Stephen Somers Marketplace Wholesale Academy Review: Amazon Wholesaling With Hero Launchpad?

Marketplace Wholesale Academy is Stephen Somers’ training platform. Its Accelerator Plus program teaches the Amazon wholesaling business. It includes a full course, live coaching, supplier lists, and access to the Hero Launchpad. The course covers topics from setting up your LLC to scaling and automation.

Marketplace Wholesale Academy reviews are positive. I found no student reviews outside of the official website. Students often cite the step-by-step training and supportive community as the pros. Criticism points out the limited coaching and the unrealistic claims made about the business model. Users have also criticized the accuracy of the Hero Launchpad software.

I’ve created multiple 6-figure online businesses, including an Amazon FBA store. The low profit margins and increasing fees made it difficult to create true passive income. This article reviews Marketplace Wholesale Academy and its Accelerator program. It covers the contents of the training package, such as the price lists and home-study course. It also covers the Hero Launchpad software. I then review who Stephen Somers is and why he claims Amazon wholesaling is “simple and boring.”

Marketplace Wholesale Academy Pros and Cons

Pros

• Access to a private community for networking and support
• On-demand support from the VIP concierge
• Year round weekly coaching calls

Cons

• Unrealistic claims with the business model
• Complicated refund policy conditions
• Limited time access to the Hero Launchpad software

Price: Marketplace Wholesale Academy Accelerator Plus costs $1,988 or 5 monthly payments of $497.

Refund Policy: Marketplace Wholesale Academy Accelerator Plus has a 60-day money-back guarantee with conditions.

Origin: Marketplace Wholesale Academy was founded after Stephen Somers stepped down as CEO of Marketplace Superheroes.

Reputation: Stephen Somers and his programs have a mixed reputation.

How to Wholesale on Amazon With Hero Launchpad?

1. Upload supplier price lists to Hero Launchpad. Apply filters to find with a minimum profit margin of 20%. Make sure there are at least 3 sellers of the product on the Amazon Featured Offer to ensure high demand.
2. Use the Hero Launchpad browser plugin to analyze profitability. It lets you see the number of monthly sales and current selling prices.
3. Calculate product’s potential sales volume. Get the total monthly sales and divide it by the number of sellers on the Amazon Featured Offer. Example: 817 monthly sales ÷ 7 sellers = 117 potential monthly sales.

Hero Launchpad is proprietary software for finding profitable products for wholesaling on Amazon. It identifies products using automated filtering and offers profitability analysis. Limited access to the tool is included with Marketplace Wholesale Academy Accelerator Plus.

What Is Marketplace Wholesale Academy Accelerator Plus?

Marketplace Wholesale Academy Accelerator Plus is a complete Amazon wholesaling training bundle. Mike Sieben, Marketplace Superheroes’ program lead, heads it. The bundle includes:

• 3 months of free access to the Hero Launchpad tool. This proprietary software that analyzes profitable products, competitor prices, and sales volumes. Hero Launchpad costs $67 per month after the trial.
• Price list for 50 pre-vetted wholesale suppliers. These are formatted for the Hero Launchpad software and will save time on research.
• Step-by-step home study course. It covers everything from starting to scaling. The course is created by both Stephen Somers and Mike Sieben.
• Weekly live Q&As with Marketplace Wholesale Academy coaches for 12 months. You can ask your questions and get personalized answers. The calls are recorded for those who can’t attend.
• Access to the VIP concierge team support. You get on-demand help from the team of experts anytime that you need.
• Course correction for those having difficulties in their business. You will get a full audit and personalized guidance from a team of 7-figure sellers.

Are Students of Marketplace Wholesale Academy Successful?

There are plenty of success stories on the Marketplace Wholesale Academy website. I haven’t seen any huge success stories, but these results are great for beginners.

Melissa Dacy sold 72 units within 2 weeks of launching her Amazon store. She earned $1,868 in a week.

Doug started his wholesaling business by selling just 1 product. He made $1,871 CAD in just 1 week.

Who Is Stephen Somers?

Stephen Somers is an Irish ecommerce entrepreneur and co-founder of Marketplace Superheroes. He has created multiple 8-figure online businesses. Stephen has coached over 9,000 students on Amazon FBA, private-label selling, wholesale, and retail arbitrage. Before going into digital entrepreneurship, he pursued a career in music as a singer and songwriter. He studied business and marketing in college but ended up working as a data processor.

Stephen got motivated to explore entrepreneurship after reading a self-help book by Jack Canfield. He moved to Northern Ireland to work with his mentor, Robert Rickey. Together, they created a multi-million dollar Amazon FBA private-label business. They founded Marketplace Superheroes in 2014. Stephen has since moved down as a CEO of Marketplace Superheroes.

What Are Stephen Somers’ Claims on Amazon Wholesaling?

Stephen Somers claims that Amazon wholesaling is a “simple and boring” profitable business model. He says that with a minimum investment of around $750, you can make almost half of it back in profit. He claims that you can predict profits accurately by using their Hero Launchpad software.

Why Amazon Wholesaling Is Not Simple and Boring

Amazon Wholesaling is not “simple and boring,” as there are many tasks and challenges. Some of the most common ones include:

• Constant price monitoring and adjustment. You need to regularly check your competitors’ prices and adjust yours as needed.
• Finding and dealing with suppliers. You will be searching for reliable suppliers and negotiating with them. You also have to deal with any supply issues.
• Logistical and operational challenges. Wholesalers have to order and stock large quantities of inventory. Inadequate inventory leads to out-of-stock issues, which can affect ratings. You also have to deal with fulfillment, returns, and refund issues.

Forbes reports that the average profit margin for Amazon wholesalers is 10% to 20%. This is lower than the average of 20% to 25% for other selling strategies, such as private labeling. Stephen’s claim of 50% profit margin with minimum investment is unlikely.

According to eBiz Facts, sellers spend an average of $1,000 to $2,000 on various expenses. These include inventory, LLC formation, tools, and Amazon seller fees. Stephen’s claim of starting with $750 is possible, but on the low end.

As for the accuracy of Hero Launchpad, reviews for the tool have been mixed. Many users have complained about the software’s reliability. There are other similar specialized tools that have proven to be more accurate. Popular choices include Helium 10 and AMZScout.

Is Amazon Wholesale Profitable?

Amazon wholesale is profitable , with over half of sellers seeing profit margins exceeding 10%. However, 13% of sellers are not profitable, while the rest are breaking even. Forbes reported that sellers with profit margins of 10% to 20% source directly from manufacturers. 58% of profitable sellers achieve this within their first year. There is no figure on how many sellers fail and quit the business within the first year.

The biggest obstacle to profitability with Amazon wholesale is the competition and fees. The Amazon marketplace is known for its highly competitive nature. Saturation and the influx of manufacturers directly selling on the platform have led to price wars. Using Amazon FBA for fulfillment involves a lot of fees that lower profit margins. Hopstack says that up to 53% of revenue goes to Amazon fees.

How I Earn Money Without Selling and Products

I earn predictable passive income by renting out lead generation sites to local businesses. I don’t sell any products or do any marketing. I create a site and rank it on Google to attract traffic. Then I rent it out to local businesses who pay me monthly. Compared to an Amazon wholesaling business, I keep 100% of the profits. I do not buy or keep any inventory or run any marketing campaigns, keeping my profit margin as high as 95%. You can start a local lead generation business with as little as $500 in initial investment. This includes hosting and software subscriptions. It is significantly lower compared to the average starting cost of Amazon wholesaling.

With a local lead generation business, you only have to outrank a handful of websites in the search results. This is easier compared to competing with hundreds of other sellers, often with price. To scale an Amazon wholesaling business, you need to outsource daily tasks and use automation tools. This adds operational costs and increases risks. To scale a local lead generation business, you just need to rank and rent out another site.

Since each site earns passively, you can scale as much as you want. I have dozens of lead generation sites that earn me over $52K a month. This has provided me with the time and financial freedom to explore other business ventures. I recommend local lead generation to those who want to start an online business.