Selling online is a lucrative business idea especially since online shopping is now a norm. If you decide to sell online, starting an online store on Amazon, the largest online marketplace in the world, is definitely a smart move.
Almost everything can be sold on Amazon, and more people are setting up online stores there. But if your goal is to build a profitable business, then you don’t just want to sell any product. Your success on Amazon is hinged on your ability to find the most lucrative product categories and, by extension, the most in-demand products in those categories.
If you’re reading this, then you’re probably stuck on the product research aspect of launching your ecommerce store. Like you, many sellers often wonder if there are any proven strategies to help them find products to sell on Amazon. In this guide, we’ll show you how to find products to sell on Amazon. But first, let’s get familiar with the things you should keep in mind when choosing items to sell online.
Let’s dive in.
Related: The easiest ways to find what to sell on Amazon
Table of Contents
How to Choose a Good Product for Your Online Store
What should you look out for when you’re trying to find the best items to sell online? Here are some things to keep in mind.
Choose Products that can be Sold Between $25 – $50
You’ll have to find a profitable product before you start selling online and one of the first things to consider is the price. Products that you sell for less than $10 will be less likely to make you money unless you sell a lot. And by a lot, we mean thousands of them. On the other hand, products that cost over $100 may be too expensive for your audience, especially if they aren’t branded.
The best price range for a profitable product is between $25 – $50. Above that price point, customers will be less likely to buy from you. As a result, your conversion rates will plummet as soon as the prices increase. So, don’t forget to keep your profit margins in mind when fixing your product prices.
Can be Sold in any Season
If you want to keep your business running throughout the year, then you should steer clear of seasonal items. If a product is mostly in-demand during a particular period, there will definitely be a decrease in online sales once the period ends. So, when you’re choosing products for your own online store, remember to choose products that can be sold all year round.
Low Number of Reviews
Customers do not joke with reviews. If a product has thousands of reviews, there’s most likely a high demand for it. That’s a good thing, but it can also translate into high competition, which can harm your own online business in the long run. A perfect spot is to aim for products with fewer than 100–200 reviews. This means there is enough demand for the product, but not too much saturation in the market yet.
Small and Lightweight
This is another factor you must consider when finding products because shipping costs are usually higher for bulky items. Furthermore, you don’t want to sell fragile items because they might get damaged in transit. So, try to aim for products that are easy to ship, small, and lightweight since these products incur fewer fulfillment fees.
Simple, Low-cost, and Easy to manufacture
The best way to avoid quality control or manufacturing challenges is to avoid selling glass, electronics, and highly complex products. Products that have lithium batteries, for example, cost more to fulfill when using FBA. Television sets and large computer monitors also fall into the category of “products to avoid”.
These are the most important qualities to look out for when choosing ideas to sell on AMZN. Regardless of the category or business model you use, always ensure you screen your product options using these criteria.
How to Find Products to Sell on Amazon
Now that you know what to look out for in a profitable product, how do you find products to sell? Here are 5 simple ways to find the most profitable products on Amazon.
Use Product Research Tools
Product research is one of the most important things you should do before you start selling on AMZN. Since your success on AMZN is largely dependent on the products you sell, product research must be taken seriously. However, this process is not as easy as it seems.
Thankfully, you can use efficient product research tools like ZonBase to uncover the best-selling items on Amazon. With ZonBase’s ZonResearch and Hot Products tools, you can access product suggestions in any category. Here are five simple steps to help you take your product research to the next level using the ZonResearch tool.
- Open the ZonResearch tool from your ZonBase dashboard
- Choose your marketplace, select your preferred categories, and set the filters based on your specifications.
- Click the “Search” button
Once you click the search button, ZonResearch sifts through millions of products to generate a comprehensive list of profitable product suggestions.
Not convinced about the validity of the product options you get? Run them through a chrome extension. The ZonBase Chrome extension is a web app that allows you to run customized searches and validate your product options. Using this tool, you can scour AMZN’s database to uncover relevant product options for your ecommerce store.
You can also use the Hot products tool for product research. The ZonBase’s Hot products tool also doubles as a supplier research tool. The tool gives you access to a list of reliable suppliers to source your products. Plus, it is easy to use and you can gain access to tons of product and supplier options. To access the tool, follow the same steps we outlined for the ZonResearch tool.
Check the Amazon Bestsellers List
There are so many products listed on AMZN and choosing a product to sell can be difficult. To make it less stressful, AMZN has curated the Amazon Bestsellers list. The Bestsellers list is a list of the top 100 products on Amazon. These products are ranked based on sales volume.
This method is one of the easiest and most reliable ways to find the bestselling items on Amazon. Plus, the Bestsellers list can be accessed just by following four simple steps:
- First, open the bestsellers page
- Next, select the categories that interest you.
- Then, streamline your search by picking specific subcategories.
- Create a list of the products you think will do well based on the seller rank.
The Bestsellers list is updated every hour, so nothing stays the same for too long. So, before selecting products from the list, be sure to check out previous yearly sales trends.
Use the Amazon Trend Report
Another effective way to find products on Amazon is to check what the trending products are. Product trends are a great way to get into the market. But the downside to running with trends is that the demand for the products may reduce after a while.
Check the trend report to see what products customers are raving about. You can follow these steps to find product options from the report:
- Open the Amazon Trend Report page.
- Then scroll to the bottom of the page to see the trending products on AMZN
- Click on ‘Learn more’ to access more trending product options
- Make a list of the products you’re interested in.
Sellers often mistake the trends report for the bestsellers list, but they are not the same. So, you can use both resources simultaneously when searching for product suggestions. Note that the trends report is also updated frequently.
Use Google Trends
Almost everything can be found on Google and ideas are no exception. Want to find the best-selling products online in different categories across various marketplaces? Google trends analytics is a great resource.
Google searches are an effective way to select the best product options amid a plethora of choices. You can see the trending products in your target market over time by looking at the Google Trends data. The search tab’s comparison also provides you with useful information about the products you’re considering.
Check Out Other Marketplaces
AMZN is the largest online marketplace, but it is not the only marketplace. Usually, customers have similar interests across different marketplaces. So, if you want to find items to sell online; on Amazon to be precise, you should check out other marketplaces. Here is all you have to do:
- Go to other marketplaces like Alibaba, eBay, Aliexpress, and even Walmart.
- Look for the most popular products on these platforms. You can check the “What’s Trending Now” section on Alibaba or click on “Explore Popular Categories” on eBay.
- Make a list of the most popular items.
- Lastly, check the bestsellers list to see how the products are ranked based on performance. This will help you decide whether to sell the product on AMZN or not.
You’re likely to come across some products at cheaper prices on marketplaces like Alibaba and Aliexpress. If you decide to sell those products, you can source them from there and resell them on AMZN through retail arbitrage.
Use an Amazon Keyword Research Tool
One of the best ways to uncover profitable product options is to observe what people are searching for. If a product has a high search volume, then there is high demand for it and it’s likely to do well on AMZN.
Keyword research tools are the easiest ways to discover which keywords customers are using frequently. ZonBase offers keyword tools to help you find popular keywords and see how many searches each of them gets monthly.
Using the keywords tool, you can discover high-performing keywords that do not have high competition. In addition to product ideas, keywords can also help you optimize your listings and improve your PPC campaigns. The ZonBase keyword tool also provides advanced filters to help you narrow down your search based on your preferred specifications.
Follow these simple steps to find top-performing keywords using the ZonBase keyword tool:
- Open the Keywords tool in your ZonBase dashboard.
- Enter the product or keyword you want to search for in the search bar and choose your marketplace.
- Click ‘Search’. The tool will generate a list of relevant keywords with high search volume. It will also come up with a smart score that indicates the relevance of the keyword. The tool also provides a seasonality indicator that shows the popularity of the product. You will find this metric useful if you’re considering selling a seasonal product.
You’ll also gain access to a word cloud that contains a list of other terms that are related to your target keyword.
If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you will see other keywords that are related to your target keyword. You’ll also be able to see the estimated monthly search volume for each keyword.
- Come up with product ideas based on the keyword search volume. Then create a list of potential products based on the search results.
What Are The Best Products to Sell on Amazon FBA?
There are millions of products listed on AMZN and it’s essential to find the most profitable niche products before you start selling. Of course, not all product categories are profitable. Still, you cannot go wrong with selling certain products. Here is a list of the most profitable product categories on Amazon.
- Books
- Electronics
- Toys & Games
- Home & Kitchen
- Lawn and Garden
- Beauty and Personal Care
- Sports and Outdoors
You can already guess that the majority of the top-selling items on Amazon belong to these categories. So, before you begin your search for product ideas, you should check out the best-selling items in these categories. Remember, your goal is to find specific products that will generate high revenue. So, your focus should not be on the product category.
Related: How to sell books on Amazon
Where to Find Products to Sell on Amazon FBA
There are different places where you can find stuff to sell. But the best one for you depends on your business model. Below you’ll find a list of places where you can find items to sell.
Your Home: Do you have neatly used items in your home that you no longer need? Consider listing those things for sale on AMZN. People organize garage sales all the time. So, selling items that you don’t use anymore is definitely a great way to start your ecommerce store.
Buy Products From online retailers: If you intend to set up an arbitrage business, consider sourcing products from a local retail store or an online store. If you find a product at a physical or online retail store, check if there’s a high demand for it on AMZN. If there is, then you can purchase the item there and resell it on AMZN at a higher price.
Order from China: If you already have a product idea and intend to set up a wholesale business, consider sourcing products from China. You can find thousands of suppliers on Chinese marketplaces like Alibaba and AliExpress.
Manufacture Your Own Product: Planning to set up a private label business on AMZN? You can start by manufacturing your own products. To do this, you will have to find Amazon suppliers that are willing to manufacture products in your own brand name.
Final Words
Finding products to sell on Amazon is not difficult, but you may not find your ideal product at the snap of a finger. However, if you follow the tips we’ve provided on how to find items to sell on Amazon, you’ll certainly find products to sell.
ZonBase is the best FBA software for product research and keyword research. The software offers a set of 14+ tools for product market research, keyword research, and listing optimization. In addition to this, it also offers done-for-you listing optimization and PPC automation services. These services allow you to outsource your listing and PPC needs to a team of experts. You can be certain of getting better results when you work with experts who will do everything to make your business profitable.