Nikki Kirk Your Selling Guide Review - 5 Things New Amazon FBA Sellers Must Know + A Business Alternative

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Nikki Kirk’s Your Selling Guide is an Amazon FBA course for beginners that focuses on retail arbitrage. It guides you step-by-step through setting up your Amazon account, navigating Amazon Seller Central, finding profitable products, listing and selling products, preparing and packing FBA shipments, and more. The course offers lifetime access to its modules, which are available in various formats. This makes it convenient for you to learn at your own pace and in your preferred way.

In my experience running an Amazon FBA business, retail arbitrage, as taught by Your Selling Guide, is a Hoover Dam-level labor for a Fort Knox penny-roll payout. You put in the hard work, but earn very little. I spent my days finding profitable products, prepping and labeling them, sending them to Amazon, improving the listings, and testing ads. And for all that, I only got a 15% to 20% profit margin. So even in my highest earning months ($15,000), I just earned around $2,250-$3,000. And that was back in 2019. Today, Amazon is even more saturated, making it harder to grab buyers’ attention.

In this Your Selling Guide review, I give you its pros and cons, what’s included, who the creator is, and if it’s worth it. I also cover the 5 things you should know before starting an Amazon FBA business. Finally, I end with a business model - called local lead generation) that I switched to after Amazon FBA.

What Are Your Selling Guide Pros and Cons?

ProsCons
Nikki Kirk is an experienced and successful Amazon FBA seller.Nikki Kirk is the only coach.
FBA course provides actual proof from its successful students.Offered different guides, but it will cost you another payment. Product leads also need payment to access.
Complete 16-course modules recording with over 5 hours in total with downloadable audio and transcript.Self-learning modules.
It has an active social media platforms.
Price$349 for lifetime access
Refund Policy30 Day money-back guarantee.
Note that after 30 days, no full refund. Also, a refund is invalid if course completion exceeds 60%.
OriginYour Selling Guide started in 2021.
ReputationPositive reputation with legit reviews from successful students.
Has over 50k subscribers on YouTube channel.


July 24, 2024

She got me into Retail Arbitrage. While she makes it look simple, if you really listen, she’s clear about how much effort it takes. She also highlights potential issues like IP complaints and dealing with customer reviews. Kudos to her for being honest about the challenges!

Andrea

4.0

4.0 out of 5 stars (based on 1 review)

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This review is based on my own experience and is my genuine opinion.

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What Are 5 Things New Amazon FBA Sellers Must Know?

1. What does an Amazon FBA seller do? An Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) seller is someone who uses Amazon’s fulfillment service to store their products, pack them, ship orders, and handle customer service inquiries and returns. Amazon FBA is a service offered by Amazon that allows individuals and businesses to sell their products on Amazon’s platform while using Amazon’s warehousing and shipping services to fulfill orders. Here’s how it works:

  • First, a seller lists their Amazon product on Amazon’s marketplace, specifying that they want to use the FBA program.
  • The seller then sends their products to an Amazon fulfillment center, where they are stored until a customer places an order.
  • When an order is placed, Amazon handles the picking, packing, and shipping of the product to the customer.
  • Amazon also handles customer service and returns on behalf of the seller.
  • By using Amazon FBA, sellers can take advantage of Amazon’s vast customer base, as well as its infrastructure for shipping and handling.

2. What are Amazon FBA pros and cons?

Pros:

  • Amazon FBA is relatively easy to set up and use, allowing sellers to focus on growing their business instead of logistics.
  • Products fulfilled by Amazon are eligible for Amazon Prime, which can help increase sales and visibility.
  • Amazon handles customer service and returns on behalf of the seller, which can save time and hassle.
  • FBA provides storage space for sellers, which can be especially useful for sellers who don’t have their own warehouse or storage facilities.
  • Amazon has a worldwide presence, so sellers can reach customers all over the world.
  • FBA can easily accommodate sellers who want to scale their business by expanding their product line or increasing their sales volume.

Cons:

  • Amazon FBA charges fees for storage, picking, packing, and shipping, which can eat into a seller’s profits.
  • Since FBA is open to all sellers, competition can be fierce, making it difficult to stand out.
  • If a seller’s products run out of stock in Amazon’s warehouse, it can cause delays and lost sales.
  • Since Amazon handles the logistics, sellers have limited control over the shipping and handling of their products.
  • Amazon can suspend or even close a seller’s account if they violate Amazon’s policies, which can be damaging to a seller’s business.
  • Some products are restricted from FBA, which can limit a seller’s product offerings.

If you want to learn more about the pros and cons of Amazon’s FBA business , you can read my article about that.

3. How much does it cost to start an Amazon FBA business? You can start an Amazon FBA business with $500- $10,000. The cost of starting an Amazon FBA business can vary depending on several factors, such as the products you plan to sell, the quantity of inventory you want, and the level of branding and marketing you intend to invest in.

According to Jungle Scout’s survey, 31% of Amazon sellers spent less than $1,000 to start their businesses, while 67% spent less than $5,000. The data also provides a breakdown of the amounts spent by sellers, with 17% spending less than $500, and 19% spending more than $10,000.

In relation to that, 66% of Amazon sellers who started $500 or less gained their profit in less than six months, and 42% of them earned a profit in less than three months. While 32% of those who started with $10,000 or more turned a profit in less than a month and 43% took six months to two years.

4. Is Amazon FBA Better than FBM (Fulfillment by Merchant)? Amazon FBA is better than FBM for Amazon sellers who want to outsource the logistics of their business and take advantage of the Amazon warehouse for fast and reliable shipping. While FBM is better for sellers who want more control over their fulfillment process and want to save some fees associated with FBA. Also, 57% of third-party sellers use FBA, 34% use FBA and FBM, and 9% use FBM only.

Amazon FBA is good for:

  • Sellers who want to scale their business quickly
  • Sellers who want to offer fast shipping to Amazon Prime customers
  • Sellers with high-demand products
  • Sellers who want to focus on product development and marketing instead of logistics and order fulfillment

Amazon FBM is good for:

  • Sellers who want more control over their inventory, pricing, and shipping
  • Sellers with low-volume sales or those selling bulky or oversized items
  • Sellers who want to offer customized packaging or branding to their
  • Sellers who want to avoid FBA fees or who don’t meet FBA requirements

You can check my article about an in-depth guide regarding Amazon FBA vs FBM .

5. Is it still worth doing Amazon FBA? Yes, Amazon FBA is still worth doing if you are willing to put in the hard work. One reason is that most Amazon sellers (89%) use the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program, which shows that it is a reliable and profitable option for Amazon sellers. Additionally, while the number of sellers on Amazon is increasing by over 4,000 new sellers every day, Amazon’s sales have also been steadily increasing every year since 2010, Amazon did $34 billion worth of sales on its website and last year it increased over $500 billion of sales. This means that there is still a lot of potential for sellers to make money on the platform.

What’s Included in Your Selling Guide?

  • Step-by-step lessons on all things Amazon FBA & retail arbitrage for beginners. Among the things you’ll learn are: Essential Steps for Launching Your Amazon Selling Account. Requirements and Documents Needed for Amazon Account Approval. An In-Depth Guide on Navigating the Amazon Seller Central Dashboard and Seller App. Where to Find Inventory for Retail Arbitrage and Online Arbitrage. Effective Tools and Resources to Boost Your Business. Factors to Consider When Choosing Between FBA or FBM for Your Products. The Best Way to Pack, Prepare, and Send Products for Amazon FBA and FBM. Strategies for Identifying Profitable Products for FBM. Using Business Features of Seller Central to Track Sales, Generate Reports, Manage Customer Feedback and Messaging, and More.
  • 16-course lessons with over 5 hours of training that are available in video, audio, and text formats, which are downloadable.

  • A community of fellow Amazon FBA students on Facebook to learn and grow with.

What Other Offers Does Your Selling Guide Have?

  • Bolo Group. BOLO means Be-On-the-Lookout. The BOLO list helps you focus your shopping trips by providing a list of profitable items to look for every week, including hot purchases from specific stores. Price: $89 monthly.

    Cancellation: You may cancel your membership anytime. Refund policy: No refund

  • US Topical & Grocery Guide: Ungate Your Amazon Seller Account for Grocery, Topicals, OTC & More. You get an ultimate guide on setting up an account with the wholesaler. Join a Facebook seller support group to interact with other learners and learn about the products they are buying to become ungated. Tips to ensure invoice approval by Amazon. Learn how to get the FDA Registration or 510(k) Premarket Notification for qualified products. Tips for sourcing products through Retail Arbitrage once you are ungated. Use Amazon Sales Ranks to determine how many of a product to purchase in-store. Guidelines for sales ranks in all major categories. Price: $99. Refund: No refund.

  • Amazon Premium Brand Ungating: Nike, Under Armour, Adidas & More. This includes detailed instructions to set up your account with an Amazon-approved vendor, tips on how to ensure that your invoice is approved by Amazon, and expert advice on how to source products effectively through Retail Arbitrage once you are ungated. Price: $199. Refund: No refund.

  • US Toy Ungating Guide: Ungated in Toys and the Big Toy Brands on Amazon. You get a guide for setting up an Amazon account with multiple wholesalers, access to a Facebook support group for product recommendations to become ungated, tips on getting your invoice approved by Amazon, strategies for finding low-investment products that can ungate you across multiple categories, advice on using retail arbitrage for sourcing once you’re ungated, tips on determining optimal in-store product purchase quantities using Amazon sales ranks, and guidelines on sales ranks for major categories. Price: $99. Refund: No refund.

  • Amazon Retail Arbitrage Guide to Q4. This guide includes the best time to send items during holidays, Q4 Rank Guide, Q4 Pricing Strategies, How to read Keepa Graphs, retail arbitrage sourcing tips , and What I’ve sold in Q4’s Past. Price: $59. Refund: No refund

Who Is Nikki Kirk?

Nikki Kirk is the owner of Your Selling Guide. She quit her desk job in Los Angeles and began traveling full time in her Grand Design Fifth Wheel RV. She knew that some people were making a living by selling on Amazon. Nikki tried a job in e-commerce and affiliate marketing . However, she soon discovered that it wasn’t something she was interested in.

As a result, she started her retail arbitrage journey with an investment of $700 in August 2017, and by December of that year, she had made enough profit to equal her old desk job. This allowed her to merge her passion for shopping with the solution she required to remain on the road. Now, after over 5 years in the Amazon industry, she has reached seven figures.

Why Did Nikki Kirk Establish Your Selling Guide?

Nikki Kirk established Your Selling Guide because she knows what it feels like to be an aspiring Amazon FBA seller who is unsure about where to start and questioning whether Amazon FBA is safe . Having been in the same position before, she wanted to guide and help others succeed in the Amazon business.

What Are Nikki Kirk’s 8 Tips for Avoiding Beginner FBA Arbitrage Mistakes?

  1. Avoid overthinking your initial Amazon FBA product purchases.
  2. Timely shipment of retail arbitrage products is crucial.
  3. Learn to use Keepa from the beginning.
  4. Always check for expiration dates.
  5. Do not give up at the beginning of your Amazon FBA venture.
  6. Amazon FBA is not a quick and effortless source of income .
  7. Accurate product listing is essential.
  8. Understand and manage Amazon FBA fees to avoid frustration.

What Are the Alternatives to Your Selling Guide?

  • Amazon Arbitrage University - Amazon Arbitrage University is an Amazon FBA course by Garret Rozell that teaches you the 4 different selling methods; private label , wholesale , retail, and online arbitrage. But Garret focuses on arbitrage . This course covers everything to sell on Amazon from setting up your Amazon seller account and strategies to automate your business to scale.
  • FBA Roadmap - FBA Roadmap is an online course by Warner Fields that guides you in launching and growing an online arbitrage and wholesale business on Amazon FBA. Fields of Profit are more into online arbitrage. FBA Roadmap provides blueprint to source, prepare, ship, and sell.
  • Proven Amazon Course 2.0 - Proven Amazon Course 2.0 by Jim Cockrum teaches several strategies to make money online by selling products in the Amazon marketplace. It covers various Amazon business models; private label, wholesale, online arbitrage, retail arbitrage, etc. It costs $499 for lifetime access.
  • Freedom by FBA - In 2008, Ravi Singh and Sajid Desai earned $2 million after selling 1a single product via  Amazon FBA. The Freedom by FBA course helps beginners learn the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to succeed in the business.

Is Your Selling Guide Worth It?

Your Selling Guide is worth it if you’re fully committed to retail arbitrage and want hand-holding. But it’s not worth it if you want passive income or hate constant hustle.

Your Selling Guide is a structured resource that covers all aspects of Amazon FBA selling, available in video, audio, and text. You can follow it step by step to start and grow this business. You also get lifetime access for just $349. The creator, Nikki Kirk, also shares free resources on her YouTube channel. You can check it out if you’re still unsure about the course.

But, if you’re after passive income, then Your Selling Guide (or Amazon FBA retail arbitrage, for that matter) is not worth it. You will always have to work on your listings to get as many buyers as possible. For that, you may need to do trial and error on ads and spend money. Plus, you’re up against heavy competition, starting with Amazon Basics, which Amazon pushes more to shoppers. Then there are the other millions of merchants. Success is never guaranteed, even if you dedicate a lot of time to it.

This is why I quit Amazon FBA and switched to local lead generation. This is where I found true passive income. Before, I was hustling every day to earn a few dollars. Now, I let my business run on the side while it earns $52,000 per month!

Why Local Lead Generation Is Better Than Amazon FBA?

Local lead generation is better than Amazon FBA because it doesn’t rely on a third-party platform or consumer behavior. Instead, you build your own websites that focus on home services, like roofing or plumbing. Then, you rank these sites for local search engines. Since homeowners always need these types of services, they’ll be ready to hire when they visit your website. You sell those leads to a small, local business. Local lead gen wins every time as:

  • 🏠 You own the asset. With local lead gen, you own the website. With Amazon FBA, you’re just a guest on Amazon’s platform. You’re subject to their rules, restrictions, and risk of suspension.
  • ⚖️ There’s minimal risk. There is no inventory, no returns, and no shipping headaches in local lead gen. In Amazon FBA, every product you sell carries operational and financial risk.
  • 📈 It’s scalable without overhead. You can clone a successful local lead gen site in a new city or niche with minimal cost. Scaling Amazon FBA means more inventory, more logistics, and more buyers.
  • 💸 It has recurring revenue. Local lead gen websites earn every time a lead converts into a paying customer for your client. Since this happens regularly, you will earn big every month. On the other hand, Amazon FBA’s income is transactional and tied to constant product movement.
  • 🧩 There’s a lower barrier to entry. Local lead generation requires basic SEO, web design, and local market research. This isn’t super complicated, but needs a lot of studying to get right. Amazon FBA is easier to start because Amazon does a lot of the workload for you.

In my opinion, comparing local lead generation with Amazon FBA is like comparing NASA’s Mission Control vs a Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund. One runs by itself and earns every time (local lead gen), while the other demands nonstop monitoring and risks of crashing (Amazon FBA).

Local Lead Generation Is My #1 Business Model

Local lead generation is my #1 business model because it’s what gave me the success I have today. I built and ranked 50+ websites, and they make a total of $52,000 per month. And I only had to work on each site for 15 to 25 hours. After that, I’m able to leave them alone and know they will constantly generate income for me. For example, my website, Santa Clarita Elite Roofing, 26881 Ruether Avenue, Santa Clarita, CA 91351, (661) 407-2400, santaclaritaeliteroofs.com, already earns $2,500 a month. It sells at least 5 exclusive leads to my roofing client in Santa Clarita. I take 5% of the revenue my client earns from those leads.

If you’re interested in this business model, check out my local lead gen course. I teach you all about web design, SEO, and local business sales talk. You can also build and rank websites for my roofing client for a 1-5% commission.

Ippei Kanehara

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Ippei Kanehara

Founder/CEO

$52K per month providing lead generation services to small businesses

Ippei.com is for digital hustlers, industry leaders and online business owners.

His #1 online business recommendation in 2024, is to build your own lead generation business.