Selling To Amazon Aggregators: One Year On

The gloriously long hot summer of 2021 provided a much-needed antidote to the world’s post-Covid blues.

For most people, it was a time to kick back, relax and enjoy the delights of the great outdoors again.

Sadly, this wasn’t exactly the case for me.

Or Richard.

In fact, that same summer was right up there as one of the most intense periods in our lives.

Most of which was spent indoors, with our faces super-glued to the computer screen.

Why?

Because having been contacted by various Amazon Aggregators at the beginning of July 2021, we were both knee-deep in due diligence throughout the proceeding period.

And we were not alone, either.

You see:

Countless other Amazon FBA sellers were also navigating the sale of their own business during the summer of 2021.

In what has now been described as the peek of acquisition activity, following the prior 24-month boom in all things e-commerce.

One year after selling

And so, here we are.

A full 12 months have passed since Richard closed the deal on his Amazon FBA business.

I still have a few more weeks to wait before celebrating the same anniversary.

This inevitably got us thinking about our respective FBA brands this week.

Specifically:

What we have learnt since handing over the day-to-day operations, the things we would have done differently and, of course, what a new Amazon business might look like in 2022.

It was an emotional, sometimes painful, and yet highly productive session to say the least.

Want to know the best part?

After a few hours of reminiscing between ourselves, we decided to open up the conversation with our large network of other post-exit FBA sellers.

To really ‘dig into the weeds’ of what it’s like to run an Amazon business and how life had changed, following their recent sale.

This is where things got really interesting.

The 2021 post-exiteers

With informal sessions set up with more than 30 participants at the beginning of July this year, we set ourselves the challenge of competing all ‘interviews’ within a week.

Five short and sweet questions were posed.

The results of which are summarised below.

I’ll probably write up a more detailed post on the findings of our somewhat impulsive survey.

But for now, it might be nice to picture how YOU will feel without the burden of running your current business and a tidy (large) deposit in your bank account.

Start here, today.

1. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your overall health and wellbeing*:

1.1 Whilst running your Amazon business: Scored 4 (on average)
1.2 Six months after selling your Amazon business: Scored 7.5 (on average)

2. On a scale of 1-10, how often have you checked in on the progress of your sold brand?*

2.1 Within the first six months of selling: Scored 8 (on average)
2.2 Between six and twelve months of selling: Scored 2.5 (on average)

3. On a scale of 1-10, what do you miss about running an Amazon business?*:

3.1 Regular (passive) income: Scored 9.0 (on average)
3.2 The FBA community: Scored 3.5 (on average)
3.3 Launching a product: Scored 7.0 (on average)
3.4 Creating the brand: Scored 8.5 (on average)
3.5 Happy customers: Scored 2.0 (on average)

4. On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to start a new Amazon or Shopify business?*:

Scored 8.5 (on average)

5. On a scale of 1-10, what would your new Amazon business look like?*:

5.1 Amazon USA marketplace: Scored 9.5 (on average)
5.2 Other Amazon marketplaces: Scored 4.5 (on average)
5.3 Five or fewer ASINs: Scored 7.0 (on average)
5.4 More than Five ASINs: Scored 5.5 (on average)
5.5 Small, lightweight products: Scored 8.5 (on average)
5.6 Oversized products: Scored 1.5 (on average)
5.7 Local suppliers only: Scored 7.5 (on average)
5.8 Overseas suppliers only: Scored 5.5 (on average)
5.9 Higher than market price point: Scored 8.5 (on average)
5.10 Lower than market price point: Scored 6.0 (on average)

* Scale rating based on 1 (low), 10 (high).

Amazon Aggregators Guide (For FBA Sellers)

It was mid-2021.

Richard and I (Martin) were considering selling our Amazon FBA businesses, having been approached by multiple brokers and Amazon Aggregators over the past few months.

Our brands, with nearly 100% of their sales coming from Amazon, had been absolutely flying, revenue-wise, since 2015.

Covid, Brexit and logistics

Many FBA sellers were still struggling with the fall-out from Covid at that time, as well as the challenge of global logistics.

And whilst we were fortunate enough to dodge the majority of those sh1t bullets, the fun and games of Brexit and moving stock into Europe remained.

In other words:

By September 2021, Richard and I felt it was the right time to exit our respective businesses. And move on to pastures new.

Selling your Amazon business

If this resonates with your current situation and headspace, you’re not alone.

In fact, since starting this service, we have now spoken to over 300 Amazon FBA sellers, each with their own unique back story, brand, and reasons for exiting.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking:

What does this have to do with a definitive guide to Amazon Aggregators?

Well, as part of our 2021 research into the minefield of brokers, buyers and aggregators, one thing was clear.

There’s an astounding lack of decent, added-value information for FBA sellers in this space.

Worst still:

The vast majority of ‘expert guides’ are reworked Google posts written by editors and copywriters with absolutely no direct experience of selling on Amazon, or – for that matter – what it’s like working with Amazon Aggregators.

Amazon Aggregators – your definitive guide

And so, Richard and I have taken it upon ourselves to create something special.

For all those FBA sellers out there who want the salient facts and figures. Without wasting hours of time searching for them:

Amazon Aggregators – The Definitive Guide For FBA Sellers In 2022

Have a read today (it will take you less than 5 minutes) and let us know what you think.

As always, we are here for any questions you have about Amazon Aggregators and the process of selling your business to one.


Further reading:

To learn about our story, our private label FBA brands, and our first-hand experience selling to Amazon aggregators, click here.

Revenue

Step 1

Select your revenue and number of SKUs

Product Category

Step 2

Tell us your product category and profits

Amazon Aggregators

Step 3

Reveal your unique list of potential buyers

14 Shares