FBA decision - no turning back!

We see comments all the time, calling FBA users "whiners" and asking, "Why don't you just cancel?", or, "Why don't you just fire them?"

The answer is simple - there's no turning back once you upgrade to Seller Central/Marketplace 2.0. You cannot undo it, and you cannot open up a new account (or else Alliance will suspend or terminate your account).

Most people don't know this, so be aware. So if you rely on book sales for income (we're a bookstore, and online sales account for a large percent of our overall income), then keep in mind you'll need an "exit strategy" in case something goes wrong, because you'll no longer be able to sell on Amazon (i.e., Half.com, eBay, ABE Books, etc).

FBA Users: Get used to this Seller Central error message

Seems like Seller Central/Marketplace 2.0 is constantly down. Getting this message 7 or 8 times a week:

FBA nickel & dimes sellers - fulfillment fees charged in pounds, not ounces

We've seen this several times, where an Amazon listing would mistakenly list a book as 14 pounds, not 14 ounces. Well, guess what ... that means you pay 10x additional storage fees, and 10x additional fulfillment fees.

Does that mean you have to look up each item's weight & dimensions on Amazon.com? YES!

Does this mean I could actually lose money selling a book? YES!

See the chart for cost comparisons. Keep in mind, while this happens a lot, the more common error is one that is off by several ounces, not several pounds ... an error that you would probably never notice.

Also keep in mind, it does not take an error like this to lose money on an FBA transaction. Sellers lose money all the time - by being forced to lower prices, by having an item sit in storage too long, on returned merchandise, by FBA restocking fees, etc: