David Zaleski’s FBA Academy brings a training course and a done-for-you Amazon private label automation service together into one “EcomHub.” Both teach David’s trademarked “Rank and Bank” system, which uses Facebook fan pages and messaging software to generate sales on your Amazon page. Decide to take the course alone, or pay for David’s team to take care of 60%-80% of running your Amazon store. No matter which version you choose, you will learn how to do product research, pick a brand name, source your products, create beautiful product listings that will convert, organically rank your listing using EcomHub’s trademarked strategy, and receive many bonuses and resources.
This FBA Academy review will explain what Amazon private label is. It will tell you David Zaleski’s process for starting your Amazon FBA business. You will also learn who is David Zaleski? And is his strategy the best way to make an Amazon FBA business work? Or, is local lead generation a better way to use a "rank and bank" method to achieve passive income online?
FBA Academy Pros and Cons
Pros
David is upfront about the time and effort this course will take. He never suggests that Amazon FBA is passive, easy money.
FBA Academy provides product validation. Their team will tell you if you’ve chosen an excellent product or not.
You receive unlimited support.
Includes Rank and Bank trademarked strategy
This FBA course also includes a large shared resource list.
Cons
David isn’t upfront about the actual cost of starting this business. For your best chance of success, plan on $15K-$20K.
David isn’t active on social media anymore.
Part of David’s FBA course involves reaching out to customers through an app, which is a questionable practice according to the Amazon Terms of Service.
Price
$997 for the FBA Academy course only. $4997 for the Done For You service.
Refund Policy
If you implement David’s system and get no results, he will issue a full refund in 30 days. Note: It is unlikely that you will implement this entire system within 30 days, anyway.
Training
7 hours, step by step
Group
Lifetime access to a private Facebook group.
Origin
David once co-owned this Amazon FBA training course/hub with Tom Wang. David took over in the last few years.
Reputation
It’s very hard to find any reviews about this Amazon FBA course online. But, BBB gives EcomHub LLC an A+ rating.
Ecomhub was a big help in starting my Amazon business. They had great support with coaches and group calls. Sadly, with them closing and David not helping with the program anymore…. It’s a shame because his advice was very helpful.
What is the FBA Academy?
The FBA Academy is David Zalenski’s Amazon private label training course and a part of EcomHub. The best feature of this FBA course is product validation. David’s team will look into your product idea and let you know if it’s the right path to take. This is incredibly valuable, especially for a beginner. You will also learn EcomHub’s trademarked Rank and Bank system, which teaches you how to launch a product and rank it to the front page of Amazon.
The training includes 7 hours of videos spread across 20 modules. Purchase of the course gets you lifetime access. Bonus materials include spreadsheets, templates, and David’s copyrighted strategy for creating paid traffic- the PPC Spyder Launch. You’ll also get 3 live coaching calls per week with the team/David, and access to a private Facebook group for the rest of your life.
Who is David Zaleski, Creator of FBA Academy?
David Zaleski is a 7-figure ecommerce seller who built a $5 million Amazon business in 5 years with only $4800 of Amazon start-up costs.
David started selling products online just before high school when he was 14. He flipped Alibaba products on eBay. 4 years later, at 18, he started his first Amazon business. Within 6 years, David grew that business to $9 million in sales.
Besides selling on Amazon, David had a podcast and YouTube channel. He has not updated either of these outlets lately. Currently, he is developing EcomHub into an Amazon “studio” where any level of Amazon seller can come for specific services. He also closely runs his Amazon automation agency, the FBA Academy Done-For-You program, closely with this private label course.
The FBA Academy Business Model: What is Amazon Private Label?
Amazon private label involves ordering a generic, brandless product and putting your own logo on it. You may add other variations to stand out from competitors, like upgrades, color options, or bundled products. Then, Amazon handles the shipping and handling and takes a cut off your profits. Therefore, it is one of the most expensive Amazon FBA business models to start. Besides FBA fees, you will also have to pay for brand and logo design, sourcing products, testing products, and running Amazon PPC campaigns to drive traffic.
But, private label also has higher profit margins- often up to 40%. Other business models, like Amazon dropshipping, have much smaller margins around 10-30%.
If you decide to follow an Amazon FBA private label business model, plan to spend $15K-$20K in startup costs alone, besides any course you decide to take.
What is the Difference Between Amazon FBA and Amazon Dropshipping?
With Amazon FBA private label, you sell your own products. But, Amazon dropshipping involves selling other brands' products in your store. It’s also FBM (Fulfilled by Merchant). This means your supplier ships the product directly to the customer instead of an Amazon warehouse. You can also dropship off of Amazon, using other platforms like Shopify and/or eBay. Amazon dropshipping has the lowest of all Amazon business model profit margins- between 10-30%, while private label earns around 40%.
When Does the FBA Academy Start and Finish?
The FBA Academy is self-paced and starts at the time of your purchase. You have lifetime access to all its features, including weekly coach support calls, and can revisit course content.
What Modules are in the FBA Academy Program?
This first module is purely introductory. Learn about FBA, upcoming course content, and general tips to set the scene. You will also set up your Amazon Seller Central account.
Module 2 talks about not only finding a product but also choosing a niche, branding your company, and marketing it to stand apart from competitors. David will also cover Amazon FBA fees, which may make you change your mind about this online business entirely.
David teaches you multiple strategies to implement when finding suppliers. He will also give valuable tips for communicating with suppliers from other countries, specifically China. Finally, learn about product codes and how to manage them efficiently for your store.
This module covers product launch and specific strategies to optimize your product listing, like organic keyword research and customer coupons.
Here, you’ll hear an overview of how David promotes products while using Amazon as a search engine rather than an online store. If you can organically rank your products, you’ll save on Amazon advertising costs.
Along the Rank and Bank system, there are many strategies to implement to bring your listing to the top of Amazon (and win the Amazon Buy Box). This module will help you with product pricing, professional product photography, and more.
This module includes information on how to connect a product Facebook page (fanpage) with Manychat. David uses this strategy to bring in more customers and provide exemplary customer service.
This module explains how to connect with customers and how to continue the flow to a purchase.
It’s great to see that David covers Rank and Bank in multiple modules, so that you can get the full picture. Since it’s trademarked, you won’t find this exact information anywhere else.
Rather than generating a Facebook ad for your Amazon page, these ads will help you get customers to your Facebook page, and then onto your Manychat.
Here, you’ll get the answers to some frequently asked questions and receive bonus materials. FAQs include questions for international sellers.
After seeing success on your Amazon store, take your business further with this module. Topics include troubleshooting stock issues, reporting listing hijackers, sales tax, and trademarks.
Learn how to use FeedbackWhiz and generate emails that convert.
This section includes information on affiliate marketing ideas, finding Fiverr freelancers for reviews, using Craigslist to promote sales, and more.
Unlock your Amazon PPC potential with David’s copyrighted Spyder campaign strategy.
This master list of resources will help you continue to build and scale.
David’s coaching team downloads weekly coaching calls. They’re updated each week, and you can go back and watch them in this module.
Summary
Its' essential to find valid reviews of a course away from its salespage. There are not many reviews of this FBA course online outside of David’s website. There are a number of professionally handled complaints listed on the BBB website, which look impressive at first. However, after reviewing the messages, they may not be real. Each complaint uses very similar wording, which makes me wonder where they came from.
Is FBA Academy a Scam?
No, David Zaleski’s FBA Academy is not a scam. You will learn his unique system for ranking your private label product, and have the peace of mind of product validation.
Some people believe that expensive courses (and coaches) are scams just because of their higher ticket price. They say that you can find the same information for free on YouTube. While you can find great information there, without a course, you will miss out on some amazing benefits. For instance, paid courses include extra services, ongoing coaching, active communities of like-minded people, and more. Plus, you will learn from the mistakes others have made, and be able to work through a structured course rather than sift through a disorganized heap of YouTube videos.
That being said, we found a few negative reviews of the course:
Terry Sold $15,000 on His First Amazon FBA Product
Terry's Background and Story
Terry lived in Vancouver for 12 years before he moved to Virginia Beach. He looked for online business opportunities and tried multi-level marketing (MLM) and affiliate marketing, but failed in both ventures. He came across Amazon FBA through his research and he eventually enrolled in FBA Academy. This was a pivotal moment in his life.
How Terry’s Business is Doing Today
Terry left drop shipping to focus on Amazon FBA. He applied the strategies taught in FBA Academy to grow his business. In fact, the first product he launched made $15,000 in sales. His Amazon FBA business is currently doing well, and he plans to add more products to his online store. He continually learns from FBA Academy's support and training to expand his business.
How Terry’s Business is Doing Today
Choosing the Right Business Model: Terry realized that quick, intensive courses like the ones he had experienced in drop shipping were not effective for sustainable business growth. He believes that the comprehensive, step-by-step support by the FBA Academy was a more effective approach.
Importance of Support and Guidance: Having access to continuous support and coaching was crucial for Terry, especially as someone prone to overthinking and analysis paralysis. The personalized attention and reassurance from mentors helped him make informed decisions and stay on track.
Vision and Decision Making: Terry stresses the importance of having a clear vision of the life one wants to lead. He tells new entrepreneurs to invest in education that aligns with your life goals.
What's not mentioned in the interview: The interview did not mention Amazon FBA seller fixed costs, such as Amazon Seller Account fees at $39.99 monthly for the professional account. There are also Amazon fulfillment fees that range from $2.50 to $10 (standard items) and storage fees that start at $0.69 per cubic foot on non-peak days.
Is the Amazon FBA Program Legit?
The Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) program is a legit way to make money online, but it isn’t easy. Even though Amazon handles the packaging and shipping of your product, you must pay high Amazon fees for the service. In addition, you will need a large upfront investment ($15K-$20K for private label). Competition is high, with over 4000 sellers joining every day and 1.9 million active sellers.
Yet, 10% of third party sellers made a profit of at least $6250/month in 2021. About 35% make at least $1000 +. So, just as every business model has risks, Amazon FBA can still be profitable.
What is the Best Course to Learn Amazon FBA Besides FBA Academy?
The best course to learn Amazon FBA private label is Private Label Masters by Tim Sanders. Other private label courses include:
Helium 10’s Freedom Ticket with Kevin King
Empire Academy 2.0 by JT Franco
Zon Ninja by Kevin David
Seller Pro Academy with Jonny Bradley
How to Start an Amazon Store on a Tight Budget by Theo McArthur
Amazon Ultimate free course by Shaddy Mzeghet.
You can see David Zaleski on a completely free course alongside Tom Wang and Cameron Yoder.
NOTE: There is another course called FBA Academy by Farida Bayoumi. She also teaches private label for $237. However, with a length of less than 2 hours, this course is too simplified to give an accurate picture of this complicated business model.
If you want to take a course on a different Amazon FBA business model, consider:
Does Amazon Offer FBA Training?
Yes, Amazon has their own trainings in Amazon advertising. In fact, they featured David Zaleski in their marketing material for a sponsored products course, along with Travis Marziani. The Amazon ads learning console is free and includes courses like:
- Introduction to Amazon advertising
- Introduction to Sponsored Display
- Amazon Retail for Advertisers Certification
Remember, you don’t need a course to become a successful Amazon seller, but having the direction of a coach is invaluable.
Is Amazon FBA Right for You?
Amazon FBA may be right for you if you already sell on Amazon FBM and are ready to take on the extra expense to expand your brand. This move will free up the time you’re currently taking to package and ship your own products, but will tie up capital in Amazon FBA fees.
Or, Amazon FBA may be right for you if you are a new FBA seller with at least $15K in startup capital, a good understanding of marketing and sponsored ads, and a coach to guide you.
Conclusion: David Zaleski FBA Academy Review, Scam or Legit?
This FBA Academy review has determined that this course is legit. You will get a quality course with a unique Amazon private label strategy, as well as support from coaches and a private online group.
David does a great job of being realistic about this business model. He’s not shy about telling you how much work it will take. So, Amazon FBA may not be the business model that works best with the life you want to live. If you want to learn about my passive income business model of choice, visit this Local Lead Generation page.
