<aside> ⚡ Objective: Understand both Amazon fulfillment models, their economics, and get your first listings live today.
Time to complete: 8 min video + 60 min action
</aside>
Amazon is where the money is in book selling. Their reach, infrastructure, customer trust—it's unmatched. But Kyle doesn't sugarcoat the relationship: 'If you look up necessary evil in the dictionary, Amazon is what's going to come up.'
You need Amazon. You also need to understand the economics of both fulfillment methods, stay informed about shifting Buy Box algorithms, and build with eventual diversification in mind.
This module breaks down FBA vs. Merchant Fulfilled with real math from Kyle's $2M+ operation—not optimistic projections, but actual numbers that determine profitability.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cJ7Vqh7hWPHiuodlJp1MwzELMrJUV0wj/preview
You ship books to Amazon's warehouse. They store, ship, handle returns and customer service. Advantages: hands-off, Prime badge, traditionally won Buy Box. Disadvantages: higher fees (storage + fulfillment + referral), inventory locked to Amazon only, long-term storage fees. Kyle on margin compression: 'It used to be incredible because I could sell a $10 book and make $3, but because of fulfillment fees, that's now closer to like $11 to make $2.'
<aside> ✏️ 🛠️ Worksheet #1: Create Amazon Seller account (Individual = free). Done? Y/N
</aside>
Your answer:
The Buy Box determines who gets the sale when multiple sellers list the same book. Traditional rule: FBA won. But Kyle reports major changes: 'This year it's kind of gone back and forth... All of a sudden Merchant Fulfilled offers were seeming to get preference... Now it's back to Merchant Fulfilled and the rumor is it's going to stay that way.' This could be a significant shift in favor of Merchant Fulfilled.