March 3, 2025 Newsletter

[SFTB] 🩺Diagnose Every ASIN’s Illnesses (The Easy Way)

As reimbursement companies begin to wind down ahead of the March 10th Reimbursement change… sources are saying GETIDA has laid off over 100 people.

✅The Instant Value Section (IVS)✅

I Need a New Software Subscription Like I Need a Hole In My Head

It’s getting harder and harder to keep your Amazon margins healthy. Sellers have to stay smarter than ever to stay profitable. Cutting corners isn’t an option, but cutting inefficiencies is.

One of the biggest areas of inneficiencies is software overload. I’m sure you know what I mean. Just think about how many software programs you have right now…

That last thing is the kicker: most sellers are paying 3-4x more than they need to for software. Not because they’re buying tools they don’t need, but because they’re paying for the same thing multiple times.

That’s up to $400/month. And that’s before you factor in the time lost switching between platforms, managing multiple invoices, and troubleshooting tool conflicts.

So, how do you fix this?

1. Audit your stack. If two tools do the same job, one has to go.

– Make a list of all the software you’re using (subscriptions, one-time purchases, browser extensions, etc.).

– Identify redundancies. Do you have two tools handling the same function? (e.g., multiple repricers or sourcing tools)

– Look at usage. Are you actively using each tool, or is it collecting dust? If you haven’t logged in for weeks, it’s likely unnecessary.

– Ask yourself: “If I canceled this today, what would I actually lose?” If the answer isn’t significant, cut it.

2. Do the ROI test. If a tool isn’t actively making or saving you money, it’s dead weight.

– Look at your monthly subscription costs vs. the actual value it provides.

– For sourcing tools: How many profitable products has it helped you find?

– For repricers: How much has it increased your Buy Box win rate?

– For inventory tools: How much time has it saved you on tracking and restocking?

– If a tool isn’t paying for itself—whether in time savings or profit gains—it’s not worth keeping.

3. Consolidate where possible. Instead of juggling five platforms, find one that covers all your needs.

– Check if your current tools offer features you aren’t using. Many sellers pay for separate tools when their existing subscriptions already include the same functionality.

– Run a cost comparison. Add up the monthly fees for multiple tools and see how it compares to a bundled alternative.

– Consider the time savings of managing fewer logins, fewer integrations, and fewer customer support issues.

There’s two ways to make money on Amazon. Sell more or spend less!

Over the past two weeks, it’s been extremely hot in our area, and we’ve been busy both buying items for the house and wrapping up T4 and T5 tax filings for our clients.

In Costa Rica, appliance options are more limited than in the U.S. due to complex import processes and costs. Fortunately, several local stores carry the same models and run various promotions, and we’ve managed to save money by negotiating price matches and asking for bigger discounts.

We also discovered an area called Golfito, located about eight hours south near Panama, where the Costa Rican government established a Tax-Free Zone in the 1980s after United Fruit Company closed its banana plantations due to labor disputes. Visitors can stay overnight, buy appliances, and avoid taxes there. It reminded me of Duty-Free.

However, we actually found better deals by bargaining with local stores. Another useful strategy was not insisting on matching appliance brands.

Here’s a photo showing some of the safety procedures commonly seen in Costa Rica… 😭😭😭

Today’s Newsletter: More value than a shirt to a man frying bacon 🥓

…We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our new course, The ASIN Audit OS. We’ve taken 15+ years of Amazon knowledge and distilled it into a simple & easy to follow course for making sure your Amazon listings are as effective as they can possibly be.

After taking many calls where sellers had the same issues, we thought it would be helpful to everyone to have a simple, easy-to-understand course that allows you to audit your own stuff – I.E. DIY.

Most sellers think their listings are solid, but if your conversion rates are low, ad spend isn’t working, or competitors keep outranking you… something is off.

✅ A step-by-step audit framework to fix your Amazon listing

✅ Practical fixes to improve ranking & conversions

✅ The confidence to optimize specific areas without overhauling everything

This system gives you the exact process we use to break down a listing, find weak spots, and optimize without guesswork. No need to hire an agency or throw money at fixes that don’t work.

Give it a try and let us know what you think.

There’s only one reason why a product on Amazon is ranked #1.

Whoever is in the first spot is just converting the best. Full stop.

And the biggest factor influencing CVR is often price. And a lower price means a higher conversion rate (usually).

But sometimes you might not want to be ranked #1 because going after that spot would make your ASIN unprofitable.

And that means sometimes being ranked #1 isn’t worth it. Lowering your price to chase that top spot can destroy your margins and make the ASIN unprofitable.

So what’s the play? We’ve got to find our sweet spot. The point where our conversion rate, sales volume, and profit margins align. That might mean being ranked 2 or 3 (or 7 or 8). And that’s okay.

Where’s your sweet spot?

We wrote an honest review of TraceFuse after some of you reached out with questions about their AI-powered review removal service. They help Amazon sellers remove unfair negative reviews. This is all completely within Amazon’s TOS. While it’s not the cheapest option, the impact on conversion rates can make it worth considering, especially if your listing is hovering in that crucial 4.1–4.4 review range

Curious if it’s the right fit for you? We break it all down in our full review. Read more here.

Once again, Marsha Cosman shares awesome travel tip from her book: Living the Digital Nomad Dream: Stories, Strategy & Finances.

One of the most overlooked challenges of being a digital nomad is financial stability. This is especially true when income fluctuates or unexpected expenses arise. Before you hit the road, set up an automated savings system to ensure you always have a financial cushion, no matter where you are.

Here’s how:

With automated savings and financial safeguards, you’ll travel stress-free and stay prepared for anything.

Here is the direct link to the new Manage Your Sourcing Costs page (if this links to the inventory defect page it isnt rolled out for you yet).

Why shake them? Because scorpions (and other creepy crawlies) love to hide in shoes! When we first moved here, we had no idea until someone told us, “Always shake and beat your shoes before putting them on.” Even indoors, scorpions manage to get in and look for dark, cool spots. You really do have to give them a solid shake.

Right after I explained this to our kids one morning, they started shaking their shoes before putting them on. Then Jackson started yelling as soon as he slipped his shoe on… there was actually a scorpion in there! 

Luckily, he was wearing socks, so he only felt a pinch rather than a full sting, but it was a great reminder to stay vigilant. Also, be sure to check your bed and towels, because scorpions like to hide in those places too LOL.

One way to keep them away is to use lavender; apparently, they can’t stand the smell. I buy lavender-scented cleaning products, and it seems to help. Of course, you could always just wear sandals! 😉

Thanks to Amazon’s incompetence everyone has been seeing this warning on their Dashboard over the last couple of weeks.

This warning is for the INFORM Act – a law hat mandates online marketplaces to verify and disclose information about high-volume third-party sellers on their platforms. The US Govt forces Amazon to collect data on this, and so we have to play along and fill out the info.

Amazon could definitely take a different approach with letting sellers know that they need this information. Why? an Amazon Seller’s biggest fear is an account suspension or warning — and guess what — this banner looks exactly the same.

So after 1 million Amazon Seller hearts skipped a beat (I know mine did), we went to go fill this out. Once it was done, we hit submit. But the system didn’t remove the warning. Crap. Well, it looks like Amazon is bugged.

So now not only do we get this ugly notification, but we can’t remove it, either. Thanks to Ed Rosenberg for breaking this news.

Danny McMillan and the team @ Seller Sessions are constantly delivering and helping sellers. They run zero ads and only release content that actually helps sellers. Above is an amazing ~1h video that contains so much great value & gold nuggets.

If you want to learn how to A/B test and fix your images like the pros do, this is the video for you. I watched the whole thing and I learned a ton of new stuff (and sent it to my team).

Speak Up! Community Comments & Questions:

How was today’s newsletter? Love it? Hate it? Just want a cold drink that’s inside of a hollowed-out coconut? (Me too!)

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If you liked this newsletter, 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?  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 info@sellingfrom.co

All the best,

Rob & Max