The many faces of AMZ selling
There are several different ways to sell on Amazon. Selling used books and media(My current MO), Retail arbitrage,
Wholesale, private label, and customize an existing product(Like private label but actually make it your own product).
Thrifting: selling used books and media, and selling other items
This is what I have been doing for the last year and It is a great place to start.
Basically go to your favorite thrift stores with an app like
scoutly and scan through books and
DVDs/CDs and find items that are profitable. You can also do this on ebay however amazon will sell your
books faster and you get to use FBA(fulfillment by amazon) which simplifies your business model.
See my other article
here for more details. The pros:
great profit margins, simplicity, randomness, and low point of entry.
Cons: It is repetitive and tedious to scan books, randomness(unpredictable results), It not very passive as you have to
constantly go out and find inventory.
Retail Arbitrage
Retail arbitrage is when you buy from one retail outlet like walmart for a cheap price
and sell it on amazon for a profit. Check out reezy resells on youtube for real
life examples.
pros and cons are similar to thrifting.
Wholesale
Wholesale is where you find items in bulk on sites like Alibaba or global sources and resell them on amazon.
pros: Simplicity, passive potential. cons: Lots of competition.
private label
Similar to wholesale but allows you to build your brand. pros: passive potential, Establish a brand name.
cons:competition as any one else can do the same with equally little effort.
Customize a product using a known manufacturer
This seems to be a sweet spot. You contact an existing manufacturer from say Alibaba and have them create a
product that fills a unique niche. This gives you something unique and much more difficult to compete with and
helps build your brand.
pros: passive income potential, Unique product that is hard to compete with, Will make your brand mean something with a
niche edge. "Riches are in the niches" quote frome video below.
Check out this video that summarizes selling on amazon.
Travis Marziani: How to sell on amazon in 2025
Amazon a huge market and the competition
Selling on Amazon is a great opportunity as it is a huge market. Ebay, walmart and others pail in comparison, so there is no
wonder why so many are flocking to sell on it. Having said that, It is also a good idea to not limit yourself to AMZ.
One reason I have encountered is that brands make deals with Amazon to sell their products exclusively like several book brands I encounter.
So if you find those brands you can often sell them on Ebay instead. Whatever platforms you choose, pick a strategy and do it.
You can't win the lottery if you don't buy a ticket. You can't ride the train if you don't What? Buy the ticket!
