If you had to restart on Amazon from zero today – what would you do differently?

[yobar]

Would you open a fresh account again, or try to plug into an existing operation with history,unlocked brands and reviews already in place?

Which model (OA/RA/wholesale/PL) would you choose first, and what’s the #1 mistake from your first journey you’d avoid this time?

Curious how experienced sellers would design their “clean restart” in 2026.

[Phd]

Originally Posted by yobar

Would you open a fresh account again, or try to plug into an existing operation with history,unlocked brands and reviews already in place?

Which model (OA/RA/wholesale/PL) would you choose first, and what’s the #1 mistake from your first journey you’d avoid this time?

Curious how experienced sellers would design their “clean restart” in 2026.

Honestly. I would run away. 18 years ago it was easy and not that frustrating.

Now it's like fighting a war against the big bad machines.

Which way to start is kinda like picking the lessor of all evils.

PhD

[rsot]

Deep dive going on...how's the toiletry business on AZ these days?

[yobar]

Originally Posted by Phd

Honestly. I would run away. 18 years ago it was easy and not that frustrating.

Now it's like fighting a war against the big bad machines.

Which way to start is kinda like picking the lessor of all evils.

PhD

Haha, I hear you – 18 years ago Amazon was a totally different game, now it really does feel like you’re negotiating with a machine half the time. 😅

If you had to pick the “lesser evil” today though, what would it be – a clean new account and super conservative growth, or only touching something that already has history/brands/reviews baked in? And what was the one turning point where you felt, “okay, this platform isn’t fun anymore”?

[BlackLion]

I use to do around $500/day or close to it selling DVDs on Amazon. My mistake was going on shopping spree with my profits. If I could go back in time, I'd just keep reinvesting the profits, so I could purchase larger amounts of inventory, which in return could've possibly given me $1,000+ days. Mind you, I only had to check my account for 10-15min per day, but no one taught me how to conduct business. Had to learn everything on my own.

[yobar]

Originally Posted by BlackLion

I use to do around $500/day or close to it selling DVDs on Amazon. My mistake was going on shopping spree with my profits. If I could go back in time, I'd just keep reinvesting the profits, so I could purchase larger amounts of inventory, which in return could've possibly given me $1,000+ days. Mind you, I only had to check my account for 10-15min per day, but no one taught me how to conduct business. Had to learn everything on my own.

That’s a powerful lesson, and honestly one a lot of people only learn in hindsight – the “shopping spree” phase has killed more momentum than any suspension ever did. 😅 Reinvesting early profits into deeper inventory and better infrastructure is probably what separates a comfy side-income from those $1K+ days you mentioned. If you were starting again now, would you still choose DVDs/media, or go for something more scalable with today’s rules and competition?

[BlackLion]

Originally Posted by yobar

That’s a powerful lesson, and honestly one a lot of people only learn in hindsight – the “shopping spree” phase has killed more momentum than any suspension ever did. 😅 Reinvesting early profits into deeper inventory and better infrastructure is probably what separates a comfy side-income from those $1K+ days you mentioned. If you were starting again now, would you still choose DVDs/media, or go for something more scalable with today’s rules and competition?

Netflix, and other subscription services destroyed the dvd industry. You cannot make $35-$60 profit on rare dvds anymore. Today I've mastered the jewelry industry, but lack the funds compared to bigger sellers, so I sell locally via word of mouth, or if an online buddy wants something customized i'll have it made to bring in some side money. The day I have the funds to compete on the larger scale is the day I'll become everyone's nightmare.

[SaiJin]

Originally Posted by BlackLion

Netflix, and other subscription services destroyed the dvd industry. You cannot make $35-$60 profit on rare dvds anymore. Today I've mastered the jewelry industry, but lack the funds compared to bigger sellers, so I sell locally via word of mouth, or if an online buddy wants something customized i'll have it made to bring in some side money. The day I have the funds to compete on the larger scale is the day I'll become everyone's nightmare.

Blu rays are still very expensive right now.
I was surprised to find some like Kingdom of Heaven for $60

[Phd]

Originally Posted by yobar

Haha, I hear you – 18 years ago Amazon was a totally different game, now it really does feel like you’re negotiating with a machine half the time. 😅

If you had to pick the “lesser evil” today though, what would it be – a clean new account and super conservative growth, or only touching something that already has history/brands/reviews baked in? And what was the one turning point where you felt, “okay, this platform isn’t fun anymore”?

Clean account slow growth while trying to find "my own branded products".

But AZ wants so much paperwork/verification/proof/etc that it makes selling very risky and stressful.

And the "not fun anymore", would be all the 'necessary' new paperwork and proof AZ has added in the last 6 years.

PhD

[yobar]

Originally Posted by Phd

Clean account slow growth while trying to find "my own branded products".

But AZ wants so much paperwork/verification/proof/etc that it makes selling very risky and stressful.

And the "not fun anymore", would be all the 'necessary' new paperwork and proof AZ has added in the last 6 years.

PhD

Yeah, that makes total sense – building your own brand on a clean account is probably the most “controlled” route, but AZ definitely turned the paperwork dial to 11 in the last few years. 😅

It’s almost like the real risk now isn’t the competition, it’s drowning in documents and random verifications. Have you ever considered partnering with or stepping into something that’s already cleared most of those hoops, or do you still feel safer owning everything from scratch even with the extra stress?

[Phd]

Originally Posted by yobar

Yeah, that makes total sense – building your own brand on a clean account is probably the most “controlled” route, but AZ definitely turned the paperwork dial to 11 in the last few years. 😅

It’s almost like the real risk now isn’t the competition, it’s drowning in documents and random verifications. Have you ever considered partnering with or stepping into something that’s already cleared most of those hoops, or do you still feel safer owning everything from scratch even with the extra stress?

The great thing is I don't have to worry or think about it any more.

Just have to finish the accounting for 2025, and then I am gone to enjoy the rest of my life

PhD

[agent006140]

We just took over Venezuela,some said heavy crude price will go up and our refineries down south will be paying more ,so expect shipping costs to go up and AMZN would be hurting?
comments ?

[BlackLion]

Originally Posted by SaiJin

Blu rays are still very expensive right now.
I was surprised to find some like Kingdom of Heaven for $60

Are you still purchasing dvd's during these times? You can create an entertainment setup for $250 that makes everything obsolete, even mainstream streaming services.

[SaiJin]

Originally Posted by Phd

Clean account slow growth while trying to find "my own branded products".

But AZ wants so much paperwork/verification/proof/etc that it makes selling very risky and stressful.

And the "not fun anymore", would be all the 'necessary' new paperwork and proof AZ has added in the last 6 years.

PhD

Not to mention the aggressive back stabbing competitors.

But from what I have seen amazon has eliminated a LOT of sellers.

A lot of those professional sellers are now gone because they kept getting suspended

[yobar]

Originally Posted by agent006140

We just took over Venezuela,some said heavy crude price will go up and our refineries down south will be paying more ,so expect shipping costs to go up and AMZN would be hurting?
comments ?

Hard to say anything “for sure” yet, but if heavier crude + refinery issues = higher fuel and logistics costs, the pain usually shows up as higher carrier/FBA fees or new surcharges, not Amazon suddenly “hurting.” Amazon will pass most of that downstream. For us as sellers it just means watching shipping/FBA updates like a hawk and building a little more margin buffer into pricing instead of assuming today’s costs stay the same.

Originally Posted by SaiJin

Not to mention the aggressive back stabbing competitors.

But from what I have seen amazon has eliminated a LOT of sellers.

A lot of those professional sellers are now gone because they kept getting suspended

You’re right, it’s not just the paperwork – the aggressive, back-stabbing competitors plus all the new “proof” requirements have wiped out a huge chunk of sellers. From what I’ve seen, Amazon has quietly eliminated a lot of once-strong accounts that couldn’t keep up with the constant compliance and health checks. These days it feels like the real game is simply staying alive without getting suspended. If you were advising a new seller now, what would you tell them to put in place from day one so they don’t end up in that same suspension cycle?

[agent006140]

AMZN is no longer a cheap place to shop,we hardly see any Blue Care vans anymore in our neighborhood.
WMT and Ebay are better ,depends on what you are looking for.

[quantum]

Lost a ton of money from buying stealth accounts, wasting time on building it up, then gets shut down. I should have ditched that method and went the safe route by partnering with individuals and used their info.

[yobar]

Originally Posted by quantum

Lost a ton of money from buying stealth accounts, wasting time on building it up, then gets shut down. I should have ditched that method and went the safe route by partnering with individuals and used their info.

Yeah, that’s the brutal downside of stealth – you’re basically building on quicksand, and all the effort vanishes the second Amazon connects the dots. Partnering with real individuals/entities and doing everything above-board is way less sexy but usually way safer long term. Curious: if you were setting up those partnerships today, how would you structure it so both sides are protected and Amazon still sees a clean, legit profile from day one?

[quantum]

I have accounts with friends. The LLC and account is set up under their names, but they're practically silent partners that receive a small % of sales. Bookkeeping is done on a monthly basis.

[rsot]

Originally Posted by yobar

Yeah, that’s the brutal downside of stealth – you’re basically building on quicksand, and all the effort vanishes the second Amazon connects the dots. Partnering with real individuals/entities and doing everything above-board is way less sexy but usually way safer long term. Curious: if you were setting up those partnerships today, how would you structure it so both sides are protected and Amazon still sees a clean, legit profile from day one?

Partnerships would depend on the type of item being sold and who is the supplier, etc.

[agent006140]

The first issue would be Trust,can you trust your partner?
Can the two of you work together?
then comes tax issues.
In real life,most partnerships do not work out well.
Try using your mom's SSN

[agent006140]

Originally Posted by quantum

I have accounts with friends. The LLC and account is set up under their names, but they're practically silent partners that receive a small % of sales. Bookkeeping is done on a monthly basis.

Do your friend(s) prepare their own tax returns?assume they are in US