Amazon Updates You Can’t Afford to Miss!

Welcome to the bring your product idea to Life podcast. This is the podcast for you if you're getting started selling products or if you'd like to create your own product to sell.

I'm Vicki Weinberg, a product creation coach and Amazon expert. Every week I share friendly, practical advice as well as inspirational stories from small businesses. Let's get started.

Hello and welcome to this episode of.

Bring your product idea to life.

It's been a little while since I've.

Done a solo episode, hasn't it?

So hello. Little disclaimer right at the beginning. This might be a fairly brief episode.

Because let's face it, there's only so.

Long I can talk into the computer by myself.

But it's so lovely to have you here listening.

Maybe you are also watching this. If you're not watching this, did you know that all episodes to bring your product idea to life are now available on YouTube?

So I'm recording episode, episode. I'm recording video as well as audio now. In fact, I always was recording video.

But we just didn't do anything with it.

But now it is all on my YouTube channel.

My YouTube channel is great because as.

Well as all podcast episodes, we also have some really great clips.

So you'll probably know if you're a regular listener.

I ask every guest on my podcast for their number one piece of advice. They have all been clipped up and.

Available on YouTube as standalone shorts and.

We'Ve also grouped all of the content.

On there into really useful categories like marketing and customer experience, how to sell selling on Amazon. So I think it's a really, really great resource.

There are hours and hours and hours.

Of free content on there and I'm.

Going to be recording some original content just for YouTube as well. So if you are not watching this on YouTube and you're listening, do go.

Over and subscribe and you will find.

The link to my YouTube channel in.

The show notes this episode. So the purpose of this episode is.

Just to give you a summary of.

A few changes on Amazon that have.

Either happened over the summer or are coming up now. Because the ones that happened over the summer, there's a chance, you know, you've been busy, you've been away, you might.

Not be aware of them. And the ones that are coming up now are pretty big and it's definitely worth you knowing.

As I said, this is going to be a fairly brief episode, mainly because while I can give you an outline of what's changed and what it potentially.

Means for you, depending on how you.

How your business is structured, how you.

Fulfill your products and lots of other variables.

I can't tell you what to do.

And exactly what this means for you, but don't worry, I will let you.

Know who you can talk to to.

Get a bit more information.

So the first big change on Amazon.

That took place over the summer was.

That from the 1 August, all Amazon fees are now subject to standardization, 20% VAT. So this means things like referral fees, your fbas that's fulfilled by Amazon fees, your sponsored products, ads fees, basically all.

Charges related to selling on Amazon. They are now charging you 20% VAT on top of that.

And so when you receive your payouts.

From Amazon, VAT will be deducted.

Now, before you have a big panic, I should say that if you are already VAT registered, then this won't be a big change for you if you're not VAT registered, but perhaps you're exempt from paying VAT.

You might also find, because I've spoken to people who've told me this, that.

You have been paying VAT on your sales for a while anyway, a lot of people aren't aware that before the 1 August, you shouldn't have been paying VAT if you're not VAT registered in the UK, but you might have been accidentally if you didn't declare yourself exempt with Amazon when you set your account up.

So this is something that you can.

All go away and have a look into, because if it turns out you've been paying VAT already and you shouldn't have been, you need to go and claim that back in terms of what this means for you.

As I said, this really depends on whether you're registered for VAT or you're exempt.

And there are some variables here, but this potentially could make a difference to your margins, could make a difference to your cash flow. So in terms of what to do next, go and see your accountant and.

Speak to them and they should be.

Able to help you sort of manage this.

So the second thing I want to.

Tell you about also relates to VAT.

And this is relating to Amazon VAT.

Services, and that's going to be ending.

Really soon, on the 31 October.

So in case you don't know what Amazon VAT services is, it's basically a.

Program that helps Amazon sellers to comply.

With VAT requirements in Europe and it's.

Available in the UK, Germany, France, Italy.

Spain, Poland, I think Czech Republic as well.

So it basically helps sellers to sell.

Their products in the EU and be compliant with VAT requirements for each country. Because if you're selling in any of.

The Amazon european countries, you might be.

Required to register for VAT in the countries that you sell in. However, this does get complicated, doesn't it?

This does depend on where your business.

Is established, how you fill your orders, where your stock is physically stored and your annual sales.

So it may or may not apply to you. So this was announced quite abruptly by Amazon.

I've seen a lot of feedback from sellers who aren't really happy about the way it was announced. And I, they all Amazon have really.

Said is if you use Amazon VAT.

Services, you can continue to work with the provider you're using outside of the VAT services on Amazon for your filing activity. So in theory, if you're using it already, it shouldn't make a difference. So in terms of what this means, if you, if you're selling your products.

In Europe now and you are going.

To carry on, you can either stay.

With your existing provider or you can.

Find a replacement provider to take over and ensure you remain compliant.

This is definitely another one where you.

Need to get advice. Because if you're listening to this and.

You'Re selling on Amazon in Europe currently.

And you're not sure whether you actually.

Have any VAT obligations, you really need.

To look into this. So when I first was years ago, this was when I had tiny chipmunk, my products business, and I started selling my products in Europe.

I didn't actually realize I had to.

Register VAT, so I had VAT, I'm trying to think of the right words.

But basically I had to pay VAT for the countries I was going to.

Be holding stock in. And I was holding stock in. I was using Amazon's Pan FBA.

Panu FBA at the time is what it was called. And I was holding some of my.

Stock in Germany as well as in the UK. That meant I had to pay VAT in Germany for the stock that was held there. I had absolutely no idea.

I can't remember how I found out.

But when I did find out, I.

Had to pay someone to fix it for me and quickly.

And I did owe a bit of a bill. So this is not to scare you at all, at all, at all.

Please don't worry.

But again, this is another one to speak to an accountant about.

So in good news, my last few.

Changes I want to talk to you.

About are much smaller and have much less impact.

So this is the good news. It's also okay from here.

So the third change, and this is.

One you've probably already seen, I hope you've seen it anyway, because if you haven't looked into seller central for a while and you are selling, please do, don't. Just, don't. Just leave it.

And because on the 16 September, so that's like a week from when I'm recording this, the current inventory view changed slightly.

I have to be honest, when I.

First saw what they changed it with, I thought it was a bit more.

Cluttered, but now I actually quite like it. So all this really means is that when you go into a manage inventory, it will look a bit different. I think it's probably quite a good.

Thing overall because you can see a lot more information in one place. So you can see sales performance, for.

Example, for each of your listings on.

That inventory screen without having to go into your reports or anywhere else.

As I say, you should be used to it. You could have been looking at this view for quite a while now.

Sort of over the summer they rolled something out where you could look at the previous view or the new view. I switched over to the new one a while ago. Just get used to it. Glad I did. It took a little while, but actually it's all good. It's all fine.

So it doesn't mean anything other than it's something to get used to. And as I say, if you haven't.

Seen this yet because you haven't been.

Into your seller central account recently, do log in, please. Don't not take a look because it's your account. You need to know what's going on.

And then the final thing to tell you about is that Amazon seller coach has gone away. So this was from the 1 October.

No more Amazon seller coach. You might not know what Amazon seller.

Coach is or was anyway. Potentially lots of people don't.

Basically, these are the emails you'd receive.

From Amazon and they'd give you recommendations of things to do.

And you might possibly have unsubscribed from.

These anyway because they'd be like telling you add these keywords to your ads campaign and often they were like really.

Broad or not relevant.

And you, lots of my clients used.

To forward me these emails and go, Vicky, what do I do with this?

I'd say delete them and you could actually turn them off. So I'd say there's probably going to.

Be not much of an impact for you here.

You probably never knew this was happening if you were getting all these emails and you didn't unsubscribe. Well, good news, they're going to stop.

Anyway and there are still places to.

Get help and support if needed.

I would say there are better resources.

Out there than the ones Amazon provides. This is not a plug, what it.

Sort of is, but you can always book a call with me if you.

Want help with any aspect of managing Amazon. We don't need to work together a long time. You can book an Amazon power hour which will be linked in the show notes. We can do a lot in an hour.

You would be surprised. So you've got that option there as well.

So I guess my main suggestion here.

Is, as we've been talking about unsubscribing from things, maybe just use this, that.

You know, this podcast and what I'm.

Telling you now as a reminder to.

Review your email notifications so you can.

Do this in your settings and turn off anything you don't need.

Make sure you're going to be informed of the useful stuff like if you.

Get stranded inventory, if you're going low on stock, if you're not the featured.

Offer, that sort of thing you want know. But I would imagine there's quite a.

Lot you can turn off as well.

So if you feel like you're getting.

Emails from Amazon continuously, you can turn some of some of those off and let me know. If you don't know how to do that, I can give you a hand. So that was a very quick roundup, as I said.

Hopefully this all makes sense. I'm hoping actually that some of this.

Or all of this won't be news to you and you'll be aware of a lot of it. Hopefully. I would definitely want to have scared anyone or worried anyone. I promise there is nothing to worry about. It would all be fine.

If you need help with anything that.

I've covered in this episode or anything I haven't covered in this episode, you can book a call with me via the link in the show notes. As promised, this has been a very quick episode.

I know not all of you are Amazon Sellers, so this definitely won't apply to everyone. However, I do know how easy it.

Is to miss these things, which is why I wanted to make sure that I did record this email and acknowledge them. So some people on my email list.

I have an email list for Amazon sellers, could have received this via email, but you might not be on that list either.

And if you're not and you want.

To be again, get in touch and I can add you to that.

So you will find out about all.

Of these things that way as well.

So I think I'm going to wrap this up now.

As I say, it's a very short.

One this week, but if you'd like.

More content from me, head over to YouTube.

So many videos on there, all the previous episodes, new episodes, new content coming up every few days. It's a great place to take a look, so enjoy the rest of your.

Day, your week, and whenever you're listening to this.

And I will be back with another interview next week.

Thank you so much for listening. Right to the end of this episode, do remember that you can get the full back catalogue and lots of free resources on my website, vickywineberg.com.

please do remember to rate and review this episode if you've enjoyed it, and also share it with a friend who you think might find it useful. Thank you again and see you next week.