Selling through Amazon FBA

[cobrakai]

8 minutes ago, skinsfan0521 said:

I used a Dymo 450 Turbo for the item labels through InventoryLab and it's pretty easy. It does take time, but I find that it also helps me verify my counts when sending in shipments. I print out x number of labels and each of those needs to be put on an item. That way I can be 100% sure that what I said I sent is actually what I'm sending. At some point I may switch to paying them, but I was able to save a couple thousand dollars by labeling myself just in the 4th qtr so its worth it to me for the time being.

Labeling yourself helps avoid messes like this also:

[redcell]

1 minute ago, cobrakai said:

Labeling yourself helps avoid messes like this also:

Not always...I had a handful of shipments in the 4Q that I had stickered and that Amazon still managed to get jumbled up.  It definitely sucked to have 10 Mia's Camper turn into 10 Big Race Days.

[gmpirate]

I use a Zebra label printer, scan the UPC, enter the quantity and print exactly what I need as I go.

For shipping labels I've been using 81/2 x 11 (2 labels per) sheets in my laser printer.  I'm considering buying another label printer so I can just use rolls instead.  I could use the Zebra as well, but then I would have to change out the rolls every time.

I looked up InventoryLab but since I use Quickbooks I'm not sure that I would need it or it would add enough value.  Am I missing something significant here?

[cobrakai]

Just now, redcell said:

Not always...I had a handful of shipments in the 4Q that I had stickered and that Amazon still managed to get jumbled up.  It definitely sucked to have 10 Mia's Camper turn into 10 Big Race Days.

Yeah, I guess you're right.  I've had them label wrong over top of mine also. It sucks when they mess up on something in large quantities, then customers start complaining about receiving the wrong item, then they suppress your offer due to negative customer experiences.  They did this to 2 shipments in a row with the exact same items.  They won't help me much with fixing it until i'm able to reconcile the shipment, so I had to shut down the offers for now.  I'm already at my inventory limit on some of the items and have more to send.  It seems like they just grab one unit, then assume that the whole box is the same even if they are different varieties in similar boxes.  I don't know why they can't be more careful when they have box contents for each box.

[Miami Bomb Squad]

I SAID IT BEFORE AND ILL SAY IT AGAIN.

DONT BE LAZY.  DO IT YOURSELF. 

 

[gmpirate]

4 minutes ago, Miami Bomb Squad said:

I SAID IT BEFORE AND ILL SAY IT AGAIN.

DONT BE LAZY.  DO IT YOURSELF. 

 

I always have and have never had an issue.  (that I'm aware of anyway 🤪). But I admit I don't follow the status of all my shipments as closely as some of you.

[skinsfan0521]

1 hour ago, gmpirate said:

I use a Zebra label printer, scan the UPC, enter the quantity and print exactly what I need as I go.

For shipping labels I've been using 81/2 x 11 (2 labels per) sheets in my laser printer.  I'm considering buying another label printer so I can just use rolls instead.  I could use the Zebra as well, but then I would have to change out the rolls every time.

I looked up InventoryLab but since I use Quickbooks I'm not sure that I would need it or it would add enough value.  Am I missing something significant here?

I use QB for my actual accounting, but IL is for keeping track of all inventory movement and also where I build shipments. Their interface is much easier than Amazon's IMO. I use the IL report for Inventory Valuation and then put that info into QB periodically (basically line it up with the schedule of payments from Amazon) so it keeps that all accurate.

I understand that many people don't keep track of every single item purchased and the cost and just track the total amount spent on inventory, but I can't handle not knowing exactly what I have in inventory and what I paid for it. So, I check all inventory into IL when I buy it so it sits as "unlisted inventory" and keeps track of all my costs. I then build shipments which pulls from the unlisted inventory.

[cobrakai]

1 hour ago, gmpirate said:

I always have and have never had an issue.  (that I'm aware of anyway 🤪). But I admit I don't follow the status of all my shipments as closely as some of you.

Me too.  I have 1-3 shipments every weekday and I only reconcile them monthly.  When you get 15 returns for the same item in a day, you'll figure out that something is wrong.....

[cobrakai]

1 hour ago, skinsfan0521 said:

I use QB for my actual accounting, but IL is for keeping track of all inventory movement and also where I build shipments. Their interface is much easier than Amazon's IMO. I use the IL report for Inventory Valuation and then put that info into QB periodically (basically line it up with the schedule of payments from Amazon) so it keeps that all accurate.

I understand that many people don't keep track of every single item purchased and the cost and just track the total amount spent on inventory, but I can't handle not knowing exactly what I have in inventory and what I paid for it. So, I check all inventory into IL when I buy it so it sits as "unlisted inventory" and keeps track of all my costs. I then build shipments which pulls from the unlisted inventory.

Same with me.  I don't use QB for any COGS until the end of the year.  It gets confusing when you constantly have inventory en route, pending shipments, pending payments, etc.  Hard to really see how healthy your business is unless you sell out of everything and see how much $ is left.  At least with IL, you can see your ongoing profit/loss statement and it is pretty accurate.

[gmpirate]

Interesting.  I'll have to look into IL sometime.

I enter every purchase into Quickbooks and at the end of the year run a report from Amazon for all units sold.  Then I enter that into Quickbooks as an adjusting entry to get my COGS.  In other businesses its important to know financially where you are at on an ongoing basis but there really aren't variables to worry about in this.  All expenses are known and I only sell at profitable price levels.  Quickbooks can give me a cost inventory at any time and I can do an adjusting inventory entry at any time to get a current financial picture.

If I'm hearing this right, IL is good because its a better interface than Amazon, will show more clearly where all my inventory is and can display a current inventory value by comparing to Amazon buy boxes.

[gushi_ara]

Anyone here ever had to submit receipts/invoices for Inauthentic claims? I wonder if Amazon will accept receipts that are older than 365 days

[gmpirate]

8 minutes ago, gushi_ara said:

Anyone here ever had to submit receipts/invoices for Inauthentic claims? I wonder if Amazon will accept receipts that are older than 365 days

Why would the date of the receipt matter?  a receipt is a receipt

[Bold-Arrow]

1 minute ago, gmpirate said:

Why would the date of the receipt matter?  a receipt is a receipt

The ask for recent invoices within 180 days - IIRC - and they dont usually accept receipts as proof of authenticity, although certain exceptions are out there. . 

[gushi_ara]

The ask for recent invoices within 180 days - IIRC - and they dont usually accept receipts as proof of authenticity, although certain exceptions are out there. . 

They do accept receipts as proof of authenticity. I’m just not sure about receipts that are older than 365 days

[grackleflint]

58 minutes ago, gushi_ara said:

Anyone here ever had to submit receipts/invoices for Inauthentic claims? I wonder if Amazon will accept receipts that are older than 365 days

Not about LEGO specifically but I recently had to deal with an inauthentic claim for a long out of print DVD that I originally purchased 18 years ago.

However, the details of the documentatation/receipt request that I received was specifically about wanting a recent invoice from an authorized distributor showing a purchase of more than 10 DVDs so Seller Support wanted proof that I was an authorized/legitimate DVD reseller rather than the receipt for the actual DVD in question.

Once I was able to provide a recent wholesale invoice, the inauthentic claim was closed.

If Amazon started requiring wholesale LEGO invoices, then I think a lot of us would be SOL.

[gushi_ara]

Not about LEGO specifically but I recently had to deal with an inauthentic claim for a long out of print DVD that I originally purchased 18 years ago.

However, the details of the documentatation/receipt request that I received was specifically about wanting a recent invoice from an authorized distributor showing a purchase of more than 10 DVDs so Seller Support wanted proof that I was an authorized/legitimate DVD reseller rather than the receipt for the actual DVD in question.
Once I was able to provide a recent wholesale invoice, the inauthentic claim was closed.

If Amazon started requiring wholesale LEGO invoices, then I think a lot of us would be SOL.

This is worrisome since a lot of us hold Legos for more than a year..

[gmpirate]

8 minutes ago, grackleflint said:

Not about LEGO specifically but I recently had to deal with an inauthentic claim for a long out of print DVD that I originally purchased 18 years ago.

However, the details of the documentatation/receipt request that I received was specifically about wanting a recent invoice from an authorized distributor showing a purchase of more than 10 DVDs so Seller Support wanted proof that I was an authorized/legitimate DVD reseller rather than the receipt for the actual DVD in question.

Once I was able to provide a recent wholesale invoice, the inauthentic claim was closed.

If Amazon started requiring wholesale LEGO invoices, then I think a lot of us would be SOL.

This is what I understood to be the case as well.  It didn't make sense that they would want a recent invoice of a specific item.

[redcell]

If Amazon started requiring wholesale LEGO invoices, then I think a lot of us would be SOL.

I keep waiting for this shoe to drop. I'm amazed we've made it this long without this happening.

[FM]

On 1/26/2021 at 6:28 AM, redcell said:

Looks like the CPC requests for Lego products are starting...got my first two today.

Ditto.   I sold out of these last month and hadn't deleted the listings.
Jan 25, 2021     LE Lego Exclusive Set 6313287 Red Buildable Brick

Jan 20, 2021     Lego Juniors 10748 Emma39;s Party

I suppose a weekly old-listing cleanup routine to decrease the odds of this happenin again is in order.

Edited January 29, 2021 by FM

[Bricklectic]

35 minutes ago, redcell said:

 

 

I keep waiting for this shoe to drop. I'm amazed we've made it this long without this happening.
 

 

Nobody has real invoices. If amazon cracked down there'd be no sellers of retired sets. Not sure thats in amazons best interests.

[redcell]

6 hours ago, Bricklectic said:

Nobody has real invoices. If amazon cracked down there'd be no sellers of retired sets. Not sure thats in amazons best interests.

Some sellers do have real invoices.  Besides...Amazon is not always a rational actor when it comes to these types of decisions.

[Dark Helmet]

On 1/26/2021 at 8:47 PM, Bricklectic said:

so you print out on regular paper cut it with scissors and tape over on box?

Sorry I missed this.

 

No I have been using these.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004Z5SM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm sure there are cheaper out their but it works for me.

They are very easy to use and you use your regular printer. They stick on and easy to use a blow-dryer to get off.

[Bricklectic]

Any easy way to find this information? Specifically trying to figure out battery composition

[joch29]

18 hours ago, Bricklectic said:

Any easy way to find this information? Specifically trying to figure out battery composition

 

look at the product page on amazon.  It's usually there.  For example, if this is 41380, here what it shows:

 

[Darth_Raichu]

Remember those CPC / CPSIA requests from a month ago?  I ignored them since I was OOS.  Amazon closed down some of those listings after the request deadlines passed. ie. the item pages are gone from Amzn

TLDR: If you get the requests and you want to continue selling those items on Amzn, you may want to give them the requested CPC / CPSIA documents