For selling on Amazon.com
Ask Me Anything Series 1: [For Malaysian Sellers]
Welcome to our Ask Me Anything Series where you ask the questions and we answer. In this article, we answer the most frequently asked questions about selling on Amazon.com from Malaysia, read on to learn how you can succeed as an Amazon selling partner.
I’m very new to eCommerce, there are a million items already listed on Amazon so I'm not sure what to choose. My major hurdle now is product selection and deciding what I should sell on Amazon.
This is a golden question that many sellers ask themselves as they are starting their eCommerce journey. Here's some advice:
1. Check out Amazon list of best-selling products
The first resource you can utilise is the Amazon.com Best Sellers webpage. Amazon's best-selling list compiles a selection of customers' top products in each category and is updated hourly so you can get an idea of what customers are most interested in on any given day.
The first resource you can utilise is the Amazon.com Best Sellers webpage. Amazon's best-selling list compiles a selection of customers' top products in each category and is updated hourly so you can get an idea of what customers are most interested in on any given day.
2. Decide what category you want to sell in
It can be difficult to narrow down on which product category you want to focus on and no matter which category you're selling in, there will be competition. One key advice would be to think about which areas you’re most familiar with and source locally. Sourcing locally can give you a competitive advantage as it makes it harder for other international sellers to source the same product. For example, many may not know, but Malaysia food products are very well known all across the world and there is demand for them on Amazon. These products include coffee powder and syrups can be sold on Amazon.
It can be difficult to narrow down on which product category you want to focus on and no matter which category you're selling in, there will be competition. One key advice would be to think about which areas you’re most familiar with and source locally. Sourcing locally can give you a competitive advantage as it makes it harder for other international sellers to source the same product. For example, many may not know, but Malaysia food products are very well known all across the world and there is demand for them on Amazon. These products include coffee powder and syrups can be sold on Amazon.
Top tip: Plan your sales strategy. It is better to have three products in the same category rather than spread out across different categories. This is because each category on Amazon will require a different strategy in selling. If one day you want to sell kitchenware and tomorrow you want to sell toys, the strategy is very different and might require performance checks, approval, supporting documents or fees.
3. Understand how consumers buy on Amazon
Two-thirds (66%) of U.S. consumers typically start their search for new products on Amazon. When they are ready to buy a specific product, 74% go directly to Amazon. What does this mean? It means that most consumers come to Amazon to buy and convert as opposed to scrolling around and looking for what they're interested in. A lot of shopping happens outside of Amazon. With this understanding of the US consumer mindset, it is important to optimise your product listing details and keywords to ensure they are what they're searching for in order to target them. For more resources on this topic, you can check out our Amazon Seller University YouTube channel.
Two-thirds (66%) of U.S. consumers typically start their search for new products on Amazon. When they are ready to buy a specific product, 74% go directly to Amazon. What does this mean? It means that most consumers come to Amazon to buy and convert as opposed to scrolling around and looking for what they're interested in. A lot of shopping happens outside of Amazon. With this understanding of the US consumer mindset, it is important to optimise your product listing details and keywords to ensure they are what they're searching for in order to target them. For more resources on this topic, you can check out our Amazon Seller University YouTube channel.
I'm having trouble with shipping my products from Malaysia to the US. Do you have any recommendations?
For Malaysia, the cost of shipping can be very high. You can reach out to third party logistics partners such as FedEx, Aremex UPS or DHL and they can provide you with the e-commerce package rate.
Tip: If a new seller or if this is your first year selling, it is recommended that you try out air freight instead of sea freight because you want to know the demand of your product in the US.
Regarding the food product export from Malaysia. Roughly how long does the process to register and sell take?
It will take around two weeks to get an FDA certificate, but the processing time may vary based on factors such as the number of products on the application, whether the application is complete or if additional information is required. Following that, you can expect shipping to the US may take around two to three weeks depending on the logistic partner you use.
In Amazon Seller Central there is a default return address, should it state my Malaysia address?
Your default return address, which is usually the business address associated with your account, will be used on all returns unless you set an alternate return address when you authorize a return. If you are using FBA, this will be returned back to Amazon. If you are not using FBA, and are using Fulfillment By Merchant (FBM), this default return address should be a US based address as customers will not ship back to your Malaysian address.
Can I resell branded products?
If you’re going to resell branded products, you will need to seek permission from the brand owners as well as request for Amazon’s approval to sell them. Big brands such as Adidas or Nike do not allow for resellers, hence it is not recommended to resell brands as you could be at risk of having your Amazon account suspended.
How can we get feedback from our customers? I have already sold 20 products, but no one has given me a review yet.
If you are a brand owner, you can look into the Amazon Vine program. It is a program to provide customers with more information including honest and unbiased feedback from some of Amazon's most trusted reviewers. Amazon provides Vine members with free products that have been submitted to the program by participating Sellers.
Once enrolled as an Amazon brand registered seller, you are eligible to enroll in the Amazon Vine program where you can receive up to 30 reviews with each review being marked with "Vine Customer Review of Free Product". Here’s how you can enroll an item in the Vine program.
Once enrolled as an Amazon brand registered seller, you are eligible to enroll in the Amazon Vine program where you can receive up to 30 reviews with each review being marked with "Vine Customer Review of Free Product". Here’s how you can enroll an item in the Vine program.
Are there any grants to assist Malaysian Sellers?
Yes, there is eTRADE Programme 2.0 which is an effort by Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) to assist Malaysian SMEs in accelerating exports and increase presence on cross-border eCommerce. You can receive up to RM5,000 when you start selling on Amazon.com.
Do you still have questions about selling on Amazon from Malaysia? Not to worry, drop us a message on our page and we will do our best to answer them.
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