AF214 - Amazon Sellers: Policy updates you need to know NOW

Back once again for her quarterly update is our good friend, Lesley Hensell, of Riverbend Consulting. As many of you will remember, Lesley joins us here every few months to fill us all in on what we need to know about Amazon policies, plans, and news that can affect us as third-party sellers. This time around, her update includes information that can really change everything for Amazon, our role in working with them, and, actually the global economy itself - this is one episode you literally cannot afford to miss.

First, I’ll start by sharing some exciting news about workshops that will be coming your way in 2022, and then we will spend the rest of the time picking Lesley’s brain for everything we need to know. She begins by delving into the newest insurance issues and her compliance recommendations, the current proposed antitrust bill, and the impact it can have upon all of us, as well as the importance of contacting your congressperson about it. Lesley also offers her perspective on printed material regarding your company both within and on your bundle brand packaging, the Amazon Vine program, getting responses from Amazon, and the Amazon Captive Team. She brings the episode to a close-by describing the services her company provides and how you can get started working with them. It is vitally important to all our businesses that we remain up to date on all things Amazon, especially these days, and Lesley, as always, brings the goods here again, along with a call to action that we all absolutely need to follow. Listen in today and let’s all do our part to protect our livelihoods.

Another valuable action you can take is to join our Facebook group with today’s code word #rules, where you can learn more about bundling, ask questions, and participate in the conversation with other sellers. And if you’re ready to take your business to a whole new level, visit MommyIncome.com/Coach to schedule your one-on-one coaching call today.

This week on the Amazon Files:  

•   2022 Workshops
•   The newest insurance issues and Lesley’s compliance recommendations
•   The current proposed antitrust bill and the impact if could have upon Amazon and its sellers
•   The importance of contacting your congressperson about this bill
•   Including printed material about your business inside of bundle brand packaging
•   What is allowed on your custom printed packaging
•   The Amazon Vine program
•   How to get timely and effective responses from Amazon
•   The Amazon Captive Team
•   Riverbend Consulting and how to start working with them

“Lesley's always bringing the truth because she doesn't care about if people like her or not. She cares about the truth. She cares about the integrity of business and cares about those types of things. So it's not a popularity contest, it’s a ‘let's get stuff done, and let's get this done in the good and right way so that we all can continue living our best lives.’”

- Kristin Ostrander

WATCH:

LISTEN:

Quotes:

“If we're going to be doing business with Amazon, there's all these changes and updates and policies and compliance and all these sexy words that we have to constantly talk about.”

“Because if someone can eat it, or put it on their body, like topical, I'm away from that, because I don't want anybody getting sick or getting you know, dead, because they put something on their arm that then you know swole up and who knows. So I try to stay away from those things.”

“If you're an authorized reseller, actually on just about anything, try and get that in your contract that they will indemnify you.”

“If you didn't read your Amazon Terms of Service, good luck with that, because there's a lot of things you can't do or won't be able to do.”

“Every business needs to have insurance for one reason or another.”

“Amazon's not a monopoly - grow up - it's not a monopoly.”

“This is really important stuff, and we need to be aware and proactive about what we support and don't support in our Congress because it affects your bottom line.”

“The reason that I find it so frustrating is because there is legislation in place right now that all of the issues that they have with Amazon could be addressed under that legislation.”

“They could literally eradicate us as third party sellers, and just take over the entire online retail world, like you said, creating a bigger monster.”

“If you're doing stupid things like telling third-party sellers how to price their products, which is price-fixing, which is illegal, then you're asking for regulation.”

“What's really sad is that I know where it leaves the American public - it will stifle innovation in a way that people do not even comprehend.”

“A lot of advocates, a lot of people, need to stand up and talk about it and get their congressmen and women to understand the impact of what could happen if this comes to the table.”

“These are things that greatly impact not just us, but our global economy.”

“It cannot direct them off the platform, you cannot direct them to your Shopify store, to your website to your customer service person. None of that.”

“The best way for you guys to own your own customers in this way is to provide a phenomenal product and customer experience and people will look you up and they will find you and they will want to find you in other places.”

“Where there's already three or four competitors that have 1000s of reviews, your two or three Vine reviews aren't really going to get much.”

“A lot of times we have issues that have been resolved by Account Health.”

“We're actually getting some pretty rapid answers right now from the executive seller relations team through the jeff@amazon email.”

“It's super important that you show, according to their escalation protocol, that you've already done all the things.”

“riverbendconsulting.com is the place to go - I fully and highly recommend them and their team.”

Related Content:

• Wholesale Bundle System
• Email questions
• Learn With Us
• Coaching
• The Amazon Files Hub
• Amazon Seller Central Sign-In
• Riverbend Consulting Homepage
• Lesley's LinkedIn Page
• Riverbend Consulting's LinkedIn Page

Grow Your Amazon Business!

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Amazon Files, the show to help Amazon sellers along their business journey one step at a time with Amazon expert and your host, Kristin Ostrander. If you enjoyed this episode, head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show and leave us your honest review. Don’t forget to share your favorite episodes with your friends on social media! Use the codeword #rules to join us on Facebook. Each week, Kristin hosts a live discussion on how to grow your Amazon business. Don’t forget to check out our website and subscribe to our mailing list for even more resources.