Velocity Sellers Podcast

#117 - Avoid Paying More Than You Should in Logistic Fees: The Hidden Cost of Amazon Returns | JD Sass

Returns are not just a cost of doing business on Amazon, they are a system you can design to recover revenue and protect your brand. We talk with JD Sass, CEO of Axiom Return Solutions, about what really happens after a customer sends a product back and why reverse logistics is becoming a serious advantage for sellers who want higher profitability.  We get into the Amazon-specific changes that are reshaping returns management: removal versus disposal costs, the tradeoffs of Amazon’s grade and resell program, and how returnless refunds can sometimes be the smartest move. JD also explains why brand control matters, including chain of custody, where inventory ends up, and how “good enough” grading can still lead to missing pieces, unhappy customers, and reviews that tank a listing.  Then we go practical. We break down how reimbursement claims work in Seller Central, why the timeline is tighter than it used to be, and what documentation actually drives successful claims. JD shares simple, high-impact fixes like adding photos of every component to your listing, using replaceable inserts, and placing tamper-proof seals on every opening to reduce fraud and prevent used items from re-entering sellable stock. If you sell on FBA, Shopify, or other ecommerce channels, this is a blueprint for turning return data into better packaging, better listings, and better margins.  Subscribe for more Amazon operations deep dives, share this with a seller who is drowning in returns, and leave a review with your biggest returns challenge so we can cover it next. Learn more about Velocity Sellers [https://www.velocitysellers.com/]! Check us out on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5fESxzFcrLCfcKYVmQN6Ug]! Book a FREE Amazon Audit [https://velocitysellers.com/sell-more/]!

#116 - If Amazon Rewards External Traffic Then Who Controls The Future Of Discovery

Amazon is telling sellers something with its actions, not its press releases: external traffic that converts matters more than ever. We bring on Greg Potts, Senior Director of Partnerships at Levanta, to dig into how affiliate marketing and creator-led content can send high-intent shoppers to your listings and trigger the kind of conversion signals that support organic ranking, visibility, and Best Seller Rank. We talk about the affiliate “halo effect” and why the real win is often bigger than a single tracked sale. A shopper clicks a creator link, lands on one ASIN, then browses your storefront, discovers your other products, and buys more. That blend of performance-based marketing and brand awareness is why Amazon affiliate marketing is becoming a serious lever for modern Amazon brands. Greg also breaks down what actually converts today: authentic partners, not endless one-off posts. Think micro-influencers, publisher listicles, newsletters, and other affiliate types that audiences genuinely trust. If you are planning for Prime Day, we get specific about timing and execution. Affiliate programs are not a last-minute switch, so we cover realistic lead times, how affiliates frame urgency around Prime Day deals, and why paying for conversions can complement PPC when ad costs climb. We also walk through the KPIs that matter most, including the click-to-cart funnel that exposes where your listing or messaging is leaking sales. If you found this useful, subscribe for more Amazon growth playbooks, share the episode with a seller friend, and leave a review so more brands can find it. What part of your marketing mix needs the biggest rethink right now? Learn more about Velocity Sellers [https://www.velocitysellers.com/]! Check us out on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5fESxzFcrLCfcKYVmQN6Ug]! Book a FREE Amazon Audit [https://velocitysellers.com/sell-more/]!

#115 - Seller Labs MCP Pulls Amazon Data So You Stop Living In Spreadsheets

Seller Central can make you feel like the answer is always three exports away. I sit down with Tempest from Seller Labs to talk about a smarter path: using AI integrations and large language models to turn messy Amazon seller data into clear, usable decisions without living in spreadsheets. We get into why old-school dashboards start to break down when you need real-time visibility across thousands of SKUs, shifting fees, and fast-moving performance signals. Tempest explains how Seller Labs is working on an MCP that connects directly to Seller Labs and Amazon data, then plugs into Claude so you can ask plain-English questions like “What changed?” and “Where is profit leaking?” and get a direct, data-backed answer. One story hit hard: a seller used a few prompts to uncover a better shipping solution and reportedly saved around $200,000 per year while staying competitive on price. We also talk Amazon PPC strategy and how ACOS and TACoS can quietly drift while you’re busy running the business. Instead of manual checks, MCP-style automation can monitor campaigns and send alerts when ad performance starts dragging total profitability down. Then we widen the lens to customer experience: reviews, feedback loops, and the hidden margin damage from returns and return fees that can make a “winning” product look far better than it really is. If you’re searching for Amazon AI tools, profitability analytics, advertising optimization, and a realistic view of where humans still add value, this conversation will give you practical angles to test immediately. Subscribe for more, share this with a seller friend, and leave a review so more brands can find it. What would you want AI to monitor in your account first? Learn more about Velocity Sellers [https://www.velocitysellers.com/]! Check us out on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5fESxzFcrLCfcKYVmQN6Ug]! Book a FREE Amazon Audit [https://velocitysellers.com/sell-more/]!

Amazon Losing Big Brands & AI Creating New Life? | The E-tail Report

Amazon is in a quiet standoff with some of the biggest brands in the world, and the cracks are starting to show in product selection. We dig into the reports of major names dialing back what they sell on Amazon after disputes over wholesale pricing, as tariffs and fuel costs climb. If nearly 40% of e-commerce runs through one marketplace, even “small” pullbacks can ripple through categories, shopper choice, and every seller’s margin math. We also talk through the uncomfortable question: if huge brands struggle to absorb costs, what does that say about the smaller sellers trying to survive on thinner margins? From there, we shift to a real tactical update for marketplace diversification. eBay is rolling out video ads inside Promoted Listings Priority, letting sellers run up to 45-second videos on a cost-per-click model in markets like the US, Germany, and Canada. For brands and agencies looking for options beyond Amazon advertising, better creative tools on a viable marketplace can change the testing roadmap, especially when competition and fees keep climbing elsewhere. On the AI and tech side, we unpack why Anthropic’s growing share of enterprise LLM API spend matters, plus what it signals about the enterprise AI race with OpenAI. We also cover Anthropic’s move into biotech AI and end with Gartner’s projection that AI agents will spread across business apps by 2026. That future could supercharge AI-powered bid management, inventory forecasting, and customer service automation, but it also raises the hard topics: auditability, oversight, and liability when an agent makes a costly decision. If this helped you think differently about e-commerce strategy and AI risk, subscribe, share it with a teammate, and leave a review. What marketplace or AI shift are you watching closest right now? Learn more about Velocity Sellers [https://www.velocitysellers.com/]! Check us out on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5fESxzFcrLCfcKYVmQN6Ug]! Book a FREE Amazon Audit [https://velocitysellers.com/sell-more/]!

#114 - The Foundation Most Amazon Brands Skip

Most Amazon businesses don’t fail because the idea is bad they fail because the foundation is missing. We sit down with Ian Roland Barry from AMZ Expand to talk through the unglamorous work that determines whether an Amazon FBA launch has a real chance: picking the right niche, structuring an offer that can actually compete, and matching your ambitions to the capital required to survive the ramp. We get specific on the details that quietly break brands. Ian explains why GS1 barcodes and clean GTIN and UPC setup matter, how gray-market codes create a product identity mess, and why relying only on an Amazon FNSKU can limit you when you want to sell in retail or other ecommerce channels. From sourcing and supplier negotiation to logistics, we zoom out to show how early operational choices affect ranking, conversion, and long-term scale. Then we tackle the uncomfortable truth about growth: in competitive categories like supplements, beauty, and pet, established sellers will spend aggressively on Amazon advertising because they understand lifetime value. If you try to protect short-term margins, you may never reach the review and sales velocity needed to unlock organic placement. Ian shares a clearer way to think about proof of concept, review accumulation, and “feeding the algorithm” before expecting consistent profit. If you’re building an Amazon brand and want fewer surprises, subscribe, share this with a founder friend, and leave a review with the one part of your launch plan you’re most unsure about. Learn more about Velocity Sellers [https://www.velocitysellers.com/]! Check us out on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5fESxzFcrLCfcKYVmQN6Ug]! Book a FREE Amazon Audit [https://velocitysellers.com/sell-more/]!