Amazon FBA 2025: These 7 mistakes are costing you sales (and how you can finally avoid them)

Selling successfully on Amazon has little to do with luck - it's mostly recurring mistakes that make the difference between breakthrough and frustration. Many retailers start with great products and a lot of energy, but fail due to typical pitfalls. These cost money, valuable rankings and turn what should be a good business idea into a losing proposition.

Avoidable mistakes rob you of sales and slow down your business. Regardless of whether you are just starting out or are already scaling up: if you know the most important stumbling blocks and act in good time, you will secure a competitive advantage and ensure constant growth.

In this article, you will learn the seven most common mistakes made by Amazon merchants and get specific tips on how to get them under control when building your brand - well-founded, practical and directly implementable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdoHMz5zpag

1. incorrect product costing - the most important basis

Product costing determines the success of your project even before the first package is shipped. This is often the first and worst mistake: many retailers miscalculate out of sheer euphoria. New products quickly arouse emotions, but the head must control the calculation, not the heart.

What often goes wrong?

• Retailers ignore costs because they are convinced of the product.
• Profit expectations are calculated too accurately, for example by planning with too low PPC costs or low returns.
• Some calculate with ideal prices from the supplier, which in reality are almost impossible to obtain.

What needs to be included in the calculation?

• Purchase price including customs, shipping, import fees
• Amazon fees (FBA, warehouse, sales)
• PPC costs (realistic: plan for at least 15 %)
• Returns (preferably conservative: 7-10 %)
• Logistics & Packaging
• Other costs (promotions, tools, taxes)

Tip: Get a costing calculator that covers all items. A tried-and-tested option is the Excel calculator from Calcazon.de, developed by Daniel von Seitengasse. A solid tool helps to identify errors immediately and make the real margin visible.

Turn off your emotions when calculating, let the numbers speak for themselves - otherwise the market will eat you up.

2. saving purchase prices and logistics costs - the big margin lever

Purchasing negotiations: This is where your profit is decided

"The profit is in the purchase." This saying doesn't come from just anywhere. A small difference in the manufacturer's price makes a massive difference to your margin. Many retailers simply pay too much because they don't negotiate hard enough or are afraid of being inconvenient.

This way you get more out of it:

• Communication is everything: Start personal Zoom calls with the manufacturer, explain your plans, show your expertise and ask for better conditions.
• Be persistent: A first no is almost always negotiable. Remain respectful but firm.
• Take advantage of the local market: A visit to the manufacturer in China (if possible) brings incredible benefits. Networking on site, eating or celebrating together loosens the mood and opens new doors in terms of price.
• Drop your German reserve: A fair price is good - but your competitor is also looking for the best deal. You need the same purchase price, otherwise you can't survive in the long term.

Logistics costs: compare more, save more

Money is also often wasted when it comes to logistics. If you always work with the same service provider, you miss out on savings.

This is how you optimize logistics costs:

• Get several offers - again and again!
• A difference of just €500 to €1,000 per container is not uncommon.
• Keep an overview: delivery dates, storage costs and additional fees often vary greatly.

Key message: Those who save every euro in purchasing and logistics can act flexibly in competitive markets and reduce prices when necessary.

3. missing or wrong launch - seize opportunities from the start

The product launch on Amazon lays the foundation for your success. Amazon gives new products a "honeymoon phase" with a performance boost that you absolutely have to take advantage of - or you give them away forever.

What often goes wrong?

• Many retailers simply put their product online and hope for the best.
• If you oversleep the launch phase, you will have to invest a lot of time and money later on.

How to plan a successful launch:

1. Clear launch plan: Define goals, prepare everything in advance.
2. Review plan: Think about how you can get reviews early on.
3. Using PPC correctly: Align launch campaigns with visibility and conversion right from the start.
4. External traffic: Where appropriate, use targeted external advertising (social media, own community).
5. Ongoing monitoring: The first 4-8 weeks are crucial, be ready for quick adjustments.

In-depth step-by-step instructions in the video: The perfect launch on Amazon.

Checklist for a good launch:

• Target market analyzed?
• Launch date clearly defined?
• Reviews organized early?
• PPC budget set?
• External traffic planned?
• Offer and product pages in harmony?

Use the momentum, otherwise you will reduce your success - not build it.

4. over-reliance on PPC - organic growth is the real solution

Amazon PPC (pay-per-click) is important, but those who rely on it alone often pay for it - in extreme cases there is nothing left at the end of the month despite high sales.

Typical mistake: The product sells, but 70-80% of sales come from paid advertising. The rest - 20 to 30 % - is organic.

What happens?

• If you only grow through advertising, you pay more and more without becoming stable.
• If you don't pay attention to organic rankings, you remain dependent and give up your margin to Amazon.

What to do?

• Track the organic rankings per product and keyword (preferably with keyword monitoring tools)
• Work specifically on secondary keywords with less competition to quickly become organically visible
• Optimize your product listing and collect reviews for better rankings
• Limit PPC spend where you are already organically listed on page 1

Example of keyword distribution for a working listing:

Organic visibility is the backbone of your growth on Amazon. PPC is a turbo, but not a foundation.

5. no conversion-strong listing - the customer counts, not the design

Many listings on Amazon show nice pictures and a few nice bullet points, but forget the most important rule: The listing is your sales funnel.

What good is the prettiest photo if the customer remains unsure? A strong listing takes the buyer by the hand and specifically addresses their wishes, fears and questions.

What does a perfect listing look like?

• Focus on customer experience: What is really important to the buyer?
• Texts that convince: No empty phrases, but real answers to user questions.
• Pictures that inform: Show all the advantages, areas of application and details.
• Structured design: Guide the user step by step through the listing to the shopping cart.

Do's for listings:

• Tell a clear product story
• Emphasize solution and benefits instead of just features
• Add social proof (ratings, seals)
• Use professional product images and videos

Dont's:

• Pure feature listing without reference to the customer
• Unstructured or loveless description
• Poor or missing lifestyle images

Extra tip: If you want support, Stacvalley offers a free initial consultation including the planning of a conversion funnel around the listing.

The best product only sells if the customer understands why exactly it is the right one for them. The listing is your salesperson.

6. inventory planning - the right balance between bottlenecks and excess stock

Many retailers underestimate the importance of proper stock planning. You can quickly be "out of stock" and lose sales, or buy too much and waste money in the warehouse - a real risk for cash flow and ranking.

What does "out-of-stock" mean and why is it dangerous?

• You can't sell - there is no income.
• Even worse: Amazon penalizes a lack of availability in the ranking.
• The longer you are sold out, the lower you slip down the rankings. A comeback often takes months.

Overstock: the other extreme

• Your money is stuck as a commodity instead of working.
• Amazon collects high storage and long-term fees.
• Your capital commitment is slowing down growth and new opportunities.

How can smart warehouse planning be achieved?

• Weekly evaluation of sales data - always check how much stock you really have and how quickly it is moving.
• Create forecasts: Think about seasonal peaks, prime days and planned promotions.
• Reorder in good time with a sufficient buffer - delays cost more than stock.
• Use different tools: For FBA e.g. Ventury One (for pure FBA sellers, with automated planning).

For complex setups, an individual solution with customized tools is recommended. Complex mixed models (seller/vendor, wholesale) can be mapped and automated with Fintora AI.

Tip: divide goods into pieces instead of storing everything at once

It is better to split large orders into several deliveries:

• Advantage: Goods that are still on the ship do not incur storage fees at Amazon.
• This means that less capital is tied up unnecessarily and you reduce the risk of overstocking.

Advantages and disadvantages of common tools:

Constantly learning warehouse planning is mandatory - this is how you protect margins and company value.

7. excessive dependence on Amazon - alternatives as a safety net

If you build your entire business on one channel, you're putting all your eggs in one basket. Amazon is huge, but not infallible - blockages or technical problems can quickly lead to total failure.

Practical example:
closures due to sudden "letter stories" or other imponderables. The probability remains low, but with 100% turnover from just one source, the entire company could burn down in an emergency.

Recommendation:

• From an annual turnover of around € 150,000, it is worth taking the step towards diversification.
• Set up your own online store - this gives you flexibility and access to new customers.
• Use other marketplaces besides Amazon to become more independent.

Pros and cons of different sales channels

The effort is only really worthwhile above a certain size - but then diversification is also active risk protection.

Conclusion: Avoiding mistakes guarantees growth

Amazon FBA is not a sure-fire success - but those who avoid common mistakes have the best chance of increasing sales and profits. The calculation must be right, purchasing and logistics deserve full attention, launch and organic growth must be cleverly planned. Listings need more than just pretty pictures - they need to sell. Stock planning, multichannel and risk diversification secure your business in the long term.

Set the right course and your company will grow steadily right from the start - with margin, security and real company value.

Do you have questions or want to take the next steps? Secure your individual consultation with us and get the most out of your Amazon brand.

Good luck with the implementation - on to more sales and growth!