Stop Making A+ Content... You've got Bigger Problems

You and 3,148 other readers will be enjoying this newsletter or I’ll tell you about my dreams about constitutional law (they are elaborate).

Welcome back friend!
And a big welcome to the +104 new readers this week!

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Profit Isn’t a Gamble—Here’s How Smart Sellers Stay Ahead

More sales don’t always mean more profit. On Amazon, what really matters is how you price, adapt, and protect your margins, especially when competition heats up.

That’s where Seller Snap comes in.

Their AI-powered repricer helps sellers win the Buy Box without racing to the bottom, combining smart strategies with real-time market insights. Here's what it does:

Big season or slow month, profit shouldn't be a gamble. With Seller Snap, it’s strategy over guesswork.

👉 Start your 15-day free trial and get 10% off your first 3 months when you subscribe!

And if you’re wondering if it actually works… here’s what sellers on Twitter are saying. 👇

✅The Instant Value Section (IVS)✅

(aren't you glad you opened the email now?)

Another Tool For Your Buy Box Arsenal

A big thank you to my friend Jake Martin. Jake was kind enough to offer a tip that I’ve never heard before in today’s IVS (and it opens up a new way Amazon can f*** you lol). If you haven’t followed Jake’s “minimalist-style” Linkedin Posting or his PPC agency LEVO, check them out.

Struggling with unexplained Buy Box losses? We had a client who lost the Buy Box across several ASINs, despite having no pricing issues, suppressions, or browse node/category errors. Even Amazon support didn't know what was going on - weeks of cases with no resolution.

The breakthrough came from Keepa.

Digging into the product details, we noticed something unusual: the 'Website Display Group' field had changed on all the affected ASINs. Even though their categories and sub-categories were correct, the Website Display Group had shifted to something unrelated - likely due to an Amazon catalog error. We had never even heard of the Website Display Group.

We flagged it, and it seemed like Amazon support barely knew what the Website Display Group was either. But we got it corrected, and just like that - all of the Buy Boxes came back.

So next time you’re losing the Buy Box for no clear reason, use Keepa, look at the listing data, and check the Website Display Group. It might be the hidden fix you’re missing.

Breaking: US/CHINA 145% Tariffs Down to 30% for 90 Days

Don’t get me wrong this is great news for Amazon sellers, but be prepared for port congestion & rising container costs. Get your orders in now while you can.

Coming off tax season now and starting to get back into my amazon and Shopify/ecommerce businesses more.  Surprisingly we’ve been getting a lot of non-Canadian companies reaching out for help on the GST/HST filings in Canada (MDS Group seems to be talking about us!).  Seems that there are few companies that handle a lot of this work and have been doing a crappy job.  I just filed a Japanese client’s return getting back another $90k the prior company missed!  Reach out if you need some help!

The next few weeks are going to be a little crazy here in CR.  Rain has started.  We are racing to finish our house to move in June.  I will be taking the 2 boys to Canada for a few weeks to a stay over camp at Muskoka Woods (first time for them), and Marsha will be getting settled without us getting in her hair. If you have ever built a house you know it's never fully done on move in day…there will be a list of stuff to do after but it will be easier without the 3 of us getting in the way.

“Swing Tag” Main Image Hack Going Away

Originally surfaced by Sebastian Joseph, it looks like the sneaky way to get a quick sales pitch into a main image is going away. If you have Hang tag/Swing tags on your listings, get your backup ready.

Although Amazon sellers will always find a way around the bots like this one found by Evan Swanson… Genius!

I read every AI/Creative Post SOP Joanna Lambadjieva has written and put them all into a 147-Page PDF ➡️

If you're just finding out about Jo - give her a follow now! She's always posting cutting edge SOPs on how to use Chat GPT/AI to create amazing content for Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and more.

I thought it would be useful for y'all to have it in one place.

Inside:

1. How to Create AI Product Images
2. How to Create AI Images for Meta Ads Showcasing a Complex Product in Use
3. How to Create 3D Renders from Simple Pictures and Develop Meta Ads Using ChatGPT-4o
4. How to Create Instagram Ads with AI While Following Brand Guidelines
5. How to Analyze Reviews, Build Personas, and Optimize Image Ideas
6. How to Create Email Marketing Creative Concepts with ChatGPT-4o
7. How to Create Fashion Product Images Featuring a Model Wearing Your Product
8. How to Create DSP Banners Using ChatGPT-o3-mini and GPT-4o
9. How to Create AI-Generated Product Ads Featuring Multiple Products
10. How to Create Product Listing Detail Page Images Using AI
11. How to Create Diverse Fashion Clothing Images Using AI
12. How to Create Funnel-Specific Emotional Transformation Imagery for Beauty Brands
13. How to Create Product Infographics Using ChatGPT-4o and ChatGPT-o3-mini
14. How to Create a Sequential Product GIF with ChatGPT-4o
15. How to Craft High-Performing Pinterest Pins with ChatGPT-4o
16. How to Extract Visual DNA and Generate On-Brand Instagram Ads with ChatGPT-4o
17. How to Craft TikTok Photo Story Images with ChatGPT-o3-mini and GPT-4o
18. How to Create Seasonal Holiday Images with ChatGPT-o3-mini and GPT-4o
19. How to Generate UGC-Style Product Images with ChatGPT-4o
20. How to Craft Flat Lay Product Images with ChatGPT-o3-mini and GPT-4o
21. How to Wireframe and Generate Multi-Product Ad Variations with Claude Artefacts and ChatGPT
22. How to Create an AI Meta Ad and Convert It into a Short Video Ad Using Sora

Want it? Click below and comment “JOANNA” on the post and I’ll DM you right away.

GET THE PDF

The Deep Dive (Premium Content)

Don't make A+ content. You've got bigger problems.

In over half of the listing ASIN Audit Teardowns I did in the last month...

The biggest problem was this: People over-optimize or create beautiful A+ content and neglect their main and secondary images.

Too many people think A+ is the main event.

It’s not. The first images in your stack get seen by basically every shopper . Over 90% on desktop, even more on mobile. Your A+ content? 20-40%.

We're overvaluing our A+ and undervaluing our main images.

It should be the opposite. It’s like installing a fancy doorbell on a house with no front steps.

Stop obsessing over A+ when your image stack looks like a supplier catalog.

Your main image and image two through six are doing all the heavy lifting. That's where most buying decisions happen.

Not in your A+ modules. Not in your brand story. Not in that fancy infographic you fell in love with.

If you're gonna fix one thing this week, fix your images.

Get click-worthy. Get conversion-worthy.

Then worry about polishing up your A+.

Need help with your Amazon Creative?

The team over at I.T. Dolphins did some image work for me (pro bono). I thought it was only fair to share them with you all.

If you’re looking for better main & secondary images, give them a shot!

Want more legroom on your flight?

If you’re anything like me (6 foot 5) — flying can be super uncomfortable. Cramped seats, sardined in the row, not having much fun.

Luckily I just found a cool new Google Chrome addon called Legroom which shows you the best flight with optimal legroom and the cheapest price. It works right in your browser.

If comfort matters to you more than other stuff - this is the Chrome Addon for you.

The GOAT @Demian Lazurko released all of his infographics at once. Download them for free, here.

Is Golfito Costa Rica’s Last Hidden Gem for Real Estate?

I live up in the northwestern beach towns of Costa Rica where the beach is awesome but the real estate prices are getting pretty spicy!

There’s a 1-bedroom condo in our gated community listed for over $550,000. It’ll probably sell to someone running it as an Airbnb. And honestly? It’ll probably be cash flow and a location for the owner to come on vacation. Being just an hour from a major international airport has pushed prices to a level where new buyers are getting priced out fast. There is a pull back of the middle stuff, that isn’t near the beach, but the beach is still the top destination.

That’s why like a smart investor you have to branch out and start looking for the “next area”. This weekend, at my son's chess tournament (yes, I’m officially a chess dad), a friend dropped some info that made me listen a little more closely.  She showed me photos of a beach titled 8-bedroom, 3-kitchen, waterfront property she scooped up in Golfito for… ready?... $200,000.

How? Bad realtor.  She had no online exposure and the listing was old…mainly do to her bad marketing. She worked her negotiation magic on a $300k asking price and made it happen. Golfito is a bit farther off the beaten path but that’s exactly why you might still find real estate deals there. It’s not just some sleepy coastal town either. Golfito is famous for: World-class sport fishing, Surfing, mangroves, and dolphin-watching.  It also has duty-free shopping, thanks to a government incentive program after the fall of the banana industry. But if your cost is only say $300,000 with renos, the occupancy levels don’t need to be as high to get a good return. She is planning to get some retreats with the multiple rooms.

And here’s a brilliant little side hustle she’s running: She rents out a golf cart to her Airbnb guests for $500/week. So if you're priced out of the beach towns near airports, get curious. The next hot spots are already heating up but still on the downlow.

• Prateek asks about CARM & Importing into Canada

• Aaron struggles to source products

Some Companies That Help With Account Suspensions Aren’t What They Seem

I’m hearing more and more sellers getting burned by “Amazon reinstatement” providers. Suspensions. ASIN reinstatements. VAT issues. You name it.

What used to be white-glove help is turning into phoned-in prompts and false promises.
Lazy ChatGPT copy. Cookie-cutter appeals. And worst of all…charging sellers before a real solution is even on the table.

There are even whispers (again) about fake backdoors, shady ex-Amazon “connections,” and insiders selling account reinstatements under the table.

You’re probably going through the worst period of your e-commerce life (an Amazon suspension). And the company you’ve hired doesn’t give a sh*t about you.

Here’s the problem:

• They charge before they do anything useful

• They use generic AI copy, not real analysis

• They lie about insider “guarantees”

• They’re in it for the short-term churn, not real outcomes

If someone’s promising magic results with no audit, no logic, and no explanation of why something will work, walk away.

Amazon's not stupid. They’re tightening systems every month. The stuff that worked in 2019 doesn’t work now. There are no shortcuts. And the real experts? They know this.

They explain it. They charge accordingly. And they don’t guarantee success. They guarantee effort, insight, and risk mitigation.

If your business is on the line, stop gambling on half-baked “fixers.”

Vet hard. Ask questions. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Speak Up! Community Comments & Questions:

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If you liked this newsletter, here's where we share more stuff like it:  

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All the best,

Rob & Max

Answer to Tropical Trivia: D) 150lbs. This is the maximum weight for an oversize item in Amazon FBA.