Can I sell products from WalMart at Amazon?
I have an LLC, can I buy products from Walmart or other retailers and resell them on Amazon? If so, can Amazon unlock my product only with the purchase receipt?
Can I sell products from WalMart at Amazon?
I have an LLC, can I buy products from Walmart or other retailers and resell them on Amazon? If so, can Amazon unlock my product only with the purchase receipt?
0 replies
Seller_Sram36TnVt73c
Technically you can but there are many pitfalls of the practice.
What you are describing is 'retail arbitrage'.
You have to avoid selling brands that might come after you for selling their items as an unauthorized seller. Otterbox, Hot Wheels, Nike, Sony, any designer stuff, etc. are some examples of brands you can't sell without authorization from the brand owner.
If the item has a warranty, you will have to grade the item as USED because you are not an authorized dealer, and any purchases from you will not be covered by most manufacturers if the customer tries to get warranty repairs/coverage for an item bought from you.
Those are the biggest pitfalls that come to mind, but they are pretty big ones.
Seller_kNAboD6kRgVt7
In addition to the great advice from @Seller_Sram36TnVt73c, Amazon will "let" you list some of these items. But later they may ask for an invoice that you cannot provide. This can get your account deactivated and they may hang on to your funds. So don't invest too much money until you have a good handle on what/how to do this.
Seller_kIukTwdhvntAp
Both @Seller_Sram36TnVt73cand @Seller_kNAboD6kRgVt7 have given you some ideas about the pitfalls of doing so.
There ARE some sellers that have been around doing RA for many years that are, in fact, still getting away with it.
You are a raw rookie and Amazon will NOT cut you any slack for the first 'mistake' that you make. What they will do is suspend you immediately and make you prove authenticity.
Spend a few weeks studying Seller U AND reading the Forum for the hundreds of posts from sellers being suspended for doing RA.
https://sell.amazon.com/learn
You might start with this one where an Amazon MOD gave an answer about RA on Amazon. There are others but this one was very direct and to the point!
RA on Amazon? HE## NO!
https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/7635d4be-85d4-49c8-89c6-b6e1ed4a1ba8?postId=e12ed183-4250-46ef-a1a8-09681b55973f
"Hi @FlipAholicand thanks for reaching out. I'm not 100% sure I'm following your question. Would you mind restating it and elaborating a bit?
If @NEVERLAST's interpretation is correct--if you're asking about Retail Arbitrage--this is not allowed. He's provided you with some good advice, including the quote from the ever-brilliant @Dougal_Amazon.
Given that you're new to Amazon, I'm going to add to @NEVERLAST's suggestion that you study on Seller University and provide a link to resources for new sellers. The For beginners: Fundamentals of selling with Amazon series contains articles, videos, and webinars to help you get up and running as a seller on Amazon.
I hope this is helpful and that you enjoy the rest of your day.
Best,
- Danika"
Seller_nRFmxiQg4EGrw
Short answer:
NO.
Longer answer:
NO, YOU CAN'T
Full answer:
Maybe; if you are VERY careful about what products you pick, you might be allowed to do so. But I compare it to taking a shortcut through a mine-field; if you know EXACTLY what you are doing, it can work; but one single mis-step, and you're done. One IP complaint, from a customer or a brand, and you will not only never sell on Amazon again, you will forfeit any funds not yet paid to you, as well as any inventory in FBA.
There are a few cheerleaders who like to tell you how great RA is, how they've made a fortune, etc.. But you may notice, they NEVER chip it to help the people who get suspended.
Seller_nRFmxiQg4EGrw
The only RA person I've seen chip in on a "I've been suspended" thread (posted by a seller this same RA cheerleader had advised months earlier that RA is great) gave the advice that he keeps a law firm on a monthly subscription to fight the claims against him.
So yes, it can be done if you are VERY CAREFUL. But simply telling someone that RA is no problem is irresponsible. Yes, there's no help for someone doing it wrong; but somehow, the idea of even implying that it can be wrong never gets mentioned by the cheerleaders until after the fact.
Troy_Amazon
Hi @Seller_UMvkPDrgV1H30.
Thank you for your post. I understand you have questions about using Walmart as your supplier. My first advice would be to refer you back to the responses from other Sellers here in the thread. Each of their responses is fantastic guidance.
The primary reason you are being strongly cautioned is because by using a retail establishment, you are not able to provide proof of authorization from the brand to sell the item in question. Additionally, it would be unlikely that any documentation you would submit would meet our invoice requirements. For this reason, I would recommend securing a valid supplier.
Please feel free to reach out with any further questions or account updates, and we will assist you as best we can.
Regards,
Troy
Seller_2srXkS44rN39i
not sure how you can make money even if it were allowed. Lets say you buy at item at walmart for $20 and sell on Amazon for $30. After shipping and fees, most likely you will have a loss. I have a hard time finding wholesale products with a high enough margin to not sell at a loss. And if you are talking about the markdown aisle - thoae items are there for a reason - no one wants them. Good luck selling them at all as others have the sane idea
Seller_tzb0Adb4whsRu
It is not recommended and we strongly discourage it.
Seller_WtOwWhtSrFjva
If you are not drop shipping. And you have to sale as used.
Seller_nRFmxiQg4EGrw
And this is why Amazon has high-price bots, so that customers don't get ripped off to this level.
In your example, if Amazon doesn't stop it, then yes, you make big profit. Customer shows off their purchase to a friend, telling them what they spent. Friend is shocked, stating how much cheaper it is elsewhere. Customer may or may not return the product, but will likely NEVER buy on Amazon again, since it's a big rip-off (based on their experience).
Thankfully, as much as I hate the bots when they give spurious alerts, they will generally catch something has harmful to the market as your example.
And just how many complete suckers do you think you could find to pay that much in the first place?
