Wizards of Amazon: Recent Episodes
Carlos Alvarez
Welcome to the Wizards of Amazon podcast. The podcast that takes it beyond how to sell on Amazon into keeping you selling on Amazon with selling tips, strategy and information for sellers of all levels.
Podcast advertising is becoming a widely used avenue for many businesses to increase their visibility and make more sales, but how does one get started? Stephen Pickens with AdvertiseCast joins me to share just how easy it is to launch a podcast advertising campaign. AdvertiseCast is a one-stop, premier podcast network for buying and selling podcast advertising. They have an entire suite of shows that they’ve vetted who have high listener counts and download rates. What does this mean for you? You have
Have you been looking to branch out and sell somewhere other than Amazon? Alec Valencia of Rakuten is here to share more about this platform and how you can benefit from selling on it. Amazon is an amazing platform to sell on, but don’t discount other platforms designed for diverse markets. Rakuten was specifically designed to service the Japanese market but has branched out from there. The platform allows for a lot of a store customization and detailed product descriptions because these features are im
Getting reviews for your products is essential for your sales success, but other than hitting up friends and family members to do your reviews, what other ways can you obtain them. There are actually several, but one of my favorites is using Foursquare. What is Foursquare? It’s essentially another form of Yelp! but better. With Foursquare you can search for reviews on certain products in any number of locations. You can then scope out the profile of the reviewer to see how many they’ve left on Foursqu
Why should you consider automating more of your processes in life and business? Dillon Carter of Vendrive is here to share that answer with you. He is the king of automation and creating business efficiencies and he’s sharing his best tips on how to streamline your processes. First, why are you NOT using your keyboard shortcuts? There is no reason you should be populating your email address or the date or any of those other rote bits of information each time you send correspondence. You need Keyboard M
You’ve probably heard this “well-kept” marketing secret a bunch over the past year or so, but Facebook is pushing hard for more people to join and create groups. That’s where a lot of the algorithm is focusing the crawl. Arne Giske is here to share how he created an insanely profitable group and why you should do the same. Now Arne does not sell physical products. However the process he follows to grow his group and to increase his own notoriety works just as well for those in different spaces. Th
Over the course of the last several years, there has been an exponential increase in the number of fake counterfeit claims. Joining me today is Chris McCabe to discuss how you can prepare for the inevitable time that this happens to you and what it looks like on Amazon’s side. The most important part of being prepared is making sure that you have all of your documentation in order and available when a claim is made. If you’re a wholesaler and a brand comes after you, make sure you keep your receipts an
At this point you’re probably tired of the word coronavirus, but what if there was a way to properly strategize so that you come out on top? Rick Watson is an ecommerce strategist and overall strategy genius. He shares his views on Amazon as a whole as well as why he wrote his recent article about Amazon and what the data reveals. This was a really fun conversation. Rick is full of personality as well as knowledge. Having been raised by entrepreneurs he has always had a different view of how businesses w
There’s a difference between differentiating and developing a new products versus simply changing the details of an existing product. Zack Leonard of Gembah shares the difference here as well as why you need to look at developing your own products. Rather than trying to move into a space by offering another version of the same thing, or a “me-too” product, consider innovation. When you develop your own product and submit for a patent, you’re protecting your product and listing. For instance, if yo
Yamaris Diaz is back with Virginia Vich to share all of their knowledge on the CARES Act, Payroll Protection Program, and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan. There is so much information to go through and things are changing daily. If you have to, listen to this episode more than once. We start off with the CARES Act, what it is, who it’s for, and what you can get. The CARES Act is the bill that was passed into law to help stimulate the economy in this time. There are two arms to that stimulus, one is fo
Price gouging is a real concern these days. Not just from the perspective of the buyer but also of the seller. Chris McCabe is a former Amazon Compliance employee who has a pre-recorded episode coming out later this week, and is back (for the show) to discuss price gouging and its importance. First, you can’t be angry with Amazon for being overzealous. They are required to comply with 50 different state laws regarding monopoly and price gouging. Essentially, they are going to take the hard line with any
We are in uncertain times. You’ve likely heard that daily for several weeks at this point (or as of this recording.) However, there is a lot of misinformation regarding the logistics of manufacturing and transportation in China and abroad. Burak Yolga of Forceget Logistics joins me to discuss what’s going on, how this may impact your business, and how to make the best of a terrible situation. First things first, it’s good to know that at least 80% of China is back up and running. One of the biggest
Now is the time to thrive, not just survive. I know that you’re being bombarded with negative information on all sides, so I wanted to address how you can look at ways to adapt your business during this time. Your mindset, now more than ever, will be the deciding factor in whether or not your business succeeds. So many people feel betrayed by Amazon choosing to prioritize essential items for shipping, thereby cutting into their sales. This is a good thing. How many more people are now on Amazon Prime b
No matter what business or industry you’re in, finding work-life balance is one of the most difficult endeavors you will take on. Building a business takes time and effort and all of that time and effort is taken from your family and friends. Listen in as Bradley Sutton of Helium 10 chats about being a driven entrepreneur, a family man, and how he has managed to find a small semblance of work-life balance. For Bradley, it wouldn’t be uncommon for you to find him sleeping at the office so that he can ge
As of this recording, I recently got back from a whirlwind couple of weeks spent at tradeshows and conferences. I wanted to take a minute and share why you should be attending conferences and then how to get back in the saddle when you get home. Listen in to hear why conferences that aren’t directly related to Amazon selling are still important and my methods for jumpstarting productivity. It has been a crazy beginning of 2020 and March has been full of events. I went to Seller Growth Summit, Social Med
Miro Posavec is no stranger to hardship in business. After building up a very successful business in real estate and physical stores, the Great Recession swept the rug out from underneath him. He went from successful business owner to single father struggling to keep the lights on.
He realized he had to get another business up and running as soon as possible. He sourced a healthcare product and started selling it to doctors and health stores in his area. When someone asked him about selling on Amazon, he initially declined, but later realized that it was the perfect place for his products.
It took buying and implementing the training in an online course to really move the needle in his business though. In two weeks, he went from selling $2k in products to $20k in products per week. Miro has overcome several obstacles since then and he keeps driving his business forward.
One of the ways he’s done this is by hiring skilled virtual assistants to tackle tasks in various parts of his business. He has relied on VAs for several years, but it wasn’t until he ran into Amazon PPC that he realized he needed to start hiring VAs with specific skills. It was an AHA! moment that has taken a great deal of stress out of running his business.
Listen in as Miro and Carlos share their hiring strategies and practices for onboarding new VAs. Is your business ready for some help? Learn exactly what to look for and how to bring them onto your team the right way.
In This Episode:
[00:34] Welcome Miro Posavecs to the show to discuss how VAs boost your business.
[01:55] Learn more about Miro and how he moved into selling on Amazon.
[05:20] How taking a course completely changed the face of Miro’s business.
[07:07] Why Miro’s son inspired his products and how he’s doing now.
[08:03] Overcoming obstacles is the key to success on Amazon and in business.
[10:27] Would Miro consider himself a successful Amazon seller?
[13:44] What caused Miro to see the value of high dollar VAs?
[17:48] Learn more about the process for using FreeeUp to hire team members.
[20:36] How did the communication process work?
[22:24] Miro shares his PPC spend before and after hiring his VA and how his sales changed.
[25:11] What does the cost of Miro’s skilled VA services cost?
[26:20] Hear Miro’s advice to new sellers about utilizing the services of VAs.
Links and Resources:
Wizards of Amazon
Wizards of Amazon Courses
Wizards of Amazon Meetup
Text “Amazon” to 69922
Wizards of Amazon on Facebook
Wizards of Amazon on Instagram
Amazon is diving back into the world of live videos but this time around it promises to be much more effective. The first go-round consisted of Amazon employees creating live videos on their main home page but the results were terrible. Now if you have the right credentials, you can go live to help build awareness of your brand. You need to have an Amazon Influencer account along with Amazon Creator studio and you’re set. You can create paid and organic videos that have a couple of different placements b
Galyna Parker is one of the founding members of the Wizards of Amazon Meetup group! She has been in e-Commerce for over 10 years and she recently started selling white label products without the hassle of finding her own manufacturers. Listen in as she shares how she got started in e-Commerce, what prompted her to look into vendors rather than manufacturers, and how that has translated into creating her own specially branded products. It all started when Galyna sought to have her own specialized color for
Despite having an interesting introduction to online selling through Amazon, Vladi Gordon learned the ropes quickly and realized there was a huge gap in seller support tools. Vladi started his online selling business with a unicorn of ideas that just happened to work due to timing and strategic placement. It was only after he started to expand that he realized the amount of work that goes into having an online business. It wasn’t until Vladi started realizing how many hidden fees there were while doing b
The most money you’ll make in your business, is when you sell your business. At least if you set yourself up for success from the beginning. Salvador “Sal” Vassallo has been working with online businesses as a mergers and acquisitions expert helping them to buy and sell with peak profit in mind. Listen in as he shares his tips for building your business for sale from the beginning, how to create the most value for your business, and when you should contemplate selling. Sal is a consummate entrepreneu
If you aren’t your virtual assistant’s favorite client, you have a problem. Nathan Hirsch, co-founder of Freeeup, joins Carlos on the show to share why you need to outsource, and what you can do to keep your contractors happy. From the hiring process itself to what you can and should outsource, Nathan is a fount of knowledge and he’s sharing it all. Hiring is one of the most stressful practices in business. You spend all this time and energy trying to find the right person, get them trained, and then
Ever wondered how people create and use short text numbers for giveaways and opt-ins? The product I use is called SlickText. In the resources below you’ll see a direction to text Amazon to 69922. When you do that, a variety of resources are all sent to you automatically. There are so many ways you can use personalized numbers and text codes to help provide your customers with additional information and resources. I share several of the ways that I use SlickText in my business and why you should start usi
Pinterest. Do you hear the word and think, “I’m not in the wedding, beauty, or home renovations space so it’s not for me?” Pinterest is for everyone! Joe Reichsfeld is on the podcast to share with you why you should be on optimizing your Pinterest account and traffic. Joe has been in the eCommerce space since 1999. He’s seen all of the changes and adapted to them and is still extremely relevant in today’s market. That is only possible by learning and harnessing the power of digital marketing.
How do middle school football coaches become multi-six figure international Amazon sellers? Kevin Sanderson is known as a podcaster and wonderfully successful Amazon seller who has a passion for sharing his knowledge with others. He has featured several times in the Wizards of Amazon Meetup events and regularly attends events to provide insights on how to make your Amazon business wildly profitable. Kevin started his international selling in Canada. He has since branched out into countries all over the wor
Alex Jimenez has been traveling the world for more than a decade and has learned to do it in a carry-on. The tips and tricks she learned while spending a full decade doing non-stop travel led her to create the Travel Fashion Girl brand. She is now a huge influencer in the travel space and joins Carlos on the show to share the dos and donts of finding influencer partners for your brands. After spending 6-years in a corporate job she didn’t love, Alex decided to take a three-month sabbatical and travel the
The other day I was scrolling along on Facebook and saw a post about creating multiple Amazon seller accounts. The person was looking to learn more information on how to get approved, so I responded with some advice. I very quickly realized that this is a question many people have and wanted to share my advice here as well. First, let me state that having multiple Amazon seller accounts is oftentimes unnecessary. Unless you have two completely different businesses with their own bank accounts, EINs, etc. o
You’ve heard about TikTok and you know that is the new social media platform for our youth, but did you know that businesses are creating huge reach campaigns by using it? Paulina Masson of Shopkeeper has been researching marketing tactics for TikTok and joins Carlos on the show to share her knowledge. You won’t want to miss her in-depth discussion on using the app, creating videos, and why you should jump in now as the platform grows. TikTok is not just for your children. Over 50 million TikTok users
How does copy impact your business? On the show is Michael Goris a Master Copywriter and font of copy knowledge to discuss why copy is important and how you should start implementing it in your business pages. You know you have to write product descriptions, you know you have to have your profiles completely filled out, you know that there are a lot of words to accompany your images, but Michael shares the best way to build your content vault. One of the fastest, and in many ways, the easiest ways to start
What do you think when you hear the word “ads?” Do you break out in hives? Does it sound like someone speaking Greek? If so, then you need to listen in as Monica Louie shares her Facebook Ads 101 for Amazon sellers. She breaks everything down in easy to follow steps that are extremely actionable. Monica started her career in corporate America but after getting married and starting a family, she realized she wanted more control and flexibility in her work life. She started blogging and after successfull
As Amazon sellers, the tools we use to keep everything running are unbelievably important. I wanted to take a moment and share with you the most important tools in my stack. Without these tools and various ways that they integrate, being a successful Amazon seller would be much harder. First up is Helium 10 with Scribbles. This platform has everything you need to create, track, and streamline your Amazon selling experience. It’s basically like having a dedicated VA there to help you keep eyes on all asp
Creating and building a business is not for the faint of heart. Building up over 12 businesses to the tune of more than $20million per year in revenue is… well, it’s amazing! Properly using online marketplaces other than Amazon and eBay can mean a significant difference in your business revenue. Aleksejs Leal has spent the last several years finding ways to command alternative international marketplaces to sell his private label products and he’s ready to teach you how to do the same.
Aleksejs started his online selling business after immigrating to the U.S. from Latvia and completing his degree at Florida International University. He and two of his college friends ventured into eComm by opening a website to sell vitamins and supplements all in one place, and his passion for selling grew from there.
Now a significant piece of his business is housed in Amazon selling, exports, and selling in international online marketplaces like Mercado Libre. He shares everything from why it’s not too late to break into that market to how to protect your private label sales with their new protection program. Learn how to set up your marketplace and how to get started with creating your first listing.
As with all things in the online space, Mercado Libre is an ever-changing platform. To be successful in selling within their rules and regulations you’ll have to stay on top of those changes, but as with all things that require work, the payoff is worth it. Aleksejs is even willing to help you get started! Listen to the end to find out how you can get in touch with him outside of the Wizards of Amazon Meetup group!
In This Episode:
[00:39] Welcome Aleksejs Leal here to discuss Mercado Libre and Private Label Sales.
[02:19] How did Aleksejs get started with his Amazon selling business and where has he taken it?
[06:24] Learn how the Wizards of Amazon Meetup group helped Aleksejs grow his business.
[07:36] How did Carlos and Aleksejs meet?
[08:31] When he started selling in marketplaces, was he selling private label or reselling?
[09:54] Of his sales, what percentage is Amazon?
[11:06] Aleksejs shares how he started with Mercado Libre and why you should look into it.
[12:34] How does the platform work?
[15:02] Learn how to get started with opening your Mercado Libre seller account.
[17:05] You’ve created your account, what’s the next step?
[18:14] What challenges has Aleksejs faced when selling on Mercado Libre?
[19:45] Banking… what’s required?
[21:24] Learn one more quick tip about doing business on Mercado Libre.
[29:00] Aleksejs shares where his business is headed and what he is prioritizing for the future.
[31:00] What is his favorite book and why?
[33:02] Contact Aleksejs.
Links and Resources:
Wizards of Amazon
Wizards of Amazon Courses
Creating a clear and instructive purchase agreement is the first step to building long lasting partnerships with your factories. A purchase agreement sets out the terms of your relationship so that nobody feels as if they’ve been taken advantage of if something goes wrong. Carlos shares the five must have pieces you need to create the perfect purchase agreement. First up, you need clear terminology. Make sure that you speak to everything you’re purchasing as clearly and concisely as possible. For insta
Learn why building a brand is the most important part of selling in general, but especially when selling private label on Amazon. Here to discuss his branding philosophy is Jamie Mardis the founder and mastermind behind Koffee Kult. Jamie shares the inspiration behind the Koffee Kult brand, where he started, and why he’s never really considered stepping outside of coffee sales. Jamie has always been a lover and purveyor of good coffee. After moving to South Florida and realizing that the coffee in the
Imagine Carlos as a brand new business owner making his first trip to mainland China in the hopes of vetting factories for his new products. He’s planned out his days, made detailed itineraries, and knows exactly which factories he wants to visit each day. Then he arrives in China and on day one he only visits one factory. On day two he also only visits one factory.
This continues until he begins to feel like the trip is a complete failure. Until on one of his trips, he learns a new way to conduct his vetting process. Rather than visiting each factory, one by one, why not have the factory representatives come to him instead?
Carlos shares how you can maximize your time and your resources to make each sourcing trip immensely more productive than his first trip to China. In short, he determines which cities are most appropriate for the product he’s looking to manufacture. From there he sends out a general call to the factories in the area to let them know that he will be visiting and when. He provides them with detailed instructions on how to become a potential partner, and then he spends one day vetting all of the factories in the area.
Listen in to learn the whole process, the benefits of creating efficiencies in your sourcing trips, and how you can start implementing this now! Keep listening until the end so that you can find out how to obtain a free request for proposal template and a discount code for Carlos’s favorite calendar scheduling program!
In This Episode:
[00:38] Welcome back and get ready to learn about maximizing your time and resources.
[01:26] Carlos reminisces about his first business trip to China and impossible expectations.
[03:53] What changed his view of his how to maximize his time in China?
[06:17] Learn how Carlos approaches his China trips now.
[08:19] How does Carlos use the firewall for his calendar scheduling link to weed out factories?
[11:14] What is Carlos’s goal by having multiple factory representatives in one place at one time?
[12:41] How does he react to any representative who is not prepared for the meeting?
[13:38] Learn a couple of the benefits of doing mass meetings rather than visiting each individual factory right out of the gate.
[15:08] What happens with the top contenders of the vetting process?
[15:52] Listen in for a pro-tip!
[17:17] Keep in mind that you are not going to vet every factory in mainland China from one hotel…
Links and Resources:
Wizards of Amazon
Wizards of Amazon Courses
Wizards of Amazon Meetup
Text “Amazon” to 69922
Wizards of Amazon on Facebook
Wizards of Amazon on Instagram
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One of the keys to explosive success in the Amazon space is creating compelling graphics to complement your on-point copy. But what if you’re not a graphic designer? Should you spend hundreds… thousands of dollars on graphic design tools and graphic designers? No! Here to discuss his innovative new graphic tool is Omar Farook, the founder of Glorify. I am in no way trying to ply you with tools and gimmicks designed to make your Amazon selling business “go big.” I intend to provide you with the stra
Ever heard of influencers? If you’ve been in the online space at all, you likely have, but did you know that there are influencers on apps like Meetup.com? Back up a step. In case you aren’t sure what Meetup.com is, it’s an app that allows people with various interests to connect and discuss those interests with others.
There are countless groups devoted and dedicated to any number of topics, and they can be both local and global. What does that have to do with you? Carlos shares his tips and tricks for creating business opportunities for your private label by connecting with Meetup groups dedicated to the same topic.
For instance, say you’re selling scuba gear. Rather than creating a group solely for people who want to buy scuba gear, take some time to connect with groups already dedicated to scuba lovers. Join the group, participate, and ask questions. When you feel comfortable, approach the organizer about potentially sponsoring their group.
Learn all about how those sponsorships equal sales of your products. An influencer doesn’t have to have a million followers, they simply need to have a group of dedicated and engaged followers that are interested in your products. Listen in as Carlos provides some fantastic tips for leveraging Meetup groups to increase your sales for your private label products!
In This Episode:
[00:38] Welcome back to the show.
[01:01] Influencer goldmines on Meetup.com are not hype!
[01:46] What is Meetup.com?
[02:59] Carlos reveals the difference between an organizer and an attendee.
[04:03] Learn different types of groups that exist and why creating your own is a good thing.
[05:42] Hear examples of groups Carlos has created for his private label products.
[08:36] What is an influencer?
[10:28] Learn how to approach Meetup group organizers and attendees about sponsoring their groups.
[12:26] What kind of ROI should you expect from your Meetup group sponsorships?
Links and Resources:
Wizards of Amazon
Wizards of Amazon Courses
Wizards of Amazon Meetup
Text “Amazon” to 69922
Wizards of Amazon on Facebook
Wizards of Amazon on Instagram
Wizards of Amazon on LinkedIn
Wizards of Amazon on Twitter
It’s time to discuss the elephant in the room. Business taxes… Learn all about what you should know and what you should be doing to prepare for properly filing your taxes. Carlos invited Yamaris Diaz, CPA to join him and share her knowledge about the things you need to do as a small business to set yourself up for tax success.
Yamaris’s family came to the U.S. as an immigrant lottery winner. Listen in to hear how truly blessed she and her family have been during their immigration pursuits. She has certainly used the benefits of a U.S. education to her advantage! After graduating from high school, she pursued an accounting degree in college. She initially started working in various firms, but after starting a family decided to strike out on her own.
She is no stranger to entrepreneurship. Both her mother and her husband have built and run successful personal businesses. Now she uses the knowledge she has gained through years of study and practice in the world of accounting to help other businesses properly prepare for and file their personal and business taxes.
Yamaris shares seven very important tips and recommendations that all small business owners should consider when preparing their taxes. Listen in to learn all the details about appropriately picking a business entity, separating your personal finances from your business finances, implement a bookkeeping system from the start, reconcile your books manually, remember to consider common deductions, properly issue 1099s, and finally never forget to pay your quarterly estimated taxes.
It’s a lot of very important information. Keep listening until the very end to hear all of the amazing tips that Yamaris shares. This isn’t just an episode you shouldn’t miss, this is an episode every small business owner needs to hear!
In This Episode:
[00:22] Welcome Yamaris Diaz, CPA.
[01:13] Learn about Yamaris’s background and why she decided to study accounting.
[03:44] Yamaris shares what she does in her own business.
[05:25] Hear Yamaris’s top 7 tax tips. First up, pick the right entity.
[08:12] Number two, avoid mixing business finances with personal finances.
[10:01] Carlos confesses to violating tip number two at the beginning of building his businesses…
[11:27] Yamaris says to focus on correcting things for the future. Learn the consequences of commingling your funds.
[13:05] Tip number three, get a bookkeeping system going early on!
[16:15] What does it look like to have a great bookkeeping system in place?
[18:05] Learn how inventory impacts your business finances.
[19:05] Tip number four, make sure to reconcile your books.
[20:55] At a certain point, you need to have an accountant on your side. Learn why!
[24:32] Tip number five, don’t forget common deductions. Yamaris chats about what these are and how you can use them.
[29:36] To whom should you issue a form 1099?
[32:48] Hear Yamaris’s final tip for Amazon sellers.
[34:37] Connect with Yamaris!
[35:25] Yamaris
Customer service should be the backbone of your business. If you take the time to properly address your buyer’s concerns, the return is amazing. Carlos shares with you his personal email templates for responding to customer service concerns and how he turned a customer complaint into a new revenue stream.
How many times have you had someone indicate they received something other than what they ordered? Did they receive less than ordered? How did you feel when this happened? Carlos shares his initial response to these situations and why responding with anger or upset simply results in unsatisfied customers.
His response now is full of the “wow” factor needed to win that customer over. Never doubt that going the extra mile for someone who is willing to part with their money for their product will result in a return on investment. Carlos shares his exact templates for responding to customer complaints and why they have bolstered his business.
He also dives into the review manipulation issues that some have been facing. Rather than asking for a re-review, consider simply knocking their socks off so that word of mouth works in your favor. Customer service is truly the foundation upon which a strong business is built. Learn how you can ramp up your customer service skills to turn the worst buyer into an avid fan!
In This Episode:
[00:34] Learn how Carlos initially responded to Amazon customer service issues.
[02:17] Carlos discusses the pros and cons of debating customer service issues with buyers.
[03:44] Hear two examples of Carlos’s experiences with customer service problems and his responses.
[05:10] Before hearing his response, please note that a timely response is the most important factor.
[05:52] Carlos shares one of his canned responses to buyers experiencing an issue with the number of units received.
[09:56] Learn why the follow-up email is critical and what to include.
[11:33] What has Carlos changed in his follow up emails regarding Amazon reviews?
[13:32] Carlos shares another example of a customer service issue that involves an influencer of sorts.
[16:46] Why customer service can be a revenue stream in your business.
Links and Resources:
Wizards of Amazon
Wizards of Amazon Courses
Wizards of Amazon Meetup
Text “Amazon” to 69922
Wizards of Amazon on Facebook
Wizards of Amazon on Instagram
Wizards of Amazon on LinkedIn
Wizards of Amazon on Twitter
Hug Your Haters by Jay Baer
Transitioning from wholesale to private label requires a new set of skills and considerations. Here to discuss his transition to private label is Ramon Gonzalez, a member of the Wizards of Amazon. Ramon started his sales journey as a rep selling distillation equipment for Captain Morgan rum. Due to the transient nature of the product, however, he decided to move into a more stable arena and found wholesales and wholesales online.
Ramon has been dominating in wholesales for several years but recently had an experience that had him taking a second look at private label. As he was putting together a bundle for a wholesale product, one of his suppliers ran out of the product. Rather than waiting for over a month for the new supply to come in, he took a chance and sourced the product directly from China. He saved a considerable amount of money on each bundle and subsequently made significantly more than he was projected to initially.
Instead of diving directly into private label, Ramon has taken the time to build slowly. He’s looking to divert some of his wholesale profits and resources into private label and build it into his main source of income over time. His goal is to reduce the number of SKUs he has to manage without reducing his income.
Ramon is a relentless business owner who has taken the time to understand the changing operational and knowledge requirements needed for transitioning his business. Don’t miss out on the chance to learn from Ramon’s experience in both wholesale and the process of transitioning to private label.
In This Episode:
[00:23] Welcome to the show Ramon Gonzalez, here to discuss going private label.
[01:30] Learn more about Ramon and his experience before and after Amazon.
[05:38] Listen as Ramon shares the biggest issue he is experiencing in his business right now.
[07:09] Ramon shares his vision for his private label transition from wholesale.
[08:01] Why private label?
[10:38] How is Ramon’s wholesale business structured and how does that influence his private label structure.
[12:24] Ramon shares what caused him to look into sourcing directly.
[17:46] How does moving into private label change the operations of Ramon’s business?
[21:05] What is Ramon’s business superpower?
[22:10] Ramon shares his favorite book and why.
[23:36] Connect with Ramon in the Wizards of Amazon Facebook group.
Links and Resources:
Wizards of Amazon
Wizards of Amazon Courses
Wizards of Amazon Meetup
Text “Amazon” to 69922
Wizards of Amazon on Facebook
Wizards of Amazon on Instagram
Wizards of Amazon on LinkedIn<!--
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Doing business with factories and distributors overseas can leave you feeling out of control and wary, or you can enter into new relationships with trust and agreement. Carlos shares why he doesn’t work with any new factory without first having them checked out by a third party inspection service.
Back in the early days of his online selling career, Carlos found a product that had a huge return on investment. After seeing his success in selling on E-Bay, his friends and family came together to build him a fund to get his business going quickly. When he went to the producer of his number one product however, they were not able to fulfill his demand.
This led Carlos to seek a different supplier. With very little research and a whole ton of naivete, he found a supplier who appeared to be legit. He had pictures of the product, the address of a factory; it seemed like everything was in order. Alas, things were not as they seemed and the supplier he’d found was not on the up and up. After sending the supplier all of his money, the man ghosted. It was through this heartbreak that Carlos realized there had to be a better way to work with distributors.
Get ready to learn why third-party inspection services are so important when you’re developing new relationships with suppliers. Carlos shares his three favorite types of inspections, when you should use them, why you should use them, and his most trusted vendor for having them done. If you plan on doing business overseas, especially in China, then this is an episode you won’t want to miss. Propel your business success through the experience of the wizard of Amazon.
In This Episode:
[00:32] What are third party inspection services and which is Carlos’s favorite?
[01:36] Learn what can happen if you DON’T use an inspection service through a terrible experience Carlos had early on.
[08:08] Don’t forget to use your resources before sending someone money.
[08:51] Once Carlos began building his capital back up, he searched for ways to avoid making the same mistake.
[09:52] Learn which company Carlos likes most for third party inspections and why.
[10:58] Carlos shares the three most important inspection types and when to use them.
[11:19] First and foremost you need to deploy the full factory audit. Learn why!
[15:34] Next you need to use random inspections and be sure this requirement is in your purchase agreement.
[17:39] Last but not least of Carlos’s favorite inspections is the pre-shipment inspection.
[19:35] Carlos shares an example of special instructions you can give to your inspection company for pre-shipment audits.
[20:41] Learn one thing that you need to keep in mind when you’re reading inspection reports.
Links and Resources:
Wizards of Amazon
Wizards of Amazon Courses
Wizards of Amazon Meetup
Text “Amazon” to 69922
This podcast is years in the making, but those years mean a more well-rounded host and a better understanding of the world of online selling. Carlos Alvarez has been building and growing his online selling business for over a decade and has a passion for sharing his earned knowledge with others. Listen in as he shares his vision of what you will learn from this podcast and how he intends to deliver his message.
First, learn more about the Wizards of Amazon Meetup group that Carlos started just over three years ago. It is now the largest Amazon sellers Meetup group in the world and has led to a variety of networking opportunities for the members. Each year the Meetup group members take a trip to China to gain first-hand experience and information about the factories and suppliers that they buy from. New this year is the Online Seller Cruise, which will allow online sellers the chance to network and learn in a very concentrated environment. This too will be a yearly event that you won’t want to miss!
Next, Carlos shares the themes that the episodes will revolve around. There are so many important topics and ideas to cover for those looking to start a new online selling business and he doesn’t want to leave anything out. The six-central themes will be discussions on white-hat selling techniques, marketing, and advertising, learning outside-the-box tactics and strategy, learning from veterans and early adopters, exploring the process of transitioning your business, and learning Carlos’s takeaways from various conferences and events. There is so much to learn, so take a little bit of time each week to tap into Carlos’s extensive online selling knowledge.
Lastly, listen as Carlos gives a shout out to everyone who helped make this podcast possible. There have been so many people who have given their support and advice, knowingly and unknowingly, and without them, this show would still be a dream. The Wizards of Amazon podcast is a dream no more! Listen in each week to learn all the ins and outs of online selling.
In This Episode:
[00:23] It’s official, the podcast is happening!
[01:08] Learn all about Carlos and his Amazon journey.
[03:55] Carlos shares why he founded a Meetup group for Amazon sellers and what it has grown to today.
[06:33] Hear all about the yearly trip to China that the Meetup group participates in.
[08:41] The last event that the Meetup group has led to is the Online Seller Cruise.
[10:15] Why should you invest the time in this podcast?
[10:45] Learn the 6 themes that the podcast is going to follow for each episode.
[12:12] Keep in mind that there is no one way to sell or market your business.
[13:44] Get ready to learn some outside of the box strategies and tactics.
[15:33] Transitioning is a very important piece of being a successful seller.
[17:16] Carlos does a quick recap of the show’s themes:
- White hat
- Marketing/Advertising
- Outside the box tactics
- Veterans/Early Adopters