FAQs about listing creation

This document is not a substitute for the video lessons. It is designed to be used
along with the lessons, or for referencing after watching them.

Q. Do I create the listing before or after placing an order with the supplier?
A. Either. The listing needs to be created before you can set up an incoming
shipment, so providing you do it before your goods are ready to be shipped,
that’s okay. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that if a brand new listing
(with no inventory) is left inactive for more than 30 days, Amazon will close it
and you would need to create it again.

Q. I’m trying to add a product but I can’t find the exact sub-categories that I see
on other seller’s listings. What do I do?
A. The sub-categories you see are sometimes ‘browse nodes’. Amazon adds
these to listings after they have had a certain amount of visits and activity. You
won’t necessarily see these browse nodes under ‘add a product’. Simply add
your product where it makes the most sense to do so.

Q. Can I use images, titles, and descriptions from another seller’s listing on
Amazon?
A. No, definitely not. Your listing will be removed as soon as the other seller
notices and reports it to Amazon. You could even be in danger of account
suspension. Use other listings to get ideas and inspiration, but never copy
anything.

Q. Can I use the supplier’s images?

A. Yes, but as soon as possible you should replace them with your own because
the supplier’s images are not unique and not the best quality either.

Q. Where can I get images edited or enhanced?

A. Fiverr.com

Q. Where can I get products photographed?

A. Fiverr.com, but many sellers do their own product photography using the
built in camera on their phone. OR, Amazon now have their own photography
service for some marketplaces. To learn more about it, type ‘amazon imaging
service’ into Google to find the page for your chosen marketplace.

Q. Amazon says that we are not allowed to use HTML in our product
descriptions, but I see a lot of sellers doing it. So what’s the deal?
A. Amazon allows the use of the <p> tag to create spaces between paragraphs.
Nothing else is allowed. However, they do not appear to enforce this rule. The
advice is to always use the <p> tag otherwise your description will be one big
block of text. At your discretion use bolding, underline, or lists, but use these
things sparingly.

Q. How can I put images in my description like some other sellers do?
You can’t. Amazon has a program called ‘Brand Registry’ whereby brands can
register and get access to things such as enhanced listings. A brand needs to be
trademarked before it can be registered with the program.

Q. Can I use a video as one of my images like I’ve seen on some listings?
A. No. Same as above.

Q. My product has variants. How do I set this up?

A. You can add a variation listing under the regular ‘add a product’ function.
However, it is a lot better to use the ‘inventory file upload’ method. See the
lesson in the ‘Advanced’ section of the course (section 5). Inventory files are
only available with the Professional seller account.
Q. If my listing has variants, do I need a UPC code for each variation?
A. Yes

Q. How should I decide on the selling price for my product?

A. When you originally decided to sell the product, the selling price would have
been one of the factors that helped you decide. Price your product at a price
similar to most other listings of the same type of product. You can experiment
with pricing changes later. Sometimes increasing the price can result in more
sales because customers see a higher perceived value. That’s not always the
case, but you won’t know until you try.

Q. Can I use known brand names in the title or elsewhere on the listing. For
example, if I am selling a phone case that fits iPhones, can I mention ‘iPhone’.
A. It depends on the brand name in question. ‘iPhone’ for example cannot be
mentioned and would result in your listing being suppressed. To be on the safe
side, do not mention other brands anywhere on your listing, and that includes
the back end search terms.

Q. When entering the back end search terms, does it matter which order I enter
the search terms?
A. No, but you should start with your most important ones in case you run out
of space!

Q. Under ‘More Details’ in the listing creation process, it asks for Package
Quantity/Quantity of the item. What should I enter here if my product is a
bundle or if it has more than one component?
A. You would enter ‘1’. However, if your product is a multi-pack containing more
than one of the same item, then you enter the number of items. Example, if
you were selling a multi-pack of 5 of the exact same micro-fibre cloths, you
would enter ‘5’.
Q. Can I edit my listing after it has gone live?
A. Yes, you can edit your listing any time you like

Q. I’m a bit confused about the whole UPC and FNSKU code thing. Which one
do I need, or do I need both?
A. You need both. Watch the lecture ‘UPC Codes and More’ right to the end,
then download the handout that goes with the lecture. Pay particular attention
to the text highlighted in red on the handout.

Q. I heard that my UPC needs to be purchased directly from GS1. Is this true?
A. There are 1000’s of students using the UPC’s from the reseller recommended
on the handout associated with the lecture ‘UPC Codes and More’. None have
ever had an issue with these UPC’s. Theo herself uses those same UPC’s

Q. I saw an Ebay seller selling really cheap UPC’s in bulk. Are they okay?
A. No

Q. I’ve created my listing, but it shows that my FBA fees are really high. What
did I do wrong?
A. Check the dimensions and weight that you entered for the product during
the listing creation. If your FBA fees appear to be way too high, you have
probably made an error entering the dimensions or weight. One common error
is selecting the wrong unit of measurement. For example, selecting lbs instead
of ounces.

Q. I’ve created my listing and it is showing as active, even though I don’t have
any stock at FBA yet. How can I fix this?
A. It doesn’t matter. Your listing will not show up in the search results until you
have inventory in stock. Nobody will see it except for you!