Amazon has over 6 million sellers and is one of the most used suppliers by dropshippers worldwide. While Amazon does come with a few challenges when just starting – once you get the ball rolling, it is all smooth sailing from there. Amazon To eBay Dropshipping is proving itself year after year as a very profitable business model.
Therefore, this article will walk you through everything you need to know about running a successful Amazon To eBay Dropshipping business from A-Z. We’ll break down all of the challenges that beginners go through. Not only that, but we’ll also share product research strategies and teach you methods to save time and get more work done.
In the end, you will know how to run successful Amazon To eBay Dropshipping stores without the fear of locked accounts or any other trouble you may have along the way. Enjoy your read!
What is Amazon?
It all started in 1995 when Jeff Bezos launched Amazon.com, which started as a small bookselling company. Today, Amazon is known as the world’s number one largest online retailer.
Besides being an eCommerce giant, Amazon also has a large collection of web services (AWS) with software development centers worldwide.
Amazon also has its own fulfillment centers. Along with 3rd party sellers, companies of all sizes store their merchandise there and use Amazon’s FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) to process their orders. For a small fee, Amazon takes care of the logistics and returns on behalf of the seller, along with bringing traffic to their online store.
This business model is profitable for thousands of sellers and companies worldwide and is what helped make Amazon the beast that it is today. That is also why many dropshippers use Amazon as a supplier. And, this is exactly what you are about to learn.
Where Are Amazon’s Warehouses Located?
Amazon has over 100 fulfillment centers across the US, with plenty of planned warehouses soon. This allows US residents to receive their packages quickly, as more fulfillment centers are being built around their area.
More warehouses mean more 1-2 day delivery times, an unbeatable feature for their Amazon Prime members. Also, it means more local sellers will store their merchandise in Amazon’s warehouses, therefore helping both sides grow.
Here’s a glimpse of Amazon’s planned and built fulfillment center locations in the US, according to CNBC:
As you can see, they are always expanding and growing bigger. This means more sellers will join the fun, more products, and more competition between them. Dropshippers (and consumers) can enjoy lower prices, faster domestic shipping times, and a bigger product range.
Amazon To Ebay Dropshipping Pros & Cons
As a dropshipper, it’s essential to be aware of each supplier’s advantages and disadvantages before diving in. Just like Amazon has its pros, they also have their cons.
The good news is that to every problem – there is a solution. And that is one of the many things that we love about dropshipping.
Let’s go over the pros and cons of Amazon to eBay dropshipping.
Pros:
- Free 1-2 day shipping on millions of Prime products (requires an Amazon Prime membership).
- Some products have the option for 1-day or same-day delivery.
- Over 12,000,000 products in total.
- Free 30-day returns on Prime products.
- Extended holiday returns.
- Fast customer service by phone or chat 24/7.
- Multiple marketplaces available – US, UK, DE, FR, IT, and more.
Cons:
- Amazon locks accounts with a large number of purchases. (Solution: Don’t use discounted gift cards! Either use a credit card after passing a verification process with Amazon or opt-in for Fulfilled By AutoDS service and use your PayPal/Payoneer balance to pay for your orders. AutoDS will fulfill your orders using their own purchase accounts – no more dealing with locked accounts!)
- Sometimes Amazon provides TBA tracking numbers unreadable by eBay, making it difficult to win in ‘item not received‘ cases. (Solution: Convert your TBA (or all) tracking numbers to BlueCare Express tracking numbers).
- Amazon Prime membership costs $119 annually or $12.99 per month. (Solution: Your profits will outweigh this tiny expense. But, you can use the Fulfilled By AutoDS service to fulfill your orders using AutoDS’s Prime purchase accounts, and everything will be automated for you – along with tracking updates and BlueCare Express conversions.)
Is Amazon To Ebay Dropshipping Legal?
One of the most commonly asked questions by beginners is whether Amazon To Ebay Dropshipping is a legal business practice. It’s a known fact that thousands of successful dropshippers make a substantial profit from Amazon to Ebay dropshipping. So, what exactly are the rules here?
According to Amazon and eBay’s policies, they support dropshipping – but not from one marketplace/retailer to another. If you have a contract with a private dropshipping supplier, then it is permitted. Again, this is strictly according to their policies. So, how do we see a different picture in reality? How is this method working for others?
Money Makes The World Go Round
The answer is simpler than what most people may think – money. It is no secret that Amazon and eBay are making millions in profit just from the ‘Amazon to eBay Arbitrage.’ They both rely on taking huge pieces of the cake from the dropshipping market size, which is undeniable.
To get a better understanding of the dropshipping market size, have a glance at this chart from Grand View Research:
“The global dropshipping market size was valued at USD 102.2 billion in 2018 and is expected to register a CAGR of 28.8% from 2019 to 2025“.
So, it’s easier for them both to shut one eye while keeping the other one open to filter out inexperienced dropshippers.
What matters to eBay is customer satisfaction. The buyers are their product – and they want you to take good care of their product. That is why beginner dropshippers are put under their magnifying glass to ensure that they know how to take care of their business and customers.
The last thing eBay wants is to damage their reputation caused by inexperienced dropshippers, which seems to happen more often than not.
For Amazon, what’s important is to avoid using discounted gift cards. They use intelligent bots to spot them, and your account will quickly get locked with all of the funds inside. Therefore, learn from other dropshipper’s mistakes, and avoid making these on your own.
Start by giving your return policy a name (for example, Free 30-Day Returns). Next, we’ll allow Domestic returns and select 30 Days for the return window.
Next, on ‘Return shipping will be paid by,’ select Seller (free returns) from the dropdown menu. You can also click the ‘Replacement or exchange available’ checkbox.
Now, allow international returns by clicking in the checkbox. Choose 30 Days as the return window, just as above. Only on the return shipping, make sure to select that the buyer will pay for return shipping.
That’s all there is to it regarding policy creation on Amazon to Ebay dropshipping. The policies that you are giving your buyers are the same that Amazon is giving you. Just be sure to process your orders right away to match your shipping & handling time.
How To Find The Best Amazon Dropshipping Products
Now that your business policies are ready, it’s time to start the next step – product research. With so many categories to choose from and millions of products, it’s easy to overwhelm yourself and quickly get lost.
But, this is no time to get lost. The product research phase is one of the most important tasks that you need to focus well on. The products you choose to add to your stores will be the difference between making sales and profit, to no sales, and no profit.
Therefore, this is the part where the more hours or research you put in, the better the results, and the more you will thank yourself later. Before we dive in, let’s familiarize ourselves with the best dropshipping categories, and filter out the irrelevant ones, to save time.
The Best Dropshipping Categories
Let’s dive right in. Here are the categories relevant to finding hot dropshipping products:
- Arts, Crafts & Sewing
- Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry & Watches
- Home, Garden & Tools
- Industrial & Scientific
- Pet Supplies
- Beauty & Health
- Kitchen & Dining
- Toys, Kids & Baby
- Musical Instruments
- Office Products
- Patio, Lawn & Garden
- Tools & Home Improvement
- Toys & Games
- Sports
- Outdoors
- Automotive & Industrial
- Electronics (Not a new eBay seller account – wait a couple of months before listing electronics).
Cell Phones& AccessoriesComputers& Accessories
Avoid adding products from the following categories:
- Echo & Alexa (trademark)
- Fire Tablets / Fire TV (trademark)
- Books / Audio Books (trademark)
- Amazon Fresh / Food & Grocery (it’s possible to dropship good, though not recommended).
- Movies, Music & Games (trademark)
- Magazine Subscriptions
- Digital Music
- Digital Educational Resources
Refer back to this list until you memorize it for the safety of your business.
So, now that we know which categories are relevant, how do we find the right products to sell inside them? We’ll break this down in the next section.
Which Dropshipping Products Are Not Allowed On Ebay?
Ebay needs to protect itself from sellers who are selling unauthorized or dangerous products. They are not looking for any new lawsuits because of beginner mistakes, and neither are we.
To stay clear of any trouble, avoid adding products from known brands and companies. Patents are also a no-no.
Also, avoid adding products that are related to drugs, tobacco, and firearms. Even accessories to these products are off-limits.
To better understand which products we’re not allowed to resell, go over eBay’s Verified Rights Owner Program (VeRo). It will give you a better understanding of what you can and cannot sell.
However, do not panic! AutoDS has a large database of VeRo products that is constantly updated. As an extra layer of protection, every time you add products that are not allowed, AutoDS will notify you. Then, you can choose whether to proceed (not recommended!) or cancel the import process.
Amazon To Ebay Product Research Methods
There are multiple techniques available to find hot dropshipping products that will sell. And, product testing is essential to test and analyze the market.
Therefore, when we want to test out a product, it’s best to add around 20 similar products to the one you are testing. That’s because testing only one product at a time will take a long time to see any positive results, if ever.
That being said, let’s cover the best methods to find Amazon dropshipping products that will sell on our eBay stores.
1. Amazon Best-Sellers
The first place to snatch winning products is from Amazon’s Best Sellers page. They update this page every hour with the hottest and best sellers from all categories.
These products are proven-winners and are a great place to start with your product research. Use the relevant categories suggested above to get the right products for the dropshipping business model.
For example, you see ‘Reversible Octopus Plushie’? It seems as if the niche (plush dolls) and the micro-niche (reversible) are a potentially winning combination! However, the title also says that it is a patented design.
So, what’s to stop you from searching Amazon for ‘reversible plush dolls’?
Presto! Check out those results. Now we can test this niche and begin the product research phase.
Rinse and repeat this method from Amazon’s Best Sellers while considering the categories and products that fit the dropshipping model. Your list will start to grow, and the testing phase will prove itself effective.
2. Amazon Hot New Releases
Amazon’s Hot New Releases section is a great place to find new product trends. The biggest advantage here is that you can spot and sell products before your competitors do.
Not only that, but you will also start a hot selling streak when you hit those hidden gems. There’s nothing like catching the wave before everyone else.
Navigate to the dropshipping-friendly categories, and start testing out potential niches. If you’re not familiar with them yet, wait until you start hitting some sales. Then, search for similar products to those that are selling in the new releases section.
Some dropshippers prefer to shoot randomly at new releases without doing any research beforehand. That also works but will take more product testing until you start seeing results. Unless, of course, you’re hit with that good old beginner’s luck, which is always welcome.
3. Multiply Profits From A Successful Seller
When one of our products sells, one strategy is adding more products similar to it. This way, we can catch trends and multiply our sales and profit.
But, what about the Amazon sellers who found this winning product in the first place? They have a store full of items for sale. If we added one product and it sold, what do you think would happen if we added all of their products to our store?
Inside each item listing, under the product title, you’ll see a link to visit the seller’s store:
Click on the link to see what other winning products this seller has in stock. Most sellers create a nice store layout, showcasing their best-sellers and splitting them up into different categories.
This method will also help you generate new ideas on which products to sell. Not only will you add more high-selling-potential items, but you will also open up your mind to wider product ranges and micro-niches that will sell
The example above shows that this seller split the products into categories and has a nice layout for their walkie-talkie niche store. You can click on the product categories or scroll down to see more featured products that the seller wants to showcase.
Either way, this is one of our favorite methods for adding best-sellers to our stores. If they have too many items in their store, be sure to add at least 20 more products from the same product line that is selling for you.
4. Use The AutoDS Finder To Add Hot Dropshipping Products
No time to conduct product research? No problem! Use the AutoDS Finder to do the hard work for you. The system scans over 40,000 dropshippers and more than 1 million products daily to find the best-selling products for your store.
The process is simply – add Auto-finder credits, choose the product’s parameters (sold X in the last month), and the number of products you want to add. Then, simply choose if you want to add them to your store now or schedule the import process for a later date.
Furthermore, you can choose ‘recurring uploads’ to copy the same process every day, at the same time. This way, you’ll only have to configure this set-up once. Every day on your configured time, AutoDS will automatically find and add more hot-selling products to your store. Pretty neat, right?
5. Additional Product Research Methods
While there are a handful of product research methods, we found the ones above to be the most valuable. That is because the success rate to find winners is relatively high, even for beginners.
Additional product research methods include using paid tools or manually seeing what other eBay sellers are selling and searching for similar products. This method is called ‘sniping,’ and it is another popular method to see what dropshipping products are selling.
However, this method can take a long time to process, as you’ll have to find the source for their products. And, in most cases, you’ll find out that they are selling close to their break-even point.
That is why it’s better to start your own trend than copy someone else’s while everyone tries to bring the market down to break-even prices. This is not profitable for any business, and many dropshippers close their stores in a short period of time.
How To Reach Amazon’s Customer Support
Customer support is a top priority for Amazon. There are different channels to reach out to them – for example, phone, email, live chat, and browsing through their help library. Here are the ways to get in touch with them:
- Call Amazon’s support phone number to talk to a representative: +1 206-922-0880.
- Live Chat with an Amazon Representative. During peak hours, there will be a long waiting queue.
- Have Amazon call you. This is a great option if you don’t have the time to sit around and wait for their representatives to become available.
- The fourth method is to email Amazon. There are two contact email addresses. The first, [email protected], is for account/billing issues. The second, [email protected], is for general issues.
To understand which contact method is most suitable for your inquiry, check out their main Customer Support page and navigate your way through.
Amazon Payment Methods
There are several payment methods available on Amazon to fulfill your orders. To see all of the available options, open up your wallet section in your account’s ‘Payment’ settings.
1. Credit/Debit Card
The first method is adding a credit or debit card, then charging the card on each order. Amazon accepts most major credit cards (VISA, Mastercard, AMEX, Diners, etc.)
Add your credit card by clicking on the ‘Add a credit or debit card’ button in your wallet section:
Once your credit card is in the system, you can use it to fulfill your orders. Keep in mind that new Amazon accounts will usually go through a verification process by phone or email before having the ability to process multiple orders per day.
You can also add your FSA/HSA card if you have one.
2. Amazon Store Card (U.S Citizens)
If you’re a U.S Citizen, you can apply for an Amazon Store Card. Using this card will make you eligible for special discounts and offers, with an instant $10 gift card to start.
3. Personal Checking Account (U.S Citizens)
If you’re a U.S citizen, you also have the ability to use your own checking account. This may not be the most convenient method for most, but many are still using it. Especially for those who don’t want to use their bank credit.
4. Fulfilled By AutoDS (No Amazon Account Needed)
Wouldn’t it be nice not to have to worry about managing Amazon accounts, payment methods, credit card bills, returns, tracking updates, locked accounts, and more – all while having all of your orders processed automatically through the Prime service?
This dream turned into a reality not too long ago with our Fulfilled By AutoDS service. To benefit from complete order, tracking, and return automation, all you have to do is opt-in for the service, load your auto-order balance, and never worry again about locked accounts or hard-to-manage cashflow.
Plus, your customers will thank you for the speedy delivery service, as their orders as processed right away, even while you sleep. Many satisfied customers will return to buy from you again or refer their friends and family, all of which helps your dropshipping business grow.
5. Amazon Gift Cards (Not Recommended!)
One of the most popular payment methods in the past was to use Amazon Gift Cards. In 2018, many discounted Amazon gift cards hit the market. Dropshippers, as well as end-consumers, were all over these discounted cards.
A $100 gift card could be bought for anywhere between $75-90, or cheaper if you were paying with Bitcoin. Profits were crazy, and Amazon quickly caught up with the new trend. They replied by creating bots to spot users using discounted cards and lock their accounts with all of their balance inside.
Soon enough, each Amazon account associated with discounted gift cards got locked, and there was no way to access these funds. Calling their support only made matters worse, causing permanent bans. Amazon claims that these steps were taken to prevent money laundering and the use of stolen gift cards.
Since then, many dropshippers did not know how to handle Amazon and moved on to different suppliers (or quit). Sometimes, the search for the most reliable suppliers can take a while. But those who are persistent will always reach their goals.
Dropshippers who stayed to fight the fight have survived the downfall and are now using their own verified accounts with credit cards or order automation services like Fulfilled by AutoDS without having to hold a personal Amazon account.
Save Time And Automate Your Workflow
Let’s get one thing straight. At the end of the day, the biggest factor affecting whether your products will sell or not are the products themselves. Are people searching for these products? How many of them of you have?
A combination of both is key. You can conduct product research in a few different ways, as shown above – but surely, having 100 or 500 products isn’t enough. The Big Numbers method is an important strategy to learn – stating the more products you have, the more you will sell and profit.
And since we are not paying for inventory when dropshipping, it’s much easier to test out many products at a time.
The problem is finding the time to add each product to your store. If each product takes an average of 5-10 minutes to import to your store, how long will it take to add 5,000-10,000 products? How long will it take to optimize, delete, and add new ones instead? With our Amazon to eBay dropshipping tool, our lives will become much easier.
This is where the AutoDS Helper comes in. With the help of this free Chrome extension, you can easily add as many products as you want with the click of a button.
How To Use The AutoDS Item Grabber
First off, after installing the extension, head to the page with all of the products that you want to add. Click on the AutoDS icon on the bottom right, then click on ‘Extract.’ All of the product IDs should appear in the extension.
Now, click on ‘Export as CSV,’ and a CSV file will download onto your computer.
Next, head over to the AutoDS platform. On the left menu, click on ‘Add Products,’ then click on the ‘Upload CSV’ column.
Now, drag and drop that CSV file, or click on the window to open up your file browser and navigate to that CSV. A few seconds later, you’ll get the ‘CSV file is uploaded’ message.
From this point on, everything is a breeze. Simply fill in your import configuration settings for those products, then import them to your store. Whether you had ten, a thousand, or ten thousand products, those few clicks are all it takes to have them added and optimized in your stores.
If you don’t have it yet, we suggest adding the AutoDS Helper chrome extension and turning hours of work into minutes!
The End Is Just The Beginning
To sum everything up, Amazon has always been one of the biggest, strongest, and most profitable suppliers to work with. And while we have had a few bumps in the road, it’s only expected in the path to success.
Today, thousands of dropshippers are profiting well, and the only thing stopping you from turning it into your own success story is you. Now that you know all of the ins and outs and successfully work with Amazon, the skies are the limit!
Want to enrich your knowledge with more related articles to guide you on your path?
- The Ultimate Guide To Grow Your eBay Dropshipping Business With Bulk Upload
- The Importance of eBay Listings Templates When You Are Dropshipping on eBay
- The Top Wholesale Dropshipping Suppliers To Dropship From In 2022
Good luck with your Amazon to Ebay dropshipping journey, and we can’t wait to hear about your rise to success!
How To Begin Amazon To Ebay Dropshipping
Ready to begin? Great! Before registering a new account on Amazon, keep in mind that you don’t need to have an Amazon account if you want to opt-in for the Fulfilled By AutoDS service. If that is the case, skip this step!
If you want to process your orders manually or use the Automatic Orders service (different from Fulfilled By AutoDS), you will need to register for an Amazon account.
Head over to Amazon, and hover to the ‘Sign In’ on the top right corner. Right below, you’ll see the ‘Start here’ link.
Click on it, and fill in your name, email address, and password. Registering is always the easiest part, isn’t it?
Next, click on ‘Create your Amazon account,’ and you’ll receive an email with a One-Time Password. Once you enter it, you’ll have to pass a mobile phone verification.
Tip: Don’t use a mobile phone number that is associated with a locked Amazon account. Once you’re signed in, head over to your account settings on the top right, click on Prime, and register for a free trial. Once the trial is over, you’ll have to pay for a monthly or annual subscription.
If you prefer not to create and manage an Amazon account to fulfill your orders and returns, you can do so through the Fulfilled By AutoDS service which we will talk about below.
If you prefer not to deal with all of the verification processes and use your personal Amazon account and information, we suggest opting-in for the Fulfilled By AutoDS service and start automating your orders the right way.
Otherwise, proceed with the account creation process and subscribe to Amazon Prime so that your customers will get their delivery quickly and on time.
What Is Amazon’s Shipping Policy?
Amazon has several different shipping options available. Since we’re working with the Prime membership, we’ll have the best shipping options at our disposal.
Yet, it’s essential to familiarize ourselves with the different shipping types available on Amazon if you need to order a non-Prime product. Let’s go over the list of Amazon’s shipping options:
FREE Two-Day Shipping (Prime only)
Products sold by Amazon.com or Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA).
FREE Same-Day Delivery (Prime only)
FREE Standard Shipping (usually on products over $25)
Items Ineligible For Fast Shipping:
What is Amazon’s Returns Policy?
With Prime membership, handling returns on Amazon is as simple as it can get. Most products have a free 30-day return policy, no matter the reason, even if the product is opened and used.
Of course, there are exceptions this way and that. For example, computers and tablets need to go through testing before Amazon approves a refund. Most digital products are not eligible for returns.
On the other hand, baby products can apply for a return up to 90 days after purchasing. To learn about all of the return policies and exceptions, check out Amazon’s help page on the subject.
Lastly, keep in mind if you’re buying from a third party seller (non-Prime), the product must return to the seller instead of Amazon’s warehouse. Contact the seller to start the return process, which may be at your expense (depends on the seller’s return policy).
Ebay Business Policies For Amazon Dropshipping
The next step is to create your eBay business policies. These policies will let your buyers know your shipping and returns policies so that they will know what to expect before buying from you. Plus, one of the keys to eBay dropshipping success is having clear business policies. With that said, let’s uncover the various business policies we should include in our store.
Amazon To Ebay Shipping Policy
To create your policies on eBay, navigate to your Seller Hub, then click on Business Policies. Next, click on Create Policy -> Shipping.
We will take advantage of Amazon’s Prime membership and ship each order out within two days on our shipping policy. Give your policy a name and description (For example, Fast Free Two Days Shipping).
To understand the meaning of each selection, let’s start from the end.
Handling Time
The Handling time is how long it will take you to upload a tracking number for each order. Amazon’s Prime products will ship out within two business days, therefore choosing two days for the handling time is perfect. It will also put you in front of other sellers with slower handling times.
Services
The Services section is how long it will take the product to arrive at its destination. Selecting ‘Expedited Shipping 1-3 business days’ is more than enough for Prime products. Plus, you will rank ahead of your competitors with slower delivery times.
Lastly, the U.S shipping, ‘Flat: same cost to all buyers’, tells eBay that all buyers under this policy will pay the same shipping price. Since we chose ‘Free shipping,’ our buyers will not have to pay for shipping on all orders connected to this policy.
Keep in mind that all three of these policy selections (free shipping, two-day handling, 1-3 day delivery) will help put you in front of your competitors. That’s because Ebay prioritizes sellers with faster shipping and handling times.
Amazon To Ebay Return Policy
Now, let’s create a return policy. Again, navigate to your Seller Hub, then click on Business Policies. Next, click on Create Policy -> Return.