Selling Lego on Amazon.com

[Jackson]

http://go.teikametrics.com/holiday-survival-guide

 

"to gouge or not gouge" sounds interesting  :-)

it even has SGE picture there...

 

I say gouge...hard.

[speedpro50]

Due to this, I will be looking into FBA this morning.

[mattgang]

I'm getting on board next year.  I'll just sell a bunch of used copies of 50 Shades of Grey or something.

[No More Monkeys]

I'm getting on board next year.  I'll just sell a bunch of used copies of 50 Shades of Grey or something.

Uhm... how exactly did you use them? All 50 of them?

[seapotato]

All my listings were pulled too, boo. Guess i need to head back to ebay.

[dutchmaster305]

If anyone needs me to sell their inventory i will only charge 40% of the sale....hahaha I kid I kid

[dubzero]

All my listings were pulled too, boo. Guess i need to head back to ebay.

Why not sign up for FBA?

[speedpro50]

Is there a big learning curve to FBA? Do you find the costs greatly increased?

[Bold-Arrow]

There is def a learning curve if you wish to sell on FBA. Just like anything else there are positives and negatives.

There are more costs involved but then there are plenty of rewards to counter that. Unless you intend to sell in large amounts,  eBay might be a better avenue for you this year.

Disclaimer : I sell mostly via FBA

[dubzero]

Is there a big learning curve to FBA? Do you find the costs greatly increased?

Yes and yes - but not to the point that it should stop you from going for it.

The profits and margins are worth it, but it's ultimately up to your comfort level. I've become a fan of getting uncomfortable because that's where the big successes are.

[weakside]

As a small time reseller, I was cut off Amazon today as well...too bad.  Needed a few more sales but not depressed at all.  Don't like FBA so will just keep my inventory and see my listings active again in Jan, last yr there was a nice selling binge for Jan since my prices started to look great compared to full time sellers with higher margins or less options for the sets I have. 

 

Managed final sales last night of Rover and Research Institute (both $100 each after fees) last night for nice profits.  Only local ads now for holiday selling.   

[Brickbuilder.g]

How much more in terms of % is FBA than self-fulfillment? 10%? I know it makes a difference if you mail in 5 items or 50...but just an idea...thanks

[Bold-Arrow]

How much more in terms of % is FBA than self-fulfillment? 10%? I know it makes a difference if you mail in 5 items or 50...but just an idea...thanks

% of?

[Brickbuilder.g]

in terms of %...how much more expensive is it to use FBA? i.e...$5 fee for self-fulfillment...$5.50 for FBA (10% more) etc...thanks

[toycrazedchris]

Managed final sales last night of Rover and Research Institute (both $100 each after fees) last night for nice profits. 

 

I'll bite... How did you net $100 on an RI last night? They are selling around $75.

[weakside]

toycrazechris, Amazon.ca (Canada) is totally different than the US site in terms of prices sometimes.  Less sellers and higher prices.  The buyer actually paid $120 + shipping for her RI, yeah I couldn't believe it...I listed it high as a marker for selling after holidays/longer term hold and figured if someone really wanted it they would pay for it.  Some folks just prefer Amazon over eBay (which I assume is much cheaper for this set). 

Edited November 19, 2014 by weakside

[toycrazedchris]

toycrazechris, Amazon.ca (Canada) is totally different than the US site in terms of prices sometimes.  Less sellers and higher prices.  The buyer actually paid $120 + shipping for her RI, yeah I couldn't believe it...I listed it high as a marker for selling after holidays/longer term hold and figured if someone really wanted it they would pay for it.  Some folks just prefer Amazon over eBay (which I assume is much cheaper for this set). 

 

Ah, sorry man. I completely missed the Canada angle. That has been a great set for you guys!

[Bold-Arrow]

Amazon's FBA holiday calendar http://go.amazonservices.com/rs/amazoneu/images/FBA-Holiday-Calendar-2014.pdf?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRokuqvOc%2B%2FhmjTEU5z16uooW6Cwhp1pn0V%2Fe%2BDGNkbLjdV4GM9mNrjLWUQdBp5iyAdRFMmxIdgRqrh6OXb%2FDG6t

[mattgang]

I'm trying out Craigslist.  No fees, but it can be pretty annoying.  I had a guy 6'6" in a black trench coat come to my door.  He looked like a hitman.  I'm home with 2 kids and forgot he was coming over.  I look up and see this scary dude looking in my door.  Turned out to be a nice guy, but I'm thinking a public meeting spot is a better idea.  And ebay is really annoying.  Last 2 sales, no payment, no response.  Why?  Why bid if you aren't going to pay?  I don't get it.  Being a re selling scum bag has a definite learning curve.

[akohns]

I'm trying out Craigslist.  No fees, but it can be pretty annoying.  I had a guy 6'6" in a black trench coat come to my door.  He looked like a hitman.  I'm home with 2 kids and forgot he was coming over.  I look up and see this scary dude looking in my door.  Turned out to be a nice guy, but I'm thinking a public meeting spot is a better idea.  And ebay is really annoying.  Last 2 sales, no payment, no response.  Why?  Why bid if you aren't going to pay?  I don't get it.  Being a re selling scum bag has a definite learning curve.

Sounds like you're new to selling a most fronts. A few tips: General CL rule, don't meet people at your home. Ebay: used BIN and set it for immediate payment required. Good luck this Christmas season!

[marcandre]

I don't know how anyone could be surprised of the amz cutoff. They have been emailing every week about it since August. 

[Bold-Arrow]

in terms of %...how much more expensive is it to use FBA? i.e...$5 fee for self-fulfillment...$5.50 for FBA (10% more) etc...thanks

A percentage might be misleading as FBA items usually sell at a higher price than Merchant Fulfilled .

[No More Monkeys]

A percentage might be misleading as FBA items usually sell at a higher price than Merchant Fulfilled .

Plus, it is really hard to account for the real cost of shipping (self-fulfilling, you get "shipping credit" assigned, which might not cover even half of the actual shipping if someone orders to PO/APO/FPO address, or covers just 60%-70% of the actual shipping cost)

[SpaceFan9]

For those considering FBA now that the amazon holiday selling rules are in place, I would advise against it.

As Bold-Arrow said, FBA has its pro's and con's. I'll try to run through a short list of them, but it's worth searching out more details on this forum, the brickset forum, and elsewhere before you take the leap. Search for "FBA horror stories" for a sampling of all that can go wrong.

pros: higher selling price, amazon handles the packing/shipping and all the customer service

cons: storage fees, amazon handles the packing/shipping and all the customer service

The seller needs to pay shipping to get the items to an amazon warehouse, so there is still that. There are horror stories of shipments being lost or misdirected though.

_IF_ the sellers stock is co-mingled with others, there is a risk of a product being shipped to your customer that is in worse shape (or even the wrong item) than the one you sent to amazon. It costs more to keep your product separate from the co-mingled stock.

_IF_ the buyer has a complaint, the seller has very little recourse to resolve it. AMZ handles the customer service, and decides how much credit to give for a claim.

Bottom line is that if you are quick-flipping and/or have high volume, FBA is probably OK---you can ride out the hiccups.

If the items you are selling are very valuable, and/or rare, I would avoid it.

I've looked into FBA many times, but have decided against it (for now, that may change if I run out of space in my closet). For me, the risks of something going wrong are just too high. I'm a hobby seller, and average 1-2 sales a week when I feel like selling stuff. My volume is so low, that if a sale went bad, it could wipe out my whole profit for the month. Through FBA, you're bringing in a third party, and so in my opinion the chances of something going wrong increase dramatically.

If my sales were much higher in volume, I would probably see more benefit than cost to the FBA program.

Similarly, if your volume is so low that you didn't make the '25 sales in 8 weeks' threshold, FBA may be riskier than it is worth.

Just my 2-cents.

[mattgang]

Sounds like you're new to selling a most fronts. A few tips: General CL rule, don't meet people at your home. Ebay: used BIN and set it for immediate payment required. Good luck this Christmas season!

I did not know about the immediate payment required.  Good tip, thanks.