What's Going On at the Beach?
September is here and the boys are back to school and loading up with afterschool activities. We are lucky the school they go to Journey (no not an Amazon journey) has a number of different types of electives that they get to participate in. Some examples this year are indoor rock climbing, french, photography, Jiu jitsu, Ninja Warrior, skateboarding, and more! These are swapped in and out during the semester - why didn't I get to do that as a kid? We decided to take a test run at our local climbing gym. It was super fun - and doable even at my age! There are different routes marked with different difficulties so it can be tailored to your experience level. The grey holds are to go down, and yes... they are super easy... and no I didn't take that route :P
Thanks for joining us for this edition of the SFTB Newsletter. Hopefully, you'll find some ideas in here that are as easy to implement as using the grey holds.
Can I Interest You in a Quickie? Today's Value:
- How to increase AOV with "cross-sell" images
- Save on flights with this sneaky tactic
- How to make the locals like you
- Save your wallet with buy box statistics
- Who's scamming us now?
credit: midjourney / prompt: sunny beach day with thatch huts
The 1% Zone 👊 Actionable Amazon Tips Have you read James Clear’s Atomic Habits? Little things add up. Here's something you can to TODAY to improve your business: Cross-Sell Images Everyone knows images are the most important section of your Amazon listing (even more important than the title). So why not use a space to showcase your other products? It can be items that complement the one you're selling or just other items in your catalogue.
Adding in one of these images to your image stack can pay big dividends. For a start, they can improve your Average Order Value (AOV). Examples below.
2/ Traveler's Toolkit ✈️The Latest Travel Hacks Flights, hotels, packing and everything in between. Skiplagged Have you heard of Skiplagging? The practice is making national news because their website offers a somewhat "grey hat" approach to saving money on flights.
Skiplagging involves purchasing a ticket with a layover in your actual destination city. Travelers get off at the layover and skip the next leg, frequently saving money compared to buying a direct flight to their intended location.
Their contentious tagline:
- Ridiculous travel deals you can't find anywhere else. Our flights are so cheap, United sued us... but we won.
Have you tried this service? How did it go for you? Let us know!
P.S. Share your best travel tips for a chance to have your message or service shared with thousands of readers! 3/ The Local Lowdown🌴 Things You Didn't Know About Paradise The good, the bad, the f***ing great. Pura Vida! Yes, you hear it all the time in Costa Rica. Loosely translated it means the "simple life" or "pure life." In reality, it can be hell, goodbye, things are great, that's good, all good and more. While it can be a positive, it can also be negative:
Oh yeah, the contractor was suppose to show up at 1pm. It's 4pm. Pura Vida.
I find it to be a little more touristy of an expression. Tourists love to say it and all the staff will drop it on you and smile. But... if you really want to raise an eyebrow and get some “local credit” next time someone gives you a Pura Vida, respond with "a cachete!" (ah-kah-cheh-teh). It basically means "cool" or "awesome," but it is a more common local expression. The number of times we have said that, the smiles and laughs come up usually followed by a few fist bumps!
4/ SFTB Community 🦜 (Stuff You May Have Missed) Value-packed community posts.
A) Kevin shares a way to see the buy box percentages from all sellers on any listing using Keepa.
There is a big change to Amazon Search Results according to Rana.
5/ The Sand in my Swimming Trunks🤬 (What I'm Pissed About Lately)
More and more fake Amazon FBA gurus continue to scam unsuspecting people of their hard-earned money.
Interested in seeing Rob present at the Expat Money Summit on October 5th, 2023 at 1PM EST? Reserve your free ticket here.
Hey - Wanna hang out? Check us out on Facebook. Apply Now Hungry for More?
- Listen to the latest episodes of The SFTB Podcast
- Increase your income today Online Arbitrage Training
- Need an Accountant? Accounting Services
"Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose."
- Morgan Housel
That's a wrap, folks! 🍹🍹🍹
All the best,
Max & Rob