Selling Stuff Via Amazon Fullfillment - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 18, 2016, 01:14:02 pm
content: I'm considering looking into using Amazon fulfillment for my stuff.Has anyone done this?At first glance it looks like Aussies can now use this service? (wasn't the case last time I looked at it)What about shipping to the EU?

author: StuUK
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2016, 01:41:09 pm
content: Whether it's worth it or not will depend on volumes sold and essentially you'll be paying for holding stock elsewhere if sales are slow so might eat into your margins quite a bit. Not sure how time consuming your sales currently are to handle yourself and whether it's become a PITA so it's all a balancing act...

author: Cervisia
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2016, 01:51:56 pm
content: I don't see anything about this on amazon.com.au ...

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2016, 01:54:56 pm
content: "If your products are listed on Amazon.co.uk and inventory is stored in the UK, you can use your Amazon European marketplace account to list your products for sale on Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.it and Amazon.es. Fulfilment by Amazon can ensure hassle-free delivery of these international orders from your UK inventory pool using our European Fulfilment Network (EFN)."https://services.amazon.co.uk/services/fulfilment-by-amazon/pricing.htmlFreight the products to Amazon UK in a big box, and make it list on the local channels. There will not be free shipping this way AFAIK, but I could be wrong.mod: I would consider using this, even if it is more expensive than other solutions, because it is scale-able.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 18, 2016, 02:51:08 pm
content: Quote from: NANDBlog on April 18, 2016, 01:54:56 pmInteresting.Can anyone get a UK Amazon account?

author: Cervisia
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2016, 03:07:04 pm
content: QuoteIt appears to be no problem for Shenzen merchants.

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2016, 03:33:00 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 18, 2016, 02:51:08 pmI'm sure you need a VAT number in the eurozone, probably a bank account.It is probably doable from overseas, but you might need local help for some administrative stuff.Maybe it is easier to actually handle if you register as a (european) corporation, not as an individual.You should ask someone who actually understands bookkeeping and taxes.IDK about Asutralia, but Amazon is big here (sadly, no Belgian local site)Quote from: Cervisia on April 18, 2016, 03:07:04 pmThose are re-listing mostly. Someone european buys 100 gadgets, hopes that it comes through the border and it is not dangerous etc. and sends it to the warehouse.

author: Augustus
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2016, 03:39:05 pm
content: Wait at least until June 23.

author: jc101
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2016, 03:54:00 pm
content: Interesting topic, I have been looking into this too. I went through the details with a colleague who does it a fair bit and it seemed straightforward enough to be worth the effort.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2016, 06:41:06 pm
content: What about give it to Simon to run. Already set up with the Amazon UK account for himself. Plus you can simply have a consignment lot shipped to him direct so saving on the double duties and shipping, or at least the hassle of trying to claim duty back on the exported units.

author: manzini
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2016, 07:10:00 pm
content: Quote from: Augustus on April 18, 2016, 03:39:05 pmTTIP or Brexit ?

author: Towger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2016, 08:57:41 pm
content: I still don't know why you don't just let Franky send them from Hong Kong. He uses proper Hong Kong post, which only takes a week. Unlike the discount China post most ebay sellers use or claim as Hong Kong post.Is this just to get around the German Customs Gaspaho?In any event the UK is poised to leave the EU, if it happens expect the same customs and VAT problems when shipping from UK to the EU as you have when shipping from Oz.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 21, 2016, 09:28:16 am
content: BM235 now available on Amazon Canada:https://www.amazon.ca/EEVblog-BM235-Brymen-Multimeter/dp/B01JZ1ADCO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482312487&sr=8-1&keywords=bm235

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 11, 2017, 09:31:56 am
content: Just setting up my new DHL Ecommerce online shipping account (it's a different system from DHL Express!), and it has integrations with both ebay and amazon.i.e. I can pull orders from both platforms, ship using DHL ecommerce, and then export tracking numbers back to both ebay and amazon platforms.One of my problems with Amazon FBA (Amazon hold the stock and handle shipping) has been that only the US has been supported. And now recently Canada, but I have to send stock to each country and set up listing in each country etc.I'm now thinking that Amazon FBA is the wrong way to go and I should now use my DHL ecommerce account and do the fulfillment myself again.DHL ecommerce is their equivalent to the postal service, and the rates are cheaper than Australia Post eParcel I'm currently using.I could potentially just list everything on Amazon.com and set it fulfillment by me and have the product shipped from Australia. This should support all countries.So everyone in the world would buy through either Amazon, Ebay, or my own shopping cart, with fulfillment all done by me though the one DHL portal. Sounds like it solves a bunch of problems...Only downside would be that Amazon Prime customers won't have the option to get it quickly as it would come from Australia.

author: rrinker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 13, 2017, 07:32:54 pm
content: I guess it really depends on your volume. And the amount of help you have/are willing to hire to take care of the fulfillment side. I would think Amazon would be easier, at least for US/Canada. When Amazon does the fulfillment, do they handle any shipping issues to the end customer? Don't forget if you DIY, you will have to manage that as well, which obviously you are already for all other countries you ship to. What (rough) percentage of sales go to US/Canada? That may be your deciding factor as far as increase in workload goes.I receive a produce monthly (box to treats and toys for my dogs) that is shipped via DHL, I was under the impression that DHL quit the US market, but this uses their SmartPost service which takes the package to a specific USPS facility which then does the final delivery. I've never missed one, it's just infuriating watching the tracking info as it goes from about 2 hours away from me to the north, past my area, to a place about 2 hours sough of me and gets handed over to the USPS, which then brings it back to my local post office. However, they all (Fedex and UPS) also now do the same thing, I rarely have a Fedex or UPS truck in my neighborhood, last mile delivery is almost always USPS. The difference is that both Fedex and UPS have local hubs, which are also close by the local post office, so packages go there, get tendered to the post office, and are delivered to me.Bottom line, if you feel you can deal with the work involved and not get overly discouraged doing probably the least fun part about designing and selling a product, go for it. I ordered my BM235 before you started selling on Amazon, and the delivery time was quite reasonable considering it came halfway around the world. I was pretty impressed. I take it Australia to the US isn't much of a problem, unlike some countries.

author: ve7xen
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2017, 01:48:03 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on January 11, 2017, 09:31:56 amDoes Amazon charge you for shipping the meters? It shows up as 'free shipping' for me on amazon.ca. If you can meet the free shipping worldwide at the same price by fulfilling yourself (eg. minus Amazon FBA fees, shipping to the warehouse etc.), sounds like a great plan, but if you lose the free shipping I think it will hurt sales. Shipping is never cheap to Canada.

author: MacMeter
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2017, 05:27:55 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on January 11, 2017, 09:31:56 amFWIW: Amazon prime in US, was the reason I bought the EEVBlog BM235, got it in two days, shipping not exactly free, as I pay yearly for prime. Otherwise, I was going to buy a used Fluke 87v.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 28, 2017, 05:57:40 am
content: Quote from: ve7xen on January 14, 2017, 01:48:03 amNo. Shipping is up to amazon and whatever the buyer chooses. But of course Amazon take a huge chunk of the retail price, so you could argue shipping is subsidises into that percentage fee to sellers.The Amazon thing didn't work, Amazon US does not let me ship outside of the US even if I'm the seller. So I'm going back to having my shopping cart option and will continue to use FBA.I'm now selling through Amazon UK, but they only ship to the UK at present. Apparently I can use the UK warehouse to ship to Germany, France and Italy as well, but I'm ineligible at present to get approval for that, presumably I need some shipping history first before it will enable.I could ship to the German warehouse etc, but I don't see the point in that at present if I can just ship to the UK one.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 31, 2017, 12:52:10 pm
content: The BM235 is now on sale in Amazon Germany, France, Italy, and Estonia!My Pan-European FBA status just magically enabled and it went instantly on sale in those countries.First I heard of it was a got an order shipping notification in German!I presume it ships from the UK warehouse were I send it too, but wouldn't be surprised if they shuffle stock around on popular items?P.S. I've heard the German auto-translation is hilarious?

author: Co6aka
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 31, 2017, 01:12:38 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on January 31, 2017, 12:52:10 pmDein bier ist in der Luftpost! Wunderbar!

author: Gromitt
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2017, 01:21:02 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog onTodayat 13:52:10YayBUT:This doesn't affect me as I already have one, but why??see pic.

author: Cervisia
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2017, 02:53:55 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on January 31, 2017, 12:52:10 pmYes, and that makes it look like one ofthosedodgy sellers.Better use this:* EEVblog Brymen BM235, professionelles True-RMS-Multimeter* kompaktes Gehäuse, nur 160 mm x 80 mm* schneller Durchgangsprüfer, optische Anzeige (Hintergrundbeleuchtung) für laute Umgebungen* UL-Listing, Messkategorie CAT IV nach neustem Standard* mehrstufige berührungslose WechselspannungserkennungDas Brymen BM235 Multimeter, in EEVBlog-Edition mit blauer Schutzhülle.Dies ist das hochwertigste Multimeter mit der höchsten Messkategorie (CAT IV), das in einem kompakten Gehäuse erhältlich ist.Neuere Version des BM257s.Originale Marken-Sicherungen mit hohem Schaltvermögen für die A- und mA-Buchsen.Mit hochauflösenden Fotos des Inneren, so dass Sie genau über die Fertigungsqualität Bescheid wissen, die Sie erhalten. Dies hat kein anderes Multimeter auf Amazon!Mit hochwertigen Silikon-Messleitungen, nicht die Standard-Qualität, die normalerweise mit diesem Multimeter geliefert wird.Mit hochflexiblen Leitern, Silikon-Isolierung, vergoldeten Spitzen und Gewinde für die mitgelieferten 4-mm-Bananenstecker.Thermoelement-Fühler Typ K im Lieferumfang enthalten.Batterien (2 x Micro) im Lieferumfang enthalten.Hinweis: Ohne gedruckte Bedienungsanleitung; das neueste Handbuch kann vonwww.eevblog.com/bm235heruntergeladen werden.(And I did not find the manual at that link; it actually goes to the carry case.)

author: jm_araujo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2017, 03:03:19 pm
content: It also shows up in Amazon Spain (amazon.es), and the translation is also a bit dodgy.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2017, 07:20:41 pm
content: Then do a translation for Dave, having open source translation for an open source meter is kind of appropriate.

author: Barny
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 01, 2017, 02:42:29 pm
content: By the way:Austrian people aren't able to buy this DMM.(This item does not ship to Austria)The text reads in German like Google Translator gibberish.A little advice for everyone who want to get in contact with someone with another language.Please don't use Google Translator or likewise.This auto translated text is extreme hard to read and sometimes next to impossible to understand.An English written text is much easier to understand.Even when it comes from some like me, who speaks a pretty bad english.

author: jm_araujo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 01, 2017, 03:07:44 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on January 31, 2017, 07:20:41 pmWould love to, but I've never formally learned Spanish. I grew near the border (watched lots of cartoons) and it's close enough to Portuguese that I can read and speak it, but my fluency is nowhere near enough to write it, and it's much worse when it comes to technical terms.But maybe one of ours Spanish members will be kind enough to do it!

author: Valen
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 05, 2017, 12:58:13 pm
content: At present Amazon.co.uk or .de won't let me ship to the Netherlands. (just across the ditch on the east for the UK, and over the west garden-hedge for the Germans) Any chance this gets changed soon? I think I can order from the EEVblog shop but would like to avoid higher shipping costs and customs hassle. Unless Dave gets to keep a larger cut if I order it directly from him. Then I'd go for the latter.

author: swabaxter
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 07, 2017, 06:31:57 am
content: I just found the BM235 for sale on Amazon UK for £105 on Amazon Prime. That's an amazing price for an entry level meter.Based on recommendations from Dave and Martin Lorton a few years ago I purchased the Greenlee DM-810A which is manufactured by Brymen. It has a dual displayand bigger form factor.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 07, 2017, 07:08:01 am
content: Quote from: Valen on February 05, 2017, 12:58:13 pmIf it was up to me I would, but Amazon does not seem to give me the option.

author: HwAoRrDk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2017, 10:47:35 pm
content: Yes, not bad that price on Amazon.co.uk. Although it'll still be cheaper to buy direct from Dave if you are lucky enough to have it arrive without the need to pay importy duty and VAT.And speaking of which, I noticed a problem on the eevblog.com shop. Dave, you need to update the converted currency amounts on your website (shown by the little 'i' icon under the price). They're waaaaay out of date! It currently says the GBP conversion of 130 AUD is £65.33, but at today's rate it should actually be £79.26. The rate hasn't been anywhere near 50 cents to the pound since May last year!If it's supposed to update automatically, it's obviously broken. Or if it doesn't update automatically, one would have to question the utility of showing prices in other currencies at all, as they'll be inaccurate more often that not.