The Ecomcrew Ecommerce Podcast

Chris Davey, CEO and longtime host of FBA4U Meetups, is on the podcast to talk about what's changed at the Canton Fair, how Chinese manufacturing has evolved since 2020, and live-streaming commerce. Thinking about taking some risk off the table? Or are you looking at taking an extended break from e-commerce in general? Know what your e-commerce business is worth with Quiet Light Brokerage. The gap between paying for inventory and selling it is where stockouts are born. Onramp Funds closes it with funding that moves with your sales. Built for sellers already doing $10K a month or more across Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, and TikTok Shop. See how much you qualify for at Onramp Funds. Your Amazon payout is one number. Your books need it split into sales, fees, refunds and tax — per marketplace, per country, matching the bank to the penny. Link My Books does that automatically for Amazon, Shopify, eBay, Etsy, TikTok Shop and Walmart, straight into Xero or QuickBooks. Sellers save 10+ hours a month and stop overpaying tax. Rated 5/5 on the Xero App Store. Check out Link My Books today.  The biggest sourcing event in the world is happening next week.  The Canton Fair, which starts on October 15th, isn't what it used to be. With growing tensions against the US, there has not been as much Western Amazon sellers attending the event.  However, Chris Davey is an exception. Chris has been living in China for 15 years as the host of one of the biggest e-commerce events in China, FBA4U, where e-commerce entrepreneurs of all shapes and sizes are welcome. He's been invited to today's podcast to report on what's changed in the Canton Fair, if it is still worth it to go, and what the e-commerce environment has changed. Have Chinese third-party sellers also been feeling the pressure from Amazon? Or have they all moved to Temu, Shein, and other marketplaces?   We also discuss why China still is the best place to source products from and how countries like Vietnam and Thailand compare when it comes to product sourcing. Chris also talks about live streaming, regulations that Chinese sellers face, and whether working conditions in Chinese factories have improved overall.  Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to Chris Davey 00:58 - Details about the FBA4U Canton Fair meetup 01:28 - Changes observed at the Canton Fair post-COVID 02:31 - Quiet Light Brokerage and business valuation 04:26 - Funding options during Q4 with On-Ramp Funds 06:51 - Chris's background and experience in China 07:27 - History and details of the FBA4U Canton Fair meetup 08:58 - Impact of COVID and US-China tensions on trade 11:59 - Visiting China for Canton Fair: Guangzhou vs Hong Kong 14:27 - Other trade shows around Canton Fair 17:22 - Factories relocating outside China 19:57 - Productivity and working conditions in Chinese factories 23:46 - Living conditions and property prices in Shenzhen 29:55 - The Chinese seller scene in Shenzhen 36:49 - Live streaming in China and its potential in the US 40:22 - FBA4U meetup details and future plans 42:16 - Event attendance and changes over the years 43:00 - Queueing behavior in China 44:20 - Closing remarks and next steps in China trade Chris, thanks for coming on the podcast. If you'd like to check out Chris and FBA4U, you can check them out here. As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Eugene Khayman, co-founder of Million Dollar Sellers (MDS), who leads the "Gimme Five" campaign aimed at pushing Amazon to give sellers some fee relief after years of rising costs. Thinking about taking some risk off the table? Or are you looking at taking an extended break from e-commerce in general? Know what your e-commerce business is worth with Quiet Light Brokerage. The gap between paying for inventory and selling it is where stockouts are born. Onramp Funds closes it with funding that moves with your sales. Built for sellers already doing $10K a month or more across Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, and TikTok Shop. See how much you qualify for at Onramp Funds. With changes to DD+7, Subscribe and Save, and the additional seller fees tacked on this year, third-party sellers on Amazon are quickly discovering that it might be more profitable to take their products elsewhere. And Amazon has noticed.  Eugene also talks about what he's noticed after years of being in MDS, like the shifts toward DTC and Tiktok Shop and how smaller operators have been the most creative in growing their business.  Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction 00:58 - Eugene Kaiman and the MDS seller community 06:34 - Eugene's 15-year e-commerce path from sneakers to brands 09:39 - Why MDS became a seller advocacy hub 10:09 - What the Gimme Five campaign is asking Amazon to do 11:31 - How SOS campaigns formed in response to fee pressure and policy changes 13:28 - Survey data: 52 cents of every dollar goes to Amazon fees 14:42 - Does Amazon actually have room to give some margin back? 16:16 - When fees make sense versus when they feel punitive 18:25 - Why higher fees can also hurt customer value and price competitiveness 20:25 - Which fee changes could realistically help sellers 22:43 - The Subscribe and Save top-up change and why it matters 23:32 - Return fees, removals, and launch risk 24:02 - MDS data: launches needed for growth have doubled 25:48 - Fees are only acceptable if growth is keeping pace 27:23 - Rising risk from competitor attacks, faster cloning, and shorter product life cycle 30:54 - Why many sellers are rethinking Amazon as their top channel 33:00 - The problem of not knowing the true cost to sell on Amazon 34:51 - Two asks for Amazon: centralized communication and a centralized fee committee 36:12 - DD plus 7, account reserves, and the hidden bookkeeping cost 38:59 - What MDS is, how big it has become, and where it's headed 42:57 - Why smaller operators often spot the best new growth ideas 43:27 - The rise of authority affiliates and in-person selling networks 46:37 - TikTok's promise, limits, and how DTC is becoming more predictable 48:19 - MDS, Millie, and the community's newest tools Eugene, thanks for coming on the podcast. If you'd like to support Eugene and the Gimme Five campaign, here's a link to the X post. If you'd like to find out more about MDS, you can book a free call here! As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!      

You probably know by now that the FTC has filed a lawsuit against Amazon, alleging that $20 billion was stolen advertising fees. But the question remains; what is the fallout going to be like for Amazon? Thinking about taking some risk off the table? Or are you looking at taking an extended break from e-commerce in general? Know what your e-commerce business is worth with Quiet Light Brokerage. In this episode, Dave looks at the potential for seller restitution, how much Amazon sellers could actually get from Amazon, and how sellers can maximize the chances of getting some kind of monetary compensation. Dave looks at past cases involving the FTC vs. tech companies, and Amazon's press release regarding this lawsuit to support today's topic.  In a rush? High-level timestamps can be found down below:  Timestamps 00:00 - FTC lawsuit overview 00:30 - What today's episode will cover: comparable cases and settlement odds 01:20 - Tariff anxiety, business stress, and why some sellers consider exiting 02:18 - Why Dave recommends Quiet Light Brokerage for founders thinking about selling 04:13 - The FTC's $20 billion allegation and why a settlement is more likely than a trial 05:12 - Why FTC cases often end in settlement: the historical success rate 06:09 - Amazon's response and its biggest objection to the FTC narrative 07:34 - Amazon's explanation for changing ad auction systems as it scaled 08:57 - Why sellers still care about auction mechanics, not just ROI 11:48 - Fleetcor Technologies Case: hidden fees, FTC action, and a $100 million restitution deal 14:45 - Why Amazon's alleged $20 billion damages make a billion-dollar settlement plausible 15:43 - Amazon Prime cancellation lawsuit as the closest precedent 16:39 - The $2.5 billion Prime settlement and what individuals received back 17:37 - Why Amazon may care less about seller backlash than consumer backlash 19:02 - Why sellers should amplify the case and pressure Amazon publicly 20:59 - A rough payout model: what $20 billion could mean per seller 22:55 - Why calculating individual restitution will be messy 23:24 - Which ad products may have been hit hardest and a simple 8% refund idea 25:21 - The risk of Amazon burying the case versus forcing a meaningful payout 26:20 - How Amazon may need to change ad bidding transparency going forward As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!  

In this episode, Dave talks to Ben who shares his insights on the Philippines work culture, covering things like internet, the regional differences in English proficiency, and the small cultural nuances that impact hiring and productivity. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction  09:35 - Why is internet slow in the Philippines? 12:47 - How to improve internet access 14:38 - Electronics pricing and availability in the Philippines 16:24 - Side hustle culture among Filipinos 17:43 - English proficiency and regional differences 23:51 - Call center culture and work hours 27:03 - Work-life balance and family considerations 28:23 - Comparison of work culture with the West 29:34 - Gaming the system and productivity issues 33:28 - In-person work as a hiring perk 34:02 - Remote work preferences among Filipinos As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, leave a comment down below if you're interested. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

Amazon is being sued by the FTC and 22 states across the entire US, alleging that Amazon has purposefully deceived third-party sellers regarding how their advertising auction system works. In this episode, Dave goes through the court fillings and press release by the FTC. As a seller, you should be very upset.  Timestamps  00:00 - Introduction 02:14 - Details of the FTC's allegations 06:02 - How Amazon's auction system has deceived sellers  12:13 - Internal documents from Amazon  16:04 - Potential impact  19:56 - What this means for Amazon 21:52 - Implications for Amazon sellers