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Originally Posted by gg123  what are the pros and cons listing against existing AISN?
I've always used my own upc codes but it gets a little expensive, especially if the account doesn't live long.
When I list against and existing AISN will my keywords and title be used for searching? Can I put my own main picture? It looks like I have to use the one i'm listing against. Also I read my item isn't visible all the time only when I get control of the buy box? If I list against existing AISN will all other competitors automatically drop their price if mines the lowest.
I don't really understand it. Can someone explain? |
Creating your own listings, especially with your own UPC codes keeps your competition lower. Most of the times other competing Sellers simply input the UPC number (even scan it if they are high volume) and list their items against the already existing listing. If it's a popular item, you may have 15-20 sellers competing for that sale, and the Box (that's the Seller that is listed on the main product page when you go to the product and simply click "buy") is usually won by the person with the lowest price/best Seller metrics (most and highest feedback, etc few different factors involved, not just price). Rule of thumb is that 50% of all sales for that product go to the Box winner, and the other 50% gets split between the other 10-20 sellers, however many are there.
If you create your own product listing, you maybe the only seller and have the Box by default, or competing with only one or two sellers, thus be able to keep the price a lot higher on the product and have a better profit margin.
The downside of creating your own listing is:
1. Takes a lot longer - 15-20 min. to create, vs. seconds to list against an already existing listing
2. Need to take your own pictures, delete backgrounds, etc. etc.
3. Your listing takes time to become visible in searches. The more customer reviews a product has, the more visible that product is in searches. So if an existing product already has few product reviews, it might be better for you to list against that existing listing.
4 Amazon frowns upon creation of many listings of the same product, since it hinders the Buyer's experience. Amazon Buyers don't want to browse around for hours looking for the best deal on a product like eBay buyers do. The whole point of Amazon is mostly convenience and time saving experience, which sets it apart from eBay which is mostly price driven market. I'm not 100% sure but I think you may get in trouble with your account if you create too many additional listings on a product, if there is already an existing listing for that product.
Regarding your questions about your item not being visible if you don't have the Box - your name as a Seller is still visible on the next screen, but only about 50% of potential Buyers ever click to go to that next screen that lists all Sellers who sell that product. So you do miss on a lot of sales.
"If I list against existing AISN will all other competitors automatically drop their price if mines the lowest." Depends on the other Sellers on the listing. Some of us prefer to keep our price higher and get less sales but at better profit margins. However, there are many Sellers who use automatic repricing tools, and have set their settings to automatically undercut any lower priced Seller. It's annoying and kills everyone's profits on the product, but high volume sellers or new sellers trying to establish an account sometimes use it. Again, keep in mind price isn't the most important thing on Amazon. Many new Sellers who come from eBay make this mistake and treat Amazon like eBay. It's a waste of your time, you need to maximize your profits on Amazon, it's a different game than eBay...
Pros and cons listing against existing aisn 
