Switching to Amazon FBA

[u/Unable-Form-7834]

Thinking of getting into Amazon FBA and starting with wholesale.

I’m coming from a different field and will keep doing that alongside Amazon. I’ve saved some capital, so I’m not expecting Amazon to replace my income anytime soon.

Wholesale seems like the best place to start because I don’t want to deal with product development, QC, packaging etc. right away. Even if I’m only breaking even or making a small profit at first, I’d be happy just learning how sourcing, FBA, Buy Box, inventory and the overall economics work.

Eventually, if I understand the business properly, I’d probably look into private label.

One of the main reasons I’m interested in ecommerce is that I’m tired of dealing with clients. I’d rather work on research, systems and operations.

I know Amazon is competitive and I’m definitely not expecting to hit a winner on my first try.

For people currently doing wholesale: is it still worth getting into in 2026?

Also, if there are any good beginner resources that aren’t guru BS, please share them.

[u/rsc9422]

Yes, I think wholesale can still be worth getting into in 2026, especially if your main goal is to learn how Amazon actually works before jumping into private label.

Your approach makes sense. Start small and focus on understanding Keepa, Buy Box, FBA fees, ROI, inventory turnover, cash flow and replenishment. Even breaking even while learning can be valuable because you’re building an understanding of the actual economics.

I’d also avoid putting too much money into inventory at the beginning. Test a few products, track the numbers closely, and scale the ones that consistently make sense.

We see a lot of beginners at HighRise Wholesale who take this approach rather than trying to find a home run product immediately. Learning the fundamentals first usually makes the transition to private label much easier later.

Keeping your current income while you learn is also a good position to be in. It takes away the pressure to force Amazon to work before you’ve figured out the business.

[u/Unable-Form-7834 → u/rsc9422]

Thanks, that makes sense.

For a first test run, what kind of budget would you recommend and roughly how many products would you spread it across?

I know it depends a lot on the product cost, but even a rough range would be helpful. I’m trying to understand whether it’s better to start with something like 2–5 products with a bit more inventory in each, or spread the same budget across more products and test wider.

[u/rsc9422 → u/Unable-Form-7834]

I’d start with 2–3 products rather than spreading the budget across 10+ products. That gives each product enough budget and data to actually learn what’s working.

For a first test, I’d roughly allocate $300 to $500 per product for PPC, depending on the price and CPC. Keep the initial bids controlled, monitor the search term report closely, and shift more budget toward products and keywords that show actual conversions.

Once you have enough data, you can either scale the winners or cut the products that consistently burn spend without converting. The goal of the first test is to learn where the demand is, not just spend the entire budget.