If you’ve ever wondered whether Amazon is actually the right platform for your product – this episode is for you.

In this episode, I break down the real factors that determine whether selling on Amazon makes sense for your business. You’ll hear about the types of products that work well (and those that don’t), common misconceptions, and what to consider before diving in.

Whether you're brand new to Amazon or you're still weighing it up, this is the clarity you’ve been looking for.

What we cover:

• What kinds of products tend to do well on Amazon
• When Amazon isn’t the right choice
• Myths that hold sellers back
• The truth about fees, fulfilment and customer expectations
• Real-world examples to help you decide
• How to test the waters if you're unsure

Mentioned in this episode:

• Download my free Amazon Setup Checklist: https://mailchi.mp/72c24952cf50/amazon_checklist
• Find out more about Amazon Made Easy: https://vickiweinberg.com/membership/

Mentioned in this episode:

Amazon Made Easy is now open

My membership, Amazon Made Easy is now open. It’s a membership for people who are selling on Amazon (or planning to) and want regular access to support, somewhere to ask questions and talk things through, and a bit of structure and accountability as they grow. Inside, there are live Q&A calls, optional co-working sessions and a small, supportive community. Find out more: https://vickiweinberg.com/membership

membership

Welcome to the bring your product idea to Life podcast. This is the podcast for you if you're getting started selling products or if you'd like to create your own product to sell.

I'm Vicki Weinberg, a product creation coach and Amazon expert. Every week I share friendly practical advice as well as inspirational stories from small businesses. Let's get started.

Hello, and welcome to another episode of.

Bring your product idea to life.

I've got a confession to make. This is actually quite embarrassing. This is the second time I've recorded this episode. I just recorded.

Well, I thought I recorded this entire episode and it turns out I didn't hit the record button. So I've actually just been sitting here talking to myself for about 20 minutes. So that's quite embarrassing.

But here we are. Let's do it again.

It'll be even better.

This is the second time. So today I wanted to talk to.

You about one of the most important decisions, which is whether selling on Amazon.

Is actually the right move for your business.

So, as you know, Amazon is a huge marketplace. There's lots of opportunities, but that doesn't.

Automatically mean it will be right for you.

And this is a really important question to ask because it can be one reason that people fail.

I see brands who aren't doing very.

Well on Amazon, and when we look.

Into it, it's sometimes honestly just comes.

Down to the fact that Amazon is not the best fit for their products. It doesn't mean their products aren't good.

It doesn't mean their brand isn't amazing.

It just means there's a factor or more than one factor. So multiple factors that mean Amazon isn't quite right for them. And this is why it is a big decision to make. And it's the first decision you need.

To make, because if Amazon isn't the.

Best fit for you, I don't want you to waste your time, your energy.

And your money on getting started. If you've followed me for any time, you will know that I am not.

One of these people who says everyone.

Should be on Amazon.

Amazon's great. Everyone get on there.

I don't believe that at all.

I think if Amazon is a good fit for your product, and that's what we're going to talk about today, then absolutely Amazon could be a great opportunity. However, if Amazon is not a good.

Match for you, then it doesn't matter what you know, what you do, you.

Can spend all the time and money and energy you like.

If Amazon is not the right place.

For you for any reason, you're not going to do well.

And I do not want that for you.

So if you ever hear me say.

That Amazon would be the right place for you, and I say to you personally, I'm saying it because I genuinely believe that. Because if I would hate for anyone to put in all the effort and for it not to work out.

So today I'm going to run through the types of products that do well.

On Amazon and the factors, you know.

That can really help.

And then I'm going to talk about the things to consider, things that might make your product less suitable for Amazon or definitely things to, to think about if Amazon is something you're weighing up.

So hopefully this will be really helpful and if you're looking for clarity, you will get it here. So let's start talking about the type.

Of products that do well on Amazon.

If I was going to summarize this.

I would say lightweight, non fragile, mid range. But that actually is a bit too vague and that's. And here's why.

Heavy products and non fragments, fragile. We'll start with heavy products.

Heavy products can do well on Amazon.

So on Amazon they call them oversized. So oversized products might be something like.

I have clients who sell gaming chairs, who sell cots for babies. These are big heavy products and they do do really well on Amazon.

But what those sellers do, the ones.

I work with specifically, is they don't send them in for fba, which is fulfilled by Amazon. They fulfill these products themselves from their own distribution centers because the cost of.

Sending them into an Amazon warehouse for.

Amazon to hold them, you know, store them, ship them, is going to really eat into their margins. So these brands have discovered that Amazon.

Is a good marketplace for them.

But FBA perhaps doesn't work. And the same goes with fragile products as well.

Now, of course, there is an element.

Of how well your products are packaged and wrapped up will, you know, will make a difference.

But to give you a real example.

When I sold my first product on Amazon, I sell baby towels and they were designed to be given as gifts and they came in this really lovely gift box. I didn't realize that the gift, the box, the substance of the box, how much?

Why can't I get my words out? Basically, the box was too flimsy. It looked really nice, but it didn't.

Hold up to any kind of movement. So from getting to the manufacturer, to.

Amazon and out to the customer, a.

Lot of boxes got damaged. I therefore got a lot of returns. That wasn't great, cost me a lot of money, wasn't a great experience for customers.

I could have obviously resolved that by sending my product in better packaging.

And that isn't even the best example.

Because my products weren't particularly fragile and the packaging should have been fragile, it just was. But if you sell something that is, you know, highly fragile and you're a bit worried about, you know, putting it.

Into an Amazon warehouse where I'm pretty.

Sure things probably do get dropped and thrown about a little bit, then that's not to say don't sell your products on Amazon, but think about fulfillment and whether the fulfilment is better for you to keep in house. And talking about mid range products, expensive products can also do really, really well on Amazon. So I work clients who sell what.

I would consider really high end products.

And they do really, really well.

So don't let that be a reason.

Not to sell because I was, my first sentence was really, you know, it.

Was being really general.

But on the whole, if your product is lightweight, it's not fragile and it's.

A sort of mid, mid range price.

In your category, then I would say you're off to a good start. If it doesn't meet one or all of those factors, then these are just.

Things to think through because it might.

Still work for you, but you are going to have to, you know, there.

Are things to consider. Products that are evergreen do really well.

So what I mean by this is products aren't too seasonal.

So products that ideally you can sell all year round and I mean you might have peaks and troughs depending on.

What the product is.

And actually that's normal on Amazon for most products. So for example, sales tend to drop in the summer when people go away.

Whatever people are selling. Although I suppose if you're selling a.

Product that's designed for the summer, maybe not. But that isn't to say that seasonal.

Products can't do well on Amazon. But again, it's something you need to think about.

So I work with one seller who only sells their products on Amazon in November and December and for the rest.

Of the year they just make the.

Account dormant and then in September they just start gearing up for the, you know, for the next year of sales.

That works for them.

They make a lot of money, they do really well and it works.

So, so if you have a seasonal product and you think that could or would work for you, you can, you.

Can, that's definitely an option. But it might not, but it might not be.

You might think, oh gosh, that seems.

Like a lot of effort just to sell for a couple of months. And if so, that is absolutely fine. The other type of products that do really well on Amazon are things that.

People are already looking for and buying.

So what I mean is, if you sell something on Amazon and it's not entirely original, because let's be honest, there's.

Hardly any original ideas and there's other.

Products in the category you're looking to sell in, and importantly, those products are.

Selling that making sales already. That is actually a good sign because it means that people are looking for.

And buying products like yours.

What is important here, of course, though, is that when you go to list your products, if it's in a category where there's already competition and people already doing well, you just have to make.

Sure that you have a really clear.

USP so that people know why they're going to buy your product over someone else's. Particularly if that someone else's product already has sales, already has reviews, and unique products can still do okay, but you have to list.

You have to do a really good job at listing them and think about how you drive traffic, because if your.

Product is brand new. So I worked for seller who sells something that was totally new, it was.

Like a new invention, and they really.

Really struggled because people just weren't searching.

For it because people didn't know it existed. So we had to really think about what keywords to use, what category to put this product under, what other products.

Are kind of similar but not the same. And also do a really good job in the listing of explaining what the.

Product was, who it was for, how it worked, and lots of images, lots of video.

Because the other thing you don't want.

If you sell something that's completely new.

And unique, is to get the sales.

But then get lots of returns because people just don't understand what the product is.

They buy it, they get it, and.

They say, oh, this isn't quite what I was looking for, and they send it back.

You don't want that.

So I think again, if you have a product that's, that's original and highly.

Unique, that's not saying you can't send.

Sell it on Amazon.

Absolutely, absolutely not. You definitely can. And Amazon can be a great way.

Of getting that product in front of new customers. But you just have to think really.

Really carefully, even more carefully, about your.

Product listing and how you represent your product in that.

So let's talk about what types of.

Products might be harder to sell on Amazon. So heavy, bulky products can be, unless.

Either the margin is really high or.

You'Re doing Fulfillment yourself.

So really highly personalized products or one.

Off, one off items, handmade one off items as well can be quite difficult. And perhaps Etsy is a better marketplace for those.

I used to think that handmade products in general weren't great on Amazon, but recently I've seen some clients have a.

Lot of success here. So I'm going to go back on.

Everything I said before and say actually.

I think Amazon is great for handmade products in certain categories. But if your product is a one off, so it's completely unique and you're.

Going to be listing a product that.

Once you sell it, that's it, that listing's closed, you know, gone forever. You have to really think about if it's worth the effort.

Also, if your product is highly personalized.

It might be tricky because Amazon give.

A lot less options for personalization than somewhere like Etsy.

There is customization available on Amazon, but it's fairly, it's fairly basic but it.

Is good and it does, and it does work.

But I still think that if someone was looking for something really personalized right.

Now, they probably are still going to.

Be going to Etsy. That's not saying if you have a product that fits that not to sell it on Amazon, but it's just something to be aware of.

Products that have lots and lots of.

Competition can also struggle on Amazon. But only if, because remember I said before, competition can be a good thing only if they don't have a strong usp.

If you have a really strong usp.

A real strong, you know, something that.

Makes your product really different, really unique.

To all the other products, it doesn't.

Matter if there's loads of them in your category.

It doesn't matter if it's saturated because you've got a point of difference and.

A reason for people to sell to.

Buy your products over someone else's, don't let that put you off.

If you don't, however, if your product is more generic and you can't, you know, you can't articulate well in a product listing why someone should buy that over this other product that's been on Amazon for 10 years and has thousands of five star reviews, then that is going to be much harder.

There are also products where you have to jump through lots of hoops and loopholes to get it listed in the first place. So for example, CBD products, medical devices.

Those are two, I think off the.

Top of my head.

But there are others you really need to consider if it's worth it. If you're going to need to submit.

Lots of compliance information.

And, you know.

Do lots of applications. Of course, it may well be you.

Might have identified that Amazon is actually.

Going to be a great marketplace for.

You and it's well worth you doing all of this.

But as always, I want you to be prepared.

So if you feel like your product falls into a category that might require.

Jumping through a lot of hoops to.

Get it listed, have a look into that and find out what's, what's required and then decide whether for you that's worth it.

And another product, type of product that.

Can be harder to sell on Amazon are products with a really high return rate.

So if you're selling your products on.

Your own website and the return, the return rate is quite high, know that on Amazon it's probably going to be worse because on Amazon the customer service is going to be lacking compared to your own website. Amazon have a habit of accepting returns from customers in any condition, often unsellable.

Which then causes you hassle because you.

Then have to, you know, chase to.

Get compensation for that. It then leaves you with stock that you can't sell.

So that is actually going to cost.

You in time, in effort, stress and money.

So if you feel like your product something that is going to get returned a fairly high rate, Amazon might not be the place for it.

Other things to consider are margins.

We've spoken a little bit about this, but have a look at the margins.

Get a real good understanding of the.

Amazon fees and find out whether it financially could work out for you.

So I have a whole episode on.

How much it costs to sell on Amazon. Definitely worth a listen because if Amazon.

Isn'T going to make you money again.

You need to consider about if it's worth it.

And again, have a look at the competition in your category because it's a really good idea to know what your, you know, how your, how your product is going to fit in and if you can see your product fitting in. To give you some examples of brands I've spoken to where I've either said.

Yes, this is brilliant, you should definitely.

On Amazon and ones where I've said, you know what, Amazon might not be the right place for you because I.

Think it's really helpful to have some real examples.

We're going to start with a seller I spoke to who I actually advised to leave Amazon and actually I do feel really sorry for the seller that.

They were there in, in the first.

Place because I think it could have been, you know, it could have worked out really well. Unfortunately it didn't but luckily they are doing very, very well making sales elsewhere. So this seller had a really unique product.

It was something I'd never seen before, completely new invention.

And what was happening was they were getting lots and lots of returns because customers didn't understand what it was, they didn't know what it was, they didn't.

Know how to use it. And it was a really great product.

But because people were buying it expecting.

It to be one thing and it.

Wasn'T, they were getting lots of returns.

And what happens on Amazon is after.

A while, if your product is highly.

Returned, they actually put a banner on.

The product listing that says, I forget.

The wording, it's a red box, says high, high number of returns or something like that. So customers looking at your product page, looking to buy your product can see, oh my gosh, lots of people return.

This product, which isn't really going to.

Help their confidence in buying it, is it?

As I say, it was a great.

Product, but the returns became a real.

Issue and it became unprofitable.

And this means their performance metrics suffered.

Because they had high return rates. And it just got to the point where it was too much hassle to be on Amazon and they, they make.

Sales on their own website and in other places. So actually the decision was made to.

Come off and I think that was a good one. Now, would I have worked with them at the beginning because this is something you know, to think about.

Would I have said to them, you know, don't bother going on Amazon because you're going to get lots of returns, etc, etc.

I don't know.

Possibly not, because you couldn't foresee that. You can't always, you know, Amazon might.

Seem like a great fit for your.

Product and then you might go on that and then something might happen to convince you otherwise. That can happen. I actually think their product was a.

Was right for Amazon.

I do think it was a good market and I do think it was worth considering.

Obviously it hadn't worked out, but actually.

On paper everything did look like, look.

Good, apart from the fact that the product needed a lot of explaining. But I actually think the listing did a good job.

So it didn't work out, which is unfortunate, but I think it did look.

It did look promising at the, at the outset and if I'd been involved.

With them right at the outset, I probably would have said the same.

So another seller I've worked with recently.

Was a hair care brand and they've.

Done a really good job of explaining their products. Who they're for how they work.

They've got great images shown before and after.

They've got videos showing the products being used.

The listings are really, really great.

We've signed them up for subscribe and Saves. They get some repeat sales. We've set up some promotions to encourage people to buy more than one product.

Because they get a bit of a.

Discount if they buy more than one.

And they're doing really, really well. So this also comes onto something I.

Was asked only today I had a.

Call with someone who said to me, is it even worth trying to sell on Amazon now? And my answer was, as you probably expect, absolutely. It's definitely worth selling on Amazon now.

I don't believe it's too saturated.

I don't believe there's too much competition. I still believe that for lots of products and lots of brands, Amazon is still a great opportunity.

However, you need to think through all the things that I've mentioned today and.

Work out if it's going to be right for you, because it might not be.

Perhaps you don't want to be on.

There, which is fine.

Or perhaps I've said something today that's made you think, oh, actually, I didn't even consider that.

And there's something you need to go.

Away and look at. And of course, if you have any questions, you can ask me.

Vickywinebag.com if you're still unsure, I would say you could start small.

You can have a free Amazon seller account.

You could start by just listing one product and you could test it and see if it will work. Because if you're still wondering if Amazon's the right fit, you're definitely not alone. Getting clear on this now will be.

Really helpful and save you a lot of time, effort, money, everything else along the line.

And I will finish by saying it's.

Okay if Amazon isn't the right fit.

Whether you've listened to this whole episode, you've come to that conclusion, or whether you go away and do a bit of research, you know, and that's also the conclusion that you reach, know that it's okay.

Amazon won't be for everyone. It won't be for every product, it won't be for every brand. It doesn't mean your products or brands.

Aren'T as absolutely brilliant. It just means they'll be somewhere else.

That'S a better fit for them. And I will finish by saying, if you've listened to this episode or you've.

Come back after realizing, actually, yeah, Amazon.

Is something that could work for me and you want to get set up. I have a free checklist which I'll.

Link to in the show notes.

It's my Amazon setup checklist.

It takes you through all the steps involved in getting set up, making it.

Super simple and that should be something that's really helpful.

So go and get that via the show notes for this episode. It's been great talking to you today.

I've said all of this twice now, not word for word luckily, because I.

Don'T script these, but maybe a bit.

More free flowing this version actually, because.

I had time to think about what didn't work the first time. But thank you so much for bearing with me getting all the way to the end of this episode.

I'll be back next Tuesday with another solo episode and before then I'm going.

To be back this Friday with another fantastic interview, so I shall speak to you very soon.

Thank you so much for listening right to the end of this episode.

Do remember that you can get the full back catalogue and lots of free resources on my website vickyweinberg.com Please do remember to rate and review this episode if you've enjoyed it and also share it with a friend who you think might find it useful. Thank you again and see you next week.