In this post, we listed which products are best to avoid as a beginner on Amazon that can prevent you from stress & will you save a lot of money.
As a new Amazon seller, you will be overwhelmed by the number of product choices.
So, to save you a lot of time, money, and headaches in the future, we will help you narrow down which products are best to avoid as a beginner on Amazon.
1. Restricted Products
Amazon has a variety of items that are restricted from being sold on the Amazon site.
These products tend to have strict rules and regulations depending on your product, marketplace, and national laws, making it difficult for new Amazon sellers to be approved to sell them.
One of the worst nightmares of a new Amazon FBA seller is ordering hundreds or thousands of products only to find out it is restricted or require much paperwork.
All the excitement, effort, and money wasted because of choosing the wrong product.
This is common as people get excited and don’t research enough.
Even if you have the necessary documentation, Amazon customer support can still give you a lot of trouble as they might not understand how you presented it.
This is by far one of the worst things you can experience when you start selling on Amazon so make sure you get this one right.
You can easily find a list of restricted products here.
2. Textiles
Textiles are great products to sell on Amazon as a new seller.
They are the most common products people buy because of their low price, soft texture, and variety.
However, there are special labeling requirements for selling textiles on Amazon.
Additionally, there are higher import duties if your goods are shipped from other countries, so selling textiles would be more costly.
3. Technical Products.
If you sell technical products such as electronics, it would be more prone to issues, and more parts would be included, so there is a bigger chance of returned units and bad reviews.
We recommend selling simple and uncomplicated products if you’re a new Amazon FBA seller.
You can definitely sell electronics but just make sure they are high-quality or simple enough for your target audience to use.
For example, It would be difficult for you to sell high-tech products if your target audience is older.
4. Large and Heavy products.
If you’re a new Amazon seller, it’s crucial that you avoid products that are large, heavy, and just generally difficult to ship.
These include things like couches, tables, and other furniture, as well as other large items like TVs or major appliances.
Not only would these items be very expensive for you to ship to customers (and therefore cutting your profit margin even more), but they also take up a lot of space at Amazon’s warehouses, meaning you’d have to pay a lot more in storage fees.
5. Cosmetics
Amazon will check your ingredients, so if you’re unfamiliar with what your supplier is putting on your product, it might not get approved.
Also, some cosmetics like lip glosses expire fast, so if your sales are slow, you might end up with many expired products.
Moreover, this type of product requires high-quality professional photography and videography so you can stand out as a new brand among established brand powerhouses.
6. High-end or Expensive products
High-end or expensive products are more difficult to sell on any platform.
Also, they tend to have a more expensive cost per click when you advertise them.
When you’re a new seller, the amount you sell every day is essential for you to place higher when the customer searches, and you just can’t achieve that by selling a few units every day
7. Fragile Items
Any fragile product should always be stored with care so it won’t break or get damaged while in transport.
The product goes through so much before it reaches the customer, from the supplier to the different ports, to Amazon, etc.
Guaranteed you’ll have damaged units and lots of refunds if you’re not careful with this.
8. Cheap Items (lower than $10)
As a small business selling on Amazon, you’ll be very tempted to sell cheap items.
You can easily buy cheap products on Alibaba, and you might even get addicted to it.
But you need to remember that when you sell cheap products, even though your cost per product is low, your FBA fees will be high as a general rule.
Aside from the fees, advertising will also eat up your profit margin easily.
More importantly, it’s really COMPETITIVE.
It’s better to focus on items that have a higher margin and better quality.
Be patient and make sure you’re ready financially before you order your first batch of products.
You’ll be able to buy more and get it at a low price.
9. Seasonal products
Amazon is a huge platform, and it has its own user base that is always on the lookout for new products.
However, when you are just starting out, you need to avoid selling seasonal products at all costs.
The reason is these types of products will only generate large sales for a short period of time.
If you are a new seller and you have paid a lot of money to produce your seasonal product, then you might lose a lot of money when you do not sell enough units during the said period.
10. Products with too many variations
Variations like size, color, and design, can be great for attracting customers, but having too many options can also lead to analysis paralysis for your customers and more work for you.
You’ll need to buy a lot of inventory for each variation and make sure everything is properly stocked.
Amazon takes inventory seriously and gives you a corresponding score for it.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right products can be challenging even for experienced Amazon FBA sellers.
So, don’t rush and take some time to do proper research.
We hope we helped you answer which products are best to avoid as a beginner on Amazon and helped you make your final decision.
We worked hard on this post so if you like our content we’d highly appreciate a comment or share.
Thank you and good luck on your Amazon FBA business!
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