One of the scariest parts of building an Amazon private label business is the fact that at some point you have to send off a big chunk of money to a supplier you have never met, in a factory or warehouse that you cannot inspect in most cases, and trust that you are products are going to arrive at your location or the Amazon warehouse as promised and in good shape. Today's episode deals with that exact subject in the experiences of one Amazon Seller who had trouble getting his product payments refunded after he decided the products were not up to his quality standards. You are going to learn a lot of lessons from his hard learned experience.

How do you know the products your supplier gives you are the quality you want?

The first thing you should do when you find a product that might be a potentially good fit for your business to feature on Amazon is to have a sample sent to you. That's a very needed and necessary first step, but it may not be the total solution. The process of sending a sample can be manipulated by the supplier sending you the very best one that they have, giving you the impression that all of the products they produce are the same quality. Today's guest decided to have an inspection company check out his products prior to them being shipped from the supplier and that one step saved him a thousand headaches. You can hear his entire story on this episode.

What is Trade Assurance and why you should only use suppliers who are verified through it.

When you are seeking a supplier for the products you want to sell through Amazon private label you will come across many options on the Alibaba website. You need to make sure that you were only looking for products among sellers who are certified by Trade Assurance. Trade Assurance is Alibaba's way of verifying suppliers and is a way that you can have peace of mind that you're dealing with reputable companies. On this episode Scott's guest is going to share his experience with Trade Assurance and why it was an invaluable part of the process when seeking a refund from one of his suppliers.

If you have to ask for your deposit back, expect a long process.

It doesn't really matter how you pay the deposit for your first round of products, whether by wire transfer, escrow, or PayPal, if you need to request a refund you will have a long time to wait. Refunds come through a multi-stage the process of verification and investigation about what was actually done by the company and by you. It's very important that in that entire process you document every communication and every step along the way. Today's guest is going to share with you how he did that and the results that came of it.

How to effectively use an escrow account.

One of the tools you can use when paying a supplier from China through Alibaba is called an escrow account. Escrow accounts basically hold the funds that you have sent for your deposit until you indicate that you are satisfied with the product you have been supplied. It's a way to ensure that your money is going to be returned to you if the product you receive are not up to the quality standards that you were led to believe. On this episode Scott shares why he values the escrow functionality so much, and how you can be sure to use it in your interactions with suppliers.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER

• [0:04] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [0:50] An introduction to the voicemail Blair sent to Scott.
• [1:43] How you can get started with Amazon FBA and join the free live workshop.
• [3:30] The voicemail itself.
• [6:21] Blair’s conversation with Scott.
• [7:59] How Blair began his Amazon private label business.
• [9:53] Blair’s process for discovering his first products.
• [12:20] The plan behind Blair’s variety of product offerings.
• [13:59] The situations with suppliers.
• [15:15] The situations Blair experienced that caused issues with his payments.
• [17:10] The Trade Assurance dispute process.
• [18:40] The difficulties of not being able to get a deposit returned.
• [20:27] Blair’s process working from New Zealand.
• [21:53] What it took for Blair to set up a U.S. bank account.
• [23:35] The hassles experienced shipping by boat.
• [24:26] Recommendations about payments, based on his experience.
• [31:12] Why you have to go into FBA knowing there is risk involved.
• [32:45] The power of using an escrow account through Alibaba.
• [35:13] The refund process is multi-stepped, be prepared if you get into it.
• [41:50] Scott’s summary of the conversation.
• [42:50] Your invitation to the free, live workshop.

• www.TheAmazingSeller.com/workshop - register for the free, live workshop
• Alibaba and AliExpress
• Trade Assurance

This is one of the Ask Scott sessions where Scott Voelker answers your questions about Amazon private label sales. If you’d like to get your question answered on one of these podcast episodes, you can do it by going to www.TheAmazingSeller.com/ask. Scott would be happy to address your issues to the best of his ability so be sure to take advantage of this powerful resource.

Should international sellers try to start in their local Amazon market on or the U.S. market?

A listener of the show does not live in the United States and wants to get started with private label sales on Amazon. He’s not sure if he should start selling in his local Amazon market or try to get his products set up on the U.S. Amazon market. Scott’s answer is an “it depends” kind of answer but you’ll want to know what it is that it depends on. ;) There’s lots to consider in a situation like this so be sure you take the time to listen.

I have a customer who has contacted me through Amazon’s system and wants to buy large quantities of my product. How can I handle that?

It’s an amazing opportunity - or it appears to be. This listener and active Amazon private label seller has been contacted by one of his customers through the Amazon system. The customer claims to want to purchase large quantities of his products in bulk. The listener is not sure if there is a way he can connect with the seller legally within Amazon’s terms of service to work out that deal. Scott’s answer is very helpful and you’ll hear it on this episode.

I’m an international seller but I sell on the U.S. Market. How can I get my products shipped to the U.S.?

Scott has often recommended that international sellers get access to a U.S. based address to have their products sent to before sending to the Amazon warehouse so that products can be inspected before being stocked in the warehouse. It’s a great idea, but today’s listener doesn’t have access to a U.S based address and is curious if there are other options. There are indeed and today Scott is going to walk through them. It’s all on this episode of The Amazing Seller.

Would you like to get in on a free 10-day private label course?

One of the things Scott has done to create a helpful training resource for brand new Amazon private label sellers is to put together a 10 day course walking through every single step Scott has taken to get his private label products, get them onto  Amazon, and make sales with them. If you’d like to get that 10 day course sent to you via email, you can get it by going to www.FreePrivateLabelCourse.com - and Scott will send it right to you!

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE AMAZING SELLER

• [0:04] Scott’s introduction to the podcast!
• [1:08] How you can get your questions answered on the show.
• [2:05] A TAS member who’s taking action!
• [5:31] Why the process is the best way to learn.
• [6:28] QUESTION ONE: What is your take on international sellers getting started - should we start on the U.S. Amazon market?
• [12:42] QUESTION TWO: How can I handle someone who wants to purchase my products on a large volume basis? Can it be done?
• [20:21] QUESTION THREE: I want to follow your advice about getting a price of products being shipped to me via air, but I’m not located in the U.S. How can I do that?
• [25:04] How you can get Scott’s free 10-day course.

• Facebook Post mentioned
• www.TheAmazingSeller.com/ask - Get your questions answered on the show.
• www.TheAmazingSeller.com/FB - get into the TAS Facebook community.
• www.TheAmazingSeller.com/98 - the episode about international sales.
• www.TheAmazingSeller.com/149 - an international seller featured.
• www.TheAmazingSeller.com/139 - An Australia seller selling on the U.S. market.
• www.TopWinInspection.com - inspection company Scott recommends.

www.FreePrivateLabelCourse.com - get the 10 day private label course.