The Selling From the Beach Newsletter

You and 3,999 other readers will be enjoying this newsletter or ill make sure to bring up how busy I am, constantly. “I’m just so slammed right now!”

Welcome back friend!
And a big welcome to the +122 new readers this week!

Here’s some of the best Amazon advice I ever got: Selling on Amazon takes hustle either way, so swing for the fences. You know more than you think you do. Go big, aim higher, then push harder (the effort’s the same, but the upside isn’t).

So… here’s to you, and your next big launch, friend.

_{Why do we include ads in the newsletter? Just like many of you, we're Amazon Sellers juggling busy days, limited time, and big dreams. Ads help us sustain the newsletter, ensuring we can consistently deliver valuable insights and thoughtful content each week. Whether you're a seller, entrepreneur, or simply someone seeking inspiration, these ads allow us to keep sharing meaningful ideas with you.}

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✅The Instant Value Section (IVS)✅

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

The Real Problem w/ “Target ACoS”

Carly McMillen from PPC Farm graciously offered to provide this edition’s IVS. Carly is bubbly, gregarious, and sharp as a tack. I’m lucky to have met her. If you want to learn more about Carly, give her a follow on Linkedin!

You are probably thinking about your ACoS wrong.

Most sellers aim for the lowest possible ACoS. But without a strategy behind that number, you could be limiting your brand’s growth.

Here’s the fix: Your ACoS target should match your ASIN’s actual profit margin.

We do this using the simple calculation below for contribution profit (gross profit at the SKU level).

So now you know that any campaign or keyword that is above a 38% ACoS is potentially unprofitable for you. On the flip side, anything below a 38% ACoS has room to grow. 

Don’t chase a low ACoS or a catch-all ACoS. Target an ACoS informed by the SKU economics for each individual ASIN.

June is the Month of Change and Reset in CR

June’s the month of change around here, and the low season’s already starting in Costa Rica. Schools are wrapping up, which means it’s time to say goodbye to a few friends who were only here for a year or two.

One of the first things I ask when I meet someone is, “How long are you here for?” It helps me decide whether it’s worth using brain space to remember their name 😀. That’s just part of living in an expat area. People come and go all the time.

Things slow down this time of year. A lot of folks head back to their home countries or travel for the summer.

For us, June will hopefully end with moving into the new house, then straight into summer camps for the boys and a trip to Canada’s east coast.

One nice part about people leaving? They sell their stuff. This week I picked up some dining chairs and a Dyson hand vac. Sweet!

Amazon Posts are Dead

Well, it’s official. Amazon Posts go the way of the Fire Phone and Amazon Spark. Should anyone care? Probably not. Amazon Posts have always been terrible since Day 1 - and I tested them — extensively — to the tune of nearly 10,000 posts. And if you ever met a consultant or someone who told you to double-down on Posts, run in the other direction.

Is Amazon super upset about this? Probably not.

I’m reminded of a quote from Jeff Bezos which describes Amazon’s ethos:

The Deep Dive (Premium Content)

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Tyler Wallis’ 100-Hack Challenge is Over

My friend, @Tyler Wallis Wrote a hack every day for 100 days. Here are the 10 most impactful:

If you know Tyler, you'll know he doesn't phone it in. These are 100 solid, useful hacks for improving your sales on Amazon.

And today is day 100. Congratulations Tyler on finishing the challenge. You are a legend!

And in no particular order, My Top 10 Favorites ⭐🥇 ->

1. Day 4 - Testing Incremental Prices:

   TL;DR - Raise prices regularly on products with steady sales history

2.  Day 17 - Pricing Deadzones

   TL;DR - Referral fees double at certain price breaks on Amazon (ex, Grocery is $15)

3. Day 33 - Manage Quotes

   TL;DR Business pricing is already criminally underused, here's how to get huge orders from buyers

4. Day 37 - The Trojan Horse

   TL;DR Price one variation very low, upsell with multipacks/higher priced variations when you get the click

5. Day 41 - Make Your Highest Margin Products First

   TL;DR If you have to choose between stocking bestsellers and high margin products, choose high margin

6. Day 49 - Profit First

   TL;DR Commit to Sales – Profit = Expenses (instead of Sales – Expenses = Profit)

7. Day 70 - Reimbursements SOP

   TL;DR Everything you need to successfully file your own reimbursements

8. Day 77 - Hero SKUs vs High-Effort SKUs

   TL;DR about 80% of your catalogue is probably high effort and low volume. Focus on the 20% that are low effort and high volume FIRST.

9. Day 74 - Stocking based on Inventory turns

   TL:DR How to prioritize and understand which inventory to send in first (based on sell-through)

10. Day 85 - Charm Pricing

    TL;DR - Strategically pricing your products makes a huge difference to your bottom line

What the Heck is a “Positioning Flight” (And why you should care)

A positioning flight is a separate, usually cheap, ticket you buy to move yourself to a bigger airport where the real deal starts.

Think: Edmonton → Seattle on WestJet for $120, then Seattle → Tokyo in business class for half what Edmonton → Tokyo costs on one ticket.

Why it matters:

Bottom line: mastering positioning flights lets you snag cheap long-haul fares, unlock premium cabins, and gives you a repeatable win.

Hotel Bahia De Los Pirates Bar and Restaurant - Pirate Beach

If you’re up for the drive down a rough dirt road, this spot has one of the best views around. It looks out over Los Piratas Beach and sits right at the edge of the sand. Most people don’t know about it. The food’s solid, but you’ll need an ATV or a high-clearance SUV to get there.

Because it’s hard to reach, it stays quiet. Hidden gem. One of our go-to lunch spots.

Locals say pirates used to land here back in the day, probably because it’s a well-protected cove that’s tough to access. Made it a good hideout during the Central American colonization era.

Like a lot of places here, the website’s useless. Check out their Facebook instead. 

• Samantha Asks about removing resellers from her Private Label listings

• Christina looks for SaaS advice for new Amazon Sellers

Amazon’s New Coupon Fee Changes for June 2025

Amazon’s changing things again.
(And no, they’re not done raising fees, LOL)

The new fee structure:

• $5 flat fee per coupon

• + 2.5% of coupon-attributed sales

The old $0.60 per redemption is gone.

Here’s the headline:
You pay the $5 upfront, whether your coupon performs or not. If it does well? Great — you’ll still owe the 2.5% cut on the sales it drives.

So, is this better or worse?

That depends on your price point:

• Under $22? The change saves you money.

• Over $22? It’s now more expensive.

It’s not a clear win or loss… just more complexity.
Another tax on sellers who aren’t paying close attention.

But for the operators who do track costs by SKU, this is an opportunity to optimize.
For everyone else, it’s just a pain in the neck.

How was today's newsletter? Love it? Hate it? Fancy swapping office attire for some flip-flops? 🧑‍💼 

• I loved it! ☺️ ☺️ ☺️ 

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All the best,

Rob & Max