Q4 starts in 9 days and lasts until December 31st. For most Amazon sellers, this quarter is where a majority of their annual sales come from. It pays off to be prepared with enough of the right products at the right prices. And, because Q4 includes some pretty major holidays, selling toys and games typically brings a great return on investment.
According to an article found on slideshare.com called The Amazon Effect U.S. Toys Market, Amazon accounted for about $4 billion of total US Toy sales in 2016 ($20.4 billion). That’s almost 20%! If you can get some in-demand toys and games to sell this year, you won’t be disappointed. We’ve outlined a few tips and suggestions for success selling toys on Amazon.
The Ins and Outs of selling toys and games on Amazon
Amazon’s full holiday selling guidelines for toys and games can be found here. But we’ve pulled out the most important bits:
*Please note, these guidelines apply only to Merchant Fulfilled sellers. FBA sellers do not need to meet these requirements to sell toys during the holiday season.
- You must have made your first sale by September 19th and make a total of 25 sales by October 31st. That first deadline already passed. So if you haven’t made a sale yet, you won’t be able to sell toys this holiday season. The 25 sales can be a combination of FBA and Merchant Fulfilled sales. And they don’t have to be in the toy category. We can infer that Amazon’s intention is to ensure holiday toy sales are done by reputable, well practiced sellers.
The next 3 requirements are in reference to your Merchant Fulfilled sales only:
- Your pre-fulfillment cancel rate for the month of October cannot be greater than 1.75%.
- The late shipment rate for October cannot be greater than 4%.
- Your Order Defect Rate (ODR) cannot be greater than 1% by November 1st.
And that’s it! Amazon will let you know by November 11th if you’re eligible for selling toys and games this holiday season.
What can you do to improve your chances of selling toys on Amazon this holiday season?
Looking at Amazon’s requirements for Merchant Fulfilled toy sales in Q4, it is clear that seller metrics and performance ratings play a big role. If your plate is already full with Q4 prep but you need to analyze and improve your seller metrics, check out our one time Account Audit service or our ongoing Account Monitoring service. Each is designed to assess your current standings and practices and either offer suggestions and tips for improvement or you can outsource your metrics to our team of experts and they can get you in the best standing possible quickly and efficiently while you focus your efforts elsewhere.
But if you’re a go-getter or self-starter not quite ready to work with an outside company, check out these quick tips on improving your seller metrics. Remember that ODR specifically plays an important role in your metrics so, this time of year, make sure you pay close attention to customer requests. This is the time to cater to your customer needs and be extra helpful. Doing so will help keep your metrics in good standing and your business up and running during this important selling season.
In conclusion, now is the time to act to ensure you can take part in the massive toy sales taking place on Amazon this holiday selling season. Don’t wait to get your sales, stock, and metrics on point and in line with Amazon’s requirements. Just because Toys R’ Us can’t keep up with Amazon, doesn’t mean you can’t. Happy selling and wishing you a great Q4.
Kate is an avid reader/writer, world traveler, dog lover, lead singer in a band, and Amazon extraordinaire. She loves long walks in pretty much any setting and helping Amazon sellers grow and succeed.