Congratulations! You've made your first sale on Handmade at Amazon. Once your happy dance of joy wears off, you might be concerned about what the next steps are that you should take.
Don’t worry, I’m here to help!
1. Brand it and package it
If you don't have these two things down and you're new, don't worry about it. It’s part of the evolution of a handmade business! We get better one step at a time. It’s always a good idea to include packaging and branding that shows the customer that the item they purchased is handmade.
Some customers that order from Handmade aren't aware yet that they are purchasing from a handmade small business, so make sure they know! Being handmade on Amazon, when compared to marketplace brand name items, is a unique way to stand out to your customers immediately.
2. Ship it to the customer
The most important thing is shipping and delivering the customer’s order on time.
Amazon doesn’t provide a lot of leeways when it comes to performance metrics for delivering and shipping orders on time. That’s why it’s essential to have your processing times and delivery times on your shipping templates set correctly right out of the gate.
TIP! - Use Amazon’s shipping labels and print your labels directly through Seller Central. Amazon offers sellers who use their shipping additional coverage. In the case of an item that is marked as delivered, but the customer says they haven’t received it, Amazon will cover those claims IF you used their shipping labels.
Plus, their shipping rates are pretty awesome!
You can also ship through PirateShip or Shipstation. I chose to do this for efficiency when the volume is high, and I know I'm taking a risk! Either way, don't go to the post office to mail!
Another important tip - If you don't use Amazon's labels, make sure you are going into Seller Central to add the tracking number and confirming the shipment. If you forget to do this, the order will be marked as not shipped on time.
3. Reach out to the customer for feedback
Once you see an order has arrived for your customer, it's completely acceptable, primarily as a new seller, to message the customer via Amazon's messaging system.
You can make sure their order was received, provide excellent customer service, and ask for them to leave feedback. Make sure when you are messaging the customer, you ask generically for feedback - you can't ask for only positive feedback as that is against Amazon's rules.
4. Get paid!
When you ship an order is when you get paid, but Amazon will hold funds for 2 weeks on any accounts set up in the last few years. If you hear discrepancies on this, the person who doesn't have held funds was probably from the beginning of Handmade at Amazon.
And that’s it, congratulations!
After going through the process for your first order, you’ll be an Amazon pro in no time.
Amazon Handmade Resources:
FREE COMMUNITY
Want to be in a community of other sellers, watch how much they love Amazon, and be a fly on the wall as they grow? Check out our free online community: Handmade at Amazon - Dana Midkiff
THE ULTIMATE TRAINING FOR GETTING STARTED ON HANDMADE AT AMAZON
Not sure if you set up your account properly? I've got just the resource for you! My Amazon Handmade 101 course takes you on the whole journey of starting on this platform. Learn more at www.amazonhandmade101.com
