Working alone is no longer attractive? Operations left to work for Amazon, losing 200,000 in half a year

What about those Amazonians who have already gone the solo route?

There is a common saying in the Amazon circle: the "best" in this industry will either develop into management or start their own business; the "mediocrities" in this industry will either choose to change careers in the current situation with no future to look forward to, or muster the courage to burn their boats and quit their jobs to start their own business... In summary, every worker will always face the decision of whether to start their own business at some important crossroads in their lives.

Workers are eager to go it alone. At this time, people often advise those who want to join: going it alone means either getting rich overnight or going bankrupt overnight. There are very few people who get rich overnight, but there are countless people who go bankrupt overnight! Now, even if you spend 1 million to enter the market, it won’t make a splash! The pressure of going it alone is much greater than that of working for others... Is this really the case? The editor takes many questions that you care about and tries to enter the group of sellers who work alone to restore the real situation of Amazon people working alone.

Working alone on Amazon: Some people say it’s better than working for others, while others haven’t made back their investment in 2 years!

In 2016, everyone said that Amazon was "full of gold". When the dividends of the times continued to be released, Xiao Zhang entered the market at the right time, with only 10,000 yuan in starting capital, and started his own business. He has persisted all the way to the present. From the perspective of income, it is definitely better than working. Even in 2022, which is said to be extremely difficult, he has made more than 200,000 yuan in net profit from the beginning of the year to now. In the coming peak season, the profit should still have a lot of room for growth.

Coincidentally, Xiao Li is also one of the "lucky ones" who works alone.

It is understood that Xiao Li started out as an Amazon employee with a monthly income of less than 10,000 yuan. The company he worked for had too little room for advancement and he could see the end of his future at a glance, so he made up his mind to resign and start his own business at Amazon. After trial and error, he succeeded in turning things around, now has considerable sales and is full of confidence in the future.

Although there are many people who make money by working alone on Amazon, there are also many who lose money!

Around 2020, cross-border e-commerce developed at an accelerated pace. During this period, countless people went into the market on their own. Many people failed to make the big profits they had imagined, but instead suffered losses to the point of doubting their lives.

"I thought that I had factory resources and the results would not be bad no matter what, so I started my business in 2020 during the epidemic bonus period. Unexpectedly, I lost a lot and have not made back my investment until now. In total, I still lost 400,000 yuan," the seller reflected, saying that not having any experience on Amazon was one of the important reasons for the failure of this business.

Unlike this Amazon seller with zero experience, a young man born in the 1990s originally had two years of operational experience. After careful consideration, he quit his job this year and started an Amazon business with a friend, but lost 200,000 in half a year. Another seller also started an Amazon business this year, fighting alone. So far, he only has one or two orders a day, and lost tens of thousands of yuan. Although the amount of loss is not too much, for me who has little savings, it is enough to make me anxious every day.

When can a solo seller get his money back? The funds are stuck in the goods and everyone complains about it

Players with resources and funds who work on Amazon naturally aim to make a lot of money. Ordinary people who have no resources and no funds who work on Amazon alone usually don't have high requirements, as long as the income is better than working for someone else. No matter which type of player it is, it is difficult to see a return in a short period of time or to keep cash on the books.

"In the first two months, the product was officially launched. At first, I only thought I could make 1,000 or 2,000 yuan a month from selling the product, but before I knew it, I had to pay 1,000 or 2,000 yuan a month to sell the product." On paper, it seems that some money has been made, but more needs to be invested. Warehouse inventory, logistics costs, advertising promotion, etc. are all necessary expenses, and there are other miscellaneous expenses. In many cases, sellers not only do not see a dime, but owe a lot of money on Huabei and credit cards.

Industry insiders said that the situation where all the money earned is in the goods may only continue until "the order volume is stable and there are no plans to put new products on the shelves." This standard can be achieved by some people in a year, while many sellers will have to endure three years or even longer.

Therefore, working alone means that the seller has to bear tremendous financial pressure. In addition, working alone is a "lonely journey". One person needs to contact the factory for packaging, shipping, operation, and promotion, and also face various emergencies. These uncertainties will magnify the anxiety of the "lone traveler".

It may be because they pin all their aspirations for a better life on their Amazon accounts. Factors such as link problems or particularly poor sales will affect their emotions. Some people often wake up in the middle of the night to check their sales and then become anxious and unable to sleep. This is especially true for entrepreneurs who are in the stage from 0 to 1. The current situation of unstable mentality is even more serious.

"Going it alone requires a strong psychological quality. You can't be impatient or lack self-discipline." Xiao Zhang said that on the road ahead, sellers are always full of passion when they first choose products, but as time goes by, many people will be defeated by the slowly rising advertising costs and the sluggish order volume. As they suffer losses, they lose their initial passion and give up starting a business.

Failure of working alone! Amazon sellers become workers again to "pay off debts"

There are many cases where small Amazon startup bosses fail in their own business and are burdened with heavy debts and then turn back into workers to pay off their debts.

"My business failed, so I had to go back to working. Now I work as an operator at an Amazon company in Shenzhen. All the money I earn goes to supplement my family expenses and pay off my debts. I have no other disposable funds. Fortunately, I estimate that I will be able to pay off my debts by the end of this year." Xiao Liu said that despite the failure of his first business venture, he still thinks that working on his own is better than working for others. Starting a business is not as scary as the rumors say. This failure has a lot to do with his own "carelessness". He will learn from the experience and start a second business next year.

Unlike Xiao Liu, Xiao Zhou believes that working is more suitable for him. He feels that the current cross-border e-commerce market environment has passed the stage of "grassroots counterattack" and people cannot take all the "excellent results" achieved while working as their own credit. When you really work alone, the operational ability that you are proud of is only one of the important factors for success. Products and supply chains are also key. At the same time, circles, platforms, and opportunities may be more important than personal abilities. A person may make more money, but will also bear all the risks accordingly. If your mentality is unstable and you are not careful in your operations, your investment and hard work will be "wasted"!

Each opinion has many supporters! No matter what kind of voice, it is the personal experience of those who have been through it. Everyone started their business at a different time, in a different circle, with different start-up funds, and with different personal abilities and resources. The understanding of the word "going it alone" presents a situation of "letting a hundred flowers bloom".

Does it smell good when dried alone? Everyone has their own answer!

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