Forum

FBA and Buy Box
 

Hello Amazon Guru,

I have a question about FBA and Buy Box.

- If I create new seller and do FBA. (brand new account)
- The item's price will be equal or less compare to the one that already have the Buy Box for that item

Will I get the change to win the Buy Box when using FBA?

Thank you

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

As long as you are not competing against amazon themselves or other fba seller then you re pretty much guaranteed the buy box, at least in all the categories that I sell in. Even on a new account. Just make sure the value is enough to make it stand alone fulfilled by amazon item rather than the not as good add on item.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

Thank you very much Barry.

Never do FBA before. Also this is the first time I sale NEW products :)

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

Tony, Barry is slightly wrong, I sell all my items FBA, I win the buy box every time even against amazon themselves. You have to play with prices. Usually if you are priced similar to a competitor the buy box is shared, that means it changes between sellers during the day. To beat amazon you have to find how many pence or cents you have to be cheaper than amazon to win the buy box. The category I am in its 29 cents and 29 pence cheaper. My category is fast moving goods. If you get your prices correct, you can sell 200 plus per item per day with the buybox. No buybox but cheaper than amazon maybe 20. 90% of customers don't actually realise they are buying of a 3rd party.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

Just going to add 2 quick things to this great advise.
The buy box rotates after 1 sale. If seller 'A' makes a sale, then seller 'B' gets the buy box. Seller 'B' makes sale, then 'A' gets the box, and so on. (if both sellers have similar pricing and metrics).
Also be aware of pricing against AZ. Pretty sure they use pricing software to try to win the buy box back, and will keep trying to get the buy box back until they reach a pre-set minimum.
Just our experience.
Good luck with FBA

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

Thank you for the great information Micky

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

This is not true. Ive never never seen the buybox rotated when an item sells.

Sending FBA will get you the buybox, but there is way more into it then that.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

Please note:

You automatically lose Buy Box eligibility for all of your offers as soon as your ODR reaches 1%. You will then need to maintain an Order Defect Rate below 1% to regain this eligibility.
Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) offers are still eligible to win the Buy Box even if your ODR is above 1% as these items are delivered by Amazon. Moving to FBA when your ODR reaches 1% is a good way to secure your business, maintain your Buy Box eligibility and to improve your metrics quickly.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

Then you are not looking close enough, I share buybox with various retailers. Please only state what is true and not what YOU have never seen. This is very misleading for other members.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

[quote=MICKY H;513425]I'm not sure how I was slightly wrong? If you are not competing against amazon/ other fba sellers and you are the lowest price you are guaranteed the buy box. If you are competing against them then you are not guaranteed the buy box, unless as you say price is lower by a certain percentage.

I'm not trying to start an argument but I have to say that you are wrong about the buy box rotating after a sale. It gets reassessed every 15 minutes according to amazon. If there are a lot of eligible sellers at a similar price then yes it can rotate a lot but it has nothing to do with making a sale. It is based on the sellers metrics and price.

I know because on some listings where I get 30% of the buy box in a day I will get say 15 sales in a hour then no sales for the next two hours. If the buy box changed after ever sale as phd suggested then sales would be consistent throughout the day.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

Price is not the end of buybox. There is much, way much more too it. I would suggest googling some info. On some items, I can be quite a bit higher then other sellers and still maintain the buybox.

And to confirm,*one* sale, does not mean the next seller gets the buybox. I watch it closely, 80% of my sales are FBA. I've learned quite a bit about the buybox. Its a beast in its own. Sometimes upsetting the Buybox can have a chain reaction for the worst.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

To be honest price is about 95% of the criteria when competing against a rival competitor who's is not using fba. Even on a newish account and against a big seller I can still get the buy box for the whole day just by pricing an item 3p lower. I guess it depends on what category you sell in as my products are quite low cost electronics but I don't look at anything other than price and have never had a problem getting the buy box.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

No offense, but that's like saying the lottery is fixed cause you haven't won it.

We are here to teach and learn, AND HAVE AN OPEN MIND.

If 2 people that have sold for years say it's true, delve deeper into it.

You may just better yourself and your business.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

Everyone, you don't have to be the cheapest seller to get the buybox. You have to be the cheapest FBA seller or cheaper than amazon. I can sell goods £5 plus more expensive than the cheapest non FBA seller and maintain the buybox. Thats why FBA is so good.
BARRY, all I said was the buybox rotates with sellers on similar prices. Not the methods behind the rotation.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

Fair enough then Micky. I know you can get the buy box without being the cheapest but it's normally only a difference of pennies so I don't try and second guess it. My bad if i did not make that clear.



Sorry phd but you are completely wrong. Go and buy any item from amazon and the buy box will not change. That's not how it works. It's fair enough telling people to have an open mind, but you should take your own advice as 100% guaranteed the buy box does not change with every sale. I can give you a screen shot of listings where I have the buy box 100% for the day.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

We sell in home and garden, and pets, and have seen this quite often, EXCEPT when AZ is a seller of record. Then all bets are off.
The only category we have seen it not happen in, is electronics.

Which category are you not seeing the buy box rotate Barry?

Maybe we can find out which works, and which doesn't.

Sorry for the "open mind" post, but some people post with an ego and a chip on their shoulder.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

I sell in electronics. if someone has the same price as me then the buy box does rotate. But if my price is the lowest by around 3p and everything stays the same I have the buy box 100% of the time. I know price is not the only criteria but in my category it seems to be.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

Electronics in the U.S. (for some reason) works really different.

My guess is the person creating the page has the buy box (only a guess).
They can be 10-20$ more than a number of sellers, but still get the buy box.
Have seen very good sellers on these pages with much better pricing (including us) but it seems almost impossible to get the buy box.

Just can't figure that category out yet.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

Didnt mean to come off like that. I've just never witnessed that in either electronics or video games.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

I dont have experience of the buy box and I wouldn't use the FBA, However the only thing I will add to this is be careful of competing with Amazon on price. They know what price they can get most things and being the size they are they know the price is the cheapest they can get it. If you undercut them too much they really dont like it and they often always take action to take you down.

Just my two pence worth

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

I have competed against amazon for many years and had no repercussions. Yes had accounts deleted and suspended but not for this reason. Our company is also a UK vendor to amazon.co.uk and I can assure you they don't but at the lowest price available. What we have noticed amazon.co.uk will buy an item from us say for £8.00 but happily sell it for £7.00.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

You don't have experience with buy box nor FBA so what are you basing your statement on? I have a lot of experience and I have many products I undercut Amazon on and have never had an issue. That's my experience.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

If you are not using FBA, do you have to offer free shipping to get the BuyBox or is it just the total price that counts.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

No you do not have to offer free shipping.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

My seller rating is 100, feedback is 100, have sold almost 400 items short term and odr rate is below 1%...however I cannot get buy box no mater how much lowered I am priced.

I am seeing sellers from China with 70% feedback get it over me.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

Would this be in electronics????
That category is different than others to get BB

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

One item I found in Home & Kitchen.

Amazon itself list $95.xx
There are more than 10 seller all with 5 digits feedback
But the one who win the buy box is the one that have a highest price $174.xx

How is this happen???????? Anyone care to explain

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

This happens when the other sellers items are on back order

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

They all have stock, Amazon also have in stock

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

Never mind, it change back to Amazon with the buy box already :)

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

Yes it is electronics. So I'm seeing that price does not matter much here.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

With this item, the lowest price win the Buy Box, not the FBA

Warning, this is direct link

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

Well because the FBA price isn't low enough.It doesn't always have to be same or lower, but in this case it's just not low enough

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

Very unusual, however amazon don't seem to sell this item so maybe this is the reason. Amazon always get the buybox unless a FBA is cheaper by a certain percentage and then the reseller gets the buybox.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

I have noticed lately that 9/10 of my listings even if I am the cheapest, I do not win the buy box.

What is strange is I will be the ONLY seller of an item and still can not win the buy box....

In the past, if I was ever the lowest price, I would win the buy box...

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

I have 2 items do FBA. It is $20 cheaper than the other person's list. But I'm not getting the Buy Box.

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

Very strange Tony. Usually that will only happen if you are competing with Amazon.

Have you waiting long enough?

Also, are you adding any of the competitors items to cart to track their sales?

Because if you do and then click on the item info again it will always show the seller you added to cart in the buy box.

What category?

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

It is Home and Kitchen

What do you mean by wait long enough?

Yes, I have track their inventory very closed.

Even when he run out of stock, I still don't have the Buy Box.

On the bold above, I know that buy I'm swear, The buy box is just not mine :(

Thank you

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

Update

I have to upgrade to Pro Merchant to win the Buy Box.

Thank you

Re: FBA and Buy Box
 

Hello. I have 3 individual seller accounts all in good standing for the last 3 years and able to disburse daily. If I upgrade one of them to Pro Merchant in order to gain Buy Box will I lose the disburse daily option or does the account remain the same?