Creating a Multi-Pack Listing on Amazon

Multiple Sources of Income…..or Just One?

For many years I was convinced the way to go was with multiple streams of income. Eventually I had 5 streams of income and I worked on one each of the 5 days a week. This was my week: Monday – Amazon, Tuesday – eBay, Wednesday – Professional Organizing, Thursday – websites, Friday – write my next book.

But it didn’t take long to realize that you can’t write a book in only one day a week, also I wasn’t looking after my 50 websites very well, and certainly didn’t have time to create new ones. Amazon started to take 2 days and push out eBay, so I made a decision to change to just selling on Amazon.

I’ve never done this before, but I dropped everything and focused on selling on Amazon. I still have my family and church commitments, but I stopped all other outside activities and concentrated on learning Amazon and the selling process there. For the last 18 months I have done nothing but and thought about nothing but selling on Amazon. I have converted a room in my house to a packing station for Amazon and have 3 people who work with me (one day a week each).

After years of trying to get multiple streams of income, I’m enjoying focusing on just one thing, and my success is better for just Amazon FBA than it was for all those 5 streams.

I just want to add here that I’m still getting some income from my books and websites that is purely residual, even though they are not being cared for. And it was just today I took a look at this blog and realized it’s been over a year since I’ve even done an update.

Here is a video I made of my packing room

And here are my first year's sales figures

My Latest Project is FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon)

The second half of 2013 saw me back on ebay, listing and selling like crazy and not making much money. eBay is just too time-demanding to make much money. For each thing I buy, I photograph, write the listing, sit and wait (with lots of unwanted stuff in my office) and then ship. I aim to make at least $10 per item, but even making $10 is not worth the time and the effort I put into one listing.

If only I could sell multiples and re-use that listing more than once......

eBay itself changes policies so regularly it's difficult to keep up. There's the PowerSeller Program, the DSRs, selling limits, VERO, the random rules you don't know about until you break them. And the customer service line that takes you to people who don't speak English is a way I understand.

Added to which, eBay seems to attract buyers who aren't very nice, will scam the seller, leave random negatives, bid and not pay.

If only I could sell multiples and re-use that listing more than once......

Enter Fulfillment By Amazon

I don't know why I haven't done this before. I've been selling on Amazon since 2006, but always liked to keep the stuff myself. Suddenly it seemed a good idea to try. When I did eBay full time, I always loved the buying at garage sales, but didn't like the listing. Selling something on Amazon is so much easier if the listing is already there. You just add your own, pick the condition, choose the price and move on to the next thing to list.

So here I am in 2014 starting Fulfillment by Amazon and Retail Arbitrage. Here's the book that explains it all Arbitrage: The authoritative guide on how it works, why it works, and how it can work for you

And typical for me, as I learn the skill I'm making a webpage and maybe writing a Kindle book so others can learn too.

How to Ship Books Sold on eBay or Amazon

How to Reply to Negative Feedback on eBay

How to Ship a Parcel Sold on eBay

Happy New Year to All My Readers

Happy New Year to all my readers. I hope 2014 brings you more income than 2013, as I hope it does for me too. I'm always watching my figures and each month I hope that I earn more than the same month in the previous year, even if it's a tiny percentage, and each year I hope to make more money than the previous one. I'm pleased to say that the income was up in 2013 from 2012.

The reason my income should go up each year is that I am constantly learning new things to do and ways to do the same thing quicker. In the latter half of 2013 I went back to eBay, which was my first online love. I did eBay full time for 3 years until one day I said, "Enough." The reason is that eBay kept changing their policies, people gave negatives and were nasty in the comments and I just got fed up dealing with a constant supply of clutter moving through my house (and so did my family). And so started my journey into online writing.

But earning money from writing articles and later books is a slow process and so is the money. So, during 2013 I went back to eBay. Initially it was fun, but as the year went on I got more annoyed with eBay's complicated policies that are ever-changing, and then received two undeserved negatives. While I'm sure I will never stop doing some eBay, I have other plans for 2014 that are more residual than immediate.

I have 2 books in my head that I want to finish writing and publish. Youtube videos that I want to make, and a lot of clutter that I want to help people move. It's nice that I have so many options, but choosing what is the best thing for me to do next is not easy. Added to which, hubby is within 10 years of retirement and I'm dabbling in stocks to invest his pension money. And the homeschooling still continues. I will, of course, keep you my reader up to date with what I'm doing.

One of the biggest things I've learned is that on the Internet everything can be connected. So tweet, pin and share the Kindle book and eBay auction, add it to a tag line on a forum and do some offline work to balance your online work.

With that said, while I've been doing eBay I've also made some YouTube videos about eBay. They will appear on this blog in the next month or so.

So cheers to everyone reading this, let me know what is working for you and what is not, and I'll continue letting you know too. And have a blessed and prosperous 2014.