The Answer:
Either adapt.. and profit.. or fight it.. and perish.
In the end, here are my thoughts. Amazon is the flavor of the day, and while Amazon is great (and trust me I believe it is, and there is still great opportunity), it will one day be overtaken by a newer method, technology or delivery system (sales channel). We have to think in two ways: 1. Find other sales channels for product placement and 2. Find a way to achieve economies of scale. If you are able to purchase at the lowest price possible, it even makes liquidating products you have not been able to sell much easier. The idea is to get in, and get out of an ASIN quickly (no more than 6 months) and preferably within the products seasonal cycle (usually lasts 3 months). I know this may be a new way to think about doing Amazon, (or sales in general) but consider the following: The quicker I can buy and resell a product, the better. It’s almost as simple as that. 
The other problem is that Amazon has a goal. Manufacturer-direct-to-Customer. They want to completely eliminate the middle-man. Amazon already trains Chinese manufacturers for free. Any Chinese manufacturer that comes to Amazon, gets their own representative to show them exactly how to move product directly from their factory floor… to the consumer in the USA (and elsewhere). There are only two ways to compete with that… 1. Branding – but I mean BIG branding, so big that they don’t dare mess with you (think Nike). 2. Pricing. The way I see it. The only way for the average Joe to beat them is to play at their level. Show the manufacturers that playing the Amazon game is too much of a headache. In order to do that, you have to be buying containers full of product. Think about this… What do you think a factory is going to do when all the returns come back to them because of their crappy product? They will then learn that it is easier to sell a better quality product to the middleman by the container and not have to worry about returns. So how do I get the best single unit price, for the best product, for the lowest buy-in?
Introducing: The Container Club!
Benefits of The Container Club Membership
Container Club Members get Great pricing– As a member of the Container Club, you will get the best pricing as a participant in large purchases. It is only through volume discounts that you will be able to compete against the larger players in any sales channel. Being able to remain profitable as the price races to the bottom allows you to prosper while your competition fails. You can price things for aggressive marketing or 
allow the price to float so that you stay in control of the buy box. Even Hi-jackers will not be able to match pricing with you for long. When they do, you purchase them out or you can afford to go below them so that you can get the box back. Volume pricing also allows you to spend more on PPC. Of course, if you are a branded product, then you can protect yourself through the normal channels (cease and desist, or notifying Amazon).
Container Club Members get Trusted Sourcing- As the administrator of the club, I am fully invested. Unlike a normal sourcing agent, I am invested in your long-term success. Sourcing agents are normally only interested in their client while the process or production and procurement are occurring. Once that order is finished, they move onto whoever gets them the next order they can work on. As a member of the Container Club, I own (and pay for) shares in each and every container. This means that I have a vested interest (more than just a monetary one) in making sure that we get the best price for the best quality of products.
Container Club has Staff in China- We employ a full-time staff in China and they are dedicated to research, inspections and logistics support. They are very competent in their job and I personally oversee their work.
Container Club Members get their choice of product- You get to choose which containers you wish to participate in. If the container being considered is not within your “field”, or you are just not interested in it… no problem. You can remain active in the Mastermind Group and help decide the next container’s contents. We will be trying to send out many containers on a monthly basis.
Container Club Members are still able to brand their product- Since all the products we purchase will be unmarked on both the item and the packaging, you can still brand the product. You can easily add your branding by labeling the products or packaging after they have arrived if you choose. Again, your most important defense is not your brand name, it is your volume discount pricing!
Container Club Members get shared resources:
Marketing Channels
Channel review groups
Amazon Tricks and tips
How it works:
- Join the club: Cost to join the club is a low one time fee of $149 for each person. This is a one time fee to join the club and you will not have to pay for use of the platform ever again. This allows a member to access the Container Club platform.
- Chat on the Platform:
You chat with other members in the General Chat forum until you either find a Mastermind Chat group that you wish to explore a purchase with, or you find a group of people in the General Chat group that wish to create a Mastermind Chat group. - Mastermind Chat Group:
A Mastermind Chat group is then created to explore what product to purchase a container for. (Sometimes Admin will create a Mastermind Chat group for
people to join to help spur on the conversation. These Mastermind Chat groups will be very general and the participants will narrow down the product selection.) An example of a Mastermind Chat group name would be “Toys 1”. - You Choose to belong or not belong to the Mastermind Chat group once it is formed. You may also join a Mastermind Chat group for a product presented by The Container Club. These are pre-arranged product purchased that you can get at a huge discount!
- Determine the product:
The Mastermind Chat group votes on which product (one product but maybe several styles) within a category to purchase. RBM Sourcing will select the final product based on recommendations from the Mastermind Chat group. This decision will take into consideration manufacturing time, shipping time, and other factors it takes to get a product to market and listed on Amazon in a timely and profitable manner.
- Container Costs and Prep: RBM Sourcing then divides the total number products being purchased in the product container into “shares“. This determines the number of members able to participate in the Purchase Chat group.Shares: You pay one fee for each share, which includes, sourcing, inspections, customs clearance, shipping insurance and shipping to Los Angeles or Long Beach port. To determine the amount of product each person gets, the number of shares divides the number of products. (ie. 5,000 garlic presses divided by 20 shares means each person gets 250 garlic presses to sell.) You are allowed to purchase more than one share in a container (up to 4).
The price per share will range from $500 to $10,000 depending on the cost of the product, shipping, etc. The shares will be offered on a first come first serve basis to PEOPLE WHO ARE PART OF THAT MASTERMIND CHAT GROUP for that product. If not enough people have participated in the initial offer, then the offer will be opened to anyone who is in the club.(Note: Each person participating must pay for his or her entire share in advance. RBM Sourcing will retain all funds in escrow until the container has been inspected, and ready for shipment. As with most transactions in China, 30% will be paid to the manufacturer at the time of order and the other 70% will be paid at the closure and tagging of the container. ) - Shipping: Our containers will be shipped to the port in Los Angles or Long Beach.
Shipping product just prior to customs tagging. When the shipment arrives in port, each person will be notified and then arrange and pay for their own shipping to their location. (This will be the case until we can solidify additional shipping options, which we are currently working on.)
- Listing and prices: For listings, there will be a minimum advertised price assigned by the manufacturer. NO Adverting will be allowed to go below this limit without approval from the manufacturer – Violate it and you will be excluded from all future container purchases. After a certain time period, there will be a liquidation price that goes into effect. The manufacturer of that container will set the price and timing for liquidation. (Don’t worry, there will be plenty of room for margin and liquidation extremes).
- Customs holds, inspections and special circumstances:
Customs agents sometimes select cargo containers at random for inspection. When this happens, the importer bears an extra cost. This cost is non-determinable until such time as it happens. If there is a hold put on a container for inspection, then the members who purchased that container will share in all expenses according to the shares purchased. - Risks: As with all business dealings there is some risk. However small, they must be mentioned. RBM Sourcing LLC dba The Container Club will carry shipping insurance, however, accidents do happen. If there is an accident, the insurance company will pay for the shipment. This often takes
some time. RBM Sourcing LLC and the Container Club management will always do everything within their power to facilitate a smooth purchase and logistics work-flow. However, if something goes wrong, and poor or damaged product arrives in a container, or logistics workflow does not meet the timelines that were hoped for, RBM Sourcing LLC, the Container club, their employees or management will not be held liable. The Container Club will attempt to resolve all issues through the appropriate channels as necessary. You will be reimbursed according to your shares and insurance company rules.
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