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- [ BDSN ] šŖ¦ American Amazon sellers are losing big time
[ BDSN ] šŖ¦ American Amazon sellers are losing big time


How To Fire Your PPC Agency (And Double Your Profit)
"I hired and fired 4 PPC agencies last year who bled me dry..."
That confession came from an 8-figure Amazon seller...
Before they discovered the system that changed everything.
A mysterious PPC expert (known as "The Wizard of Ads") has developed a method so powerful:
One brand scaled from $4.2M to $37M
Another cut costs by 50% while maintaining sales
Even top agencies come to him for training
On January 29th, he's revealing everything in a live-only training.
Register Now (Show up Live - No Replay Available)
You'll discover:
Why agencies keep you dependent on them
The complete system for managing PPC in-house
Advanced automation strategies they don't want you to know
![]() | STUMP BEZOSWhat percentage of shoppers say they usually compare prices on a few different sites before making a purchase? [ Answer at bottom of email ] |

šļø ADD YOUR PRODUCT to any IMAGE or AVATAR
Want to showcase your product in an AI video?
With HeyGenās new Product Placement, you can upload your Amazon product (or paste a link to your product page) and bring it to life on any avatar!
Instantly create on-brand images for ads, product pages, and more.
š„ Here's how:
Log in to your HeyGen account
Go to Photo Avatar on and navigate to the Generate Looks feature

Input a prompt and specify the desired Orientation/Pose/Style.
Ideally upload at least two images for product placement.
Product Only: A clear image of product by itself
Product in Use: An example of someone wearing, holding, or interacting with your product if you have it for context

Add motions to your generated looks with a prompt.
Add specific keywords to your prompts to control the motion, such as "zoom out slightly," "zoom in slightly," "walk slowly and naturally," "keep in the center," or "look at the camera." You can also include states to adjust the character's motion, like "enjoying music."

Watch the tutorial below for more details, and donāt forget to save the date: Sunday, March 2. Thatās when the AI for E-commerce virtual workshop I am co-hosting is happening to show lots more cool things you can do with AI and e-commerce.

šØš³ SOLD by CHINA - HOW AMERICAN SELLERS are LOSING
Foreign sellersāparticularly from Chinaānow make up over 50% of top Amazon sellers (per Marketplace Pulse).
While āMade in Chinaā is nothing new, what is new is āSold by Chinaāāand many of these overseas sellers exploit loopholes to avoid U.S. taxes, customs duties, product safety rules, and liability.
As a result, they can undercut U.S. businesses on price and flood the market with copycats, counterfeit goods, fake reviews, and even unsafe products.
Shinghi Detlefsen recently wrote on Medium about the problem, summarized below.

Chinese Sellers Exceed 50% on Amazon
According to Marketplace Pulse, over 50% of top Amazon sellers are now based in Chinaāup from well under 50% just a few years ago.
Walmart is in a similar boat at ~30% Chinese sellers, up from 20% a year ago.
Shein and Temuāhyper-cheap online marketplacesāhave also pushed Amazon to promote ultra-discounted products from Chinese suppliers, most notably via a new āAmazon Haulā section that sells nearly 100% China-based goods.
Why This Matters
Intensified Competition: U.S. sellers face more price-pressured competition from overseas brands with lower operating costs and possible tariff/tax evasion.
Marketplace Priorities: Amazonās push for budget-friendly offerings (to keep pace with Shein/Temu) means heavy promotion of Chinese listings, potentially sidelining domestic sellers.
Unfair Advantages & Loopholes
Many overseas sellers, particularly those based in China, can undercut U.S. prices by:
Avoiding or underpaying import duties and misdeclaring shipments (e.g., via the De Minimis loophole).
Skipping U.S. taxes (income, state, sales, etc.) because enforcement is lax.
Using shell companies to evade accountability (no effective recourse for U.S. customers if products are defective or infringe IP).
Flooding products with fake reviews or attacking legitimate competitors through 1-star reviews.
Examples:
Molson Hartās FOIA attempts to expose a competitorās tariff evasion hit dead ends.
Nimaās 1-star review attack immediately after launching a new product.
Cameron Walkerās copycat safety concerns where a Chinese knockoff replaced kid-safe glue with industrial adhesive.

Trumpās Return & Tariff Issues
Potential Tariff Revival: Donald Trumpās return means revived or expanded tariffs on Chinese imports, removing the cost advantages that have fueled Chinese sellersā rapid expansion.
Amazonās āTrump Problemā: The company could face political and regulatory pressure to reduce its reliance on foreign sellersāespecially if U.S.-based businesses push for a more level playing field.
Supply Chain Disruption: Sudden tariff hikes or stricter import rules could drive up costs for Chinese sellersāand by extension, for consumers and Amazon itself.
Antagonistic History: Trump and Amazon (particularly Jeff Bezos) have clashed before, which may put the company under renewed scrutiny.
Bottom Line: If Amazon is forced to curb China-based sellers or enforce stricter tariff rules, it might open doors for U.S. sellersābut it could also cause short-term marketplace chaos.
Impact on U.S. Sellers
Lost Market Share & Tax Revenue
Researchers estimate $4.75 billion is lost annually in taxes from foreign seller profits on Amazonās U.S. marketplace alone.
U.S. businesses that must comply fully (duties, federal/state taxes, product safety) struggle to match overseas pricing.
IP & Brand Damage
Counterfeits and knockoffs can flood the market. Examples of copycat supplements show how brand equity and consumer safety are at risk.
Innovation & Job Loss
As cost pressures drive margins down, many U.S. sellers reduce staff or cut R&D, hampering local innovation.
Ideas & Policy Solutions
Several sellers and experts propose ways to level the playing field:
Withholding Tax on Foreign Sellers
Amazon/Walmart withhold a standard percentage (e.g. 25%) from foreign sellersā payouts unless they file a U.S. tax return.
Close the De Minimis Loophole
Prevent low-value imports from evading typical customs duties and taxes.
Liability Bonds
Foreign entities must post a bond to cover product liability or IP infringement claimsāsimilar to legal accountability U.S. companies face by default.
Tariffs
Some argue for steeper tariffs on items sold directly by foreign companies, rather than penalizing U.S. companiesā imports.
Reciprocity
Make it as complex for Chinese companies to sell in the U.S. as it is for U.S. companies to sell in China.
Audit Shell Companies
Marketplaces hand over business registrations for foreign sellers claiming āno nexusā; freeze funds if they fail to comply.
Fast-Track IP Lawsuits
Specialized courts or processes to quickly freeze assets from counterfeiters and resolve trademark/copyright claims.


We 10xād this supplements brand in the last year with Amazon PPC profitably:

Profitable Amazon PPC management is not about AI tools, or more bid adjustment, or finding the perfect budget.
It is about taking the PPC data and consistently turning it into changes on the campaigns, thumbnails, and listings to increase profitability over and over again.
If your Amazon PPC is unprofitable we can fix that!
See if you apply to the Sophie Society Amazon PPC Partnership by tapping here.
~ Chris Rawlings
sophiesociety.com

Nightmare of KeaBabies' Account Hijacking

On January 16, Ivan Ong, a BDSS II (2019) speaker and co-founder of the $78M per year baby and maternity brand KeaBabies, faced a devastating hack that locked his Amazon account and paralyzed the business. He documented his entire experience in a details Medium post last week that he has since taken down for security reasons.
Despite never clicking suspicious links or sharing OTPs, the hacker managed to change admin emails multiple times on his Seller Central Account, override OTPs, and even update bank account details to siphon thens of thousands of dollars of fundsāviolating Amazon's supposed three-day bank change hold.
The account was hijacked repeatedly, leaving Ivan helpless and losing $230K in daily sales for over a week.
Amazon's response was sluggish and ineffective. Each time the account was restored, the hacker quickly regained access, bypassing security protocols.
Shockingly, even after adding two-factor authentication (2FA) and changing emails multiple times, the hacker still managed to override protections. This led to significant operational disruption, the risk of bankruptcy, and emotional and physical tolls on Ivan and his 80-person team.

A Systemic Security Breach
The severity of the breach sparked speculation about insider involvement. Some noted on social media that such a sophisticated attackāwith its ability to bypass OTPs, change bank details, and override multiple safeguardsāwould require insider assistance or a major systemic vulnerability within Amazon's platform.
Lawyer and Dream 100 member Paul Rafelson confirmed similar cases, with clients losing over $1M, and Amazon's failure to act swiftly.
Reactions from the Seller Community
"If even a Gmail-hosted account isn't secure, this suggests an insider job."
"This is terrifying. If this attack is possible externally, it could spread quickly."
"Amazonās negligence in protecting seller accounts is unacceptable."
"Ivanās story could guide other hackers to exploit similar vulnerabilities."
Lessons for Sellers: Strengthen Your Defenses
Use Strong Multi-Factor Authentication: Use apps like Microsoft Authenticator or 1Password for OTPs instead of SMS-based 2FA, which can be compromised.
Secure Global User Permissions: Regularly audit and restrict access at all permission levels, especially global ones, which are often overlooked.
Diversify Revenue Streams: KeaBabiesā reliance on Amazon left them vulnerable. Explore multi-channel fulfillment to avoid complete shutdowns in crises.
Monitor Your Account Closely: Check daily for unusual changes in admin details, bank accounts, and emails. Act immediately if suspicious activity is detected.
Demand Accountability: Sellers need to pressure Amazon to address systemic vulnerabilities and establish robust SOPs for crisis management.
Ivanās fight highlights a critical warning for sellers: No account is immune to breaches. Safeguard your business now before itās too late.

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š¤ WATCH RITU BUILD an AI AUTOMATION MATRIX
Something fascinating is happening behind the scenes in e-commerce.
Top sellers are quietly using a new "AI Automation Matrix" system.
And it's completely transforming their businesses.

On January 31st, Ritu is going to expose this entire system live!
In just 120 minutes, you'll watch as Ritu shows you how she:
ā¢ Creates stunning product visuals (without touching Photoshop)
ā¢ Generates compelling video content (without hiring creators)
ā¢ Builds automated workflows (without coding a single line)
Here's an example:
Wanna know how to EASILY extract RUFUS prompts from Amazon pages āno tedious manual work required? š„š„
She's built an app that makes it a šš§šššÆš. You'll learn how to do it yourselfāas well as how to build similar tools with AI.
Click here to secure your spot for just $58 (includes the full recording)

š„ MORE HOT PICKS š„

š„ PARTING SHOT
"Your habits are often a byproduct of convenience. Humans are wired to seek the path of least resistance, which means the most convenient option is often the one that wins. Make good choices more convenient and bad choices less so. Behavior will improve naturally."
āš¼ See you again Thursday ā¦
The answer to todayās STUMP BEZOS is
57% compare prices on various sites before buying