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Why Won’t It Sell

As I’ve been selling on Amazon for so long, I forget how complex of a platform Fulfiment by Amazon is to newcomers. There’s a whole host of marketplaces that make things so much easier for its sellers. For those that have mastered it, you’ll understand the value of streamlining. There’s nothing better than it. Amazon’s aim is to make things as convenient as possible for sellers. Once you understand how everything works, it is extremely convenient. Besides this, if you are a new Amazon FBA seller then you should definitely check this detailed guide on how to do Amazon FBA step by step.

Thanks to FBA, I:

  • Don’t have to store any stock in my home
  • Don’t have to send a single parcel to any customers
  • Don’t have to manage 80% of the customer service

However, a frustration to Amazon sellers is the Buy Box system. Third party sellers (and Amazon themselves) compete for the chance to be the first listing that a potential customer sees when they’re about to make a purchase.

It means that if your price isn’t competitive enough, it may take a while for your goods to sell. If the product happens to be a seasonal one, it may mean that you don’t end up selling it. It may just be a case that you bought something that once looked promising, but didn’t turn out that way. As the months go on, the fees accumulate and you may need to get it sent back to you.

Some wait until the long-term storage fees kick in. Others want to get the stuff back to them as soon as they see a sale isn’t imminent. Whenever it happens, you need to have a plan once you get everything back.

What are the Options?

Sell It Elsewhere

Much like with returns, if something hasn’t sold on Amazon, try it on eBay, Depop, Gumtree or something along those lines. If you know what you’re doing on those other marketplaces, it won’t be a problem to add that to your list of items to list.

Consider a New Listing

You don’t have to take your stock off Amazon completely. Step one is to see whether there’s an existing, better-selling duplicate listing. Step two is to think about bundles. If you have something that works nicely as part of a pack, bundle the two together in a brand new listing. People hunting out one of the items may stumble upon yours and buy it if they think it’s a cost-saving deal (whether it is or not). 

Job Lot It

As someone that sold a lot of low value things on eBay for a while, there was a whole section of our spare room dedicated to odd bits that we knew would never sell by themselves, but would plump up a job lot listing. If you feel as though you have enough extra bits to sell on the side, then this is a good option to consider.

If you don't have a spare room for your convenience, major cities around the UK like London for example do have cheaper storage options dotted around the map for you to use, you can get smaller storage units for your inventory i.e. self storage facilities in Croydon, Brixton, Shoreditch and so on. This way you can still save space, mitigate any losses and save money on inventory expenses while continuing to sell your surplus of products as a part of a bundle. 

Keep It for Yourself

If you’re selling something that you wouldn’t mind owning for yourself, here’s the chance. Of course it’s best to consider the other options first, but this is by far the quickest to sort out. Giving it to someone else as a gift fits into this category too. So much less time and thought needs to go into this.

Give It Away

Freecycle is a great platform and I advise all people use it to get rid of things that they no longer need. If you feel as though you’re just wasting time (therefore money) by attempting to do anything with your things but give them away, then stick them on here. Or give them to charity. Or do whatever else to get the stuff gone.

What’s the Best Option?

I would always weigh up the time and potential reward. If you’re fairly confident that you’re going to make most of your money back by selling on another marketplace, go down that route. Amazon FBA is quick and pain-free. You’re not going to get that with any other marketplace, but you can get the next-best thing if you know what you’re doing else.

Usually, I just write off the stock, give it away and keep it moving. Quick things. Let’s keep the momentum rolling. 

Chiino
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