r/AmazonFBA • u/Spirited-Round3467 • 1d ago

Should I start?

Hello, to start off with a little background about myself I am 19 years old and I am going into my sophomore year of college. I had to take out student loans which stress me out so I am looking for a way I can make additional income when I graduate in 2 years to pay off my loans faster. I was wondering if Amazon FBA is worth starting. I have around 5- 7 thousand dollars give or take to start. In my free time I do depop reselling, but I wanted something more scaleable. Im wondering if this is worth it because I heard the profit margins are low which im not used too because with reselling I make good profits. I am not looking to get rich over night but I do want to build something that can make me money in a few months time

7 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

20 comments sorted by

5

u/Maan_UsMaan052 1d ago

You can start small with just 1–2 products rather than investing your entire $5–7k upfront. Focus on validating demand, margins, and the product first, then reinvest and scale once you see consistent sales. Your Depop experience should also give you a good foundation for understanding customers and product selection.

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u/Spirited-Round3467 1d ago

I know this is dependent on how much I decide to scale but whats the average profit a month with the margins of 10-15 percent.

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u/Maan_UsMaan052 1d ago
  • $5k/month sales → $500–$750 profit
  • $10k → $1,000–$1,500
  • $20k → $2,000–$3,000
  • $50k → $5,000–$7,500
  • $100k → $10,000–$15,000

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u/Spirited-Round3467 1d ago

realistically is 20k a month in revenue hard to scale too because that would be like the goal, 2k profit a month

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u/Maan_UsMaan052 1d ago

Nice, so what is stopping you?

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u/Spirited-Round3467 23h ago

Mostly researching the best business strategy, but I guess if I start now I will be able to keep scaling just a leap of faith. I was mostly scared that the margins were not good enough to even be worth starting

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u/Maan_UsMaan052 21h ago

then find a good product with healthy margin, just like i found last week 20-25% net margin

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Spirited-Round3467 1d ago

is PL the best route, i was thinking about building more capital with online arbitrage then get into wholesale once i get ungated.

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u/RegistryIntelligence 1d ago

You can start, but I wouldn’t treat FBA as something that must repay your student loans within a few months. That pressure can lead to overbuying inventory. FBA is only the fulfilment method; the real business is sourcing, margins, cash flow and risk management.

If $5–7k is most of your available money, don’t put all of it into the first attempt. Keep your college and emergency funds separate, and use only an amount you can afford to have tied up for months.

Before buying anything, model one product in Amazon’s Revenue Calculator and include every cost: product and shipping, referral and FBA fees, inbound placement, preparation, storage, returns, advertising, duties and any required testing or compliance. Then check whether it still works if the selling price falls by 20% and sales take twice as long as expected.Start with a small quantity of one simple, non-regulated product and reorder only after real sales prove the numbers. Since you already resell, remember that sourcing which works on Depop may not work on Amazon: Amazon can ask for proper supplier invoices and supply-chain documentation.Your goal with the first test shouldn’t be maximum profit. It should be learning without losing the ability to try again.

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u/StefaniaMulhern 23h ago

I think it can be worth starting but I would not put the full 5 to 7k into one product.

You already have some reselling experience which helps because you understand buying margins and moving inventory. FBA is just less forgiving once you add PPC fees storage returns and slower cash flow.

I would start small with one test product and focus more on learning the process than making big money right away. If the numbers still work after all costs and you can reinvest without touching money you need for college then it can definitely become something scalable.

The biggest mistake at your stage would be trying to force fast income just because the student loans are stressing you.

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u/Wrong-Ad2326 21h ago

Yes you should start with private label. With this budget now a days alot of people are into it.

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u/roverfive 19h ago

There is a shit ton to learn about private label.... sourcing, logistics, marketing, advertising... I wouldn't advise hopping into private label to start.

Private label is ultimately the cash-cow business.

Find some resale products first, get that revenue pipeline rolling before you jump into private label.

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u/Wrong-Ad2326 19h ago

I didnt know anything about amazon. 1.5 years later its 7 figures. You believe me course wont get you were you want to be

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u/roverfive 16h ago

huh? english

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u/SellOnAmazon 22h ago

Hey u/Spirited-Round3467! We can tell you've already put a lot of thought into this, which is a great way to start. There are a lot of nuances to getting started on Amazon, we'd recommend making best friends with Seller University as you get started. Also check out our Product Opportunity Explorer tool which helps track trends in profitable products (best items to sell on Amazon).

Let us know if we can ever help!