My Top Picks For Amazon FBA Courses
- #1 Amazon Bootcamp (Best for Newbies, Teaches Retail Arbitrage)
- #2 Proven Amazon Course (Biggest Volume of Learning Material, Teaches Private Labeling)
- #3 AmaSuite (Cheapest, Most Useful Research Software)
*Note: Those are links are not affiliate links. They are links to to FULL REVIEWS, with screenshots inside the members area, success stories from real members, product pricing, comparisons, and more.
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Amazon FBA has emerged as a popular and effective way to make money online. Indeed, there are lots of people out there who have created profitable businesses using this general approach. So, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that there are also a ton of Amazon FBA courses out there. But, are Amazon FBA courses a scam?
In many ways, it does sound like they could be. After all, there is a lot of hype surrounding the idea of Amazon FBA. Some people are claiming to make $100,000 PER MONTH, which sounds just ridiculous. And for that reason alone, making money this way can sound utterly impossible and fake.
But selling on Amazon is a real thing, and people are really making money this way. Amazon FBA is not a scam, but there are definitely some scammers out there that are leveraging Amazon to cheat people out of money.
On top of that, even among honest courses, there is a lot of variance in quality. Some Amazon FBA courses provide nothing by hype and hope, while others provide seriously practical and actionable advice, with thriving communities to help you launch your business. The only trouble is finding which ones are which!
So how can you spot a scam as opposed to a legitimate, helpful online course teaching you how to start a business? This page will explain what’s legit, what isn’t and which courses are actually worth your money. A quick time-saving note though: Don’t expect much from expensive live seminars. These are not step-by-step business building courses. These are pump and dump mentorships, meaning they pump you up, get your credit cards, then dump you to build the business on your own.
Stay positive though. People are making incredible amounts of money with Amazon FBA, and there’s no reason you can’t do the same yourself. Amazon FBA is actually a surprisingly powerful way to make money and there are some courses out there really do teach exactly what you know to get started. I’m personally a part of two Facebook groups where members consistently share amazing success stories, including earning their first dollars within 30 days, and building significant recurring income steams inside of a year.
Let’s look at exactly what to expect from Amazon FBA as well as some insight into how to pick out good online courses that give you some great value for what you pay.
Quick Introduction To Amazon FBA
The term FBA stands for Fulfillment by Amazon. This is a service that Amazon offers to help people sell and, honestly, it’s an extremely powerful service.
The key idea is that you sell products on Amazon but you don’t have to deal with actually shipping them to customers. By extension, you also avoid having to manage customer service and returns.
Instead, you send your products to Amazon, which then stores those products in its warehouses. When an item is purchased through your Amazon store, Amazon then deals with the rest of the process, including shipping the item out, along with any necessary customer service.
Amazon’s systems also mean that you can easily keep track of your inventory and know when you need to replace stock. The entire system is designed to be efficient and feedback from users suggests that it really does work that way.
Main Advantages Of Amazon FBA As A Business Model
One of the reasons that method of selling on Amazon is so popular is that it lets you create a business that you can scale up fairly easily.
Normally, if you were to sell physical products on sites like Amazon or eBay, you would have to deal with the challenges of shipping and storage. As your product selection got larger, both of these areas would become increasingly difficult. More money means more work, and as a single person, this can get overwhelming very quickly.
For example, imagine if you have a store that sold just a few hundred different products and you kept one of each product on hand. That’s a relatively small store, all things considered, but it would still take up a lot of physical space. Each time someone ordered, you’d have to package, label, and make a trip to the post office..
Now, imagine scaling that up to a thousand products or even thousands. Unless you were to rent out space and hire staff, managing your products would quickly become difficult- and you’d need to really become a “business person”. No more home based business playing around on the computer. Things just got real!
With Amazon FBA, you don’t have to do all that. Instead, you get to rely on the storage and organization that Amazon has and those are frankly amazing. Because of the systems they’ve put in place for you, you can make one trip to the post and let Amazon’s staff find and ship out products very quickly once they have been purchased. This also makes for better customer service overall.
Another big advantage of Amazon FBA is that the program is surprisingly inexpensive.
You do have to pay to ship goods into Amazon and to store them but the fees are fairly reasonable. In fact, Amazon gets some pretty fantastic discounts on shipping, so you tend to pay much less for shipping than you would normally.
The storage fees are also inexpensive, although they vary depending on what you have. For example, one seller estimated that it cost him roughly 15 cents to keep a book in the warehouse for a year. That’s cheaper than storing it yourself!
Note: You do need to be careful with time. In particular, the fees start to get expensive if you have items in storage for longer than a year. You can get around this by selling items that move quickly, which is one area where good training can really help.
Don’t forget that just having the “fulfilled by Amazon” logo on your item listing has the potential to lead to more sales. Anything sold via Amazon FBA is eligible for free 2-day shipping for Prime members. I will go out of my way to get free, fast shipping, even if it means paying a bit more for the item. That’s a major incentive for shoppers in the Prime program and may make them more willing to buy what you’re selling.
For the most part, Amazon FBA can work really well. It lets you create a business where you are selling physical products from the comfort of your own home, while also minimizing the work you have to do. I love it because it truly embodies the idea of home based business that you can run by yourself, without a staff or too much business skill. It means it’s a style of business that’s accessible to anyone, even if you aren’t college educated or even if you don’t have a knack for business in general.
Why Use An Amazon FBA Course At All?
A key design feature of Amazon FBA is that it’s fairly easy to use. Many of the aspects are things that you can easily figure out yourself, especially if you’re using the supplies and tools that Amazon recommends. There are also a decent number of videos online that show you precisely how to list, print, weigh and ship.
So, in theory you could teach yourself how to make money via Amazon FBA. In fact, many people have done just that. You’ll even find that many of the people who create Amazon FBA courses and eBooks were entirely self-taught.
But, just because you can teach yourself, does it mean you should? Well, probably not.
You could certainly pick up the basics on your own, but learning the nuances of an Amazon FBA business is considerably harder. That’s really where a good course comes in.
A key reason for this is connected to the products you choose to sell.
To be effective at Amazon FBA, you have to be picking out products that are likely to sell and you have to sell them at a rate that actually earns you profit. To do so, you’re competing against other people on Amazon, not to mention other online stores and physical stores.
To complicate matters further, you do have to pay to ship products to Amazon and you have to pay for storage. Now, shipping is fairly cheap because of the discounts that Amazon gets. But, storage can get expensive fast if you’re not selling and making money to pay for storage. Likewise, buying products costs, so if you spend too much money on products that don’t move, you can limit your cash flow dramatically.
In a nutshell, there’s quite a bit that goes into calculating potential profit before even buying products, listing them, and shipping them to Amazon’s warehouse. If you are self taught, you can expect to make a lot of mistakes along the way. By following a course, you are avoiding the typical mistakes that everyone makes, and learning from someone who’s made those mistakes for you.
Teaching yourself how to find good products and getting the best margins is certainly possible and it is something you’d get better at as you go along. However, if you’re trying to self-teach these concepts, then you’re likely to make some pretty expensive mistakes along the way.
Besides the cost, learning what products to choose as you go can be incredibly overwhelming. I mean, there’s an almost limitless selection of products out there and some are going to do better than others.
Likewise, there are tons of different places to source products You might also get lucky and find a few rare things along the way, but successful businesses are rarely built upon luck. They are built with strong planning and foresight. The plan is exactly what you’re paying for when you invest in a course on how to sell on Amazon.
It’s easy to see just how much of a difference training could make. If nothing else, the right training means that you have to spend a lot less time guessing about what to do. You just need to follow a plan. You’re taking fewer risks, you’re less likely to make an expensive mistake, and less likely to waste time.
What About The Scams?
Scams are pretty obvious if you follow a few basic rules when checking out courses.
Making Money Requires Work
No matter how many times you see a guy sitting on his laptop running his business from a beach, that’s not how online business really works. You definitely have to put in hours to build a business, and sweating on a sandy beach with screen glare is the last place I’d like to be while writing an article or fulfilling orders.
Yes, you can eventually reap the benefits of your hard work and take vacations. If you built good systems in place, then maybe you can even take long vacations! But in the beginning you’ll have to figure out how to manage your current job, family life, and other responsibilities while LEARNING how to run your business, then taking action and doing the work.
Plus, the first time you do everything it takes longer! The learning process can be tough. But any course the promises you that you’re heading for a lifestyle of luxury starting next week is lying to you.
Profits Are Not Instant
Those $100,000 per month figures you see online? Yeah, they are possible! You can absolutely get rich starting an FBA style business. But it’s not going to happen next week, next month, or next year. It’ll likely take you a few months to get the hang of things, and a couple years to start earning good money that you can rely on consistently.
Sure, there are the occasional outliers that build six figure businesses in less than a year, but they are the exception, not the rule. If you are starting out with no experience and not much cash to purchase inventory, then you will have to take some time to build up your business.
Don’t let that discourage you! Even if it takes you 10 years to build, having a six figure business would be an amazing feat. Don’t compare yourself to other people, and never give up. Not many people can say they own a business that creates passive income, and you are just a few moments away from taking that first step towards building a successful business.
If a course promises you to be profiting next week, it’s a scam.
Nothing Is Ever “Easy” or “Done For You”
The biggest scam out there is the “done for you” business. No one is going to take the time and effort to create a profitable business then hand it over to you. It’s just that simple. They may have a formula that worked for them, but they are not going to do the work for you.
Conclusion About Scams
So it may seem like simple advice, but if an online course is promising that you can make fast, easy money, without any work, it’s a scam. Does that seem like common sense? Yup, it pretty much is. But advertising can be persuasive, so be critical of any false promises!
Picking A Good Amazon FBA Course
When it comes to Amazon FBA courses, it can be tempting to go with the cheapest option available. For example, there are some eBooks on the topic that are entirely free or video-based courses that might cost around $20.
Yet, you do tend to get what you pay for, so it’s worth spending a little money and getting something good.
Now, I don’t mean you have to go with something that costs $1,000 (some courses cost over $4,000). There are some good courses that will set you on the right track, without costing a fortune. In my opinion, the ideal price range is between $200 and $500.
The one that I recommend Amazon Bootcamp 3.0. This retails for $297 and you really do get your money’s worth. The course itself offers an extensive range of information about Amazon FBA, including the basics and more complex elements.
Many of the videos also use an over-the-shoulder style, which is exactly what you need if you’re learning a new system. In fact, one of the reasons that I suggest Amazon Bootcamp 2.0 is that the course is a perfect fit for beginners. For example, the videos are in order of what you need to do, so you can easily move from one to the next. They really explain business in total newbie language, which is perfect for someone like me!
Additionally, there is also a community component, so you can get community support and ask questions as you are figuring out Amazon FBA and how it all works.
A second option is Jim Cockrum’s Proven Amazon Course. The members area little less user-friendly and the course itself is more directed at someone with a little more experience in business, but it’s still extremely appealing because of the sheer amount of information. In fact, this course probably offers more information and bonuses than Amazon Bootcamp 2.0 and also has a community group.
In my opinion, the community for Proven Amazon Course is more active, and the type of information available on the website is more diverse (more types of business models available), so if that appeals to you, definitely check out the full review of that course.
Both courses are good choices and can teach you the simple and the complex aspects of being successful with an Amazon FBA business.
Have you invested money into a course teaching Amazon FBA? How much did it cost and were you happy with the learning material? Have you seen any results yet? I’d love to hear your comments below!
Lots of people in the comments have logged complaints about various seminar and “weekend sessions” they attended. Some of these range from $500 per person to $10,000 USD in various fees. Be careful for high priced seminars! Much of the same information is available online for $2-500, and includes lifetime support plus a thriving community. Do your research before dropping a ton of money on training.
Nathaniell
What's up ladies and dudes! Great to finally meet you, and I hope you enjoyed this post. My name is Nathaniell and I'm the owner of One More Cup of Coffee. I started my first online business in 2010 promoting computer software and now I help newbies start their own businesses. Sign up for my #1 recommended training course and learn how to start your business for FREE!
Can You Really Make Money With Vantel Pearls?
Ralphy
FBA Review
So I finished the second and third day of the 3 day seminar and they were not as bad as the first day.
The first day was 90% an emotional sales pitch. It was designed to make you look into the future and see nothing but poverty. And if you don’t take action now you too will die in poverty.
So you better do something…anything, just jump in don’t think because if you do nothing it is better than doing the wrong thing.
They said that over and over. And that is ridiculous. Doing nothing is much better than doing the wrong thing.
In this case if you are looking for a business the right thing is keep looking… elsewhere. Keep studying Amazon if that is what you think you want to do.
And always know that the idea that you need to buy now to get the special deal is false.
I’m sure if you call them in 2 months with a $35,000 check you can still get the deal, probably a better deal.
But never in the 3 days did they ever show a consistent track record of student success. Sure they had a few vague testimonies, the teacher showed us that he sold 2 watches while the seminar was in progress. BUT NEVER DID THEY SHOW ANY KIND OF TRACK RECORD OF OVERALL STUDENT SUCCESS.
The psychology of how they talk was to make you feel desperate so that you make the decision to join.
I’ve been to many presentations like this. Often network marketing presents like this. But in those cases the risk is low. Here the risk is $35,000.
They get you to ignore the risk.
They even tell you that if you don’t risk enough you won’t take it seriously.
Every word of this carnival show is scripted, especially the “spontaneous” moments.
I really thought that the teacher was very untrustworthy. I don’t even believe his story.
He looks to be about 55 years old and claims that he has been a business success all his life creating and selling businesses.
But just 3 years ago he met Adam Bowser some 35 year old kid who showed him how to make real money in Amazon.
He keeps calling Adam bowser “his mentor” The ego of this guy was way too big to have some young kid be his mentor.
This guy was just too good a salesman. He had to be a profession pitch man. He was like an actor. You don’t get that good at pitching a program simply because you had success in the business.
This guy was a hired gun a great salesman.
The second day they did actually teach me things about selling on Amazon.
Sure I could have bought a book or DVD and learned the same things but you pay a premium to have someone spoon feed it. So I’m ok with that.
Still there was a lot of focus on getting you to pay $35,000 for the big program.
I had a lot of questions and they told me to save them for my meeting with my private “coach.”
When I met with my “coach”
he was less interested in answering my questions and more interested in selling me the program.
That being said he answered some (but not all) of my questions.
He was not high pressure.
So rather than say if this was good or bad I’d rather give it a value. I think this seminar is worth about $350 for one person. Since I paid $1000 for 2 people it is as if I paid $500 for one. So I think I overpaid a little but it was not what I would call a total rip off.
The system “sounds” great. The concept is this:
If we act as a group we have much more buying power and get better deals.
If you join the group they will do all the grunt work all you have to do is look for good deals and things to sell.
Also they supposedly have a team of people who look out for you to help you get better deals and make better decisions.
It sounds great in concept.
The biggest problem is there is NO PROOF of anyone being successful from this program. I am simply supposed to trust them to do and be who they say they are.
In the whole seminar there 5 were vague testimonies.
Why aren’t there 100 rave reviews?
That is a red flag. Especially from an Amazon company. Amazon stores live and die by reviews and ratings. Why none here? Why is it not listed on Yelp?
For me I felt no reason to trust them. No proof, no evidence, 6 (unconfirmed) testimonies?
The one shady thing that I would consider a bait and switch was this:
At the free seminar they told us the concept of having better buying power with this company. The idea that this company will provide us with better sources for products.
I understood that there was going to be up selling. I thought they would sell coaching and other forms of help. But I also believed that we could be a part of the buying network regardless. I didn’t think that we would need to pay them a huge fee in order to buy from them. I thought they wanted that because the more people buying with them the better.
I can’t say that their system is not legitimate but I am sure that they did not show me any proof in terms of numbers, sales, growth or happy customers that they were successful.
The teacher showed one or 2 things that he was selling. But that can not be considered proof of long term success for him or anyone.
It’s funny, the whole class he kept talking about believing the numbers and acting according to the numbers with no emotions yet he did not show us success in terms of numbers, and the sales pitch was purely an emotional one.
If I’m being fair I can’t say that it’s a scam I can only talk about what I experienced.
They spend a lot of energy getting you to simply throw caution to the wind and “take action!” NOW. “Just do it” “Make it happen”
They get you to think that $35,000 is not a lot of money. (That is just for training). They do this little by little with emotional stories and conditioning. You also have to spend $50,000 for products. Products you buy from them.
The big thing here is TRUST. They spend a lot of time telling you not to worry about the money because this is an investment.
There is nothing wrong with that but who would make a $80,000 investment without really running the numbers? Don’t invest on emotion alone.
They want you to invest simply because you TRUST them. And I can’t believe how anyone could trust these people.
At one point the teacher showed how he listed something on Amazon on Friday and it sold by Sunday. This was supposed to be proof that the system works.
PROOF? Maybe he sold it maybe he didn’t, maybe he asked one of his friends to buy it.
He told many touching stories many of which I doubted were true.
These types of programs are about getting your trust and I for one simply do not trust them.
The formula is to make you feel financially ruined then to trust them, to feel desperate enough to throw caution to the wind and pay up.
They said over and over again. “It’s better to do the wrong thing” than nothing. BUT THAT IS NOT TRUE.
Waiting for a better thing is not “doing nothing”
Researching other things is not doing nothing.
And it is certainly better to do nothing than to give someone you just met $35,000 without any evidence or a track record.
I learned some things. All of the services that they provide are available all over the internet.
People did sign up and I wish them the best. I simply don’t trust them.
In the end I give this 3 day course a value of $350 per person.
I paid $1000 for 2 people. I’m not dissatisfied.
If you are going for an education then it’s ok. Education costs money.
But if you are the vulnerable type of person who buys on emotion. If you are a trusting person who has a hard time saying NO, if you are in a desperate situation financially right now then stay away.
Nathaniell
What was the exact course name?
Ralphy
The simply called it FBA Stores
Fullfilment By Amazon
FBAstores.com
Waymouth MA
They didn’t name the seminar but on the workbook cover was Chris and Adam Bowser
Amazon Explosion Workshop was on the first page but they didn’t advertise it as that. Just
The simply called it FBA Stores
Fullfilment By Amazon
Renato
I just went to their presentation last night and the presenter mentioned some “app” that you can scan bar codes or look up products and it will tell you if it’s in the top 10% of products being sold on Amazon as well as what the selling price it. He wouldn’t release the app name. They claim that they tell you the app name on day one. Did you get an app? what is it called? was it a subscription service app or one time purchase?
Nathaniell
I’m sure you can look this up. There’s enough people talking about Amazon FBA on blogs that the information is out there. Or search the app store yourself. Don’t pay a could thousand dollars just to find out an app name.
Gary Graham
Damn Dude. What part of all that COULD NOT be a scam?
Gunny D
Ditto to most of what Ralph says…I thought the course was worth about $500(250 ea) NOT 1k(500 ea) The first day was a HARD 5hr sell of buy into the program day with maybe 2/3 hrs of actual content. Day 2 was probably 5hrs of decent Amazon content with 2hr passive sell content. Day 3 was some Amazon content and then some pretty shady stuff that is against Amazon policy.
Then the coaches meeting for the final push to buy 35k program. Saw a few people buy it but this isn’t a car deal where you get to drive the car home at the end of the day you just give them $$$ and hope its a good deal. In the car business we call these guys Sharks and/or carneys.
However, I did bring up numerous things that were said at the FREE seminar that did NOT translate into ANY of the 3 programs did not get a good answer or a “huh” let me check on that i’ll get back to you. Too many “real time” red flags to go along with the ALL the bad “on line” reviews to buy into FBA Stores. With that said I did learn some pretty decent stuff about Amazon and I am not upset about taking the course, but they could have made it a a GREAT course if they were not sharks trying to get the BIG sale and they should cut the price in half.
The speaker was very knowledgeable and fun but 35k is a pretty good chunk of $$$ to spend on a what if with a jump of faith.
All in all I do not know if the “student partners” pitch is a scam or not since I did NOT sign up but on paper it looked good. Too bad there isn’t any good verification of FBA Stores and/or their success rate.
These comments are imho
Amy rose
I just finished the 3 day seminar and I could not agree more 10000000 % on all the above comments by Ralphy..The presented was smoother than a used car saleman….and the $35,000 I would be weary to give to them with no proven track record . The course is worth maybe $300 some useful info but nothing that was promised in the initial 2 hour seminar . Watch out!!!!!!
Leann Mccamey
Do you know anything specific about “FBS Stores” Amazon training program? They charge $995.00 and you can bring a guest free to the three day live training workshop. I don’t know if they are planning on trying to sell me an ongoing mentorship? Do you?
JEREMY D NGUYEN
Very Well written and the exact experience I had!!
Ken
Definitely a scam they will forget about you after they are secure with your money I spent over $10,000 which I won’t never see again I try to hire a lawyer but after he review the contract he basically said to me safe your money he won’t be able to do much for me just spend more of my $$$ ;/ so people be aware of this scam artist!
Ralphy
I would be interested to know the details of your experience after spending $10,000. What was the coaching like? What type of items did they sell you? How good or bad were Adams “deals”
jonnyboy7974
the illusion with online selling is people think they are going to become rich overnight people dont realize you have to invest time and money to make money, and more importsantly you have to be willing to wait nothing happens over night. my experience with fbastores has been nothing but the best and i strongly advise anyone who is on the fence about signing up to do it. you wont regret it!
Ralphy
Thank you for that but can you tell me what you mean by “nothing but the best?” Can you use numbers? Can you tell us about some of the deals you made where they helped you? How long have you done this? On average how much money do you make? What is your percentage return on your money? I want to believe.
Sand
Bullshit they took me for 30k that’s 30,000!
There is 100% better info online. Plus the suppliers they recommend are middleman and you will never make a profit that can sustain a true business. The suppliers are not true wholesalers they jack up price and when item gets into Amazon store you realize how bad there are tons of sellers already with product and since you bought it overpriced to begin with
Your set up for losses losses losses. I hate them
I know I can’t sue them because they are great scammers and I’ve already loss dearly
Don’t believe them , I am disgusted! Really what was I thinking 30,000 Diamond fuckin package bullshit don’t do it 🤣
mfineandandi
I have been to the 2 hour introduction, then I went to the 3 day $1000 workshop. Then I decided to NOT continue with the coaching program since I didn’t have the money. Later that week, they called me for a special program which I could pay less for and receive more. I did sign up for the coaching. I’ve been through 3 coaches. 1st one never called me back when I needed a simple answer to a question. I got a second one assigned to me and he didn’t keep an appointment. The third one is ok but makes sure we quit at 45 minutes (not the 45-60 minutes I’m suppose to get). I was promised an amount of inventory to sell from them as a bonus (big surprise – I have yet to see it). Then I got a call from the tax attorney people who talked me into forming an LLC, for $1,800), which I backed out of the next day. They called back and cut the price way back so I decided to go with it. I am still confused about what to do and have not made any money yet but have spent a small fortune (which I don’t have). Their guarantee states that they will work with me until I make back the money I spent with them. But how will they do that when I only have 8 sessions with a coach? They didn’t have an answer for that. I wish I would have read the reviews here before doing all that I have done. At the workshop they tell you that you can buy your inventory from them (since they said they have inventory they will sell me – which is one of the reasons I signed up), but now am told they have no inventory. I am about to call my credit card company and cancel the transactions. If I don’t receive my bonus inventory within the next week, I’m out. Don’t do what I’ve done. Stay away from FBA Stores.
tawny
I’m wondering if it’s a goodideaand I’m realizing that I asked well if I don’thave that kind of money right now and have never had that kind of money in my life to pay for the glass is there anyway that I can do a payment plan and the gentleman in the back home I know you’ll have to come back when you actually have the full amount of funding but they’ve been calling me for the last 3 weeks trying to get me to come in on a cheaper discount plan so it must all be a scam really right
Nathaniell
If they are calling you, it’s probably a scam.
CJ
Thank you for your report. I went to a FBA meeting this morning, felt scamy so I started googling.
Mark Rifkin
Like anything else you get out what you put in. We had great coaching and the angel list of wholesalers was a big help too. Coaching hotline is always available if we get stuck or forge how to do something
Ralphie
It seems to me that the people who say that they like the program are very vague. They don’t give specifics. Tell us about some deals you made. How much did you spend how much did you make? The complainers give specifics, I believe them. I don’t know if the people who say they like the program are real.
Sand
Lies lies lies they are not true wholesalers
They are middlemen and will sell you overpriced
Items . Don’t do it I wish I would not have been so stupid now I’m in debt 30k but watch out I am going to try to get some of my money back if not I will post my experience absolutely everywhere for all to see what scams they are running
Stay tuned