Want to start selling on Amazon? – you can either let Amazon sell & dispatch your product (FBA: Fulfilled by Amazon) or you can let Amazon sell your product and you dispatch to the customer (FBM: Fulfilled by Merchant)
The decision is based on profitability & the ease at which you chose to run your business.
Things sometimes seem to change in the Amazon world faster than we as sellers can keep up. Long-term storage fees are changing this year, the Amazon guidelines are updated from time to time, and sales rank changes multiple times throughout the day!
It’s hard at times to know whether Amazon is getting easier or harder.
We have been selling on Amazon for nearly 18months now and there are definitely do’s & don’t – it’s a hard & costly lesson to learn if you don’t keep up to date.
We are selling FBA as it’s easier for us (we don’t have to dispatch our product) however with Fee’s rising we may switch to FBM to keep our profit margin intact. 😵
If you’re totally new to selling online the first thing I suggest you do is join an “Amazon sellers group”
Get some support and a base to learn from. There are all different levels of experience in these groups so it’s easy to pick up hints/tips post questions without feeling like you are a total numpty.
The 2 groups that I’m part of is “Simple Products Profit” group & “The Amazing Sellers”. Google them and find out what is your best fit. Sometimes there are costs involved with joining expert groups, factor it in when you write your business plan.
There are some UK groups but most are USA based as they have the biggest market and for me the biggest knowledge base. There are some differences between the 2 countries when selling on Amazon but not enough to make you want to find a UK only group (in my opinion)
…and when you do join a group find a business buddy. Talk to like-minded people who are at the same level as you & preferably, in the same country. When you find your buddy set goals/intentions, this way it will help you stay on track and achieve them if you have someone holding you to account. It works – do it.
Is selling on Amazon more difficult today than a few years ago?
increase in brands that are restricted,
more categories gated and requiring approval,
greater no. of FBA sellers to compete with,
higher fees during Q4, (run up to Christmas)
shorter times to sell inventory before long-term storage fees apply,
Let’s not dwell on the negative, there are people who have made small fortunes selling on Amazon. Your job is to find the right product, at the right price and the right audience to sell it to. Easy right?🤔
Finding the right product
There is a whole host of factors that go into finding the right product to sell – The 2 most important are:
Find a product that you like/passionate about/ a hobby you can monetize? – have an affinity to the product that at some point is good enough to form the basis of a Brand. If your heart isn’t in it and all you want to do is sell, sell you will fail. It might not be in the first 6 months but it will fail.
Is the product already selling on Amazon? – Amazon is a search engine like google. People search for the product they want and if you launch a product nobody knows exists how are they going to search for it? The key here is to put your own “spin” on it. Make the listing better, the features better. Basically, sell a better product than your competitor.
There are more, like steer clear of delicate/fragile/heavy/bulky products etc. The advice is endless but there are guidelines on all Amazon groups and they won’t say “don’t do it” but they will give you the reasons why. The decision is then yours.
We already had a product to sell the key to expanding our business/brand is to find related products to add to our portfolio.
So I’m done on this one.
What you have to do now is some research. Write a list of your passions/hobbies/look through magazines to see what inspires you.
Search for each item on Amazon/eBay/Etsy/Google – does it exist in some form?
Go plug yourself into an Amazon sellers group & get started.
and if you need coffee to keep you going (& awake – we also sell decaf 🤩) click here Crazy Cat Coffee We are with you all the way.
Crohns & Ground Coffee a match made in heaven or caffeine hell?
I appear to have fallen down a rabbit hole.
I began with writing a piece on caffeine and end up with all kinds of inflammatory bowel diseases. 🤔
My intention was to highlight the effects of Ground coffee on the body. Specifically the digestive system, it came apparent that there are lots of people out there who just cannot tolerate caffeine.
I suffer occasionally with IBS when I overload on Wheat & Dairy. Having done a little research I’m also maxed out on Coffee (which is a nightmare considering we sell the stuff).
Whilst I’m at it – rant about to happen – why do people dis the decaf?
Why is it that the “coffee snobs” roll their eyes and decide you are some kind of philistine for asking for a decaf coffee?
My point is (when I get to it ) that Coffee & more specifically caffeine can have a detrimental impact on your health. If you are already suffering from a debilitating digestive condition then it could make it worse.
Reasons to reduce or ditch the coffee altogether:
1) It makes you go to the toilet more – when you’re already faced with a sensitive bowel the last thing you want is to add to the emergency.
The coffee response can be immediate or it could happen hours after you consume it. Great if you’re constipated but not so good if you are already “loose” in that department.
Researchers found that coffee promotes the release of gastrin, a hormone produced in the stomach and known to increase motor activity in the colon. But the response with decaffeinated was the same as caffeinated coffee so it must be something else.
2) Coffee reduces your ability to deal with stress– when you’re already having to cope mentally & emotionally with a debilitating disease you don’t need caffeine. If you have too much it can lead to restlessness, anxiety, irritability, and sleeplessness.
Caffeine elevates the stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. These are the hormones that increase your heart rate and blood pressure and divert blood flow away from other bodily functions, like digestion, to prepare your body for “fight or flight.”
3) Coffee can disturb your sleep pattern– my mother in law always says that “while your body is sleeping it’s healing” at least we agree on one thing 😏
Here’s an easy explanation of why coffee affects our sleep patterns from the National Sleep Foundation
“Because caffeine is a stimulant, most people use it after waking up in the morning or to remain alert during the day. While it is important to note that caffeine cannot replace sleep, it can temporarily make us feel more alert by blocking sleep-inducing chemicals in the brain and increasing adrenaline production”
4) It may also increase chances of a “leaky gut” & trigger the Immune System.
Or Intestinal permeability. Sounds horrible and the condition becomes very painful very fast.
Coffee beans are seeds which contain protective compounds to prevent digestion, this is how they ensure the survival of the plant species. These same compounds can cause increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut). Coffee can also cause the immune system to exaggerate inflammation which is why coffee and other seeds are initially eliminated on the paleo autoimmune protocol (AIP).
No Caffeine or Decaffeinated – is there a difference?
“Decaffeinated” does not mean 100% caffeine free. Most ground coffee still has between 5-10% caffeine so be careful on your choice of coffee.
Test the amount of caffeine you drink – if you have an adverse reaction then reduce it or cut it out.
But then that goes for everything we humans do be it relationships, jobs, exercise.
I say “If it hurts don’t do it” 🤗
Extract from Gutsy by Nature:
Coffee beans are loaded with antioxidants—and we know that antioxidants fight off free radicals that cause damage to our cells, which can age us prematurely and potentially cause a whole host of other health issues. That said, coffee beans do lose some of their antioxidant content through the decaffeination process, but there are still some present, so it’s beneficial all the same. Apart from antioxidants, a cup of decaffeinated coffee has 2.4% of the recommended daily intake of magnesium, 4.8% of potassium and 2.5% of niacin. There are certainly some decaffeinated coffee health benefits.
Extract from The Paleomom:
In a nutshell (er, a coffee bean husk), coffee offers a variety of pros and cons that are extremely context dependent. For many people, coffee is a fine addition to a Paleo diet (especially when consumed in moderation, in filtered form, early in the day, and with a meal rather than on an empty stomach). People with gallbladder problems, who metabolize caffeine more slowly, or who simply experience adverse side effects like an upset stomach or heartburn should proceed with caution where coffee is concerned.
References: The Paleomom
You wouldn’t believe it but making Coffee Ice Cubes could get complicated 🤪 It’s a bit trial and error before you find the right coffee, the right amount of coffee to water ratio.
If you don’t want to be wired all day then choose a regular ground coffee, brew it overnight. If you do want to be wired all day then go for an Espresso roast.😵
Ingredients
16 oz coffee (480 mils) brewed regular strength
Recommended coffee: Crazy Cat 3 Bean Blend it’s a Medium strength and is delicious! or if you’re sensitive to Caffeine but want the coffee flavour then use our Crazy Cat Decaf Coffee just use more coffee & less water (steep overnight)
Equipment
Cafetire or Coffee Machine
1 Ice cube tray
Directions
Brew regular coffee and let it steep for a few hours or overnight – like I said depending on how strong you like your coffee, let it cool to room temperature.
Pour evenly into an ice cube tray, then place into freezer. Once frozen, you can use coffee cubes for up to two weeks.
You see it’s that easy – have a go and experiment.
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