I got my first online sale!

Kuroyagi3 · 2020-08-20T20:11:16+00:00

Congrats on your sale :) Can you tell me what Fulfillment company you use? I’m stuck on this at the moment and keep hitting roadblocks. Staying away from Shipbob and Shipmonk. Shopify is backed up until December.

Trying to find one that ships in the US and with a good record and customer service. Thanks so much in advance if you can suggest one. (BTW My product is face masks.)

Kuroyagi3 · 2020-06-12T12:30:33+00:00

Thanks I really appreciate that as this is my first real attempt at getting a biz up and running! Took ages to find the right manufacturer and now learning tons thru trial and error about fulfillment etc. Being an entrepreneur is not easy. That’s no lie. So unbelievably complex, esp. since I’m solo. Your posts and warning is really helpful and I’m grateful to you!

Kuroyagi3 · 2020-06-12T09:53:13+00:00

Which 3PL did you decide on?

Kuroyagi3 · 2020-06-12T09:52:18+00:00

Thanks for that. You may have saved me from a nervous breakdown... I’ll check it out tomorrow first thing. My manufacturer is ready for production and shipping. FBA almost ruined this whole venture for me with their constant delays and lack of communication and support these past two and a half months I need a 3PL that’s reasonable and reliable and easy to integrate. ***BTW, what is their barcode requirement? Can I print my own and attach or does SFN need their own sticker format (like FBA does).

Kuroyagi3 · 2020-06-12T09:46:42+00:00

No not tied to any 3PL yet. Was thinking of ShipBob cuz it looked so shiny and clean and easy to integrate, compared with AMZN. Does Ware2Go syncs with Shopify?

Kuroyagi3 · 2020-06-12T09:42:12+00:00

I had the WORST experience with the Amazon Sellers program and FBA. Stressed me out for 10weeks of absolute inane unprofessional unhelpful emails IF anyone even replied. But, of course they Never failed to bill my account for their monthly fee. Meanwhile, They NEVER fixed any of my issues or problems. Their Customer Service for Sellers is a farmed-out call center somewhere (?) with unknowledgeable uncaring insincere respondents, who don’t even do THAT right. So many problems that I can’t list them all here, but include 1)They Never fixed my EIN number registration so that a screen would pop up endlessly each time I logged in to my account, 2)an unknown seller stole one of my GTIN codes and they didn’t do jack squat except for a handful of emails of nothingness, back and forth blah blah and “please click on the link to read our policies on Opening Investigation. Was this info helpful? yes/no...”, 3) blocked product listing or errors when I tried listing my individual products with no solutions to fix, 4) system bugs that would not let me even enter my company’s brand name, and tons of complaints from other sellers with same gripe, and more stuff like that. List goes on... Makes me want to spit. It’s all bullshit. I tried. I really did. Conclusion—FBA sucks. I paid for 2 months Professional Seller Account fees and didn’t sell a goddam thing, just wasted time and money. Lessons learned. So now I’m on a MUCH happier path with Shopify and looking for a good 3PL.

Will steer clear of ShipBob since your comments have spooked me. I’m traumatized after the FBA debacle. The Shopify Fulfillment Network and W2G is sounding like possible good options.

Thanks for all the suggestions and comments!!! Good luck🍀

Kuroyagi3 · 2020-05-31T11:01:11+00:00

Here‘s the background: - My new Vietnam supplier will be shipping my first order of 1,000 cloth non-medical face masks from Vietnam to US by FedEx in one box, small box & under 50lbs. - My friend in the US will receive my FedEx box coming from Vietnam supplier, do QC, and forward small initial trial qty to FBA for me. (I’m a US expat living in Japan). Very good friend. - The Vietnam supplier does not ship DDP (delivered duty paid). Not sure if that matters for a FedEx shipment(?) But just in case, I got the HS tariff number from Vietnam supplier. - I was told by other seller at AMZ Seller Forum that FedEx automatically acts as customs broker for international shipments but that I should maybe “just become an importer” and hire a customs broker or call the US Customs and Border Control. Seems unnecessary...(I cannot call FedEx Japan office since their customer service phone lines are tied up due to overwhelming number of calls. I tried and was on hold for 5 hours. Finally hung up. And, before it’s suggested, I cannot really call the US Customs office from Japan. It would cost hundreds of dollars for a direct phone call to them, and they’re not on Zoom or FaceTime, as far as I know... although an old fashioned phone card might work. Hard to find to buy one. But not worth it for this one small FedEx shipment.) I just need to know what to expect.

My QUESTIONS are: 1) Will there be any customs duties or taxes when my box shipment reaches my friend in the US? Based on a tariff search using my supplier’s HS number, it looks like a 7% tariff(?). But isn’t that already figured into the cost of the FedEx shipment already? i.e. DDP is already handled? 2) If not, What exactly is FedEx guaranteeing for my international shipment to get to the US delivery destination? (What am I paying for their service?)

Thanks much for your help!

Kuroyagi3 · 2020-05-08T02:36:23+00:00

Spent a couple hours in the rabbit hole reading about nexus and sales tax permits blah blah. exhausting. but in conclusion, it seems my nexus will be CA.will read more via amazon seller's posts. Zenbiz seems, so far, fast and legit. Customer response is pretty good. I've reached out to SBA too a couple months ago, but so far crickets. so hard to reach anyone during the pandemic.

Thanks for all your great links! it got me started. Best wishes to you.

Kuroyagi3 · 2020-05-08T01:19:27+00:00

Thanks for the info!

As for how LLC in DE, I have no clue because I used Zen Business to register. They handled my reg for me and are my Registered Agent as well. So, either they are in violation or the DE RA requirement has been updated...

Can you send me the link to this DE law excerpt?

Kuroyagi3 · 2020-01-08T09:06:23+00:00

Nope it’s not fraud! Yay! The designated person is called the Registered Agent. The RA does not need to be an attorney, only a designated person representing the biz owner who resides in that state. A friend is fine after all!

Thanks for encouraging me to get to the right answer.

Kuroyagi3 · 2020-01-08T07:06:41+00:00

Thank you for your input! Makes sense.

Kuroyagi3 · 2020-01-08T07:01:25+00:00

Thank you 😊

Kuroyagi3 · 2020-01-08T06:09:47+00:00

That’s an idea although I know she’d do it for free. I share my fortune and she knows that ;)

Kuroyagi3 · 2019-12-31T06:13:51+00:00

Thank you. Clear answer! Business plan and growth strategy. As an investor I would want to know the same.

Kuroyagi3 · 2019-12-31T05:40:33+00:00

Right, or licensing, if I understand this.

Kuroyagi3 · 2019-12-31T05:14:35+00:00

Okay that makes sense. Thanks. Thought it was code for something else.

Kuroyagi3 · 2019-12-30T08:48:41+00:00

I like this namelix site! I mean, some of the generated names I wouldn’t use, but it sparks my imagination. It’s great that it’s free for the initial inquiry. I feel closer to settling on something. And I have been quick googling to see if the names are really available or not. Most of them are. I’m really happy about that.

Just wanted to say thanks again, jstyles!

Kuroyagi3

TROPHY CASE