Reasons to Consider Fulfilment by Amazon

Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) is a remarkable tool for the small business owner.


Since joining FBA wholeheartedly last year I have seen my online book selling business grow by multiples.


Books that had stood months on my shelves as a merchant fulfilled retailer, fly out of the Amazon fulfillment centers.


OK so costs, as in fees to Amazon have increased. I now allow abvout 33% of my selling price as a cost to cover fees.  That is up from about 25% as a merchant fulfilled seller.


Other costs have shrunk though.


I do not have storage problems.


I could not physically ship the volume of books per day that I now regularly ship.


Amazon cover the packing and delivery and offer a good retail experience.


I can go away from my business for a day or two anmd not come back to dozens of angry customers, waiting upon their orders.


I now only spend about ten hours per week actually working. Nine of those hours sourcing new stock and one hour packing and shipping consignment to an Amazon Fulfilment Center.


The system is fully expandable. It can create the business that you weant, you are in command of the ship, it is not in charge of you.


I can plan a schedule, no calls from customers to distract, no dealing with suppliers, for my business model.


FBA is just a fun way to manage a business. My only regret is that I didn't begin sooner.

Protect the Top Layer of Books in Your FBA Shipment

Once in a while a shipment of books can be damaged upon opening at the FBA Fulfilment Center, by an over zealous box cutter or knofe.


This has happened to me twice since last August.


While I suffered no financial loss. Amazon paid me the full value of both books, Amazon are very honest about damages at their end of the transaction.


Now when completing a box of new stock I top off the piles of books with a strip of corrugated cardboard.


I use old delivery boxes for a supply of card strips. One box can be torn into several strips for several shipments.


I complete my packing as normal with the FBA shipment paperwork and then as I close the box I lay the corrugated card over the books but under where the taped seam of the lid will be.


This means that when the box is opened with a sharp blade, the corrugated card will take the brunt of any damage and not the covers of the books beneath.


Since employing this tactic, I have not lost a book to accidental cutting. Better for me in that I have one more happy customer and better for Amazon in that they are not having to pay me for accidental damage.

Very Good December

As we reach mid January, I am looking back at the December figures for sales.


I am very pleased with the figures. We increased sales over 100% from our previous best months September and October,  500% over Novembers sales.


Totals were very good all around, the good December figures are also reflected in higher than expected cash income.


While early in the month saw a steady increase in childrens books and books that may have been bought as gifts; the last week of the month and first week of January saw a marked increase in the sales of used textbooks. Many of which retail over $20.


This was my first Christmas with Fulfilment by Amazon and I am really happy with the results.


Sales  levels have been good after the start of the new semester at schools too, though I am expecting a fall off of sales shortly as we return to normal non holiday trading.


We'll see how the Winter and Spring play out.

Mailing Books to a FBA Center

In recent weeks I have conducted an experiment in delivery times to FBA fulfilment centers across the country.

One thing surprised me. A major towns UPS Store added three whole days to delivery time over my usual drop off at a mailbox store.

We had two boxes of books going from here in California to Chatanooga TN.

We mailed one box from a UPS store just seventy miles East of  my home town, the second box was mailed at a small mail box eental store in my home town, my regular drop off.

I expected the boxes to arrive on the same day. In reality my box posated at my regular drop off point arrived in Chatanooga two whole days earlier.

This is not so much of a problem if I had normal supplies of books, but if the books were time sensative for arrival, Holiday supplies for example, the extra delay takes away a whole week-end of possible sales. Seventy-two hours of money making opportunity.

From now on, I know I can rely on my more local drop -off point.

Try this experimeent for yourselves. Find the fastest point for UPS delivery. You maybe as surprised as I was at the three day difference in speed.

All the best with your sales.

Weak November

I have spent some of this morning analyzing my first half year sales figures.

The first four months until October showed a good sales record with a 100% growth from June until September, October showed identical sales to September.

November however shoed a 59% decline in sales.

I knew November had the potential for a bad month, with the FBA (Fulfilment by Amazon) system almost nothing was shipped between the Monday before Thanksgiving until the following Sunday. But these disappointing sales are not only due to the loss of a whole trading week.

I think from analysis of weekly ssales my downturn actually began mid October, co-incidentantly at the same time as the Government shutdown.

Not saying here that government workers spend all day shopping online, there could be the worry of people expecting lower paychecks in November and December, maybe unpaid benefits etc. A host of Government inspired worries.

December figures are looking as though they are above the level for September and early October so we could see a bumper sales season over my first online Holiday period.

We will be back again in about a month with the real December figures.

Until my next post. All the best for both the Holidays and a A Happy New Year.

Fresh Stock Update

We have recently sent several more boxes of books to our Amazon Fulfilment Centers.

To view the latest stock updates see our storefront link on the right.

Poker Book Collection For Sale

Recently a friend, who had been an avid Texas Hold'Em Poker player on the local casino poker room circuit, came to me with his wide ranging collection of poker stategy books.

It is my largest collection sale up to date at over twenty books on all aspects of the game of poker.
 books include general strategy and betting suggestions, for Hold'em, Draw and Omaha poker.

Take a look at our storefront for latest additions and a chance to buy from this great value collection.