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FBATacticsMarketplace seller operationsFee watchDe minimis suspension written into regulationIn force since 2026-06-24
Policy log
2026-09-22CBP Entry Type 13 voluntary test opens for mail imports2026-06-24De minimis suspension written into regulation2026-02-20IEEPA tariffs struck down — de minimis unaffected2026-01-15US FBA fees up $0.08/unit average; price now an input2026-01-01European FBA fees cut by £0.15 / €0.17 per unit2025-10Amazon gives three months notice on 2026 US fees

15 questions · no email required

Which selling model actually fits you?

Most people pick a model because of a video they watched, then discover eight months later that their capital, their contacts or their tolerance for risk never matched it. These fifteen questions are the ones worth answering before you spend anything.

Nothing is stored and nothing is sent anywhere — the scoring runs in your browser. There is no signup and no email step.

01How much money can you put in and not need back for at least three months?

Not your savings total — the amount you could lose entirely without it changing your life.

02Do you personally know brand owners, distributors, or category managers?

A real contact who would take your call — not a LinkedIn connection.

03Realistically, how many hours a week can you give this?
04How soon do you need the first money coming back in?
05If a product did not sell and you were stuck with the stock, how would that feel?
06Can you regularly get to a decent number of physical retail stores?
07How do you feel about emailing and calling suppliers who have never heard of you?
08Can you set up a registered business, tax ID, and a reseller or resale certificate?

Most legitimate distributors will not open a wholesale account without these.

09What are you actually trying to build?
10How do you feel about overseas sourcing, freight forwarders and customs?

Since the de minimis suspension this is no longer optional knowledge for import-based models.

11Do you have somewhere to store and prepare stock?
12How comfortable are you with spreadsheets and unit economics?
13How is your written English for supplier and marketplace correspondence?

Relevant if you are selling into the US or UK from outside it.

14After your first order, could you fund a second one before the first pays out?

Marketplace payout cycles mean your cash is tied up longer than your inventory is.

15If you lost the entire first investment, what would happen?

0 of 15 answered.

Why these fifteen questions

Almost every question here maps to a way people lose money, not a way they make it. Capital and reserve appear twice because undercapitalisation is one of the most commonly cited reasons sellers fail — and because marketplace payout cycles lock your cash up well past the moment of sale, which catches people who budgeted only for the first order.

The supplier and business-entity questions exist because wholesale is gatekept in a way the other models are not. Legitimate distributors generally want a registered business and a resale certificate before opening an account. If you do not have those, wholesale is closed to you regardless of how much capital you hold.

The 2026 fee changes make the margin question sharper than it used to be. Models running at thin net margins have almost no buffer to absorb fee increases, while models holding wider margins can take them without going negative. That is why the model you choose matters more now than it did a few years ago.

Sources

  1. 5 types of Amazon sellers: which model makes money?, SellerView accessed 2026-08-07
  2. Retail arbitrage on Amazon: 2026 profit guide, Aura accessed 2026-08-07
  3. How much budget to start Amazon (2026 guide), ScaleA2Z accessed 2026-08-07
  4. How much money do you need to start Amazon wholesale, Jakfi accessed 2026-08-07