You and 3,593  others are here to enjoy this newsletter… unless you'd prefer I go on a rant about how charming it is when the credit card machine asks if I want to tip 15% for getting my own damn Cinnabon.

Welcome back friend!
And a big welcome to the +96 new readers this week!

You know what makes no sense? Amazon sellers who totally neglect their PPC and think skipping a $6 iced cappuccino is how you save money.

You're not frugal. You're bleeding.

Outsourcing to agencies who then outsourced it to some guy they can pay almost nothing to. Trusting an “expert” who learned everything from a YouTube video he watched last week. Trying to do it yourself without putting in the work.

These are not good strategies.

One microscopic PPC fix could save $50 a month. But sure, blame the coffee.
Reply to this email if you are fed up with crappy performance.

_{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?)

Huge thank you to my friend Chris McCabe of eCommerce Chris for sharing this week’s IVS. Chris is an ex-Amazonian with a biting wit and a gravely voice and the only person I trust with account health. Unlike “other” unnamed companies who phone it in when sellers are literally having the worst day of their life — or simply got hacked, Chris and his team are serious, focused, and effective. Thanks, Chris!

In the above video, Chris explains the most common Amazon account health issues (and how to deal with them). “Details matter.” And Chris recorded a just for you, dear reader. Enjoy!

AI Brief & Images that are actually GOOD

Anyone who knows us knows we only recommend good stuff. Stuff that you’ll actually USE and stuff that will actually propel your business forward.

And so… I’m talking about this again because it’s blowing my mind (and that’s hard to do). @Dorian Gorski’s AI Club & Keplo Scraper are simply wonderful.

Not only is there a ton of value in hiI. Club (Cutting-edge AI tools and community), but Keplo will build a complete niche analysis with images and A+ for infinitely less than you'd pay anybody else.

Check out this video where I break down a completely random product using tool:

P.S. Wanna give it a go? $99/month using this link. Don’t like it? Cancel anytime.

Okay, where the HELL is the D?

Ontario Cottage Stuff

We finished up 3 weeks in Canada and had a blast!  Kids loved camp followed by some good traditional “ cottage stuff” like boating, tubing and fishing. Nothing like buying night crawlers from the Canadian Tire for fishing on the lake.  Unfortunately I ended up cutting the worms and biting most of the hooks but the fish were biting quickly and putting up a good fight!  Core memories right there!

Rufus is Smarter than Amazon Search

Resident AI expert, Ritu Java recently showed the power of Rufus versus traditional Amazon Search. This is about as clear an indication as I've ever seen of how good AI is and how much things are going to change with search.

Traditional keyword search matches words, not meaning, so even clear queries like “salty protein snacks with no added sugar” return half-right results. RUFUS understands intent, marking a shift from robotic SEO to real conversational commerce.

In the example below, she shared that using the search bar for "salty protein snacks with no added sugar" yielded results that were full of protein and sugar but weren't salty. Rufus on the other hand, did a lot better. Pretty neat!

The Deep Dive (Premium Content)

Amazon customers aren’t dumb. They’re smart. They're just busy, distracted, and don’t care about you.

Don't make Amazon customers think.

Food for thought: When's the last time you met someone that was truly dumb. Like... a complete moron? (other than me, of course).

I can't think of a time when I met one. I certainly don't know one.
Everyone is smart. The problem isn't that people aren't smart.

It's that they're bored & distracted. They're busy.
Ever heard the saying: "Be kind, for everyone is fighting a great battle" ?  It's true. They're scrolling with one hand, juggling a toddler with the other. They don’t have time to decode your clever infographic.

So don’t make them think.
Don’t make them read fine print.
Don’t make them solve a visual puzzle to understand what your product actually does.

Here's an example: Everyone and their dog has a picture on their PDP which shows their product dimensions. I would wager about 1/100 show the "dimensions image" in a lifestyle setting.

Here's an example above with a Tongue Scraper. Sure the dimensions are there, but you're making me THINK about how big it is. AND I HATE THINKING OK?

A lifestyle setting meaning somewhere that your product would naturally appear, next to sizes of things they already understand.

One image. One idea. One clear takeaway. That’s the rule.

Show the outcome. Make the benefit stupid obvious.  Make it impossible to misunderstand.

If your image requires brainpower, they’re gone.  Not because they’re idiots. Because they have options. And the next guy made it easier to say yes.

Stop Using Credit Card Points This Way

If you’re in a season of life where you can travel, do it.

The world humbles you in the best way. It shrinks your ego. Expands your perspective. You come home seeing everything differently. Your problems, your routines, even your ambitions. Your Amazon account.

Stop staring at your AMEX or Aeroplan dashboard thinking you're doing it right.
1 point does not equal 1 cent. That’s the lazy version. The app version. The "tap to redeem" trap.

The real value is in partner transfers.

With a little effort and good timing, you can stretch your points to 4x, even 10x their face value. That turns a $4000 flight into a $400 redemption. That turns your everyday PPC spending into a bucket-list trip for the people you love like I did.

If that’s something you want help doing, reply to this. I’ll point you in the right direction.

No Going Topless at the Beach But Thongs Are Totally Cool 

Yes we have a laid-back pura vida lifestyle and year-round tropical heat, but public nudity is actually illegal in Costa Rica. Remember it is still a big Catholic faith country. According to Artículo 390 del Código Penal, going topless in public is considered actos contrarios a las buenas costumbres (acts against good manners) and can lead to a fine or even a brief court visit in extreme cases. But here’s where things get spicy……While baring it all is a no-go, thong bikinis are not just accepted but normal and not seen as provocative by locals. In fact, many Latin cultures, Costa Rica included, celebrate body confidence as long as you’re technically “covered.”

So yes, you can wear a bikini that looks like it was made with dental floss, but remove your top? That’s crossing the legal line.

Yes these are bottoms of a sloth holding a donut and available on amazon of course here. Not an affiliate link but should be!

• Rufus will show you the price history of a product now 😮 
  

  

Helium 10’s Affiliate Rug Pull

Helium 10 recently ended its lifetime affiliate payouts with zero notice.

Many affiliates had promoted the tool for years under the impression that commissions would continue indefinitely. For some, those payouts made up a meaningful portion of their monthly revenue.

The change has triggered a big debate…

Some are asking whether the payout model was ever sustainable. Others are raising concerns about trust and transparency in affiliate relationships. There is also renewed discussion around whether the tool itself was being promoted based on performance or purely on commission incentives. Even others are saying Affiliate Marketing is about to die.

For Amazon sellers, this creates confusion. Many signed up based on recommendations from people they trusted. Whether Helium 10 delivered consistent value is still a point of contention among users (I personally cancelled years ago).

This situation highlights a larger question facing the community:
Should affiliate recommendations be driven by compensation, performance, or both?

Is there any way to know?

There’s no simple answer. But it is a reminder to evaluate both what we use and why.

How was today's newsletter? Love it? Hate it? Just want to drift in a lazy lagoon? 🥥 

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To your unending happiness,

Rob & Max