Starting on Amazon

[LucyLou]

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Hi all

Apolgoies, you have surely answered these questions a thousand times, but I just want confirmation I am on the right track.

I have a retail grocery item that I do not sell online here in Aus (we wholesale and use distributors in all but our own state).

I’ve had interest from the US and plan to list on amazon and see how it goes. I have no idea what sales will be like, but I have a youtuber wanting to recommend our product. The last video they posted had 500K views and the product they recommended sold out in 24hrs. They are going to do this really soon – too soon for me to get goods to the US.

My plan is to sign up as a professional seller, organise my own shipping from here to begin with, sign up to FBA and send goods over asap so I can then reduce shipping costs.

Questions:
Do I need to sign up as professional to enable the youtuber to be an affiliate?
Do I need to pack goods (they’re glass) individually here before I send to FBA warehouse?
Any hot tips – I seriously do not know what I am doing!

Would love your feedback. Thanks so much

[bb1]

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LucyLou, post: 268008, member: 116595 wrote:

Any hot tips – I seriously do not know what I am doing!

I hope you aren’t paying this youtuber any money

[Paul – FS Concierge]

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[USER=116595]@LucyLou[/USER]

Thank you for joining our community and posting.

Cheers

[LucyLou]

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bb1, post: 268010, member: 53375 wrote:

I hope you aren’t paying this youtuber any money
Not at all

[Rowan@quaotic]

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Before selling on Amazon please watch this video and realise that this happens all the time. And look at all the unopened returns he gets in a single day from people who just change their mind, let alone all the rip offs:

[MEDIA=youtube]3B2UlmxUNsA[/MEDIA]

[Pixelbay]

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bb1, post: 268010, member: 53375 wrote:

I hope you aren’t paying this YouTuber any money

Why not? If they are getting half a million people interacting with them it can be a powerful investment. it’s no different to a media company having a TV show that reaches half a million people. they would be paid for the ad.
Influencer marketing is one of the most effective forms of marketing out there. It’s essentially word of mouth but on steroids as the “fans” of the YouTuber know trust, and like them so are going to listen to them more than a traditional ad online.

I think by saying you hope that the OP isn’t paying the YouTuber suggests you’ve got no experience with influencer marketing so my apologies if you didn’t know this was an industry now. It’s a booming industry as crazy as it seems

[businesstrade]

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bb1, post: 268010, member: 53375 wrote:

I hope you aren’t paying this youtuber any money

Affiliate marketing works where the seller pays a fee once the product is sold.

Eg. Youtuber advertises a shaver and has a link below his video. Viewer buys shaver, seller then pays a fee to the Youtuber for helping them sell the shaver.

businesstrade.com.au - buy or sell a business

[bb1]

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Pixelbay, post: 268056, member: 113247 wrote:

Why not?

Maybe I should have framed the question a little better, should most likely read I hope you haven’t paid or commited any money upfront to the Youtuber”

Yes I am aware of influencers. But when you read the original OPs comments.. To Quote ”I have no idea what sales will be like, but I have a youtuber wanting to recommend our product. The last video they posted had 500K views and the product they recommended sold out in 24hrs. They are going to do this really soon – too soon for me to get goods to the US.”

Doesnt it raise a red flag that they have targeted this person, and want to start really soon, To soon to quote the OP.

Why would a youtuber want to be recommending a product, which the OP is ready to go with.

There are several stories around of unethical influencers, who ask for dollars upfront, so they are making money even if the business doesnt have the products.

That is my concern. It’s a bit like SEO people who say I can double your income, but pay me the dollars before, you see the results which they themselves admit could take 6 months, by which time you are unable to get recourse.

No problems with paying a percentage, don’t pay upfront on possibly empty promises.

[LucyLou]

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bb1 I appreciate your concern and share your hesitation, particulatly as I have no experience with amazon and have not used influencers to sell my product.

However, there is a really good reason why the youtuber would want to use my product instead of another from me or an alternative product and that is there is nothing like it on the market anywhere in the world. We’ve done really well in Australia since launching 2 years ago for this very reason. I wasn’t expecting interest from export markets just yet but I guess I forgot about a thing called the internet and that the western world travels a lot. The youtuber currently uses a product that is somewhat similar but is inferior. She’s in the health industry so recommending shite products isn’t a good long term strategy. She’s mentioned the brand of another product she’s recommended in one of her videos and that they sold out – I can easily ring them and check in…

I remain skeptical, hence my OP – am just wanting to see if I can set something up cheaply and easily to test the waters.

[Pixelbay]

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Yeah, I understand. if there’s pressure to commit from the YouTuber without a valid reason it’s absolutely a red flag. I know from working with influencers though, they only have a certain amount of deals they will take on. It may be the case that they have a few brands wanting the same space and obviously they will need to take only one on. (this happens a fair bit)

I agree with your points on unethical influencers, there’s a ton of stories out there. it’s like any industry though, you’ll have your good and bad eggs. It’s important for the brand to do their due diligence before committing to anything.

I agree that a commission structure is a good idea, however, it’s usually not viable for the agency. it costs thousands of dollars in overheads every month to be able to even have the doors open (staff, rent, software, insurance, utilities etc) and the agency hasn’t got any control over the standards of the salespeople of the business.

You can get commission deals with agencies but this is usually reserved for bigger businesses spending $20,000 + /month in ads and who have clear processes in place and the staff to close the leads.

A lot goes into marketing and until you go through the process you don’t realise how many moving parts are involved (that’s why I love it so much!) but I do believe that you should have at least a guarantee from the agency with regards to results. Personally I work with clients to establish KPI’s and if we don’t hit them the client isn’t charged an agency fee. (only fair IMO)

The best way to do commission only for a YouTuber would be affiliate marketing. This works well for both parties and is what I would recommend doing before an influencer deal.

[Author]

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