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FAQ

HOW TO GET STARTED WITH SELLING ON AMAZON

The best way to start your online business of selling on Amazon is to invest in a quality, step-by-step video training program that can guide you through the steps of building your Amazon business.

 

If you’re looking to private label physical products and sell through fulfillment by Amazon, then I recommend this free video training I’ve put together here, along with some courses that I recommend.  

 

Click here for my free Amazon FBA Training Videos.

Click here for in-depth step-by-step Amazon courses that I recommend.

WHAT IS THE BEST COURSE FOR SELLING ON AMAZON?

The best course I’ve come across for selling on Amazon is the Amazing Selling Machine, which has been known as the #1 training program out there that most of the top Amazon sellers I know of have started with.  It’s the same course that taught me how to build my Amazon FBA business as a beginner. 

 

To learn more about the Amazing Selling Machine, click here.

 

Since I’m an affiliate for the Amazing Selling Machine (ASM), I’ve put together some incredible bonuses that you can get for FREE (at no additional cost).  Click here to learn about my Amazing Selling Machine bonuses.


If you’re on an extremely tight budget and simply can’t afford ASM, then the next best option I could recommend to you is Marketplace Superheroes. While it’s not as great as ASM (nothing is), this course can be a great way for you to get started and make money on Amazon through their methods.  Click here to learn more about Marketplace Superheroes.

IS AMAZON TOO COMPETITIVE AND SATURATED NOW?

No, absolutely not.  The opportunity on Amazon is so big and continues to grow, that it’ll never be to the point where it’s too saturated or competitive for someone to start.  Whenever someone asks this question, it’s often coming from a scarcity mindset, a lack of confidence, or a poor strategy on how to build an online business.  Let me explain.

 

Yes, Amazon is competitive, which is a GOOD thing.  Often people have the hallucination that they’re going to find some “magical” niche or product that they can sell on Amazon that has no competition and will make them money forever.  That’s not how it works.  The truth is, ANY profitable or high demand niche on Amazon WILL have competition.  And if it doesn’t yet, then it WILL soon.  

 

So if you’re thinking you’re going to build a business on Amazon without competition, then think again. That’s a poor strategy that isn’t sustainable because eventually there will be competition that wipes out your entire business and income.

 

The reason why competition is a GOOD thing is that it validates to you that the niche is in high demand, selling well and that there’s potential for you to make money from it.  If you discover a niche without competition, you should likely AVOID it because there’s not enough evidence that the market is big enough.  

 

The other misconception that many people have, which leads to the concern about competition or saturation, is that they’re building solely an Amazon business.  You do NOT want to build just an Amazon business.  If you build your business just selling a product on Amazon, then that’s a poor strategy as you’re too dependent on Amazon for your entire business.  Why would you want your entire business to be dependent on Amazon, where you don’t have full control – at any moment, they can remove your listing, delete your reviews, someone can hijack your listing, or your product keyword rankings can drop?  That’s not a sustainable business and again, is a poor strategy and thinking.

 

What you ultimately want to do is to START on Amazon, but build a brand and learn how to market OUTSIDE of Amazon.  If you build a brand and market your product through content marketing, social media marketing, pay per click advertising, etc… then you really don’t need to worry about competition or saturation on Amazon very much.  

 

Why?  Because you’re not entirely dependent on Amazon for traffic and you’re sending people to your Amazon listing through sources outside of Amazon.  This is what Amazon wants you to do, which gives you a huge competitive advantage over anyone else on Amazon and allows you to get more reviews and rank your product more than anyone else.

 

And finally, the concern or fear of competition ultimately stems from a lack of confidence or a scarcity mindset.  To succeed, you need to believe in yourself, your ability to be resourceful, and add more value than anyone else.  You also need to focus on the OPPORTUNITY that exists on Amazon, rather than the lack of opportunity.  Whatever you focus on, you will move towards and attract into your life.  Tatiana believes the best ways to cultivate this confidence and abundance mindset is through self-development, as well as constantly improving and growing by investing in yourself.


One of the ways that Tatiana developed her confidence and mindset has been through her daily morning rituals, which she dedicates the time to create an unstoppable mindset.  If you haven’t yet been through the Morning Ritual Mastery program, I’d highly recommend that you start that and over 7-days it can change your life.  Click here to learn more about Morning Ritual Mastery.

SHOULD I SELL ON AMAZON OR SHOPIFY?

If you’re building a brand from the ground up, Tatiana strongly recommends that you start selling on Amazon. Amazon is the largest online retailer in the world and they continue to expand each day. The reason you’d want to start on Amazon is because you’ll get access to thousands of Amazon’s customers. 

 

Amazon is a search engine, similar to Google. On Google you can type in any question you have and a variety of websites will show up in the results. Similarly, on Amazon if someone wants to buy something and they type in the keyword then hundreds of listings will show up. When you learn how to do keyword research and optimize your Amazon listing then you’ll be able to rank for those keywords and therefore reach a large audience of potential customers.

 

For this reason, you’ll see success on Amazon a lot faster than if you were to start on Shopify.

 

Eventually, you’ll want to open up a Shopify store and sell on your own website alongside Amazon. Tatiana did this with her eCommerce business. She started on Amazon and once she built up a small email list she created a website and started directing people there. This is important because you never want to be dependent on Amazon or any one single platform.

 

If you already have a following on social media or a large email list then you may be one of the few who would benefit from selling on Shopify first, because you have an existing audience and therefore you don’t need Amazon’s customers. 

 

For the majority of people though, this isn’t the case and that’s why it’s best to start on Amazon.

 

If you’re considering starting your Amazon FBA business then a great way to start is by receiving Tatiana’s free introduction to Amazon video training series. You can get it by clicking here.


If you want further explanation on this topic, check out this video from Tatiana’s Youtube channel.

CAN YOU COACH ME?

Tatiana is currently not taking on new coaching clients. You can submit an application for coaching  here, which she will review when she is able to take on new clients. 

DO I NEED TO SET UP AN LLC?

It will be your choice whether or not you’d like to set up an entity for your business as it’s not a requirement to sell on Amazon. This means that you could sell on Amazon as a sole proprietor. 

 

Oftentimes people do like to set up a legal entity when starting a business because there will be some startup costs that could be written off and there may be some tax savings when operating under an entity rather than as a sole proprietorship.

 

Tatiana recommends that you consult with your accountant as each person’s situation is different depending on where you live.

I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY FOR A COURSE

If you want to start an eCommerce business using Amazon FBA then it’s important to understand that this is a business that does require an upfront investment. 

 

Tatiana recommends having at least a couple thousand dollars to invest into the business and she also strongly recommends that anyone wishing to start this business invests in a comprehensive course. She believes that a quality course will help save you time and money in the long-run and set you up for success.

 

That’s why Tatiana says that this business model is good for people who have money put aside and want to invest in an opportunity. It’s not a business you should put your life’s savings into because that’s risky. 

 

Tatiana recommends two different courses, one of them is called Marketplace Superheroes and it costs around $1K with payment plan options. She thinks it’s one of the best courses available at a lower price-range. She also likes to recommend this course to people who are on a tighter budget because their methodology is unique and can help people start an FBA business with less money than is traditionally needed.

 

If you purchase this course through her, you’ll be entitled to receiving these bonuses to accelerate your success: tatianajames.com/mpsbonuses

 

If you’re not in the financial position to afford a course then this business model may not be the best fit for you at this specific time. It may be better to explore other online business opportunities that will require less upfront capital so you could save money which you could choose  to later invest into an Amazon FBA business.

 

You may want to watch the video below for online business ideas: 

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAKDP9WiWzc
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFIwR5djZ-A
WHAT IS MARKETPLACE SUPERHEROES?

If you would still like to learn how to sell on Amazon but ASM is out of your price range, I could recommend an alternative course.

 

Marketplace Superheroes (MPSH), founded by Stephen Somers and Robert Rickey, teaches a different approach to sell on Amazon than the Amazing Selling Machine.  

 

MPSH isn’t focused on helping you build a brand, but rather to help you research a variety of simple, low-cost, profitable products you can sell on Amazon in a variety of marketplaces.

 

MPSH has thousands of students from all over the world as their methodology works great for selling overseas in different marketplaces.

 

They also offer more than just the course, if you want more help then they have in-house freight forwarding services (which I’ve used and they are really great) and they offer many other services to make starting your Amazon business a lot easier.

 

MPSH costs $997 and they also have two payment plan options. 12 payments of $97 per month or 3 payments of $397 per month.

 

So although ASM is my first choice, MPSH is a great alternative that can allow you to get started with a far smaller investment and equip you with the education you need to start your business on a solid foundation.

 

I have a small bonus offer I’ve put together if you decide to purchase through me. You can learn more about the bonuses by clicking here. 

 

Please be sure to email me your receipt, that’s how I’ll know if you signed up and how I’ll be able to send you the bonuses. Your receipt can be emailed to bonus@tatianajames.com.com



Finally, if you like the idea of selling on Amazon but don’t have the cash needed to start this business model, it may not be the best fit for you at this time. You’ll need to make an upfront investment for this business and the return on that investment will take months.

 

An alternative online business model that allows you to make money on Amazon is publishing Kindle books on Amazon.

 

With this business, you don’t need to investment much money upfront and the return on that investment is a lot quicker than with Amazon FBA.

 

I recommend the course Mastering Book Publishing. 

 

It’s going to teach you step-by-step how to publish books on Amazon. With this business model, people make anywhere from a few hundred dollars per month to a few thousand per month.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AMAZING SELLING MACHINE AND MARKETPLACE SUPERHEROES?

The Amazing Selling Machine and Marketplace Superheroes are both online courses that teach you how to build a successful Amazon business from the ground up.  However, there are some important differences between the two, which I’ll do my best to explain.

 

Amazing Selling Machine (ASM), founded by Matt Clark and Jason Katzenback, is the best and highest quality Amazon course that Tatiana has come across.  It’s the course that taught Tatiana exactly how to sell physical products on Amazon as a complete beginner.  The ASM course focuses on building an online brand, first starting on Amazon, which can later expand to Shopify.  This is a brand that you can sell one day, which is a common path many Amazon sellers take as there’s a huge market of people looking to buy eCommerce businesses.

 

Amazing Selling Machine offers more than an online course.  They provide mentors for their students, have a large community of successful Amazon sellers you can reach out to, and host large events every year called SellerCon for their students.  ASM is also the most up-to-date course on the market, as they’re always improving it and making it better for their members.

 

There’s really nothing else out there like Amazing Selling Machine, and as a result, they have the most success stories out of any online course that I’ve come across.  While it’s sold for a premium, it’s worth the cost as the results it can produce in your life is massive in comparison to the cost of investment.

 

Marketplace Superheroes (MPSH), founded by Stephen Somers and Robert Rickey, teaches a different approach to selling on Amazon than the Amazing Selling Machine.  MPSH isn’t focused on helping you build a brand, but rather to help you research a variety of simple, low-cost, profitable products you can sell on Amazon in a variety of marketplaces. Their methodology is unique and it works, but not as lucrative long-term as what ASM teaches in building a brand.




If you had to pick between the two courses, I’d suggest the Amazing Selling Machine first.  It’s the best out there and Tatiana provides an incredible bonus offer if you decide to join through her, which you can learn more about by clicking here.

 

If you can’t afford to join Amazing Selling Machine due to the cost, then the second-best option for you to get started selling on Amazon would be to join Marketplace Superheroes, which is a lot cheaper.  Tatiana also has some bonuses you can get when joining Marketplace Superheroes, which you can learn more about by clicking here.

 

Marketplace Superheroes will still help you get started selling on Amazon and making money, which is better than not starting at all.  However, I would recommend that eventually, you join Amazing Selling Machine, even after joining MPSH, as ASM is extremely valuable with their events, community, and mentorship.

 

Hopefully this helps you understand the difference between the two, let me know if you have further questions.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE MONEY ONLINE?

This is an impossible question to answer, as it depends on many different factors, such as your current level of experience, your intelligence, and creativity, your work ethic, how much time and money you invest, the niche and strategies you’re implementing, etc…

 

We’ve seen some people make money online within a month, others several months or years, and some never.  It took Tatiana 2 years before she really started making consistent money online that was sustainable and allowed her to quit her job.

 

Of course, you can accelerate the process and increase your chances of success by investing in courses, training, or mentors, which is something Tatiana always recommends.  It’s a way to accelerate your learning curve but does not guarantee success.

 

There is no “get rich quick” method we can recommend for you to get started making money online.  We don’t believe that exists.  Building a successful online business requires hard work, time, and the correct mindset

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JUNGLE SCOUT AND HELIUM 10?

Jungle Scout and Helium 10 are both amazing tools for Amazon sellers that Tatiana recommends and she uses both.

 

Whether you’re just getting started with Amazon FBA and looking to do product research or you’re already selling on Amazon and looking to optimize your listing – both of these tools will be invaluable for your business.

 

You don’t need to purchase both, one is enough. Because they are so similar, it usually comes down to a personal preference. Tatiana personally prefers Jungle Scout because it’s a bit easier to use and is a bit more user-friendly.

 

One way to look at is is Jungle Scout could be seen as Apple and Helium 10 as Android 🙂

 

For this reason, if you’re not a tech person then you might prefer Jungle Scout. If you love numbers and value more data points and spreadsheets then Helium 10 may offer more value for you.

 

Hopefully that helps your decision! If you sign up using Tatiana’s affiliate links then you’ll get a huge discount on your membership.

 

=> Get a discount on your Jungle Scout membership

=> Get a discount on your Helium10 membership

I LIVE IN CANADA SHOULD I SELL ON AMAZON.COM OR .CA?

If you live in Canada and want to get started selling on Amazon, then I’d recommend you start selling on Amazon.com in the United States. 

 

Amazon.com is the biggest market and has the most potential to make money as an Amazon seller.  

 

Not only that but because of the benefits that the US dollar provides in comparison to the Canadian dollar, you’ll earn significantly more money.  

 

Unfortunately, Amazon.ca just isn’t that big of a market and while you can still make decent money in Canada, the real potential to make things worthwhile will be on Amazon.com. 

 

It’s best to pick your product and see what the demand looks like in each of the two marketplaces, you’ll likely find more demand on Amaozn.com however you may find less competition on Amazon.ca.

If you’d like more of an in-depth explanation, check out this video Tatiana created around the subject.

CAN I SELL IF I LIVE OUTSIDE THE USA?

Yes! You’ll need to be a resident of one of the countries Amazon accepts for seller registration. Click here to view the list of countries accepted to sell on Amazon.com. When you sign up as an Amazon seller as a non-U.S. citizen or non-resident, Amazon guides you through a signup checklist that will ask you for the following information:

 

  • A credit card that can be charged internationally, i.e, a Mastercard or Visa.

 

  • A local bank in your country that supports ACH, which stands for Automated Clearing House, which really means your bank can accept electronic transfers

 

  • Your local address

 

  • Your country uses currency supported by Amazon. This is not an issue for most English speaking countries or non English speaking European countries.

 

  • A phone number (you’ll also need your international prefix number)

 

  • A US EIN number. You don’t have to be a corporation and have any type of legal status in the US to get this number. You simply fill out online form 10-BEN on the IRS.gov website (Internal Revenue Service which is the US government tax collection agency) Learn how here. 


I’d recommend watching Tatiana’s Youtube video about selling on Amazon.com if you live internationally.

I'M HAVING ISSUES SETTING UP MY AMAZON SELLER CENTRAL ACCOUNT

If you’re struggling to open up your Amazon Seller Central account then you may want to consider a few things.

 

First, you need to make sure that the country in which you reside is accepted for seller central registration. If you want to sell on Amazon.com then you can find the list of countries accepted by clicking here. 

 

Second, you’ll need to look back at all the documents you provided during your account registration. It’s absolutely imperative that everything adds up. Your address should be the exact same on all the documents, your name spelled the same way and everything needs to line up otherwise they will flag your account if something seems fishy.

 

Third, typically Amazon will tell you WHY your account wasn’t approved. You should respond to them by apologizing for the inconvenience and taking full responsibility. If you are reactive and upset and pinning the blame on Amazon then they may not bother responding to you. Be apologetic and respond with respect and let them know exactly what you’ve done to remedy the problem. Address each concern individually.

 

Finally, you have to be persistent. If you haven’t received a response in a timely manner then contact them again and continue to contact them until someone is able to help you. Remember to remain respectful.


Tatiana has a video on Youtube where she shares important information about setting up your seller account. You can watch it by clicking here.

HOW DO I MANAGE TAXES WHEN SELLING ONLINE?

Unfortunately this is not something we can help you with. You’ll have to contact your accountant or CPA for advice.

SHOULD I LEAVE COLLEGE TO START A BUSINESS?

Unfortunately, this isn’t something we can answer for you.  It’s an important decision that you must carefully think about and ensure it is in alignment with the direction you want to go in your life.

 

Tatiana always recommends to first identify what the VISION is for your life.  What do you want your future to be like?

 

If you want to be a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or work in a certain industry that requires attending university or college, then that is likely the best path for you to take.

 

However, if you want to instead be an entrepreneur, a life coach, or an internet marketer, then there are many other paths you could explore which don’t require attending university or college.

 

Tatiana went to university and was close to graduating when she started building her online business and eventually dropped out to go full-time with her online business. She gained her education by investing in online courses and reading books by other people that were more successful than her. 


She talks about why she dropped out in this video here.