Tag Archives: Amazon

Common Problems, FAQ, Guides, Useful Sites

Making your logo – free and easy

August 2, 2015 David 2 Comments

We needed to update our logo. Found a couple of cool tools that are very helpful, and best of all free.
The first site we used is Cooltext.
They have a ton of cool logo designs, for us we chose the “Fantasy” style.

After you have selected your logo style, type in your business name. Ours is Amusing Treasures, as you can see here.

Before you click create logo, select the tabs across the center of the screen.
The “Logo” tab allows you to select color gradients, and change the color scheme, lighting angles, and elevation. As you change the settings, you see a nice preview at the top of the screen. Make sure that your logo is clear and easy to read. This is your chance to make a first impression with your customers.
The “Shadow” tab allows you to change the shadow type, color, and offset. This can make your logo POP off the screen, just be careful not to make the logo too blurred or muddy. Keep in mind that for Amazon, the logo is only allowed to be 120×30 pixels, which can make everything scrunch together.
The image screen is the most important, as there is an option at the bottom that can lead to frustration in the next step. The “File Format” selection is important. If you choose a file format that says “w/transparency”, the file conversion and shrinking that needs to happen next can give your image a black background. You need to select either a .JPG or a .GIF for Amazon.

After you generate your logo, ensure that you download it. The site will delete your creation within one hour. Don’t let that hard work go to waste!

Now for the next step, we are going to a different website. We will be using Picresize.
Browse and select the new logo that you just made, and click continue.

You can crop and rotate the logo if necessary. Under step 2, Resize your picture, select “Custom Size”.

The dimensions that you need are 120 x 30, if you are uploading to Amazon.
On Step 4, select .JPG and Best for quality, then click “I’m Done”.
This will take you to the final screen. Click “View image” to make sure that you got what you want. Again, if your background is all black here, review the section above about file formats to save. If you like what you see, then download it to your computer by clicking “Save to Disk”.
Now your new logo is ready to use!

Under Amazon’s Seller Central, in the top right corner click “Your Info & Policies”, located under the Settings tab.

In the first column, select “Seller Logo”.
Browse to the folder where you saved your logo. Make sure you pick the one that you resized, it will have “rsz” at the front of the file name. Usually this is in your “Downloads” folder. Then click “Upload”. After you click Download, you should get a message saying you have successfully uploaded your image. Now you just wait 5-10 minutes.

An easy way to check how your logo will look to your customers is to go to an item that you sell. Click the all for sale link, find your seller name. Is the logo easy to read? Is it overly cluttered or confusing? If you find it is not exactly how you want it, just use the tools above to fix it. There is no limit to the number of logos you can make and test, although you can only use one at a time.

If you have any more cool tips or tricks, let us know! Any questions, you can email us at amusingtreasures@gmail.com. If you are particularly proud of your logo, we would love to see it.

You can also use these steps to design Amazon ready logos for other sellers. Try listing your services at Fiverr.com for some extra money for inventory.

Amazon, Common Problems, Inventory

Fixing Stranded Inventory from Scanpower

July 26, 2015 David 1 Comment

I was searching through my inventory the other day and realized that I had 81 stranded items, totaling several hundred dollars worth of merchandise. These are the steps that I took to get them unstranded, so that they did not have to be shipped back, saving me some money.
Step 1 – Resend the feeds on ScanPower.
Look at your archived shipments, and click the Fix Listing button. Many times that will fix the problem immediately. Unfortunately, this was not one of those times.

Step 2 – Click the “Incomplete” button next to the listing on Amazon.

Step 3 – Copy the picture from the Amazon listing page by opening the listing

and then clicking “see this image” underneath the photo on the page.

Right click the picture, use “Save image as”.

Step 4 – Upload the newly copied image into the Main Image. Update your price. Click Save.

Step 5 – Be patient! Changes can take up to 15 minutes.
The error seems to be triggered if the item has a picture on the listing, but does not have one as the “Main Image” in the listing details.
If you have any questions, you can contact me at amusingtreasures@gmail.com.
Good Luck!

Experiments, Make The Sale, Selling, Sourcing

Buy a Bundle, Game for Free!

July 26, 2015 David Leave a comment

So you love to play video games. You also love to make money (that is why you are here!) You want to get paid to do it. It is easier than you think, with some simple steps and a little patience. It breaks down into a few simple steps.
-Find a bundle deal on Craigslist or your local Facebook group. A bundle deal is video games with the console and some accessories.
-Sell off all of the items in the bundle you are not trying to add to your collection.
-Enjoy your cost free gaming!
First, look at the local Craigslist ads or Facebook groups. You are looking for the words “Lot”, “Bundle”, or “Games”. If you are looking for a specific title, you can search for that title instead. Determine whether you can make money on this bundle at that price while keeping the games that you want. Video games are fast sellers, especially newer titles and consoles (defined as XBOX 360 or PS3 or newer). You are going to use the lowest price on Amazon as your calculation point. Assume that you are going to lose about 1/3 of the cost to fees. All you need to do is to break even, but of course the more money you can make the more money you can put directly into your pocket!
You do a simple comparison. Use the lowest price of everything you can sell, and multiply by 2/3’s. If that value is higher than the price you can negotiate on the bundle, then go ahead and buy. Things to keep in mind:
When you sell the console, you should include one controller, the charger, and the cables to hook it to the TV.
The games might be scratched, so inspect them carefully before you buy. Light surface scratches are ok, but anything more than that you will need to pay to get them professionally refinished. That will run between 1-3 dollars per disc.
Once you find a bundle, you should contact the seller. One thing I’ve learned over time was that your first offer should make you feel slightly embarrassed. I usually offer somewhere between 50-60% of the asking price. Make sure to mention that you can bring cash and pay them today. Don’t be surprised if they say no at first, just be polite and ask them to keep you in mind. Often they will contact you back within a day or two. If you don’t hear from them, email them back a little later and ask if they still have it available. Between no shows and people not needing or wanting everything that is in the bundle, they will often still have the bundle available. Don’t worry about missing out on a particular deal, there are new ones every day.
When you go to pick up the bundle, make sure you inspect the items carefully. Do not feel pressured to buy if the items are not pristine. Have them turn it on for you, if you are comfortable going to their homes. Remember, you are not obligated to buy anything.
What you are going to do is keep the pieces you want, and sell off all the pieces you don’t at enough of a price difference to pay for the entire bundle. Every part of a video game system is usually easy to sell, especially the newer models. Xbox 360 or PS3 or newer.
My favorite way to sell them is on Amazon. You can sign up for an account to sell on Amazon in about 5-10 minutes. You do not need a pro-seller account, which makes listing your items free. The difference between a pro-seller account and a free account is an additional one dollar fee per item. If you are selling more than 40 items per month, then you should sign up for a pro-seller account, as you will break even.
Keep in mind that almost everything gaming related can sell, and you do not have to settle for the lowest price. The chargers, the controllers, the cameras, the headphones, and the games can all be sold separately.
You want your money back quickly, so the simplest way is to just match the lowest prices on Amazon. List them on Amazon, and write a good description. Read the condition guidelines, and make sure you are following them. Make sure you are on the right listing, especially on consoles. There are different versions of most gaming platforms, and a few minutes of research will show you which is which. This may sound intimidating, but it is really very simple.
Read the descriptions of the people you are competing against. Especially at the lowest price, people often do not take the time to write a good description of the condition. Use their laziness against them. Use a better description, and you can demand higher prices!
There are different versions of most gaming platforms, and a few minutes of research will show you which is which. This may sound intimidating, but it is really very simple.
When the customer orders your items, you will get an email. Package the item the way you would like to receive it, safe and pretty. Once the orders are in (remember that you will lose about 1/3 of the cost in fees), you will get paid every two weeks from Amazon. Sit back and enjoy all of your free games!
This is a very simple way to expand your gaming collection exponentially in a very short period of time. Have fun, and Happy Gaming!
-David Manning @ AmusingTreasures.com

Amazon, Getting Started, Guides, Inventory, Tools

How to put your own products on Amazon

April 3, 2013 David Leave a comment

Here are a few simple tips for putting your own products or ideas up for sale on Amazon.com.

1) Create or develop your product. You can either make the product yourself, find a product that you would like to sell at a price that you find attractive, or you can hire someone to make the product for you. Hiring someone else to manufacture your product is a little beyond the scope of this article, but there are a few general tips that you might find helpful.
– Find a problem that you can solve. People don’t look for new garbage to buy, they look for solutions to their problems, things to make their life more enjoyable, or to make complex problems simpler.
– Test the idea first. Make a product landing page and take virtual orders, or talk to people that you feel would benefit from having the product. Ask them to actually purchase it, and judge their reactions.
– Don’t worry as much about funding. From Kickstarter.com to small business loans, funding is available if your idea can find a following.

2) Get a pro-seller account. You can sell on Amazon without a pro-seller account, but you cannot create your own items.

3) Get some UPC’s. UPC’s are the barcodes that separate your product from everyone elses. With some exceptions, all new products listed at Amazon has to have a UPC. You can buy them from several places. I dealt with someone on Ebay, and got 250 of them for a very decent price. I would expect to pay less than .25 a piece on them.

4) Create a new product, and use the UPC that you bought. Make sure that your description is accurate and compelling. Make sure tha tthe items measurements and weights are accurate, as that information is used to calculate your shipping costs. Don’t be discouraged if the item appears to vanish soon after you create it. I have noticed this before, and it usually returns within 24 hours. I believe that is part of the review process.

5) While you are creating your new product, it will ask for you to describe your offer and price the item. Remember, Amazon’s fees and shipping can add up to about 1/3 of the price, so price yours accordingly.

6) While advertising for most items on Amazon is not necessary, if you have a niche product or one with unusual keywords, you may try advertising with links directly to your offering.

That is it! Enjoy the ability to have your items and ideas enter the largest marketplace in the world. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to write me at amusingtreasures@gmail.com.

Amazon, Guides, Packaging, Tips

How to pack board games for Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA)

March 6, 2013 David 2 Comments

We sell a lot of board games through our site, www.amazon.com/shops/amusingtreasures. We also use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), which allows us to have Amazon ship out our games, and handle the customer service on the orders. When you use FBA, you have to pack the items and label them with a unique barcode. Then you ship them to their warehouses, and Amazon stores them and ships them out from there when the order comes in. There are a couple of things to keep in mind when preparing board games for FBA.

1) Condition. The guidelines for the board game category can be found here. http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200143590#everything_else The important thing to note here is that a “Like New” product should show no signs of wear. Make sure that you do a thorough inspection. List all damage, and include all pieces. If the instructions are missing, there is a good chance that you can find them online.

2) Preparation. It does not do any good to find a New or Like New game, and send it in to Amazon only to have it get all beat up or damaged in the warehouse. Another thing to think about is the labeling requirements. Many of the games are collectors’ items, and serious collectors do not like having stickers on the packaging. Here are our recommendations, based on experience.

a. Cleaning. If you source in Goodwills, thrift shops, yard sales, or storage auctions, then the games might not be ready for resale yet. Give them a wipe down with a cloth or paper towel to remove the dust. If they have grease pencil marks on them (pricing from Goodwill or Yard sales), use a dry Magic Eraser to take them off easily. If it has stickers that you do not want to stay, you can use a hair dryer on low to loosen the adhesive. Then you can use your fingernails, or a Scotty Peeler, to gently remove the sticker. Bestine, Goo-Gone, or another cleanser may be required to lift all the adhesive off.

b. Place all of the individual components in their own bags. I like to rubber band the cards (if any), but if they are flimsy I might not. If it looks like the rubber band will bend or damage the cards, then I leave them loose in the bag.

c. If the pieces are rattling around and you believe there is a chance of damage, then you can place a piece of foam or bubble wrap between the pieces and the board.

d. When sealing the box, I prefer to use plastic wrap. We bought a big roll of it from the shipping section of Wal-Mart, and just wrap the entire box. We prefer not to tape the boxes shut, as some tape will rip the pictures/packaging when you try to remove it.

e. Place your custom label over the UPC on the outside of the plastic wrap. Make sure that the plastic wrap is taped into place or snugly wrapped so that it does not shift. For FBA, all existing barcodes besides the one you create must be covered.

f. Many board games are over-sized. Make sure when you are generating your shipment to place them in the same shipments, to cut down on postage costs.

3) Shipping. Once you have them prepared, place them in a box with adequate padding. Ensure that if you stack them on top of each other, do not place a board game that is skinnier than the edges on top of another game. If you have a game that is supporting another smaller game on top, there is a good chance that the box will bow in the center.

That is it. When you ensure that your games are packed well, it ensures that your customers are happy with the things that they order. Make sure you show the same care with your listing, and people will love to buy from you. If you have any questions, please contact us at amusingtreasures@gmail.com.