Any business endeavor requires an investment, which can make starting any new business intimidating. However, Fulfillment by Amazon makes it possible to start a lucrative new business venture with a minimal investment, often under $1000, as long as you’re willing to put in the work needed to get your product sold on the web.
Equipment Needed – It may surprise you to know that having the right equipment can easily end up being a bigger investment than the products you will be selling. Luckily, many of these items are likely things you already own.
Computer: This one may seem obvious, but it’s worth mentioning. You will need a computer with internet access to be able to work on your seller account. If your computer is old or unreliable, you may want to invest in a more dependable machine as soon as you have income coming in from Amazon.
Smart Phone: Using a smart phone with Amazon’s scanning app can make your work go many times faster than manually typing everything in. You can also use this to look up items as you work for comparison purposes.
Printer: A laser printer is recommended, but any printer can help you get started. You will need the printer for printing product and shipping labels. Having a dedicated label printer, particularly a thermal printer, can save you a lot of money in ink and may be worth investing in from the beginning.
Shipping labels: Whether you need paper labels for your printer or thermal labels for your label printer, you will need adhesive labels for shipping your products to Amazon and for labeling the products themselves.
Scale: This is needed for weighing the boxes you are sending to Amazon. A bathroom scale can work to begin with, but postal scales are much more accurate. Some of these are available with label printers built in, so you can combine this with your label printing investment.
Boxes/Tape/Packing Materials: A minor investment, but a necessary one that can cause major trouble if forgotten. Clean boxes can sometimes be obtained from local retail stores, but new ones can be bought at minimal expense. Packing tape is essential for securing your goods, and packing materials such as bubble wrap and packing peanuts ensures your products arrive in good shape.
Inventory – It is generally recommended to invest in at least $500 worth of inventory when starting your Amazon FBA business, though the base cost of your products will of course cause this number to fluctuate a bit. This allows you to have enough on hand without selling out immediately without investing thousands of dollars to get started. Be sure to use the Amazon Seller App to see how well you can expect certain items to sell, and factor in your selling costs and fees to your prices to be sure you can turn a profit — which in turn enables you to invest in more inventory as you sell out.
