Day in the Life of an Amazon Seller: 2.12.22 Sourcing Trip

Feb 20

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When I started this blog, I promised myself that I would share the good, the bad, and the ugly of selling on Amazon. What better way to do this than to share what happens in a typical (or not so typical day) as an Amazon Seller.

Follow along on my journey as I source, prep, pack, and ship items in my new blog series, Day in the Life of an Amazon Seller!

2.12.22 Walmart Trip

Definitely feeling the post-surgery and post-Q4 blues right about now. Sourcing was just mediocre at best today, but that's okay. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it!

This was a super quick trip. I had plans to drink wine, eat steak, and make chocolate covered strawberries with my husband for Valentine's Day! Don't judge - we aren't professional chocolate covered strawberry makers!

First things first... I head to the clearance sections. I'm not sure why, but I always tend to go here first. I just can't help myself - I get so excited when I see those yellow stickers hoping to find a sweet deal!

Minecraft is definitely one of my BOLO (be on the lookout) brands. I have sold several Minecraft items and they usually go quick. This one has a great profit and ROI, but I left it behind because of the sales rank! 2 Million is way too high for me, even in clothing.

Ugh! Here's another one I found and left behind. Again, great profit and ROI. Except this one doesn't even have a sales rank! It's safe to say that no sales rank means that the item is rarely selling and that you should probably stay away. Don't be blinded by the profit!

I just love baby Yoda (and that sales rank!). Unfortunately, I can't sell him either and I think that I'm starting to sound like a broken record now.

Number one, it's priced too high (even on clearance) to make a profit. Number two, Amazon is on the listing and usually means that you won't make very many sales unless they are sold out. And number three, I'm gated in the Star Wars brand.

Friendly reminder to always click through to try and get ungated! You might just hit the jackpot and get auto ungated. Or you may have to submit invoices from an authorized distributor, which is what happened to me in this situation.

Finally! I hit the jackpot. Unfortunately, they only had one because I would have cleared the shelf!

There were two listings Women's Rogaine when I scanned the UPC and you can list on whichever one you want. But why not choose the one with the lowest rank and highest profit?

Unfortunately, this item was considered to be Hazmat or a dangerous good by Amazon, so I couldn't sell FBA. However, FBM definitely worked in my favor on this one and I'm not complaining!

This item was on sale for $32.60 and I sold it for $110 FBM the following day! I made a whopping $55 profit on it, which is about 150% ROI!

Here's another one I found that actually makes a little profit. I left it behind because the ROI wasn't at least 40-50%, which is something I try to stick to when I'm sourcing.

This is another great example as to why you should always click through the listing if you are gated. You might just get auto ungated like I did!

Premier Protein seems to be a hit or miss for me. It seems to depend on flavor and time of year.

I found this one on sale for a reasonable price, but the sales rank was way too high. If you are fine waiting on the sale, this item makes good profit and you may want to check out the clearance aisles at your local Walmarts!

Don't forget to check expiration dates on all grocery and health/beauty items!! This one doesn't expire until the end of the year, but it's not unusual to find something expired or about to expire in the clearance aisles.

I'll use my favorite saying again - don't be blinded by the profit and forget to check the date. It is so frustrating to make it home with something and realize you can't sell it!

For whatever reason, my local Walmart had tons of personal care items on sale! Here's some toothpaste that I found but didn't end up buying.

Don't forget to check for bundle listings!

It's so easy to just scan the UPC and move on. But remember, lazy sellers don't make money. Try scanning the item like you're taking a photo or type the product name into the search bar. You will be amazed at how many more items you find and how much more profitable you can be!

I recently paid to get ungated in Legos and my only regret is not doing it sooner! I have easily made my money back (plus some) and it's been less than 2 months.

I found this box of Legos in the clearance Toy section at Walmart. As you can see, it has a good sales rank, and it makes over 100% ROI! I expect it to go quick once it hits the Amazon warehouse.

Just FYI - Make sure you download the Walmart app before you go sourcing! If you find something and are unsure of the price, you can scan the UPC to find out!

Neutrogena is another BOLO brand. If you can find it on sale, that's a double win! But that's not always the case (even though we wish it was). This one was on sale for $5 and I basically double my money!

I bought 2 boxes and left the 3rd one behind. It did have some damage to the box and, because of this, decided to leave it. I probably could have gotten away with selling it, but didn't want to risk a bad review for only $5 profit.

Items you sell on Amazon should be brand new and undamaged. As a customer, would you be mad if you received a damaged item? Would you be embarrassed to give it as a gift? Don't be that seller!

Here are some other products that I found on this trip.