEO’s videos on youtube and authentic brand positioning. Any supplement could do similar branding. http://amzresponder.com – The easiest way to get more Product Reviews and Seller Feedback from your Amazon customers with automated follow up emails. http://amzshark.com – Seller software for rank tracking, sales estimates, keyword tool and much more!

In today’s episode, Cam and Tharyn talk about how to start selling on your own website. Amazon is great, but expanding your sales channels is crucial for growth. Inside we chat about what Ecommerce software to use, how to buy traffic, and what essential factors you need on your website to look legitimate for customers.   Outline: Introduction to the episode, selling on your own store, expanding past Amazon with your products. 3:37 – What essentials do private labelers need to consider while still on Amazon, in order to successfully transition their products to other sales channels? 5:02 – What software to use for your first off-Amazon site. What to avoid and what to use. 6:59 – Cam’s Tips: Paid traffic for beginners. How do you start? How much should you spend? Why Pinterest Ads are in an opportunity phase right now. 10:49 – Best place to learn paid traffic is the affiliate marketing industry. And which places to avoid. 12:43 – What budget do you begin with when testing your products on paid traffic? Cam’s wisdom from his $5,000 experiment. 15:29 – Building trust factors on your online store so that customers will trust you. 16:50 – Make yourself available on your web store. Using instant live chat and a phone number on your site. 18:56 – Taking advantage of what you can’t do on Amazon. Using up-sells and email marketing more effectively. Cart abandonment tips. 20:48 – The genius business model and marketing of the Dollar Shave Club. Up-sells, subscriptions, and knowing how often your customer will repeat purchase. Customer lifetime value. 23:27 – Loss leaders. Allowing yourself to lose money on some products while knowing that people will enter the “door” and buy additional profitable products. 24:15 – The power of subscription models on your own online store. 22:50 – The possibility of selling your business is easier off of Amazon. 27:53 – Episode re-cap about the roadmap of creating your own online store outside of Amazon.   Links & Resources  

In this entertaining episode, we bring on Cam, the co-host of this Podcast, and co-founder of AMZShark.com. We’ll talk about some trending subjects including 3rd party software, how to defend yourself from the beast of Amazon, and the recent reviews TOS change. Let’s jump in! Outline Begin – Introduction to Podcast with Cam and new Trends series. 1:05 – Cam introduces himself, his past businesses, past marketing, SEO experience, and what caused him to enter the Amazon Software space. 3:05 –  Examining the 3rd party Amazon Software app explosion in the past year. 5:42 – Cam’s second trend. How Amazon is cannabalizing their own marketplace. Importance of building a brand. Also, how more Chinese sellers are entering the marketplace and can take lower margins. 8:47 – The best way to defend yourself against Amazon, Chinese sellers, or any competition. 13:42 – We chat about the recent Amazon TOS change about excessive reviews & giveaways. Cam talks about his real life experience of WHY Amazon has done this. The good, the bad, the ugly. 17:45 – Some advice for getting genuine and white hat reviews. Letting people try your product in person and getting a review. 20:48 –  Is the Amazon gold rush dried up? Where’s the low hanging fruit? Cam and I talk about why the opportunity is still there on Amazon. 23:36 – Moving from Amazon to retail and other channels. The growth of Amazon Instant and it’s impact on retail. 26:30 – Long term brand strategy for growing a real business. Links & Resources AMZResponder – The easiest way to get more Product Reviews and Seller Feedback from your Amazon customers with automated follow up emails. AMZShark.com – Seller software for rank tracking, sales estimates, keyword tool, Super URL, and review notifications for growing your Amazon business. SD11 with CIO of Glo

Melody Bockelman has been in the private label industry for 10 years, managing projects mostly in the health, beauty, and skin care categories. Her track record includes brands on QVC, HSN, big retailers, and grocery store chains. Now she does branding and consulting for new sellers and offers tons of courses and resources online at her website.    Outline:   Introduction to Melody and episode 13. 2:37 – Melody shares her background doing eCommerce, importing, contract manufacturing, brand creation, in the skin care and beauty industry.  3:58 – Importance of private labeling in order to control your brand in compete through perceived value and differentiation. 5:57 – Demystifying the difficulty of private labeling a skin care product. Those products you see on the shelf all probably began through PL. 7:33 – Keeping Seth Godin’s Purple Cow idea in mind, how do you create a “new” skin care product, and keep yourself differentiated? 10:03  – Establish benefits of your product, creating a customer avatar, why a woman would want to buy your skin care product. Getting clear on the emotional benefits of your product (whether health/beauty or ANY product). Writing compelling copy. 12:23 – I ask Melody how to start a new shampoo. What she would tell a client. (But actually regular shampoo has terrible margins, so she advises more of unique valuable benefit, like anti aging cream, or other things.) 13:56 – Melody shares what she would ACTUALLY recommend a new client, (or seller) to jump into if they wanted to get into the healthy and beauty category. Key metric: have < $20 margin. 15:41 – Scenario: I want to sell an Anti Aging Cream… what do I do? Melody explains. And other related products that you could sell. 16:56 – What to do when creating a brand. How to find the niche opportunities within health and beauty. Don’t carbon copy anything! 19:24 – What kind of investment does it take to launch a product line in H&B? Melody shares the numbers. 20:39 – Why Melody only sources from the USA. Safety precautions. FDA certifications. High quality product. 24:09

Dax Deegan started his business on Yahoo Store back in the year 2000 with only $1,500. He got serious about Amazon and Private labeling in 2012 and now has increased revenue 8x to over $1 million in sales in 2014. He also works full time to support his family. If he’s got time, then so do you. We dive into his product strategy, in depth US sourcing tips, product launch, and how masterminds took Dax’s business to the next level. See you in the Dojo! Outline About the Episode, Podcast News, and Intro to Dax Deegan 2:12 – Dax shares his beginnings with physical products on a yahoo store, how relied too much on google traffic, and had to move to Amazon to keep his business alive. Also, why private labeling was the key to success on Amazon to take his revenue past $1 million. 7:30 – Dax talks about how he mitigates the risk of an Amazon change upsetting his business. He works full time, partners with other sellers, and creates eCommerce shops for his established brands. 10:20 – Dax’s overall product line strategy and how he selects a product. What he looks at when searching a product keyword. 12:38 – Key indicators, number of reviews, page optimizations and other items to consider when choosing a niche. 14:41 – Differentiating your product from others in your niche. Mistakes newbies make, but should avoid. 17:27 – Sourcing from the US vs. China – Dax’s method. How Dax leverages the advantages of having a US based supplier to increase lead times, increase cashflow, and avoid customs headaches. 21:55 – The power of using a credit card with cash back rewards through a proper US supplier. 22:52 – Finding US suppliers. Diving deep into Google searches in order to find the gems. Ninja tip: call people on the phone. 25:32 – We ask Dax how he tests products in order to see if it’s going to work long term and higher quantity. 26:57 – PPC basics and Dax’s ideas on approaching a new product with PPC. 28:19 – Dax share’s how he launches products and how he is changing his approach due to Amazon’s recent TOS changes about excessive give aways. Using Super URL’s to boost for keywords. Testing your listing i

Peter Zapf is the CIO of Global Sources, the leading B2B marketplace for connecting buyers and suppliers. In business for over 40 years, GS does 200 million in revenue, has 150,000 suppliers in its directory, and works with 95 out of 100 of the top global retailers.   Peter shares his wisdom for sellers looking to import from china, pick a supplier, and essential lessons in order to do it right. We also talk trade shows and how they can truly benefit sellers who are looking to take their ecommerce business to the next level.   Outline:   Episode introduction to Peter, the CIO of Global Sources. 4:56 – Peter talks about why most suppliers are not that interested in selling direct to consumer through Amazon. Private labeling is still a huge opportunity as long as entrepreneurs keep in mind their sustainable competitive advantage against possible supplier entry or even other PL’ers. 7:36 – Why Private Labelers & Brand Owners should consider brick and mortar retailers like Walmart to grow their business. 2:32 – The essential price point numbers that are important to keep in mind for selling to retailers. What margins the retailer needs. Peter’s rule of thumb. 11:50 – Peter elaborates on the October 2014 trade show season in Hong Kong. All show dates and categories that Global Sources is doing. 14:18 – Why it’s a good idea for buyers to visit shows. The type types of things buyers are doing there: finding new suppliers or visiting current suppliers to see new products. Benefits of being in front of suppliers in person. 16:25 – If you’re a new private labeler on the ground, there’s a free seminar Global Sources does for helping you get your bearings at the trade show. 17:36 – Learning online before going to HK. Free resource by GS at Smart China Importing. (see link) 19:07 – Common misconceptions about suppliers. Dealing with quality problems through communication beforehand. Peter’s tips for improving item quality and avoid losing a lot of money. Research AQL standards. Knowing the threshold of defects that is acceptable. 22:52 – The misconception that suppliers have infinite

Anthony has been in the ecommerce industry since 2001, for almost 15 years now. He was an ebay Titanium power seller, which means he was pushing over 150k in sales per month within his first year of business. He did over 1.2m in sales on Amazon in his first 10 months with his business partner. After selling that business he began his own private label journey.   Now he does consulting, mentoring, and online training to help others sell more product online. He’s a course creator with a combined 10,000 students and 170+ five star reviews on Udemy.     Outline:   Podcast introduction & Anthony Monfet introduction. 4:05 – Anthony talks about his background in commerce doing eBay, drop shipping, whole-sale, and private labeling. Why he moved to Amazon. How he joined the FBA program during beta. 8:20 – Anthony answers the question, “Do I need multiple seller accounts with different names that match my brand? Or do I need to change my seller name?” And continues on to explain how the branding is much more important. 10:40 – One little trick that Anthony shares about the seller name if you’re just starting out on Amazon.   12:22 – Anthony shares why he loves the Amazon Private Labeling business model. 16:03 – How FBA changed the landscape at Amazon. Aiming for the top 10,000 products instead of the top 2,000. Private Label vs wholesaling for staying competitive. 20:36 – We go over Anthony’s initial coaching process when he helps clients begin private labeling on Amazon. 22:05 – Anthony answers what his ideal minimum budget for beginning this business is. 23:35 – The importance of listing sales copy and back end search terms.  24:37 – Making sure you get en

Mike Marani is a full time education administrator with a wife and two kids and he STILL rocks it on Amazon. Less than two years ago he began his journey and now has nine active products on Amazon that generate roughly $3,000 in monthly passive profit. He’s been so excited about this opportunity he wrote a book called The Amazon Formula.   Now, within this episode, we dive into Mike's mindset tips, how he choses products in these saturated times, finding suppliers, key shipping ideas, payment terms, and PPC lessons learned. Interestingly enough, Mike is all about less focus on brand and more focus on selling quality products. Let’s jump in and listen.   Outline   Introduction to Mike Marani. 1:38 – Mike talks about his motivation to keep his full time job, yet make more money on the side while supporting his family. Amazon was a win-win. 3:31 – Mike emphasized mindset when beginning the Amazon journey. It’s important to have the proper mindset for success through trial and error. 8:10 – Why persistence is the key to success in Amazon or any endeavor. Increasing your self discipline muscle.  11:10 – As Amazon becomes saturated with more sellers, Mike talks about his strategy for finding products that others aren’t selling. Quickly getting multiple products on Amazon with very little capital.  15:32 – Mike talks about his formula for finding products to private label. 17:21 – Mike emphasizes how important Amazon software tools are for product research, keyword research, and more. 18:39 – How to price a product. What’s competitive? Also, developing your own rules of thumb & systems through trial and error with your first few products. 22:19 – On the important of launching your first product to just start LEARNING. And being comfortable with the possibly breaking even or flopping (or success too). Don’t risk your

Jon launched his baking mats during the height of the Amazon train in February 2014. In the episode we talk about building a pre launch list, listing SEO and tricks, and other Amazon topics. Jon is the creator of the Crush It On Amazon eBook and has a created a Udemy course about launching. Let’s jump into the episode and learn his ninja tips.   This episode was brought to you by AMZShark, the most powerful software for scouting profitable niches, optimizing your listings, and driving more sales period. (Click here to learn how.)   Outline:   Introduction to Jon Bowser and his Amazon business. 1:10 – What motivated you to start an Amazon business? 2:19 – So you’re selling baking mats? Tell me about the decision in the beginning to sell this product? 3:28 – Tell us about how you evaluate competition when choosing a new product to launch? 4:49 – How did you vet your suppliers for this product and what advice do you have for people who are new to doing business with China? Never skip getting a product sample! 6:54 – How many suppliers did you reach out to? How did you contact them? What tactics did you use for them to take you seriously? Jon explains his “red tape” method of running sourcing decisions by his “manager." 8:25 – Jon, what’s your branding process like and how did you get a designer for your label etc? 10:07 – Jon talks about a delicious trick he used with his listing image that boosted his daily sales. And other product photo tips for standing out. 13:52 – What’s your special launch process with a new product like? The four main factors of selling on Amazon. Jon’s Pre-Launch tips. 16:58 – Using twitter hashtags to get a few extra reviews for pre launch.

Ryan’s been importing for over 11 years and doing Amazon since 2013. Her first product completely failed, but she came back in 2014 with a vengeance, launched again and in the first month did 3,300 sales. Now she’s launched six private label products, sold two of her brands, and is expanding even more. We dive into every aspect of her business with her unique ideas on finding a profitable product, essential supplier wisdom, and invaluable branding advice. See you in the Dojo!   Show Outline: 1:28 – Introducing Ryan from FBA Journey Podcast. 2:18 – Tell me how you first got started on Amazon, because you said you’ve been importing for 11 years now. How she started locally selling to college kids and also car electronics. Buy low sell high! How she failed her first product, but came back. 6:10 – So you quit your part time job just last July. I know some listeners have this goal in mind too. Can you tell us about that leap? When did you realize it was viable to switch your income from a job to your Amazon business. 9:14 – When you’re looking for a product to private label, what key metrics do you look out for? What price, what BSR, what review count etc? How Ry uses Search Results from the All Category as a key indicator. She makes sure that the product can be sourced and imported for 1/3 of the Amazon selling price.  11:46 – Competitor review count don’t scare Ry unless the top 5 sellers are just dominating with thousands and more.  12:31 – Ry talks about what she looks for in manufacturers and how she does company research to make sure it’s a legitimate and reputable business. Also her Alibaba filters. Finding a very specialized supplier. Avoiding traders. 15:43 – What is your strategy for samples, how many, how do you chose among them? What are you looking for? How do you end up choosing a supplier if both samples are great quality? 17:31 – Calling suppliers? What’s your experience been like? The benefit of knowing y

In this episode Tharyn interviews Saj Gilani hailing from London, UK. He’s grown from rags to riches selling online with eBay and Amazon. Now he’s Amazon full time, pushing $1.2 million in product in 2014. Learning from OA/RA in the past, he now primarily private labels. He shares his experience with product research, sourcing, launching, and his unique 5 step down approach using product variations. Grab some popcorn and enjoy this interview with a true AMZ Ninja!   Show Outline:   0:00 – Introduction to Saj Gilani. Began with eBay in 2009, then retail arbitrage & online arbitrage (RA/OA) on Amazon in 2011. How he started with £300 credit card. 3:36 – How much time do you spend on RA/OA? Saj’s ninja tip for newbies on RA/OA on how to score big inventory. 5:35 – Tell me about your two private label products. Sam’s advice about passion, background, and experience for getting into your first Niche. 8:33 – Saj’s two strategies for going into Amazon as beginners. And why building a brand is important if you move away from Amazon. 10:43 – Saj shares a story and lessons about flipping thousands of internet router range extenders and getting burned by competing with Amazon. 15:20 – Learning from that lesson, he realized he needed to create his own brand.  17:29 – How Saj happened upon a new strategy for bundling products with educational material on how to use the product. 20:23 – How Saj wants to design a new product, but he will private label in the same niche first to get a foothold. 22:07 – Facebook Question: How do you find and source your products? Saj talks about how to

In this episode Cam interviews a good friend and top Amazon seller Patrick. He’s been selling online for 5 years in games, supplements, and food products. Patrick goes into detail about his niches, products, and his methodology for success. Get advice on everything from sourcing, manufacturing, supplements, and retargeting. In the later half Cam and Patrick talk a lot about paid advertising, Amazon PPC, Google, Facebook, and Bing Ads. And what beginners should do when launching their first products. Let’s jump in.    Show notes:   2:00 – Patrick introduces himself and brief history of business experience and why he’s in E-commerce today. 3:02– How did you get into puzzles and games in the first place? How did you create such a good relationship with your supplier? 4:56 – How much money did you spend on your first order? How did you deal with samples and billing that first time? 6:30 – Cam & Patrick on being careful with supplier quality and the pitfalls of overanalyzing the logistics of importing from China to Amazon. Patrick’s advice on testing in order to find the one-in-ten product that works. Ordering low quantities and testing fast for accelerated learning. 8:55 – Patrick, how do you respond to suppliers massive Minimum Order Quantities (MOQ) when you want to buy smaller amounts to test? 10:00 – Patrick, tell me about your first private label / branded product. How many did you do? What was that process like? The key to getting a sale. Getting in front of the consumer.  13:43 – Startup cost of manufacturing verses private labeling. Why private labeling is the most lucrative. 15:74 – About the Toys & Games category. What niche should you get into? How Patrick picks a product. His Rule of Thumb: buy for $1-5 and sell for $20-40. 18:40 – Where your five manufactured products successful right away? What did you learn from them? Buying traffic and

In this episode of the Amazon Seller Dojo Podcast, Tharyn interviews Zam, who lives in China and was new to FBA only 5 months ago. Now he’s sold out of his first home improvement product and is launching is second and third. Learn from Zam’s tips and lessons picking a product, a supplier, and launching with PPC etc. See you in the episode Ninjas! Show notes: 1:20 – Introducing Zam and his journey just beginning on FBA, living in China, and starting up his 3rd product in the past 6 months on Amazon. 3:06 – What brought you to China? Were you interested in doing Amazon business beforehand or afterwards?  4:12 – What motivated you to create an Amazon business in the first place? Why Zam moved from web freelancing to FBA. 5:44 – How did you find your first product? Where did you do product research, etc? How did you deal with samples? 7:19 – What category did you build your products in? How Zam positioned his products to create sales synergies. 8:48 – The good and bad of running out of stock & Zam’s lessons on his first product’s launch. 11:44 – How Zam found a supplier for his first product. How he uniquely contacted potential suppliers to build rapport.  14:40 – How many suppliers did you reach out to before finding the right one? How many samples did you look at? And deciding on the best supplier. Did you use the same supplier for all your products? 17:13 – What key lessons did you learn from the first product that you applied to your second and third products? Mistakes learned from product packaging and dealing with damaged g

In this episode the SellerDojo meets ImportDojo and we have a party talking about ninja tips for sourcing from China. Manuel, the ImportDojo Sensei, has been living and working in China for over 10 years, with 17 years in the sourcing business. He has his own brand, sells to retailers, is a supplier, and does FBA on Amazon. Enjoy this episode as we talk about everything from Alibaba tricks, demystifying electronics, and the Canton Fair. Show Outline: Opening & Manuel Introduction, his history in working with suppliers for Austria’s largest retailers. And his internship in the Hong Kong sourcing office. 3:35 – What did you learn and what sparked your interest to get into your own Amazon and sourcing business? 4:35 – About Manuel’s brand, Mandarin Gear and also Import Dojo. 8:05 – What advice do you wish someone had told you when you first began sourcing from China? 10:20 – What types of products do you source? Because I know many people avoid things like electronics or moving parts, but I see that you don’t shy away from them? Why is that?  13:25 – Manuals ninja rule of thumb: nothing lower than 30% margin (after fees etc) 14:00 – What category would you go into if you were just beginning? 14:30 – What sourcing sites do you recommend for importing from China? 18:15 – What is Global Sources and how is it different? 20:05 – Tips for paying suppliers in China. Small orders and big orders etc. Paypal, trade assurance, and inspections.    22:25 – Sourcing certain product categories based on their location and Province in China. How to use Alibaba’s search filters to determine and find the right suppliers in the right location. 24:30 – The 3 reasons it’s important to find a supplier in the correct Province. 25:45 –

Hello, this is Cam with the very first episode of the Seller Dojo Podcast and in this episode I’m going to go over why Amazon is such an incredible opportunity – globalization – the winner take all economy – and the gold rush that is selling on Amazon. If you want to join with a community of like minded sellers than head over to Facebook and search for the Sellers Dojo Group and request to join.https://www.facebook.com/groups/amazonprofits/ Alright then, let’s jump into our first episode.

Introducing your hosts Cam and Tharyn for the Seller Dojo for Amazon Sellers & Private Labelers. We'll just take a few minutes to give our backgrounds and what our intentions are with the Seller Dojo Podcast. We'll be bringing tons of Master Amazon Sellers on the show to get their sage-like business advice. You'll be hearing it right from the Pro's on how to become a Ninja on Amazon. Also, don't forget to find us on Facebook by searching for the Seller Dojo group or clicking here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/amazonprofits/