12 Mistakes To Avoid When Selling On Amazon

MISTAKES – no one likes them, but no matter how perfect you are, they are bound to happen.

And when you are selling in a dynamic and unforgiving environment like Amazon where the policies are stringent and ever-changing, then a sorry won’t help, even if you were unaware or a newbie. With experience working with more than 500 Amazon sellers, we have collected 12 common blunders made by sellers. Read, evaluate, and learn from them.

Mistake #1: Registering for More Than One Seller Account

Having more than one seller account happens to be an outright violation of Amazon’s terms of service and this will lead to a permanent ban.

One seller account per identity - it’s that simple. Don’t be greedy. Creating more than one seller account won’t get you more sales but outsourcing your Amazon Seller Account Management to experts at eStore Factory will surely skyrocket your sales number.

Mistake #2: Choosing The Wrong Selling Plan

Selecting the wrong type of account will cost you. Sellers should carefully consider the fees for each selling plan as well as the products that are supposed to be listed. Each plan has its requirements, regulations and benefits to offer, so choose the one that suits your business the most. Both individual and professional sellers can list products in more than 20 categories. The other 10 categories are available only to professional sellers who apply for permission. For most sellers, a professional selling plan is the best option.

Fees for each plan:

• Individual Plan: $0.99 per item + referral fees and variable closing fees

• Professional Plan: $39.99 Monthly Subscription Fees

Mistake #3: Selling In a Highly Competitive Niche

Often Amazon sellers make the fundamental mistake of blindly picking up the niche, without doing proper product research. Selling a product that is in high demand seems to be the right choice, but it might not work too well. One of the main reasons behind this is that it can be difficult to get head-to-head with products that are already earning thousands and millions. Similarly, sellers should not go after products that are too hard to distinguish or have a unique selling point. This will just make your product too difficult for the audience to understand.

Mistake #4: Late & Expensive Shipping

Most of the shoppers prefer Amazon over any other retail platform because of swift and cheap delivery. After all, who does not like to place an order for a product today, only to get it delivered to your doorstep by tomorrow? Amazon Prime is widely popular because of this sole reason. Even the monthly fee does not deter shoppers from subscribing. Commit to your shipping speeds and never miss any delivery dates. If you can’t offer fast and reliable shipping yourself, choose FBA as your fulfillment channel.

Just like late shipping, expensive shipping policies can disappoint a customer to the extent that it can get you a negative review or seller feedback. It will lead to immediate profits at first, but in the long run, it will negatively impact your listing health.

So, sellers must realize the high standards they should maintain when it comes to fulfillment.

Mistake #5: Not Optimizing SKUs While Listing Products

Some of the mistakes are obvious and can be avoided if you are attentive. One such mistake is not optimizing the SKU when you first add the product. Sellers can assign SKU to their products themselves and if they do not specify the SKU, Amazon will create its own SKU. Using well-thought SKUs instead of default or random ones can allow you to easily organize and identify the product while generating analysis reports.

Mistake #6: Competing with Amazon

When you sell on Amazon, you are not just competing against other sellers – if you are selling the same products as Amazon, you are competing against Amazon too, and let’s face it, this is a real struggle. Amazon Retail can win competitive sales and rank well. The best thing sellers can do is research first whether Amazon carries the products you are interested in selling. And if that is the case, it would be smart to skip listing that item on Amazon. Perhaps sell on your website or any other e-commerce platform instead.

Mistake #7: Not Selling On Other Marketplaces

Selling in your own country or continent is great because you are aware of the market demand and taste. But keeping things too local means you are losing potential sales from a much bigger chunk of the audience. Explore all the possibilities and list your products in all the marketplaces that Amazon allows you to sell on. You might face less competition while selling on amazon.au (Australia) or amazon.mx (Mexico) than while selling on amazon.com (USA).

Mistake #8: Forgetting That Customer Is the King

As long as you are selling, keep in mind that your absolute focus should be on satisfying customer needs and making their life easier. And Amazon being customer-centric expects you to do that. Taking your own sweet time for replying to buyer messages and feedback, answering rudely to customers or poor handling of negative reviews and complaints can lead to a death knell for you. You might even get a review such as “Dress is great but ordered the wrong size – 1 Star”. It’s your business to reply to customers promptly in a way that they feel important and valued. The best thing to do is to avoid arguing with the customers thinking that the customer is always right.

Mistake #9 Directing Shoppers to Your Website

By selling on Amazon, you get access to its HUGE customer base. Driving traffic from Amazon listing to your website might sound tempting, but the repercussions can be grave. Remember, Amazon’s customers belong to Amazon. You can sell to them, and communicate with them but cannot take them away. It is a cardinal sin that can get your account banned. Game over.

To avoid such situations, just follow one simple rule: Don’t ever include URLs of your website or any other site other than Amazon on your listing images, content, or anywhere else on the product detail page.

Mistake #10: Inventory Mismanagement

Nothing frustrates a customer more than an Out of Stock label. It not only damages your reputation but also leads to a significant drop in organic and PPC rankings. Even after coming back in stock, you might face difficulties in reaching the position where you were before running out of inventory. Stay proactive get in the habit of checking inventory daily and coordinate with your supplier if there is a festival coming. If you are selling across multiple channels and cannot manage inventory, use integration software that can sync inventory levels or take help from us.

Mistake #11: Skimping Out On Listing Optimization

Your product detail page is a sales copy, a landing page for PPC ads, and the only medium through which buyers will get information about your product. Pixelated images, shoddy product descriptions, lack of keywords, and ignoring customers’ pain points will only decrease your conversion rates and organic rankings. Well-optimized product detail pages crafted by experienced Amazon Listing Optimization Service will sell your items like hot cakes and this is tested and proven!

Always remember, you are not selling a product; you are selling a solution to a customer’s problem. So while drafting your product copy, draw out the buyer’s main pain points and try to highlight them in your listing.

Here are a few guidelines sellers should take note of:

• Do not include sales or coupon in the product title. Do not use All CAPS or include symbols like * ! or $.

• Avoid writing promotion information in product copy. E.g., On Sale, Free Shipping.

• Use only a white background image for your hero image.

• Do not add a watermark in images. Amazon does not want to compromise with its user experience.

• Follow Amazon product optimization policies to the.

Mistake #12: Not Taking Help from Amazon SEO Service

Don’t think of yourself as an Avenger. You cannot do everything by yourself. Let the experts at eStore Factory handle your Amazon store the right way while you focus on other important aspects of your business. Doing this will make your life as an Amazon seller easy.

Final Thoughts:

If you want to encapsulate Amazon’s motto in one line then it would be: Put customers first. 80% of the above-mentioned mistakes are because sellers have upset customers in some way or the other. However, all of these mistakes can be avoided if you are alert and if you have done your homework well. Before taking any step, conduct thorough research and read all the Amazon rules properly. Or you can always contact Amazon Seller service providers like eStore Factory if you want to avoid mistakes and need any help with your Amazon business.