Selling on Amazon is a great way to start your own business, but most people quit before they even start. Why? They can't think of a product they want to sell. I can't tell you how many times I've recommended someone to see Amazon as a potential business and they're very enthusiastic about the idea and just stopped before they start because the aspect of choosing their first product is too daunting. This is a pathetic reality, but understandable.
There are millions of products on Amazon, and when they are studying them, they think it is possible to make a product and then invest a lot of money in the idea just to keep it from selling.
When you think of everything you need to do at once, you will feel hopeless, but don't despair! Launching a product on Amazon is not necessarily an expensive experiment, and failure will cost you thousands of dollars. In fact, you can spend hundreds of dollars, sometimes even less. What to do if you are interested?
In this post, I will cover some very simple ways you can test the product on Amazon to see if it sells so you can have the confidence to commit to your first big order to start your business. Let's get started.
Method 1 – Use Amazon itself to test Amazon products
One of the easiest ways to test whether a product category or niche sells is to buy a few items on Amazon, repackage them, create a quick burn list, and see if it sells best. Sounds too simple and can't be a viable idea, right?
It really works! Sometimes, when a product is popular, the demand for it is almost insatiable. You can take advantage of this by testing your own version of the product in this category.
But it is not easy to do so, as overseas manufacturers usually don't provide you with 5-20 samples to test the market viability. They want big orders, they want them now. So what should smart future sellers do? Find items on Amazon that seem to be selling in the popular categories and follow these steps:
1. Buy as many units as you can and feel like if you sell your own version you will know it will be for sale (this can be anywhere between 5 and 50…more units will give you better data).
2. When you receive these products, remove all packaging that recognizes that you purchased from that specific brand.
3. Create your own packaging for your product...it's very simple, you don't need to start branding yet.
4. Create a " Burner " list on Amazon by making a brand new product list, getting some minimally viable images (taking some home-grade studio photos with your phone or making 3D renders), trying to make some supported images as well (we have an Amazon Photo Guide to help create images).
5. Fill in as much listing as possible to make it attractive to customers
6. Send to Amazon via UPS FBA
7. Create a small PPCh budget
8. See if it sells!
With these simple steps, you can see if the product is feasible and invest with confidence before investing thousands of dollars. While it does require a lot of manual labor, cash investment is minimal, and the peace of mind knowing that the product will sell is what most potential sellers need to own to risk the hard-earned cash.
If you manage to sell your initial device in a short time, you are hit and you can start the traditional process of finding manufacturers to get your first real order. (Quick Tip: If you find a product that works, you should delete your first list and restart your brand, design and any innovations that can be added to your new product ideas.)
Benefits of this approach
Quickly test product ideas. You can check if an item is sold in a few days, which is simply unparalleled. An affordable way to get started.The disadvantage of this method
The problem with testing the method of product is that it can only really work in product categories that are in trends and are growing very hotly. Amazon product search results have "same" issues, and all look like they come from the same factory (and most likely does, especially in more saturated niches), so using one of these products to test a category can be more difficult.
In summary, this method is only used if it is part of the trend and the product is not "saturated" yet (check the overall number of reviews, various list sales data from tools like Jungle Scout or Helium 10, and variability in product categories).
Method 2 – Testing the feasibility of a product on Amazon with Etsy
For many reasons, I prefer this method over Method 1, and we use the existing Amazon list to test your own version on Amazon. Etsy is great because it is absolutely full of innovation.
If you think you are looking for potential hot products while doing your research on Amazon, you will most likely find a version of it on Etsy that is not only unique but a more innovative product than Amazon currently has.
Follow the steps of Method 1 above, you can do the same thing, just run the initial test of the product purchased on Etsy instead of Amazon.
The benefits of using Etsy to test products on Amazon
· Etsy products are very innovative.
· Etsy usually has fashion items for sale before Amazon is on sale
Disadvantages of this approach
· Etsy There is no product variability from Amazon, so you will be limited to fewer categories
· What makes products on Etsy unique and innovative may not be easy, or even mass production is impossible.
Method 3 – Convincing the manufacturer to send you the test unit
This method may be effective, but it depends largely on your ability to negotiate with the manufacturer and the flexibility of the potential manufacturers to work with you.
If all goes well, you can have a potential manufacturer make a small portion of the products for you to test, and if successful you can get bigger orders, but getting them to agree can be difficult. Overseas manufacturers want one thing: big orders and long-term partnerships. Knowing this, if you show yourself as potential in both areas, manufacturers may be willing to put in some work if they know there may be a reward in the future.
Some ideas to remember when trying to get manufacturers to create a small set of test products for you:
· Don't act like a new seller without sales experience.
· Do not open small order requests that you just want to test market viability.
· Let them know that you intend to do a lot of work with manufacturers and that you can use them for many years and the demand for products continues to expand.
· Don't be afraid to say you will pay more for these test units and will make discounted bulk orders when appropriate. If you can show manufacturers your potential value, they will be willing to make these test products.
Benefits of this method
· It can help you build strong relationships with potential manufacturers. Many people won’t talk about the importance of working with manufacturers, but it’s crucial to success.
· This is a "cleaner" way to relist other people's products as their own.
Disadvantages of this method
· It is difficult to find a manufacturer willing to create extremely small orders
· More time than other methods
Method 4 – Make your own first batch of products
When all other methods fail, you may just need to do it yourself.
In today's world, you will be surprised by your abilities. For every idea, you can find YouTube videos or online tutorials that can help you achieve.
If you have the skills and dedication, if your product ideas are not too complex (like electronics), you can make a small batch of products. Again, if it's popular and people are buying, you can find manufacturers to offer a more fulfilling product.
Benefits of this method
· If you have the ability to put the product into your hands, the cost may be very low.
· You can be very specific and creative about the products you provide, making it easier to make small adjustments and innovate your products
Disadvantages of this method
· Because many product types are too complex to make themselves, they are limited to certain product categories.
· Manufacturing units one by one can be time consuming, but if successful, you will outsource
Conclusion
You can get products in any way you can list and sell them on Amazon to see if it is worth pursuing.
Nowadays, there is no reason to risk huge cash to verify an idea, you just need to be smarter and come up with a solution to any obstacles or problems you are currently facing. Once you find the “your” product category, selling in that category will temporarily inspire many ideas and you will become an Amazon high-selling business owner.
