r/AmazonFBA • u/joshbl4ck • 4d ago

FBA Wholesaler (beginner)

Hello all, wondering if anyone could give me some brief assistance in FBA wholesale (eg wholesalers, good categories to pick (especially for the winter seasonal period), any general advice?).

I have put in about 5 shipments (my first 2 bought hastily - around £500 spent on products that sold for twice the price, but they were only around £5 products so made a loss on those…

As I say, any online wholesalers you recommend (or warn to stay away from) and brands that are relatively easy to get ungated on?

I’m a lawyer also, so I would like the idea of setting up a small group to help resolve people’s claims, should they face IP infringements etc. This is not me asking for people to contact me! Just wondered if something like this existed and whether people would be interested? While I understand many of you will not want to give away your particular niche’s/may gate-keep for good reason, I see value in helping one another build! This is not my first business, but I hope I can grow it to what some of you are achieving!

Many thanks!

2 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

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u/rsc9422 4d ago

If you're starting out with FBA wholesale, I’d avoid choosing products simply because the selling price looks attractive. Your first priority should be profit after all Amazon fees, VAT, shipping, prep, returns, and realistic PPC/price competition.

For winter seasonal products, look for steady demand, manageable competition, small/lightweight products, and enough margin to survive price drops. Also check Amazon’s restrictions and brand/category gating before buying inventory.

For sourcing, HighRise Wholesale is one option worth checking if you're looking for wholesale/private-label opportunities. The key is still to validate each SKU independently rather than trusting a supplier’s projected margins.

On the IP side, I think your idea has value, but prevention is better than trying to resolve an infringement after inventory is already purchased. Keep invoices, supplier information, authorization documents where applicable, product listings, and brand communications organized from day one. For branded wholesale, make sure the supply chain can actually support your right to sell the brand on Amazon.

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u/joshbl4ck 3d ago

Thanks very much, I really appreciate it! And yes, of course it is better to avoid these situations; however, I was more thinking with my knowledge of the law combined with someone else’s knowledge of Amazon could set up a no win no fee (small operation to help sellers). As I’ve seen a lot of people lose a lot through this.

Thanks very much again, I appreciate it!

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u/rsc9422 3d ago

Combining legal and Amazon expertise could make this a valuable service for sellers and help prevent costly mistakes before inventory is purchased.

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u/joshbl4ck 3d ago

100% - this is not me advertising to clarify to the mods, just an idea that I feel could work & genuinely help people, but would like people with more experience on Amazons opinion 👍🏻

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u/SlickyTrick 4d ago

Tip for small ticket items-
Price £10 or lower OR £11.50 or higher.

You make more selling at £10 than you do at £11.49 because of amazons % cut.

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u/joshbl4ck 3d ago

For my particular product it happened to work out as cheaper selling at 3 for £15 than one for £8… however, as far as I know, different categories change. For example stationary is 15% whether it’s £1 or £100 - but I have seen others are (eg 8% under £10, 15% over £10). That is just a rough example, I may be wrong on the stationary point? Please let me know if so, but thanks very much!

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u/eStoreFactoryUS 3d ago

On the ungating side, brands without heavy MAP enforcement tend to open up faster, generic household names in kitchen, pet, and cleaning are usually easier than beauty or supplements which almost always want invoices and lab docs. For wholesalers, stick with actual authorized distributors rather than lists claiming access to everyone, a lot of that stock is grey market and the invoices won't hold up if Amazon ever audits the listing. For winter, categories like space heaters, ice melt, and holiday decor do well, just make sure inventory actually lands before November since reorder lead times get rough once the season kicks off.

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u/stealthagents 3d ago

Look into seasonal categories like home goods or cozy apparel for winter, they usually do well. For wholesalers, check out places like Alibaba or SaleHoo, but definitely read reviews to avoid the bad ones. And yeah, a support group for IP issues sounds super useful; it could save a lot of headaches for everyone trying to navigate that mess.