Amazon Wholesale, Explained
Practical, step-by-step guides on sourcing, ungating, purchase orders, and scaling an Amazon wholesale business, written by the Apex Applications team.
Amazon wholesale bookkeeping: the numbers to track and a monthly P&L routine
Why Amazon's reports are not a P&L, the five numbers wholesale sellers track, a monthly routine and a P&L sheet to build, and when to bring in a CPA.
Amazon's inbound placement fee: how it works, with a calculator
Minimal split or Amazon-optimized splits: what the inbound placement fee costs, which items pay it, and an estimate for your shipment by region.
Amazon payouts explained: DD+7, the reserve and your settlement report
Why your Amazon payout is lower than your sales: how DD+7 and the account reserve work, how to read a settlement report, and how to plan cash around it.
Amazon referral fees by category, with a fee lookup
Every Amazon referral fee by category, with price tiers, per-item minimums and the media closing fee, plus a lookup that does the math at any price.
Amazon rule changes for resellers: what changed, and what to do
A sourced log of the Amazon changes that matter to wholesale resellers, from FNSKU labels to inbound fees, with what each means and what to do next.
Amazon wholesale product research: how to analyze a supplier price list
Ten checks that turn a supplier price list into a buy list: UPC matches, landed cost, fees, ROI, sales, competition, approval and when to walk away.
Brand-direct wholesale on Amazon: how to pitch a brand
What brands want from an Amazon reseller, how to pitch one, what Amazon will and will not enforce for you, and exclusivity promises to be careful with.
How to email a wholesale distributor or brand (copy-paste templates)
Copy-paste emails for a first message to a distributor or brand, an honest answer to 'do you sell on Amazon?', follow-ups, an LOA request and a script.
Do you need Keepa? What the free version shows, and what only Keepa does
What Keepa's free and paid versions show, what only Keepa's price history can tell you, and what a wholesale buyer can check elsewhere for free.
Your first Amazon wholesale order: how much to buy and how to split it
How to test small across several products, size each line from sales and case packs, plan the cash beyond the order, and build your first purchase order.
FNSKU labels for Amazon resellers: when you need one and how to apply it
What an FNSKU is, how it differs from a UPC, what changed when commingling ended, label size and placement, and who can do the labeling for you.
How to find brands to sell on Amazon wholesale
Ways to find brands worth approaching for Amazon wholesale: reverse sourcing from listings, seller storefronts, distributor lists and brand searches.
Is Amazon FBA worth it? An honest answer for each business model
Who Amazon FBA still works for, who should not start, what it costs to begin, how long money takes to come back, and how to test it cheaply first.
Landed cost for Amazon wholesale: the per-unit math that decides your profit
What goes into landed cost for Amazon wholesale: case packs, freight to prep, prep and labels, inbound shipping and placement, with a worked example.
Letter of authorization for Amazon: what it is, who issues it, and how to ask a brand
Who can authorize you to sell a brand on Amazon, what a letter of authorization should cover, how to ask for one, and what it does not do for you.
Amazon wholesale products to avoid: Amazon on the listing, hazmat, expiry and complaint risk
The listings to walk away from before you buy: Amazon selling, too many sellers, hazmat, expiry and meltables, Transparency, brand complaints, price wars.
When to reorder on Amazon: a simple reorder point for wholesale
Work out when to reorder from lead time, prep days, inbound days and daily sales, with a calculator and the fees for too little or too much stock.
What changes as an Amazon wholesale business grows
What changes as a wholesale business grows, from more suppliers and bigger orders to cash and a team, told from Stef's own experience, not averages.
Amazon suspension appeal: how to write a plan of action
How Amazon's appeal process works, the three parts of a plan of action, the documents to gather by suspension type, and when to get professional help.
Amazon Section 3 violations: what they mean for resellers and what to do
What Section 3 of Amazon's Business Solutions Agreement covers, the triggers that hit resellers, the documents to gather and how the appeal works.
Everything You Get When You Start Your Apex Trial: Tools, Automation, Suppliers, Education, and Support
What an Apex Applications account includes, said plainly: the five modules, review requests, wholesale distributors, education and support.
The real challenges of Amazon wholesale, and how sellers get past them
The problems that stop new wholesale sellers, from approvals and supplier replies to thin margins and cash flow, with the page that solves each one.
Online arbitrage vs retail arbitrage: what each is, and which fits you
What online arbitrage and retail arbitrage mean, how each works on Amazon, the rules that apply, the time and money each takes, and when to move on.
Amazon FBA fees: every fee a seller pays, explained with examples
What Amazon takes from each sale, fee by fee: referral, fulfillment, storage, placement, the selling plan and other fees, with sources and examples.
Best categories for Amazon wholesale: competition, margins and supplier depth
The categories wholesale resellers do well in and why, with competition, margins and supplier depth for each, and links to approval guides per category.
How much money do you need to start Amazon wholesale?
What it costs to start Amazon wholesale, line by line, and what to do with $1,000, $5,000 or $20,000, including the free steps to take before you spend.
How to negotiate wholesale prices with distributors
When to negotiate, the levers that work for a small Amazon reseller, word-for-word scripts, and how to catch price changes on your reorders.
Amazon wholesale profit margin and ROI: what's good, with the math
How to work out profit, ROI and margin for Amazon wholesale, the rules of thumb sellers use and why, and the most you can pay for a target ROI.
Amazon wholesale vs private label: which one fits you
Wholesale and private label compared on money, time, risk, approvals and control, in one table, so you can pick the model that fits your situation.
Why We Built Apex Applications: One Place Instead of Five Subscriptions
The problem with the Amazon seller software market, what Apex Applications includes, what we deliberately do not try to be, and the bet we are making.
How to automate Amazon review requests the right way
What Amazon's Request a Review button does, what its rules allow, how to send it for every eligible order, and what no tool can promise you.
Amazon wholesale purchase orders: a workflow from quote to receiving
How to run purchase orders for Amazon wholesale from quote to receiving: what goes on a PO, landed cost, invoices, discrepancies and restock orders.
How to read a Keepa chart for Amazon wholesale, with real examples
How to read Keepa's price, sales rank, offer count and Buy Box data before a wholesale buy, with real examples and four patterns to recognize.
Amazon ungating invoice requirements: what Amazon checks, line by line
What Amazon checks on an invoice for category or brand approval, the documents that are commonly rejected, and what to do if your application is denied.
How to start Amazon wholesale: a step-by-step guide
Set up the business, open a seller account, learn the fees, get approved, find distributors, analyze a price list and place a first order, step by step.
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