More and more individuals are deciding to try their hand at making an income by selling on Amazon. It’s a great idea, seeing as there is so much opportunity and a relatively hands-free business model in some cases.
There are a lot of ways to sell on Amazon. Whether you’re dropshipping or storing inventory in your garage, the potential for making a profit is definitely there.
One of the difficult questions is asking your self what to sell on Amazon. After that, you have to understand how to make your product rise to the top of the search results. We’re going to explore the process of selling on Amazon in this article, giving you some insight into what to sell and how to sell it.
Let’s get started.
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The Basics of Selling on Amazon
Amazon provides entrepreneurs with an excellent opportunity. One huge payoff of using the site is the fact that you don’t have to pay for a storefront.
The massive cost of paying rent is taken away, and you’re freed up to buy more inventory, educate yourself, or do whatever else you think will improve your business.
There’s a wide variety of business models that have success selling products online, but individuals aiming to make money on Amazon typically start with a drop shipping model or simply buy in bulk and proceed to sell from home.
In these modes, individuals stick to a small number of products to sell, sometimes only focusing on one. It may be unwise to buy into the idea of selling dozens and dozens of products on Amazon because the success if each requires a lot of work, independently of one another.
If you have a physical store, you can reasonably expect that traffic in your door improves the odds of all products getting purchased. You can give marketing pushes and drive people to come to browse your wares.
Alternatively, customers on Amazon usually aren’t there to browse. When you search for something on Amazon, the odds are that you won’t stray too far from the product you originally intended to purchase.
The Art of Getting Seen
Because there isn’t a lot of drift from one product to another, your goal as an Amazon seller is to boost your product to the top of the results pages. As an example, think about your own experience purchasing goods online.
When you have a product you’re trying to find, do you typically browse through pages and pages of search results before making a selection? Do you tend to select one of the products listed on the first page? Most people find themselves answering “yes” to the second question.
Products that rank higher in the results tend to feel more reliable, significant, and valuable than those that don’t rank on the first page. The further down you go, the more you wonder whether or not you’re going to get what you pay for.
There are certainly a lot of excellent products listed in the back pages of the search results, but those aren’t the products that sell.
Why Some Products Have Success
The difference between the products that rank highly and those that don’t is how well they’re optimized.
If you’ve spent any time trying to create a website or run a business online, you’re probably familiar with the term “search engine optimization.” Search engines operate by providing relevant search results that respond appropriately to the keyword phrase that a user types in.
For example, you search “great noodle shops near me,” and you can typically find what you’re looking for immediately. Search engines are only successful because they can pull up results in this way.
They function through the use of a sophisticated algorithm that ranks web pages based on a number of factors. The same system applies to Amazon.
Optimizing for Amazon
Optimizing for Amazon is similar to search engine optimization. It requires an understanding of the playing field and a close eye for fine-tuning ranking factors and making adjustments as needed.
If you can’t make your way up in Amazon’s search results, your sales will dwindle. It’s the way things are right now, and there isn’t really away around it; you have to attract customers, and they won’t see you if you don’t rank.
The point is, it’s possible, but it’s a little time-consuming—the more products you sell, the more pages that need to be optimized for the search rankings.
That’s why it’s so important to select one or two products to sell as you’re just starting out. You can seriously focus on these products and generate a significant amount of income.
The importance of choosing the right products is huge. If you’re spending your time on a product that no one wants to buy, you’re out of luck. If you’re spending your time on the type of product that’s dominated by well-optimized huge companies, you’re out of luck.
We’re here to help you brainstorm products that will serve you well in your efforts to make a living online.
What to Sell on Amazon
Let’s look through some of the products that are working on Amazon right now. Don’t jump to any conclusions when reading this article, though.
Just because something is working right now doesn’t mean you should just pick any product from any manufacturer. Make sure you do your due diligence as you move forward in the process of fleshing out your supply chain.
With that in mind, let’s explore some ideas that should earn you a profit.
1. Leggings
People are always looking for comfortable leggings to wear, and big store prices are typically very high.
Selling a neutral legging online is an excellent option. It’s also an easy product to store if you have to keep it in a physical location. Further, single packages are extremely lightweight and cheap to ship.
Ensure that the product is comfortable and isn’t see-through, though, because those are two issues that consumers will certainly call you out on.
2. Blankets
Any variety of blanket is bound to be cheap to buy, easy to ship, and generally profitable. Your best move would be to find a particular niche that has an opening.
For example, baby blankets are a great way to find an audience. How you choose to make it a “baby” blanket is up to you. Typically, the size is the biggest factor in the process.
That said, you could certainly find a manufacturer who allows you to print with particular images and themes. There may even be an option for multiple image options to be provided on the same product, saving you time with optimization.
3. Art Supplies
Individual art supplies are a large need for many people. Consider paintbrushes, specialty pencils, paints, and more.
Many people buy sets of art supplies and find themselves in need of only one piece when it goes missing. This creates a general need for many specific supplies.
You can also consider buying a set of art supplies such as paintbrushes. When bought wholesale, these supplies are very easy to label and store yourself.
4. Specialty Dog Leashes
Specialty dog leashes are an extremely profitable item on Amazon. Simple, effective leashes that retract and extend will always have demand.
Further, they’re sold wholesale at a very low price and can sell for more than double what they cost. They’re an easy-to-ship product, too, cutting your costs down significantly in the long run.
5. Pillows
Do some digging and find a niche in the pillow industry. For example, many people require hypoallergenic pillows. Those pillows are hard to find in-store, so most people go online to find them.
There are certainly other nuances to the industry that you could identify. Pillows are also a commonly-searched item on Amazon and have a reasonably high-profit margin.
Not to mention, you’d have enough pillows to last yourself a lifetime.
6. Portable Blenders
This is certainly a niche item, and it may not be popular forever, but there’s a distinct uptick in people looking for portable blenders right now.
It makes sense, too, seeing as people are increasingly mobile, and the desire for a healthy diet is extremely common. If you can manage to find yourself at the top of the portable blender searches in Amazon, you’re going to experience some pretty exciting results.
7. Phone Charger Trends
It seems as though phone chargers are improving all of the time. It’s no surprise that the next trend is in wireless phone chargers.
Wireless phone chargers have been on the market for a short time now, and the availability of cheaper wholesale options is on the rise. It’s a perfect time to enter the market and experience success while wireless chargers are popular.
Keep an eye out, too, because you never know what the next adaptation of the wireless charger will be.
8. Cell Phone Camera Lenses
A lot of drop shippers have found success selling camera lenses online. They’ve been popular for a few years, and the trend hasn’t dropped.
These are excellent products because they’re so functional, and they can save a person a great deal of money if they don’t want to spend a fortune on a new camera. Selling an adjustable lens online provides an excellent and marketable service.
9. Blow-Up Pet Collars
Inflatable pet collars are experiencing a current boost in sales. These are essentially the answer to the restrictive cone. They prevent dogs and cats from gnawing at themselves while providing a comfortable pillow for them to sleep on during flights and car rides.
There’s no doubt about it; they’re very cute. They’re also an excellent product to sell because they’re small (before they’re inflated), relatively cheap, and people want to buy them.
10. Wrist Leash
Have you ever seen a family walking around with some kind of mechanism to keep all of the children within arms reach? Sometimes leashes are used, and sometimes they look a little bit weird.
The answer to that problem is the wrist leash. It’s essentially two bracelets attached by a stretchy cord, and people are searching for them. They’re a great holiday product to sell.
Again, very small, lightweight, and marketable. You’d also have an easy time creating a video advertisement or marketing push for this one.
11. Car Phone Accessories
Laws around using your phone in any capacity while driving a vehicle are tightening. That means the need for a cheap, effective car phone holder is huge and about to get bigger.
Another nice thing to consider is that car phone holders have been a growing search term on Google for the last 5 years.
12. Drones
There’s no doubt that people are very into drones with cameras on them. Whether someone is trying to get professional-quality shots with the camera or just play around, there’s a high market demand right now.
You’ll have to invest a little bit more in the process, though. Drones typically run somewhere from 100 to 500 dollars a pop.
13. Pump Wedges
People will be getting locked out of their cars until cars are no longer humanity’s primary mode of transportation.
A pump wedge is a little inflatable wedge that you can place in your car’s doorframe in order to access the unlock button. They can help you prevent doing any damage to your car without having to call a locksmith.
They’re small, durable, cost-effective, and in constant need, which means they’re a great product to sell online.
14. Simple Swim Suits
Men or women’s swimsuits are always in demand as well. A standard, unicolor suite will certainly earn you some success if you can optimize your product well.
There are a lot of swimsuits on Amazon, but finding the right niche and the right product will generate a lot of interest.
15. Breathable Men’s Shoes
Mesh running shoes are extremely popular right now, and there are a lot of opportunities to buy them wholesale at the moment.
They’re cheap, extremely light, and you can find options that are general enough for almost anyone to look good in them.
Just Starting Your Online Journey?
If you’re wondering what to sell on Amazon, you’re probably wondering how to optimize your pages, too. You might just be wondering about different ways to make money online. We’re here to help.
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