In 2020, while others were panicking due to the lockdown, we were closing 1,200 orders per month on Amazon and eBay. In the break between shipments, we filmed 12 video modules and launched the first Romanian course on selling correctly on Amazon. Below you can find the real numbers, the mistakes that cost us €11,000 and the listing template that we still use today.
Why 2020 was year zero for us
Stock: 3 truckloads of clothing stuck in Spain → we pivoted to FBA
New Amazon EU account (Germany) – opened March 2020, 0 feedback
Available budget: €15,000 (including family loan)
Goal: sell-through < 45 days and positive cash-flow in 90 days
Gross figures as of Dec 31, 2020
Amazon EU: 9,417 units / €127,540 sales / 34% margin after FBA & ads
eBay (UK + DE account): 2,083 units / €28,900 / 41% margin
Average returns: 2.8% (below category average of 5.1%)
Temporary suspension (July): 72 hours for “price gouging” – we resolved it with an action plan in 48 hours
The mistakes that stung us (and lesson)
a) Listings with 18 variations on the same ASIN → internal cannibalization. Lesson: maximum 6 variations / parent.
b) PPC without negative keywords → €2,400 burned in 3 weeks. Lesson: we add negatives exactly from day 1.
c) Uneven packaging → 42 “defective” complaints. Lesson: we use rigid box + bubble wrap for items > €30.
The listing template that got us to the first page (you can copy it)
Title: [Brand] + Main keyword + benefit + material + size + pack
Bullets: 1) Fit 2) Material 3) Occasion 4) Care 5) 30-day warranty
Description: 2,000 characters, HTML allowed, 3 CTAs, 12 LSI keywords
Backend: 249 bytes, no duplicates, diacritics removed, singular + plural
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5. From sales to education – how the course came about.
Friends who asked us for “consultation” → we collected 170 repetitive questions
We filmed 12 modules (total 4 h 20 min) with our phone and ShareX screen.
