[SFTB] I'm Amazed Government Finally Did Something Right... Or Did They?

There was some pretty big buzz around the expat community a few weeks ago in Costa Rica.  Why?  Because the government extended the visitor stay from 90 days to 180 days.  That means if you are from visa exempt countries like Canada and the United States, when you arrive to Costa Rica, immigration will stamp your passport and allow you to stay 180 days now — without having to leave the country! There are a number of expats who come to Costa Rica and do not try to get their residency like we did, and simply will leave the country for an hour and come right back in, which would normally be 90 days. Double the time in paradise!

So people were excited….but not so fast.  Typical Costa Rica government, not everything is planned out correctly.  If you want to drive using a foreign country drivers license in Costa Rica, that is still only valid for 90 days and the rules for that have not changed.

As usual, part of the government does one thing and a second part isn’t aligned.  And guess what? You probably want to drive here… Sooo pretty much back to 90 day border runs anyhow — but hey, when’s the last time you were in Nicaragua? 😆

Now.. If you’re looking to come down for a full year, best to look into the digital nomad visa that allows you to stay up to a year and also get a Costa Rican drivers license.

Can I Interest You in a Quickie? Today’s Value:

It’s almost Q4. That means it’s time to get buying OA and start reselling. Why not use the tool that gives you x-ray vision to the best buys with the highest margins?

Tactical Arbitrage (TA) is the #1 Online Arbitrage software trusted by top FBA sellers. We personally use this in our business to find great flips.

Sourcing has never been easier thanks to TA. With hundreds of potential data point filters,1100+ sites to source, and millions of products, it’s never been easier to find products to resell on Amazon.

As a special bonus for being a SFTB Newsletter reader, we have secured you an extra 10K minutes FREE.

credit: midjourney / prompt: A tranquil beach at dusk, with palm trees silhouetted against a fiery sunset. Medium: Photorealistic photography. Lighting: Sunset, with the sky ablaze in oranges and reds. Colors: Warm palette, with deep shadows. Composition: Captured with a Fujifilm GFX 50S, using a GF 32-64mm f/4 R LM WR lens. Settings: ISO 50, shutter speed 1/60, aperture f/11. –ar 16:9 –v 5.1 –style raw –s 750

Insane prompt, right? Try Photorealistic.

Keepa tutorials are like the grains of sand on a beach. There’s a lot of them. That isn’t what this section is.

Below is how I use Keepa in my business – and what specifically I’m looking for when sourcing Online Arbitrage (OA) products. Following these tips will help you be more effective when reading a Keepa chart and will help you both avoid pitfalls or double down on good opportunities.

Number of Sellers: Is the amount of sellers going up? That’s bad. Is it going down? That’s good. Note: Sometimes a listing may have a large influx of sellers that are all drop-shippers. You’ll be able to tell because they will all be FBM. When that happens – the amount of sellers isn’t a negative. To access this chart, choose “More Historical Data.”

Price History: Is the price going down? Potentially bad. Is it going up? Potentially good! Generally speaking as number of sellers go increase (see #1, above), the price goes decreases – supply & demand. If you see a product with a downward trending price, proceed with caution.

Buy Box History & Data: If Amazon or another seller is hogging the Buy Box (it happens) – avoid like the plague. Remember, over 80% of all sales on any listing are sold by the seller holding the Buy Box. Also, navigate to the “Data” tab and choose “Buy Box Statistics” to see who’s been getting it the majority of the time.

Seasonality: Some products have great BSR, sales history, and pricing when they are in season making them seem like a great buy. They’re often not… and buying christmas decorations to sell in January is not going to go well.

Some examples:

BSR/Sales Rank (or lack thereof) Figuring out how many sales per month using BSR charts is a thing of the past. Just use the H10 Chrome add-on for a rough estimate. Sometimes because the product is placed in the wrong browse node, there will be no BSR at all – also, some categories (electronics) may not have BSR’s. This doesn’t mean the product isn’t selling. Sometimes you can find great products with no BSR at all.

In a nutshell what i’m looking for when I look at BSR & Sales Rank is a product that is selling with some reasonable frequency (at least one per day). If the product doesn’t have a BSR at ALL, check the reviews. If there’s some recently, it’s still selling.

Short and sweet tip today. Give your parents, a friend, or other family members your itinerary when you travel. This means info about flights, hotels, outings, with phone numbers and locations. While a bit of work to do – it will make locating you much easier on the off-chance something happens.

Don’t worry about seeming “not cool” by telling your parents where you are. If this is too much work, just shoot them a quick message on Whatsapp (save the roaming charges).

Duty-Free in Costa Rica’s Liberia Airport

In most international airports, you can buy duty-free items like alcohol, cigarettes, and perfume. You show your passport, pay, and pick up your goods at your gate. Usually there’s a limit to what you can get – something along the lines of 2 liters.

In Costa Rica, it’s different. At Liberia Airport, after customs, there’s a duty-free store. You can buy items for use in Costa Rica. Show your passport, pay, collect your bags, and leave. For whatever reason, there is no limit on purchases. I bought a box filled with 10 bottles. No issues. I don’t understand it, but with a deal this good I’m not complaining!

People who post articles with no context. What is the article about? Why did you link it? Why should I waste my time reading your unvetted stuff? At least give me a TLDR. 🤬🤬🤬

Interested in seeing Rob present at the Expat Money Summit this week? Check it out. October 5th, 2023 at 1PM EST Reserve your free ticket here.

– Serena Williams

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