The Selling From the Beach Newsletter

RIP Amazon Posts, PPC Myths, 100-Hack Challenges, and more...

 “I’m just so slammed right now!”

Welcome back friend!

Here’s some of the best Amazon advice I ever got: Selling on Amazon takes hustle either way, so swing for the fences. You know more than you think you do. Go big, aim higher, then push harder (the effort’s the same, but the upside isn’t).

So… here’s to you, and your next big launch, friend.

✅The Instant Value Section (IVS)✅

(aren't you glad you opened the email now?)

The Real Problem w/ “Target ACoS”

Carly McMillen from PPC Farm graciously offered to provide this edition’s IVS. Carly is bubbly, gregarious, and sharp as a tack. I’m lucky to have met her. If you want to learn more about Carly, give her a follow on Linkedin!

You are probably thinking about your ACoS wrong.

Most sellers aim for the lowest possible ACoS. But without a strategy behind that number, you could be limiting your brand’s growth.

Here’s the fix: Your ACoS target should match your ASIN’s actual profit margin.

We do this using the simple calculation below for contribution profit (gross profit at the SKU level).

So now you know that any campaign or keyword that is above a 38% ACoS is potentially unprofitable for you. On the flip side, anything below a 38% ACoS has room to grow.

Don’t chase a low ACoS or a catch-all ACoS. Target an ACoS informed by the SKU economics for each individual ASIN.

Today's Newsletter: More value than a hole to a donut 🍩🍩🍩

• Micro-Infuencer Strategies
• The Real problem with Target ACOS
• June is the Month of Change and Reset in CR
• Amazon Posts are Dead
• The Deep Dive
• Newsletter Recommendation!
• Tyler Wallis’ 100-Hack Challenge is Over
• What the Heck is a "Positioning Flight" ?
• Amazon’s New Coupon Fee Changes for June 2025

June is the Month of Change and Reset in CR

June’s the month of change around here, and the low season’s already starting in Costa Rica. Schools are wrapping up, which means it’s time to say goodbye to a few friends who were only here for a year or two.

One of the first things I ask when I meet someone is, “How long are you here for?” It helps me decide whether it’s worth using brain space to remember their name 😀. That’s just part of living in an expat area. People come and go all the time.

Things slow down this time of year. A lot of folks head back to their home countries or travel for the summer.

For us, June will hopefully end with moving into the new house, then straight into summer camps for the boys and a trip to Canada’s east coast.

One nice part about people leaving? They sell their stuff. This week I picked up some dining chairs and a Dyson hand vac. Sweet!

The world’s greatest beach, Cala Goritze (seriously, look it up)

Amazon Posts are Dead

Well, it’s official. Amazon Posts go the way of the Fire Phone and Amazon Spark. Should anyone care? Probably not. Amazon Posts have always been terrible since Day 1 - and I tested them — extensively — to the tune of nearly 10,000 posts. And if you ever met a consultant or someone who told you to double-down on Posts, run in the other direction.

Is Amazon super upset about this? Probably not.

I’m reminded of a quote from Jeff Bezos which describes Amazon’s ethos:

“If you’re going to take bold bets, they’re going to be experiments. And if they’re experiments, you don’t know ahead of time if they’re going to work. Experiments are by their nature prone to failure. But a few big successes compensate for dozens and dozens of things that didn’t work.”

-Jeff Bezos

Hey - Wanna hang out? Check out the Facebook community.

If you’re liking this newsletter so far, here's where we share more stuff like it:

1. 🤓 Just getting started? Check out the Free Amazon FBA Course
2. 👀 Need an ASIN Audit? The ASIN AUDIT OS
3. 💸Increase your income today with Online Arbitrage Training
4. 👔 Need an Accountant? Accounting Services
5. 📧 Want some 1-on-1 time? Rob & Max
6. 📣Interested in sponsoring the newsletter? E-mail [email protected]

The Deep Dive (Premium Content)

Tyler Wallis’ 100-Hack Challenge is Over

My friend, @Tyler Wallis Wrote a hack every day for 100 days. Here are the 10 most impactful:

If you know Tyler, you'll know he doesn't phone it in. These are 100 solid, useful hacks for improving your sales on Amazon.

And today is day 100. Congratulations Tyler on finishing the challenge. You are a legend!

And in no particular order, My Top 10 Favorites ⭐🥇 ->

1. Day 4 - Testing Incremental Prices:TL;DR - Raise prices regularly on products with steady sales history
2.  Day 17 - Pricing DeadzonesTL;DR - Referral fees double at certain price breaks on Amazon (ex, Grocery is $15)
3. Day 33 - Manage QuotesTL;DR Business pricing is already criminally underused, here's how to get huge orders from buyers
4. Day 37 - The Trojan HorseTL;DR Price one variation very low, upsell with multipacks/higher priced variations when you get the click
5. Day 41 - Make Your Highest Margin Products FirstTL;DR If you have to choose between stocking bestsellers and high margin products, choose high margin
6. Day 49 - Profit FirstTL;DR Commit to Sales – Profit = Expenses (instead of Sales – Expenses = Profit)
7. Day 70 - Reimbursements SOPTL;DR Everything you need to successfully file your own reimbursements
8. Day 77 - Hero SKUs vs High-Effort SKUsTL;DR about 80% of your catalogue is probably high effort and low volume. Focus on the 20% that are low effort and high volume FIRST.
9. Day 74 - Stocking based on Inventory turnsTL:DR How to prioritize and understand which inventory to send in first (based on sell-through)
10. Day 85 - Charm PricingTL;DR - Strategically pricing your products makes a huge difference to your bottom line

What the Heck is a “Positioning Flight” (And why you should care)

A positioning flight is a separate, usually cheap, ticket you buy to move yourself to a bigger airport where the real deal starts.

Think: Edmonton → Seattle on WestJet for $120, then Seattle → Tokyo in business class for half what Edmonton → Tokyo costs on one ticket.

Why it matters:

Payoff What it looks like in real life

Lower overall price Small hop + big-hub sale often beats the single-ticket fare by hundreds.

Easier premium redemptions Award seats and flash sales pop up first from hubs like YVR, YYZ, SEA, or LAX.

Better product Skip the regional jets, grab the lie-flat seat, and hit the flagship lounge.

Bottom line: mastering positioning flights lets you snag cheap long-haul fares, unlock premium cabins, and gives you a repeatable win.

Hotel Bahia De Los Pirates Bar and Restaurant - Pirate Beach

If you’re up for the drive down a rough dirt road, this spot has one of the best views around. It looks out over Los Piratas Beach and sits right at the edge of the sand. Most people don’t know about it. The food’s solid, but you’ll need an ATV or a high-clearance SUV to get there.

Because it’s hard to reach, it stays quiet. Hidden gem. One of our go-to lunch spots.

Locals say pirates used to land here back in the day, probably because it’s a well-protected cove that’s tough to access. Made it a good hideout during the Central American colonization era.

Like a lot of places here, the website’s useless. Check out their Facebook instead.

• Samantha Asks about removing resellers from her Private Label listings

• Christina looks for SaaS advice for new Amazon Sellers

Amazon’s New Coupon Fee Changes for June 2025

Amazon’s changing things again. (And no, they’re not done raising fees, LOL)

The new fee structure:

• $5 flat fee per coupon
• + 2.5% of coupon-attributed sales

The old $0.60 per redemption is gone.

Here’s the headline: You pay the $5 upfront, whether your coupon performs or not. If it does well? Great — you’ll still owe the 2.5% cut on the sales it drives.

So, is this better or worse?

That depends on your price point:

• Under $22? The change saves you money.
• Over $22? It’s now more expensive.

It’s not a clear win or loss… just more complexity. Another tax on sellers who aren’t paying close attention.

But for the operators who do track costs by SKU, this is an opportunity to optimize. For everyone else, it’s just a pain in the neck.

❝

I have never seen someone stick to positive habits in a negative environment.

-James Clear

All the best,

Rob & Max