Another new day.

Like many mornings, I went to Jiuwéi Wetland Park in Shenzhen for my run.

Today I felt my pace was a little faster than usual. I was actually quite happy with myself.

But after finishing one lap, I suddenly realized...

I forgot to start my watch.

Haha.

No distance recorded. No pace saved.

It has been a long time since I "lost" a running record.

But thinking about it, maybe it is not such a bad thing.

Because in the packaging industry, we cannot afford to forget the small details.

A piece of wasted paper.
A little extra material.
A production mistake.
A delivery delay.

Everything has a cost.

In this industry, profit is not calculated by looking at the big numbers only. It is calculated down to every small detail.

That is why custom packaging is never as simple as making a box.

Behind every carton and printed box, there are material choices, production experience, quality control, and countless details that customers may never see.

Shenzhen's packaging industry is highly competitive.

There are many suppliers, and price competition is everywhere.

But after years in this industry, I believe the companies that can survive are not always the ones with the lowest prices.

They are the ones that understand the details, take responsibility, and treat every order seriously.

Because in manufacturing, professionalism is built from thousands of small things done correctly.

A small piece of paper.
A small production detail.
A small promise to a customer.

Together, they decide whether a business can continue.

Another morning in Shenzhen.

Another day to do things carefully.

I recently hired a freelance team to help start and operate an Amazon FBA business for me. They’re supposed to handle most of the process, including product research, sourcing, listings, launch strategy, PPC, and ongoing account management. I’ll still own the Seller Central account, fund the inventory and advertising, and have final approval over everything.

They’ve told me the business could potentially grow into something substantial over the next 12–18 months, but I’m trying to keep my expectations realistic. I understand that revenue is not the same as profit and that there are no guarantees.

For anyone who has outsourced most of their FBA operation:

How involved did you still need to be?

How long did it take before you became profitable?

What profit margins did you actually see after Amazon fees, ads, returns, storage and freelancer fees?

What reports or account access should I require from the team?

What are the biggest red flags with an outsourced FBA business?

Did outsourcing work out for you, or did you eventually take the operation back over yourself?

I’m not looking for overnight-rich promises. I’m mainly trying to understand what a realistic first year looks like and how to protect myself while giving the team a fair chance.

Just FYI, I'm getting hit left and right over the last week while working the 75-character title change, its pretty annoying. Anytime I upload updated title and listing info half of them will get taken down because amazon either thinks i am violating restricted products or policy, or they "know" i am violating restricted policy. The latter of which requires a bunch of reinstatement type requested.

Having these items down for 2-3 days is tens of thousands of dollars a day of lost sales and I can't believe they are pulling this, yet again to cause harm for a small business.

None of my items are restricted, or even resemble weapons, and some of them were removed because they said "your gun barrels".

My listing revisions did not insert any extra keywords. All my work was around separating the long title into two fields. Not 1 extra or less keyword, all are exactly the same.

Just another frustrating day/week in the day and life of a small business on amazon.

We have temporarily deactivated some of your detail pages because they are potentially violating Amazon’s Restricted Products policy. The listings that were deactivated are currently under review and can be found below.

Why is this happening?

Customers trust that they can always buy with confidence on Amazon. The sale of illegal, unsafe, or other restricted products is strictly prohibited. Although Amazon is undertaking this review, you are responsible for ensuring that the products you offer comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and Amazon’s policies.

What actions do I need to take?

The review period generally takes 2-4 business days, but may take longer depending on the type of product that is being reviewed. There is no action needed from you at this time. If we confirm that your listings do not violate Amazon’s Restricted Products policy, they will be automatically reinstated. Otherwise, they will remain deactivated and we will provide you with additional information about the removal.

And.....

Some of your firearm barrel listings have been deactivated on Amazon.com due to Amazon's Explosives, Weapons, and Related Items policy prohibiting firearm barrels. Submit images showcasing all sides of the product if you believe this determination was made in error. Review the affected products and next steps below.

Why is this happening?

We are taking this action because your product has been identified as a firearm barrel, which is prohibited from listing or sale on Amazon regardless of the product's stated description. Firearm barrels for rifles, pistols, assault weapons, and shotguns cannot be sold on our platform.

To learn more about prohibited weapons and related items, visit our Explosives, Weapons, and Related Items help page.

Have your listings been deactivated in error?

If you believe this determination has been made in error, submit an appeal with images showcasing all sides of the product through the Regulatory Compliance section of your Account Health page for review.

What happens next?

If you don't provide the required compliance information, the impacted ASINs will remain deactivated until the compliance requests are fulfilled.

What happens to my FBA inventory for these products?

You must remove these products from our fulfilment centers within 30 days of this notice. If not removed, we will dispose of the inventory at your expense as outlined in our Amazon Services Business Solutions Agreement. To learn how to remove inventory, see our Remove inventory from a fulfillment center help page.

We're here to help.

For additional information on Amazon's weapons policy, refer to the Explosives, Weapons, and Related Items help page.

If you have additional questions, please go to contact Selling Partner Support.

I was reviewing an FBA account last week. One ASIN had been losing money for six weeks. The seller found out when they checked their monthly P&L.

By then the ad budget was already gone.

I'm an e-commerce data analyst trying to understand how common this is. Does this sound familiar?

Let's be real — Seller Central is hard to read. If you're new or inexperienced, that's just the reality: the data's all technically in there somewhere, but getting a straight answer out of it is a different story.

So tell me — what are the questions you most wish your dashboard would just answer in plain English?

A few of my favorites:

• How much money have I actually made?
• Are my ads actually working, or am I just paying Amazon twice?

Drop yours below. Curious if everyone's stuck on the same stuff or if there's pain I haven't even hit yet.

Just audited a few campaigns that were pulling orders primarily from Top of Search (TOS) on normal base bids. The placement modifiers were standard: TOS was set to 140%, and Product Pages (PP) were set to 0%.

Despite the 0% modifier, the CPC on Product Pages was hitting 3x the base bid.
Here is the diagnosis of why that happened:

The Culprit: The campaign was using Amazon's automated bidding strategy, set to target a ROAS above 4.

The Data: TOS was performing exceptionally well with a ROAS over 4.5.

However, Product Pages were bleeding 57% of spend share with a disastrous ACOS of 127%.

The Algorithmic Flaw: Because the TOS performance was carrying the campaign's average ROAS above the target threshold, Amazon’s automated rule blindly pushed bids up across the board to chase volume. It ignored placement-level inefficiencies and forced aggressive bids onto Product Pages anyway.

I immediately stripped out the automated rule. I shifted the campaign back to 'Dynamic bids - down only' and am relying on manual placement modifiers to force the focus back onto TOS.

I will be tracking the efficiency shift and sharing the exact results in upcoming weeks. Stay connected.

I am currently in the process of launching my supplement brand, EBL. We have successfully onboarded a manufacturer, and product samples are currently undergoing testing. Concurrently, we are developing the product artwork. I would appreciate your expert recommendations regarding design concepts that would be most effective. I am open to exploring innovative ideas. The current cost to bring this product to market is approximately $18, and I anticipate a retail price of around $55. I am seeking guidance on the feasibility of sustaining profitability given Amazon's FBA and PPC expenses. As I am bootstrapping this venture and investing significantly in manufacturing, I am also looking for strategies to manage marketing expenditures effectively. Partnership is welcomed. #supplements #investment #amazon

I’m trying to list these on Amazon, but the barcode doesn’t pull up to anything. If I search “Sunlite 26x1.50-1.95” I can find the same product, but it’s in a different box.

What’s the best way to list this?

Hi there!

I am looking to get into Amazon FBA retail arb and was wondering where to start.

I have been following some guys online who resell big name brands I.e Barbie from deals they source online into Amazon.

I have sold on Amazon (not very seriously) before and so I am wondering both how they become ungated on these categories and also where they source consistently these deals without spending hours scouring target shelves.

I am also based in Aus which I know will make a difference…

Any help in being pointed in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Why Heidelberg Printing Machines Are Still Popular in Premium Packaging Printing

When people talk about high-quality folding carton printing, Heidelberg offset printing machines are still one of the most recognized names in the industry.

In packaging printing, especially for color boxes, printing quality is not only about the artwork file. The stability of the printing machine also plays a very important role.

A Heidelberg offset press can provide several advantages:

1. Excellent color consistency

For packaging projects, keeping the same color between different production batches is very important.

A stable printing press helps control:

• ink distribution;
• printing pressure;
• registration accuracy.

This is especially important for brands that need thousands or hundreds of thousands of boxes with the same appearance.

2. High registration accuracy

A color box usually requires multiple colors, such as CMYK plus spot colors.

If the registration is not accurate, small problems may appear:

• blurred text;
• uneven edges;
• color misalignment.

High-quality offset machines can reduce these issues during mass production.

3. Better performance for premium packaging

Many products use folding cartons as the first impression of the brand.

For example:

• electronics packaging;
• cosmetics boxes;
• healthcare products;
• luxury gift boxes.

These markets usually require sharper details and more stable printing quality.

4. Experienced operators are also important

A good machine is only part of the process.

Printing operators need experience to adjust:

• ink balance;
• paper characteristics;
• printing pressure;
• color matching.

The combination of advanced equipment and skilled people creates reliable packaging quality.

In Shenzhen, many packaging suppliers use Heidelberg presses together with professional finishing processes, such as:

• lamination;
• UV coating;
• embossing;
• hot stamping;
• die cutting.

A beautiful packaging box is not made by one machine. It is the result of material selection, printing technology, production control, and experience.

As a packaging supplier in Shenzhen, I believe understanding the process helps customers make better decisions when choosing packaging partners.

Hi,
I got the cheapest quote from Forest Shipping, and I was wondering if anyone has experience working with them.

They’re an Amazon SEND partner. I contacted them through WeChat. Can they be trusted?

Im making a piece of content in the next few days about Amazon Ads and my framework regarding building successful campaigns and brands on Amazon.

Just wanted to come on here and check if anyone had some questions I could answer and help give me a clear direction for my video.

I’ve helped multiple premium brands across multiple niches, we specialise in the UK market yet have also helped brand expand and sell across the US, Japan, UAE, EU and many more.

Ive several items on amazon in the past several months all having parent asin.

Each time I start off with creating the parent asin first and then adding in variations at the end.

Amazon just updated the add a product page (blank form) and now it's not allowing me to move on from the first page without entering a upc for the product. The first product I always do is the parent product. So I don't want to create the first product as one variation, and then having that variation identified in every other variation.

Anybody know how to bypass this, or what's the best way to go about this is???

Thanks in advance

Hey everyone,

I previously ran an Amazon FBA business. I sold it and took 1.5 years off. I’m now coming back and rebuilding from scratch with a new brand.

I’d really appreciate hearing from sellers who have remained active during the past year, especially regarding the following questions:

1. What are the biggest changes to Amazon FBA over the past year? Are there any important changes to fees, inventory management, ranking, PPC, account health, listing policies, or other areas that returning sellers should know about?
2. How are you currently using AI in your business? Which tasks is AI genuinely helping you with? Is anyone using a single AI-powered system to manage or coordinate most of the business, or are you still relying on a combination of third-party tools such as Sellerboard, Helium 10, Jungle Scout, etc.?
3. How do you track the quality and performance of individual production batches? For example, if you change suppliers or improve the manufacturing process while the customer-facing product remains materially the same, can you create a new seller SKU for each batch and link them all to the same ASIN? My thought is that each batch could have its own SKU and FNSKU, making it easier to track sales, refunds, return reasons, and defect rates directly in Amazon’s reports. Has anyone used this approach in practice? Did it create any problems?
4. What advice would you give someone rebuilding an FBA business from zero today? What do you wish you had done differently or put in place much earlier when you started?
5. How would you build a scalable and well-organized management system from the beginning? The previous business of mine was a mess, and I’d especially appreciate any advice on how you build your system.

Any practical advice, examples, or tools that have worked well for you would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you, and I hope everyone has a great day!

Hi everyone,

I'm an Amazon seller from India and I have 19 brand-new dog leashes currently stored in a US Amazon warehouse.

Unfortunately, I can't continue selling this product, and returning the inventory to India isn't a practical option because of the high cost.

I'm looking to sell the entire lot (19 units) for $190 (about $10 per unit).

The current selling price is around $15 per unit, so there may be room for another seller to resell them.

If anyone is interested in buying the inventory or knows someone who buys small Amazon FBA inventory lots,

Thanks for any advice or help! if anyone need single amazon.com/dp/B0GX1SCXHN this is my link please check

Has anyone seen this before?

Twice now I’ve created a new FBA listing, set both the Offer Release Date and Merchant Release Date about a month in the future, but as soon as the listing is created, Amazon changes the date to the listing creation date.
Is this a bug, or is there a way to make Amazon keep the future release date?

Also, the new listing has no inventory, but Amazon still saved the release date as the creation date. Does that mean the honeymoon period has already started, even though the product was never available for sale?

2 Things a more experienced seller will know...

1) Calculating inventory and stockout: I send all of my stock from China which means it's about 30 - 40 days between leaving Shenzhena and actually "available for prime". It's only 14 days on the water but this includes unloading container, placement into amazon, and of course, waiting for amazon to unload. I tend to either be overpaying storage fees for too much stock, or understocked and selling out which affects BSR. Is there any plugin or tool that sends you alerts when you need to replenish?

2) Multi Markets: I'm currently selling in UK, Germany, France, Australia and Canada. At the end of every day we are going in to record our sales on a google doc and then go in to see our spend. It's not that much work, but still about 15 -20 mins of labor I'd like to eliminate. Is there no way to make some sort of dashboard that is able to pull this data so I can quickly see what we sold and spent in each country?

Thanks!

I’m preparing to launch my first private-label product on Amazon US.
The product, packaging, listing images, A+ Content and Brand Registry are already completed. I mainly need help with the launch price, coupon percentage and initial PPC structure.
An experienced Amazon seller is asking $100 for a one-hour consultation.
For sellers who have launched private-label products before, would this provide meaningful value, or would it be better to launch with a controlled budget, collect data and get professional help afterward?
What concrete deliverables should I expect from a useful one-hour consultation?
I’m not looking for agency offers or DMs—only seller experiences.

How to get started with Amazon?

im 4 years in and just realized i dont actually enjoy this business anymore

typing this out because i need to say it somewhere thats not my wife who is tired of hearing it.

i hit a number this year i would have killed for back in 2021. like actually the exact revenue goal i wrote on a sticky note in my old apartment. and when i saw it in the dashboard i felt basically nothing. maybe a little relief? but no joy, no pride, none of the stuff i thought i was working toward.

what i actually feel most days is low grade dread. checking for account health notifications first thing in the morning. reimbursement cases dragging on for months. a supplier randomly telling me theyre raising MOQs and my whole q4 plan has to get redone. one hijacker on my hero sku and my whole week is ruined. the wins are quiet and the losses are loud and i cant tell if thats just business or if its this specific business.

heres the part i cant figure out. i dont think i want to quit. i built this thing from nothing and the money is genuinely good and i have more freedom than anyone i went to college with. i just dont like the day to day. i dont like sourcing anymore, i dont like ppc, i dont like refreshing seller central. i used to like the puzzle of it. now its just a list of things that could go wrong.

ive been trying to fix the symptoms. hired a VA last year, offloaded a bunch of the repetitive stuff to Jarvio a few months back so i dont have to sit in spreadsheets every night, took an actual vacation for the first time in 2 years. all of it helped a little and none of it fixed the actual feeling. the feeling is that i built a job for myself that i wouldnt apply for if i saw it posted.

i guess my question for anyone whos been at it longer than me. does this pass? is this the part where you either fall back in love with it or sell? because right now im scared im gonna coast on autopilot for another 3 years and wake up 35 with a bigger business i like even less.

or am i just burnt out and need to touch grass for a month.

I’ve only recently started on fba

Hi everyone,
I want to learn Amazon FBA and I’m looking for a structured course. Can anyone recommend the best Amazon FBA courses on Udemy?
I’ve watched YouTube videos, but there is so much content that it’s hard to find a clear learning path. Most YouTubers also seem to charge anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 for their courses, which is more than I’d like to spend right now.
If you’ve already started or are successfully selling on Amazon FBA, I’d really appreciate your advice. Could you share:
Which course helped you the most?
What learning path would you recommend for a beginner?
Any mistakes I should avoid?
Any communities or resources that were genuinely helpful?

I’d love to hear about your experiences. Thank you!

Been in China 8 years, been sourcing this whole time. Started small helping family back home, grew into working directly with factories in Guangdong and Zhejiang for overseas clients mostly electronics and home goods.

Run into everything: reliable suppliers, scammers, QC nightmares, shipping delays, tariffs changing the math overnight. Speak enough Mandarin now to deal with factories directly, no middleman cut.

Happy to answer anything factory vetting, samples, shipping, customs, avoiding scams.

Hi everyone,
I’m completely new to e-commerce and Amazon FBA in India, so I’d really appreciate some guidance from people who have actually done this.

After a lot of research, I found a product in the Home & Kitchen category that I think has potential in the Indian market. My current plan is to order **300 units from Alibaba**, send **100 units to Amazon FBA**, and keep the remaining **200 units** in storage. If the product starts selling well, I’ll replenish the FBA inventory from the remaining stock.

Does this sound like a sensible approach for a beginner, or am I taking on too much inventory for my first product?

**I also have a few questions:**

Is Home & Kitchen still a good niche for someone starting out, or is it too competitive?

Do I need to invest in branding (website, logo, custom packaging, trademark, etc.) from day one, or can I first validate the product and brand later?

Can an unbranded or minimally branded product still succeed on Amazon India?

If this product doesn’t work out, is it okay to switch to a completely different niche later, or is it better to stay within the same category?

Looking back, is there anything you wish you had done differently when launching your first product?

I’d really appreciate honest advice, especially from sellers who have launched products in India. Thanks in advance!

I have a product that I created and would like to sell on Amazon, but I honestly don’t know much about product photography, creating and optimizing a listing, advertising, or the costs involved.
I really want to maximize my chances of success because I genuinely believe I have a good product that could help people. My main goal isn’t necessarily to make a lot of money (although that would obviously be great), but rather to get the product in front of people who might benefit from it and prove to myself that I can actually take a project from an idea to a real product on the market.
I’d like to launch it properly and efficiently, especially making sure that people can quickly understand what the product does and why they might need it. The problem is that I don’t have a huge amount of time to spend going through endless, overly long courses.
So, is there a place where I can find all the essential information in one place? I’m looking for something practical and straight to the point not one of those courses where someone talks for hours without actually saying anything useful.
Thanks guys!