Thank You, Amazon, for a Prosperous 2013

Looking back over 2013, I must say how much I appreciate the opportunity to be part of the Amazon Marketplace. I sold just shy of 3,400 items this year for gross sales of $69, 483. There are many sellers who sell much more than I do, however, Amazon is just one of many streams of income I have been able to establish and grow over the last 4 years.

I like to look back over the year and determine what worked and what didn't. Refining any business is an important part of growing and taking it to the next level. Refining is also important to step away from what isn't working and let things that no longer serve us go so we can move on to new ventures.

As I was doing my year-end evaluations, I saw some interesting data on keyword searches that might help other sellers.

223 orders for cereal, or an average of 18 orders a month. Isn't that amazing? People can buy cereal anywhere, but 223 people bought it from me on Amazon.

140 orders for coffee, or an average of 11 orders a month. You can buy coffee (or get it free) pretty much anywhere. 140 people chose to buy coffee from me on Amazon and have it delivered to them. Coffee I bought in my own neighborhood and shipped to Amazon.

90 orders for lemon flavored items. I'll refer to a quote from Mad Magazine, "We live in a world where lemonade is made from artificial flavoring and furniture polish is made from real lemons." And leave it at that.

67 orders for condoms. (Many were for more than 1 box.) Possibly hundreds of unwanted pregnancies prevented and helping prevent the transmission of STDs. Providing a product for people who want to be responsible, and are maybe too embarrassed to buy this product in a local store. I'm glad to be a part of that.

10 years ago when started selling online (because I went through a divorce and lost my job at the same time), I never dreamed earning a living could be this fun and rewarding. I'll be the first to say this type of business is work, but the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Amazon has really evolved and offers a lot of opportunities for the at-home seller. If you aren't taking advantage of the Amazon platform, why not make 2014 the year to learn?

If you are on the fence about getting started on Amazon, here is an easy road map. First, download my FREE eBook about selling books on Amazon. If you are brand new to Amazon, I suggest you start with books since most people have plenty of them around the house (or they are really cheap to purchase used for resale), and books don't require a lot of extra packaging like other products. Books are easy.

After you have mastered books, move on to retail items. Check out my downloadable course, "Amazon Recipe for Success" which is a self-paced tutorial about how to buy items in retail stores to resell on Amazon.

If you are already selling on Amazon and want to learn more about the grocery niche (my specialty), check out my downloadable course, "The ABCs of Selling Groceries on Amazon."