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Let me talk about myself first, briefly talk about my current situation and the problems I encountered! Then I will throw out some ideas and let everyone discuss with each other. Maybe you and I will find the answers to our problems
Talk about my current situation
I entered this industry right after graduating from college. I have experienced FBM distribution (for a short time) and FBA fine distribution (for more than 2 years). I have not encountered some difficult problems on the platform. I have made some small achievements under the guidance of my supervisor. I made a little money during that time, but I spent it all later. Now I am very unstable in the company and I may be fired at any time.
I set up my own small shop after get off work. I select products and operate the store by myself. Now the results are pretty good. I can get dozens of orders a day and make a small profit.
Last year, I completed my life's major event and got married. My wife and I are in the same industry.
Problems encountered:
Maybe we haven't had enough fun at this age. We often want to go out and play. When we encounter a problem that is too difficult, we want to escape and don't want to face it. My wife often says that I work hard for three days and rest for two days. I don't have much perseverance and can't stick to running my own store every day. I don't know how you restrain yourself and discipline yourself in this regard? Are there any practical methods? (The goal is to achieve a worry-free life. If you are in this state, there is no hope)
In terms of product selection, I just started my own store last year, and I am not completely sure whether a product will infringe copyright. My own method is to search keywords on WIPO and WeChat official account to see if any service provider has issued an infringement warning. Another method is to rely on direct sales. If it has been selling well for a long time and no one has bought it, it is likely to be an infringing product. Do you have a better way in this regard? It can be judged more accurately.
Also, I want to learn about product selection. How can I form my own set of systematic knowledge? My understanding is to first read forums, books and videos, then practice, then review and then build my own system in a tree diagram. I would like to ask what your learning method is?
"Wonderful Reply"
Working for my brother-in-law Agree with: It doesn't matter, but I'm a little tired, The rest of my life 1992, wendiy I started operations in 1999 and graduated from college in 2020. I started to work with Amazon through an internship, and I have always been exposed to high-quality products. Excluding the small companies where I interned, I have worked in three Amazon companies so far. I entered the market in 2020, and saw those who entered the market one or two years earlier making a lot of money, while I only earn an ordinary income.
In April 2023, I fell into a big pit. I resigned from my job and started a partnership with a relative who was the sales manager of a foreign trade factory. We made products in their category. At the beginning, we invested in technology. In order to save costs, I did photo editing and video editing by myself. My relative was blindly confident. He was familiar with suppliers and could give them a long credit period. In order to save costs, he stocked up on raw materials in large quantities. As a result, his category was targeted by several big sellers, and they were rolled into a twist. It was difficult to collect the money, but his products were expensive, and he had no advantage in price wars. He was also reluctant to spend money to shoot good materials, so they were all pieced together from various material websites. We argued about this several times.
Later, he had a problem with capital turnover, so he asked me to invest in him. I scraped together a sum of money for him. Later, I found out that the money he used to make Amazon was all from accounts receivable and credit cards, and not a single cent was his own capital. Not only that, he also cashed out hundreds of thousands of credit cards and was deceived by his friends to invest, which turned out to be a fraud. The money can't be returned. Every time Amazon returns the money, he uses it to pay off his credit cards. I haven't received a single cent of my money for more than a year. The entire capital chain cannot be said to have collapsed, but it has collapsed directly. Later, I found out that the money I gave him was not used for the turnover of our partnership with Amazon, but was used by him to continuously fill the holes in his credit cards, and the money to suppliers was still owed.
Later in the negotiation, he concealed his debt situation to get me to invest money, and misappropriated funds for personal use. My money was considered a loan to him, not an investment, and he had to pay me back. But the actual situation was there. He was defrauded once in the early years and had almost no cash in his hands. He was unwilling to accept it and always wanted to learn from others' success stories and borrow money from the bank to make money. Not a penny of the money he was defrauded of was his own. He still owed suppliers money for raw materials, his wife and children were separated, and he had to pay mortgages and renovation loans every month. He was just saying polite words, saying that he would clear out the goods as much as possible and pay me back part of it first. The current sales volume and his inventory are expected to last for several years. As a relative, he is now penniless and has no money to urge him. I can only admit defeat and let him drag it on.
Now I have started to work again, and occasionally take care of his shop. I don't have any motivation at all. Even if there is money back, he transfers it to pay off his debts. I don't make any profit myself, and I have to sacrifice my time after work to take care of it. I really can't get myself motivated. Moreover, the company I work for happens to make similar products and is also very depressed. It's the peak season and there is no improvement. I can only be thankful that he has to pay me back my money, so it's not a loss. The sad thing is that it seems that he has been dragged on indefinitely.
I have negotiated a decent salary for this job. After all, in a second-tier city like Xiamen, the salary is not that high. I will save some money and see if there are opportunities in the future. I will learn more, accumulate more experience, and wait for the right opportunity. Although it may be more difficult to do it in a few years, this is the best way for me at the moment.
Anonymous user • Guangzhou • 17 hours ago Brother, you are miserable! I was also cheated by my relatives when I was studying Amazon! But not as exaggerated as you! How can I say it? Now that things have come to this, I can only accept it, slowly work and learn skills, and wait for the next time when the flowers bloom! Come on!
Watermelon loves pumpkin • Ningbo • 2 hours ago Brother, forget about the idea of him paying you back. Even if he really pays off the loan in the future, he won't tell you that he has paid it back. Besides, this is still a long way off.
Yakilobe - The end of the Amazon... Agree with: Another Autumn, komoribe, Go rocking, Adam002, Jessica0123 more » I really envy the poster, who entered the cross-border industry right after graduation. I graduated in 2020. My first job was selling games in Zhengzhou, and my second was also a shared power bank in Zhengzhou. My third job was in the cross-border e-commerce track, and I was also an international trade major. At that time, the school had a cross-border club, but I didn’t think much of cross-border. Now I think that since I went to college in 2016, cross-border has been gradually reaching its peak.
My first job in Shenzhen was a shop, and I met my current partner here. The reason why I didn’t do it on my own was, on the one hand, the funding issue, and on the other hand, we could supervise each other and achieve each other. So I guess we haven’t encountered the self-discipline problem that the original poster is worried about yet. After all, his Great Wall Cannon, drones, big house dog, Ford, my Xiaomi SU7, Ideal, Weilai, Mercedes-Benz, drones, cameras, Apple family bucket, big house, are all waiting for us to take them down one by one.
I now have two accounts. One is an account registered last year. It sells in North America. It also sells more than 30 orders a day, with good profits. Now it sells more than 500 a day, and returns 30,000 to 40,000 yuan a month. The profit margin is about 20%. The expansion of new products is slow, one is the limitation of funds, and the other is that I don’t work full-time, so I will expand 2-3 new products a month. The second account is a European site registered in April this year, which is still under review.
Regarding the product selection issue, this is our core secret. If small sellers want to survive, they must have their own core capabilities in a certain process, otherwise they will be eliminated by the waves.
The question now is to consider comprehensively and decide when to do it full-time. lyjwmt • Qingdao • 1 day ago If I run a boutique, do I also send the goods through FBA? Does this also take up a lot of capital, or should I do FBM and ship the goods myself?
Yaqiluobei • Shenzhen • 1 day ago @lyjwmt: As far as I know, the ones who do FBM are either big companies that still have FBM, or newbies who are deceived into it, or those who are in training. Now it’s basically all FBA. Amazon is a model that requires a lot of capital. The difference is whether the capital is large or small, and each has its own way of playing.
Smile - small operation, funny Agree from: wangshuaibo I entered the industry in October 2022, and joined a distribution company that specialized in Canadian sites. I was crazy about putting products on the shelves every day. Then I left in April of the following year and found a boutique company.
I was lucky at that time. I had been working for the company for less than a month when the company had just developed a product that sold like hot cakes, with sales of three to four thousand a day. But then it went bankrupt. The materials provided by the supplier had problems, and there were a lot of returns. The return rate was estimated to be 15%, but overall I still made a profit.
In the second half of 2023, there were always many people applying for civil servant and career-based positions. There happened to be a career-based position recruiting people in my hometown, so I tried it and passed. I thought it was a good way out. I resigned from this company in mid-September and joined the career-based position on October 1. I worked for two months and then resigned. I left on December 31.
After I graduated, I joined a pioneering company (their products occupy a large part of the market in China). I didn't know anything at the time, but I just wanted to show my skills. As a result, their products were already a hot market on Amazon. If I wanted to make the products, I needed to work with the factory to redesign the appearance, product functions, and brand. I started by registering a store. Their efficiency was a bit low, and they didn't give me a lot of information even after a week. I felt like I was willing but unable, so I resigned.
I just found out that the company I worked for last year was still hiring, so I contacted them and came back. However, the company's products, including this category on Amazon, have declined by 2/3 compared to last year and have become very bad. There are many complaints about infringement and account suspension. Now we have to buy general goods on 1688. As long as we buy them, they will definitely be out of stock (the best thing is that the products we just bought will be followed by others, which is very good). I want to leave here and go to Shenzhen, Guangdong to experience it.
Luciano - Amazon European porter, focusing on manual transport in Europe, FPS enthusiast, no cheating Agree with: 空班哇 You got married in 1999. If you and your spouse want to start your own business and plan to develop Amazon into your main business, my suggestion is not to have children for the time being, unless both sets of parents can help you raise the children financially and in terms of time.
I am now 30 years old and have been working in Europe for 7 years. I am currently leading a team in a company and have experienced various stages in Europe, both in Chinese and local accounts. Even though I have moved from an operation to a stage where I only need to set directions, ask for funds, and brag about business, I still feel uneasy and have no business of my own, like a moon in the water. Just when my wife and I were preparing to do it ourselves, our child was born. Without the help of our elders, we were forced to transfer our energy and time to the child. My wife and I always want to start our Amazon plan immediately, whether in the United States or Europe. We think that we should at least start first so that we can solve problems as we encounter them.
But every time we feel exhausted from taking care of the children, we know that it is not going to work at this stage. We need to wait until the children can at least take care of themselves, or until our elders have time to help us take care of the children. Only then can we be free, because we know that to do well at Amazon, at least one person has to do it full-time. Anonymous User • Guangzhou • 2 days ago I do have a child, so I can’t let go! There are indeed many pitfalls in this business, such as copycat sales, patent infringement, brand abuse, being spoofed by competitors, cash flow, how to open a payment, how to package, and how to deal with the link suddenly going awry. There are many things to do!
Anonymous user Agree with: komoribe, ccdzd1, quantum society, singularity0729 We were born in 1999. I envy you because you are already married, but I don’t even have a girlfriend.
My major is e-commerce. I learned cross-border knowledge and platform operations in school (I learned to distribute goods). I started my internship in June 2006, went back to my hometown, and found a job at Amazon to open up new areas (I did everything myself). I was the only one on this platform. With my own efforts, I chose to distribute goods by myself when I first joined the company (the orders were very average), and then I switched to boutiques in 2021. I actually built up the store slowly. Looking back, I was really a newborn calf who was not afraid of tigers. Because our commission is paid once a year, there is an increase every year. This January, during the Chinese New Year, I received the most commission in the year, with a total of more than 16,000, including the monthly base salary. This year is expected to remain roughly in this range.
The current problem is that there are not many people who know how to do it in small cities, so there is no one to communicate with, and no one who knows how to do it comes to interviews. Those who come to interviews are all novices, which will lead to the inability to improve performance, because you need to package it yourself, Photoshop it, etc., and your energy is limited. Come on, everyone! Anonymous user • Guangzhou • 5 days ago It is rare to get a commission once a year. I think it would be better to communicate with others and discuss with each other. Colleagues may have a competitive relationship. It would be better online, so I post it to try! I still feel a little vague about your question. I don’t know whether you want to break through the existing products to get more sales and profits, or you are talking about product issues!
Anonymous user Agree with: Uncle Chopper, Xiaoyu's Xiaoyu I started selling products on Amazon in 2018. I registered for a business license and opened a store within three months. I didn’t know anything at that time and I figured it out slowly.
After that, I started to sell products at home. I could make 10,000 RMB profit from infringing products. I was more self-disciplined at that time. Many accounts were blocked due to infringement, so I wanted to make regular products to earn long-term and stable income.
I started looking for companies to get in touch with the boutique model in 2021. Three years have passed, and I have learned some operation and promotion methods. I see that my store is getting better and better. It is true that the products promoted by the company are not the credit of the operation alone. I know this very well. But I am reluctant to try it because of the supply chain, quality control, and working capital. As a result, I have been bound by these things. After all, it is not easy to make money now, and I am afraid of failure.
If a person's ability is not up to his ambition, he should just be quiet and calm down. Quantum Society • Shenzhen • 1 day ago From my personal experience, your concerns are not unreasonable because I have grown up in such a company. Although my income is also increasing steadily, the sales and profits of the stores I run are increasing. It seems that the various problems I need to deal with are not complicated, but behind them, the boss actually bears all kinds of pressure and risks. Starting a business is really not that easy; but it does not mean that you cannot start a business at all. After all, there is a process of exploration. It is recommended to think about the several areas you are worried about. The simplest one is whether you can bear the worst result; if not, continue to settle down and find a more suitable time~ Share with you
osasa1234 Support from: Web321, The City of Kite Runners, 21723CCSZ, Quantum Society I graduated from college in 1999, majoring in accounting. I came to Guangdong to work when the pandemic happened during my internship. At first, I was doing promotion, relying on myself to contact celebrities to do off-site work. Later, due to some strategic changes in the company, I changed my position to operations. At the beginning, no one led me, and I had to study on my own. Later, I was assigned to be a team leader. I grew up with the guidance of the team leader.
I left my job last year and joined a small company to start a new business. I had to find all the information by myself. Now the company is getting better and better, and there are several experienced operators here. I can learn from them, which is great.
Anonymous user Agree from: Can you still be high-spirited? , Adam002 He got married in 1999 and owns a house in the county town, which already exceeds most people in this industry!
I think your current problem is that you don't have much confidence in the future, and you are not completely devoted to AMZ. Because you started working in cross-border e-commerce right after graduation, you don't have much knowledge of other industries, which leads to a little confusion about your competitiveness. This is also a problem for many people with similar experiences as you.
Therefore, if you are not under great financial pressure, I suggest you try to sell more products in your own store, because only when you earn your first pot of gold with your own ability, the previous confusion will be broken! You will also have greater confidence in the future. . .
AXiing Agree with: komoribe I was born in 1999, and I have the same problems and difficulties. However, my current situation is much worse than yours. I switched to Amazon more than two years after graduation. From then until now, no one can really guide me, and I have no achievements to speak of. I am basically just a slacker.
Because I have the same problem of lack of self-discipline as you, I basically won't take it seriously until the last minute. This situation is terrible, so I will basically find a time when I won't be disturbed by anyone, and focus on doing one thing without taking a break until I achieve the goal I need at this stage.
Seeing that you have a wife and you're in the same business, I just hope that you each run your own shop. For a person like me who likes to play dirty, it's much more painful to manage a shop with others than to manage it alone. Anonymous user • Guangzhou • 5 days ago Your situation is similar to mine. Now I just read books when I have time. I uninstalled Tik Tok and stopped watching short videos. I wanted to run to exercise my perseverance, but I stopped running after a few days. I have to change myself slowly. I don't think it's possible to correct it all at once.
Some people say you have a procrastination problem. My own method is to set up a reminder software on my computer, and when I want to play, I finish the task first before doing other things. Change little by little. Socializing more can get rid of depression and laziness! As for me and my wife, she is waiting to see if I can do it before she joins. I also think of two people, one person uses the money to invest in business and daily living expenses, and the other saves it. Don't put all your eggs in one basket
Quantum Society • Shenzhen • 1 day ago I feel like you are all a bit modest. When I was working on my own, I really had no plan at all. When it comes to self-discipline, I think it takes a very strong core to settle down. Many people focus on their careers. They are either beaten by fate and have no choice but to fight hard, or they are in middle age and face all kinds of pressure and can't think about anything else. You are so young and so motivated, which is very commendable. I need to remind you to pay attention to physical exercise and keep in touch with the outside world. Otherwise, even if you make money over time, you may not be so happy. Share this with you
Drowning Dog - 1995 Quanzhou Shoemaker Agree from: ZGYjuaner123, worry worry worry worry I envy those who get married at 99, and those who join Amazon right after graduation.
My industry is a dead end. Every industry I worked in went bankrupt in the past three years. It’s so frustrating.
I was forced to work for my brother-in-law, but luckily he was lucky. I entered the industry in the year of the European tax reform, and the effect of the dark light drove a lot of leeks out. Three years have passed, and it feels like the leeks are back. Forget it, it’s tiring to talk too much. The current situation is that I have no house, no car, and no wife. I am a complete loser in life.
komoribe • Spain • 4 days ago Don't be so pessimistic. I have even more debts than you do. . . . It's too difficult, but I'm optimistic. If I can survive, I'll survive. If I can't survive, I'll just live like this. It won't affect me until the end of the world.
Cross-border soldier Sun • Taiyuan • 2 days ago I think that it is normal to have such work attitude and method right after graduation. I myself spent the first few years after graduation studying and gaining work experience at the same time. It was okay as long as I could get by. It is normal to like playing, but at least at the age of 27-28, you have to really work hard. If you are later, it will not work. Your body and many other things will drag you down. You will not have the conditions to struggle and endure hardships.
Anonymous user Agree from: ilovealex123 I was born in 1998. I joined Amazon right after graduation in 2021. This is my fourth company now. I change jobs every six months to a year. I started as an assistant and have worked at sites ranging from Europe to Canada to the United States. I have worked on both long and short weeks, with short weekends in between. I have a strong overtime culture and now I have weekends off. Some people may think that I change jobs frequently. It is nothing more than jumping from one pit to another and stepping on different landmines. In fact, I am still too confused and have no plans. It is very easy to waste time internally and it is more of a job that relies on youth. I either move to the management level (team leader-supervisor..., but I don’t have the ideas and abilities in this area yet), or I keep changing jobs (I will probably be out of business when I reach my age). I am currently in a state of survival and cannot lie down or roll up.
Embrace each other without distraction - want to become a developer of operations Agree with: komoribe I graduated last year in 1999. I was working in Shanghai with a salary of 6,000 yuan. I worked in a boutique for eight months, but the boutique did not take off. Most of the products were cleared out. The boss asked me to switch to the distribution department. The salary increased by 1,000 yuan and the commission was 1,000 yuan. After working for two months, I felt it was boring and quit. I am currently in my hometown in Liaoning to accompany my grandmother. I will take a break before starting again. Quantum Society • Shenzhen • 1 day ago @心无偏骛的相拥: I have also worked as a distributor for more than half a year. The account and company can make money, but I really don’t know anything about it. I am not familiar with the background, let alone advertising. I have hardly ever read the advertising report. As long as this model can make money, the company will continue to work. There is not much difference between staying in the company for half a year and staying in the company for five years; but the income will still be higher and higher; so I think you are a person with your own ideas. How to choose really depends on what you want. Come on~
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