Advertise on podcast: The Ecomcrew Ecommerce Podcast

Chris Davey, CEO and longtime host of FBA4U Meetups, is on the podcast to talk about what's changed at the Canton Fair, how Chinese manufacturing has evolved since 2020, and live-streaming commerce. Thinking about taking some risk off the table? Or are you looking at taking an extended break from e-commerce in general? Know what your e-commerce business is worth with Quiet Light Brokerage. The gap between paying for inventory and selling it is where stockouts are born. Onramp Funds closes it with funding that moves with your sales. Built for sellers already doing $10K a month or more across Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, and TikTok Shop. See how much you qualify for at Onramp Funds. Your Amazon payout is one number. Your books need it split into sales, fees, refunds and tax — per marketplace, per country, matching the bank to the penny. Link My Books does that automatically for Amazon, Shopify, eBay, Etsy, TikTok Shop and Walmart, straight into Xero or QuickBooks. Sellers save 10+ hours a month and stop overpaying tax. Rated 5/5 on the Xero App Store. Check out Link My Books today.  The biggest sourcing event in the world is happening next week.  The Canton Fair, which starts on October 15th, isn't what it used to be. With growing tensions against the US, there has not been as much Western Amazon sellers attending the event.  However, Chris Davey is an exception. Chris has been living in China for 15 years as the host of one of the biggest e-commerce events in China, FBA4U, where e-commerce entrepreneurs of all shapes and sizes are welcome. He's been invited to today's podcast to report on what's changed in the Canton Fair, if it is still worth it to go, and what the e-commerce environment has changed. Have Chinese third-party sellers also been feeling the pressure from Amazon? Or have they all moved to Temu, Shein, and other marketplaces?   We also discuss why China still is the best place to source products from and how countries like Vietnam and Thailand compare when it comes to product sourcing. Chris also talks about live streaming, regulations that Chinese sellers face, and whether working conditions in Chinese factories have improved overall.  Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to Chris Davey 00:58 - Details about the FBA4U Canton Fair meetup 01:28 - Changes observed at the Canton Fair post-COVID 02:31 - Quiet Light Brokerage and business valuation 04:26 - Funding options during Q4 with On-Ramp Funds 06:51 - Chris's background and experience in China 07:27 - History and details of the FBA4U Canton Fair meetup 08:58 - Impact of COVID and US-China tensions on trade 11:59 - Visiting China for Canton Fair: Guangzhou vs Hong Kong 14:27 - Other trade shows around Canton Fair 17:22 - Factories relocating outside China 19:57 - Productivity and working conditions in Chinese factories 23:46 - Living conditions and property prices in Shenzhen 29:55 - The Chinese seller scene in Shenzhen 36:49 - Live streaming in China and its potential in the US 40:22 - FBA4U meetup details and future plans 42:16 - Event attendance and changes over the years 43:00 - Queueing behavior in China 44:20 - Closing remarks and next steps in China trade Chris, thanks for coming on the podcast. If you'd like to check out Chris and FBA4U, you can check them out here. As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Eugene Khayman, co-founder of Million Dollar Sellers (MDS), who leads the "Gimme Five" campaign aimed at pushing Amazon to give sellers some fee relief after years of rising costs. Thinking about taking some risk off the table? Or are you looking at taking an extended break from e-commerce in general? Know what your e-commerce business is worth with Quiet Light Brokerage. The gap between paying for inventory and selling it is where stockouts are born. Onramp Funds closes it with funding that moves with your sales. Built for sellers already doing $10K a month or more across Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, and TikTok Shop. See how much you qualify for at Onramp Funds. With changes to DD+7, Subscribe and Save, and the additional seller fees tacked on this year, third-party sellers on Amazon are quickly discovering that it might be more profitable to take their products elsewhere. And Amazon has noticed.  Eugene also talks about what he's noticed after years of being in MDS, like the shifts toward DTC and Tiktok Shop and how smaller operators have been the most creative in growing their business.  Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction 00:58 - Eugene Kaiman and the MDS seller community 06:34 - Eugene's 15-year e-commerce path from sneakers to brands 09:39 - Why MDS became a seller advocacy hub 10:09 - What the Gimme Five campaign is asking Amazon to do 11:31 - How SOS campaigns formed in response to fee pressure and policy changes 13:28 - Survey data: 52 cents of every dollar goes to Amazon fees 14:42 - Does Amazon actually have room to give some margin back? 16:16 - When fees make sense versus when they feel punitive 18:25 - Why higher fees can also hurt customer value and price competitiveness 20:25 - Which fee changes could realistically help sellers 22:43 - The Subscribe and Save top-up change and why it matters 23:32 - Return fees, removals, and launch risk 24:02 - MDS data: launches needed for growth have doubled 25:48 - Fees are only acceptable if growth is keeping pace 27:23 - Rising risk from competitor attacks, faster cloning, and shorter product life cycle 30:54 - Why many sellers are rethinking Amazon as their top channel 33:00 - The problem of not knowing the true cost to sell on Amazon 34:51 - Two asks for Amazon: centralized communication and a centralized fee committee 36:12 - DD plus 7, account reserves, and the hidden bookkeeping cost 38:59 - What MDS is, how big it has become, and where it's headed 42:57 - Why smaller operators often spot the best new growth ideas 43:27 - The rise of authority affiliates and in-person selling networks 46:37 - TikTok's promise, limits, and how DTC is becoming more predictable 48:19 - MDS, Millie, and the community's newest tools Eugene, thanks for coming on the podcast. If you'd like to support Eugene and the Gimme Five campaign, here's a link to the X post. If you'd like to find out more about MDS, you can book a free call here! As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

You probably know by now that the FTC has filed a lawsuit against Amazon, alleging that $20 billion was stolen advertising fees. But the question remains; what is the fallout going to be like for Amazon? Thinking about taking some risk off the table? Or are you looking at taking an extended break from e-commerce in general? Know what your e-commerce business is worth with Quiet Light Brokerage. In this episode, Dave looks at the potential for seller restitution, how much Amazon sellers could actually get from Amazon, and how sellers can maximize the chances of getting some kind of monetary compensation. Dave looks at past cases involving the FTC vs. tech companies, and Amazon's press release regarding this lawsuit to support today's topic.  In a rush? High-level timestamps can be found down below:  Timestamps 00:00 - FTC lawsuit overview 00:30 - What today's episode will cover: comparable cases and settlement odds 01:20 - Tariff anxiety, business stress, and why some sellers consider exiting 02:18 - Why Dave recommends Quiet Light Brokerage for founders thinking about selling 04:13 - The FTC's $20 billion allegation and why a settlement is more likely than a trial 05:12 - Why FTC cases often end in settlement: the historical success rate 06:09 - Amazon's response and its biggest objection to the FTC narrative 07:34 - Amazon's explanation for changing ad auction systems as it scaled 08:57 - Why sellers still care about auction mechanics, not just ROI 11:48 - Fleetcor Technologies Case: hidden fees, FTC action, and a $100 million restitution deal 14:45 - Why Amazon's alleged $20 billion damages make a billion-dollar settlement plausible 15:43 - Amazon Prime cancellation lawsuit as the closest precedent 16:39 - The $2.5 billion Prime settlement and what individuals received back 17:37 - Why Amazon may care less about seller backlash than consumer backlash 19:02 - Why sellers should amplify the case and pressure Amazon publicly 20:59 - A rough payout model: what $20 billion could mean per seller 22:55 - Why calculating individual restitution will be messy 23:24 - Which ad products may have been hit hardest and a simple 8% refund idea 25:21 - The risk of Amazon burying the case versus forcing a meaningful payout 26:20 - How Amazon may need to change ad bidding transparency going forward As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode, Dave talks to Ben who shares his insights on the Philippines work culture, covering things like internet, the regional differences in English proficiency, and the small cultural nuances that impact hiring and productivity. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction  09:35 - Why is internet slow in the Philippines? 12:47 - How to improve internet access 14:38 - Electronics pricing and availability in the Philippines 16:24 - Side hustle culture among Filipinos 17:43 - English proficiency and regional differences 23:51 - Call center culture and work hours 27:03 - Work-life balance and family considerations 28:23 - Comparison of work culture with the West 29:34 - Gaming the system and productivity issues 33:28 - In-person work as a hiring perk 34:02 - Remote work preferences among Filipinos As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Amazon is being sued by the FTC and 22 states across the entire US, alleging that Amazon has purposefully deceived third-party sellers regarding how their advertising auction system works. In this episode, Dave goes through the court fillings and press release by the FTC. As a seller, you should be very upset.  Timestamps  00:00 - Introduction 02:14 - Details of the FTC's allegations 06:02 - How Amazon's auction system has deceived sellers  12:13 - Internal documents from Amazon  16:04 - Potential impact  19:56 - What this means for Amazon 21:52 - Implications for Amazon sellers

In this episode, Dave talks about what finally changed in his Facebook Ad Performance after years of frustration and dull performance. He explains what specifically flipped the switch in his thinking, why winning Amazon products don't necessarily translate to Facebook Ads, and what kind of products do work. Dave also lists out a few tips that he's picked up over the years, including what to optimize for, how long to test, and more.  Timestamps 00:00 - Why Dave struggled to make Facebook Ads work 02:46 - Why Google and Amazon Ads don't translate on Facebook 05:40 - The #1 Revelation 06:40 - What products work better on Facebook and TikTok 09:31 - Why Facebook Targeting is More Algorithm-Driven 13:13 - Ad Fatigue  14:50 - AI Image Ads vs AI Video Ads 17:15 - Iterating on Winning Ads vs. Starting Over 21:07 - Optimize for Conversions, Not Clicks 22:34 - How long to test ads and what daily budget to use 23:03 - Why you should not send Facebook traffic directly to Amazon 24:28 - Why busier landing pages often convert better 26:22 - The Exchange Life example and the power of visual overload 27:17 - Final takeaway - build for the channel, not the catalog Resources Quiet Light Brokerage The Exitpreneur Jungle Scout As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Dave speaks to Michael Shackelford from Genrupt, to discuss the newest AI video model from ByteDance. They dive into Seedance 2.5, how they compare against other AI models, and how small businesses can create high-quality videos efficiently. They dive into the best practices for e-commerce businesses, the several ways users can leverage Seedance 2.5 and post-production tips. Thinking about taking some risk off the table? Or are you looking at taking an extended break from e-commerce in general? Know what your e-commerce business is worth with Quiet Light Brokerage. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to Seed Dance 2.5 and its significance 02:07 - The breakthrough capabilities of ByteDance's Seed Dance 2.5 04:10 - Differences between Seed Dance 2.0 and 2.5 05:18 - Creating seamless 30-second videos with AI prompts 07:35 - Platforms and tools for accessing Seed Dance 2.5 09:24 - Addressing privacy concerns with Chinese AI models 11:38 - Cost and efficiency of AI video generation 13:41 - Prompting strategies for high-quality AI videos 16:08 - Using video references to improve AI output 19:13 - Structuring prompts for effective AI video creation 22:02 - Leveraging YouTube and TikTok videos as references 24:23 - Workflows for AI video production and post-production tips 33:57 - Services offered by GenRup for AI video creation Resources Quiet Light Brokerage The Exitpreneur GenRupt GenRupt Agency Jungle Scout Higgsfield - one of the platforms mentioned that offers Seed Dance CapCut - another platform mentioned that offers Seed Dance Dreamina - ByteDance's own platform mentioned for using Seed Dance Google Omni - Google's video editing model Suno - AI-generated music platform As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode, Dave dives into 3 fascinating and wildly successful Amazon businesses and uncovers what sets them apart from every other e-commerce business, their business models, and how they became successful.  Thinking about taking some risk off the table? Or are you looking at taking an extended break from e-commerce in general? Know what your e-commerce business is worth with Quiet Light Brokerage. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction 01:39 - Business #1 and their unique business model 02:37 - Business #1's Unique catalog size  04:04 - How Business #1 gets their products 05:03 - Business #1's affiliate marketing tactics 07:28 - Overview of Business #2  08:53 - Business #2's revenue, ownership, and connections 13:42 - Business #3's suspension, pivot and second life on Amazon 17:26 - Business #3's IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange  21:40 - Business #3's stock performance Resources Quiet Light Brokerage The Exitpreneur As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Amazon's Q2 growth has been crazy in the past few weeks. With a 20% growth, Dave explores the possible reasons why Amazon's retail division has seen so much growth.  Thinking about taking some risk off the table? Or are you looking at taking an extended break from e-commerce in general? Know what your e-commerce business is worth with Quiet Light Brokerage. Timestamps 00:00 - Amazon's Stock Surge and Retail Growth 02:13 - The Seven Year Business Itch and Selling Your Business 03:09 - Amazon's Quarterly Highlights and AI's Role 04:38 - How Amazon's Retail Division Is Achieving 15% Growth 06:33 - Impact of Tariffs and De Minimis Changes on Amazon 08:59 - Chinese Competitors and US Market Disruption 11:23 - Amazon Haul and Low-Price Opportunities 12:46 - Amazon's Expansion into Essentials and Fast Delivery 16:34 - Inflation and Its Effect on Amazon Sales 19:00 - Amazon's Competitive Pricing and Future Outlook As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode, Parag from WebGility shares what he's observed in the profitability differences between six, seven, and eight-figure e-commerce sellers. Other than that, Parag also dives into SKU level economics, overlooked fees, and the best channels to expand to, to maximize profits. Accounting is one of the most boring things about e-commerce.  But it remains to be one of the most important parts of running an e-commerce business.  Because if you are only keeping an eye on your top-line revenue, you might be overlooking an important aspect of your profitability.  That's why in today's episode I'm joined by Parag Mamnani, the CEO of Webgility, where we talk about the most overlooked factors that affect profitability and what the biggest differences are between 6, and 8 figure sellers.  Thinking about taking some risk off the table? Or are you looking at taking an extended break from e-commerce in general? Know what your e-commerce business is worth with Quiet Light Brokerage. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to seller profitability tiers 00:29 - WebGility's role in e-commerce bookkeeping 04:28 - Differences between WebGility and competitors 07:15 - Real-time SKU level data and AI integration 09:33 - Lessons from scaling from six to eight figures 11:02 - Emerging profitable channels beyond Amazon 13:22 - Channel expansion and complexity management 16:42 - Impact of AI and brand differentiation 18:28 - Transparency and competition on Amazon 21:38 - Revenue size and scaling challenges 24:32 - Thresholds for business sophistication 28:47 - Granular expense analysis for profitability 32:36 - WebGility's SKU-level reporting and support 34:51 - The importance of accountability in financial data 35:32 - Ideal customer profile for WebGility Resources WebGility - https://www.webgility.com Quiet Light Brokerage - https://quietlight.com The Exitpreneur - https://www.amazon.com/s?k=The+Exitpreneur Want to hear more about Parag or Webgility? You can learn more about Parag through his linkedin page here, and through his company Webgility.  As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Dave shares his company's experience selling on Temu, exploring the platform's opportunities, challenges, and whether it's worth adding to your e-commerce strategy. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to TMU and the episode's focus 00:29 - TMU's market presence before tariffs 00:58 - Company experience and what will be covered 01:32 - Should you sell on TMU? Pros and cons 02:01 - The impact of tariffs and market shifts 04:25 - Traffic decline and market response 06:41 - TMU's global market share and US response 09:33 - Registration process and ease of onboarding 11:53 - How TMU makes money from sellers 13:22 - Pricing strategy and data-driven pricing 15:10 - Listing strategies and product presentation 19:32 - Logistics and fulfillment options 21:52 - Customer service, refunds, and advertising 23:18 - Current sales performance and future outlook 25:42 - Is TMU worth it? Final thoughts and recommendations Resources Quiet Light Brokerage - https://quietlightbrokerage.com/ Amazon MCF - https://sell.amazon.com/fulfillment-by-amazon.html

In this episode, Dave takes a close look at the rise and fall of Pharmapacks, one of the largest Amazon sellers in the world back in 2016. For e-commerce sellers, this is more than a sad business story; its a reminder of how the mix of scaling, investors and thin margins can turn into danger really quickly.  Thinking about taking some risk off the table? Or are you looking at taking an extended break from e-commerce in general? Know what your e-commerce business is worth with Quiet Light Brokerage. More Staffing connects ecommerce founders to top Filipino talent across supply chain, operations, CX, marketing, finance, and creative. More Staffing helps you build a team with real depth, at a cost structure that makes it viable for a brand at any stage. Check out More Staffing today to get all of your open positions filled for Q4. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to Pharmapacks and its significance 00:29 - Pharmapacks' rise to the largest Amazon seller in 2021 00:59 - What happened to Pharmapacks and its bankruptcy in 2022 01:42 - The business model and early success of Pharmapacks 03:05 - Market environment in 2016 and the reselling boom 04:02 - Investments and growth fueled by private equity 06:26 - Impact of COVID on Pharmapacks' revenue and operations 07:19 - The attempt to go public and market collapse 11:12 - Factors leading to Pharmapacks' collapse and high overhead 14:38 - Post-bankruptcy and current status of Pharmapacks 15:32 - The liquidation of Pharmapacks' assets and lessons learned 20:22 - Key takeaways for e-commerce sellers and strategic insights Resources Mentioned Quiet Light Brokerage More Staffing Packable - 3PL Services As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Dave breaks down the biggest changes you need to know this month that impact Amazon sellers and the global e-commerce landscape, including tariffs, Prime Day insights, new import regulations, and Amazon's advertising moves.  Thinking about taking some risk off the table? Or are you looking at taking an extended break from e-commerce in general? Know what your e-commerce business is worth with Quiet Light Brokerage. More Staffing connects ecommerce founders to top Filipino talent across supply chain, operations, CX, marketing, finance, and creative. More Staffing helps you build a team with real depth, at a cost structure that makes it viable for a brand at any stage. Check out More Staffing today to get all of your open positions filled for Q4. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction  01:09 - Upcoming changes to tariffs and their expiration in July 2026 02:05 - How tariffs might be reimposed  02:34 - Prime Day sales performance  03:33 - Consumer behavior during Prime Day 07:21 - New requirements for U.S. customs 08:19 - What sellers should do 10:09 - The possibility of U.S. customs requiring cash bonds  11:33 - The future of credit card payments on Amazon for sellers 12:03 - Future payment policy changes 15:54 - Amazon's market share in India 17:20 - Amazon's advertising efforts on ChatGPT  Resources Mentioned Quiet Light Brokerage More Staffing Co. As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode, Dave breaks down why Amazon moved Prime Day into June and what that shift could mean for sellers heading into the rest of the year. He talks about 5 key trends and data points to watch as Prime Day unfolds, from consumer spending behavior to why Amazon is marketing Prime Day so hard. This year, Amazon has moved Prime Day from July to June for the first time. Why? Amazon publicly stated that they want to get ahead of the later stages of the World Cup but there is always an ulterior motive whenever Amazon makes a move. It could be that they want to space out their yearly buying holidays. It could also be that they are trying to get Prime Day into their Q2 earnings report. We dig into all the possible reasons for the move.  Another major theme in this episode is why Amazon Prime might be a bust for all sellers this year. According to third-party data, Prime Day attracts significantly more new customers than a normal day, but those customers do not necessarily spend more over time than average buyers. And with rising inflation and fuel costs, who has money anymore to splurge on unnecessary items?  Timestamps 0:00 - Why Amazon moved Prime Day to June 2:16 - How the World Cup affects spending  5:35 - Prime Day's original purpose 6:31 - Amazon's push to sell Amazon Prime  8:28 - Does Prime Day actually bring in new customers? 10:54 - Will June Prime Day impact Amazon's buying holidays? 12:50 - How inflation, fuel costs, and the economy could affect Prime Day 15:42 - What to watch in the data after Prime Day: Adobe's report As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

In this episode, Dave shares his journey of recovery from selling only on Amazon and reducing his dependency on the platform. Dave explores how he's growing sales for his brand after recognizing industry changes. He discusses what he learned from the content marketing industry, the cyclical nature of e-commerce, and the importance of building sustainable systems outside of Amazon's immediate reach. Thinking about taking some risk off the table? Or are you looking at taking an extended break from e-commerce in general? Know what your e-commerce business is worth with Quiet Light Brokerage. More Staffing connects ecommerce founders to top Filipino talent across supply chain, operations, CX, marketing, finance, and creative. More Staffing helps you build a team with real depth, at a cost structure that makes it viable for a brand at any stage. Check out MORE. Staffing today to get all of your open positions filled for Q3. Timestamps 00:00 - From dependency to strategic recovery 02:22 - The "seven-year itch" in business 03:22 - Impact of AI on content marketing 05:47 - Shifting focus from Google rankings 07:13 - Rebuilding with different channels 09:38 - The typical lifecycle of a product on Amazon 11:03 - Short-term success versus long-term defensibility 13:28 - Beating the ripoff and duplicate culture on Amazon 14:26 - Building off-Amazon sales channels 15:54 - Indirect advertising strategies & lead funnels 17:46 - Differentiating products for Shopify vs Amazon 20:42 - Long-term growth mindset: demand, sales, and scaling 22:38 - Building the team: sourcing Filipino talent via morstaffing.co 25:04 - Manufacturing lessons  28:00 - Industry complexity as an opportunity, not just a hurdle As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!