Ladies and Gents, November is upon us. Wow. So in eComm terms. Black friday/Cyber Monday is like next week when taking lead times into account. Amazon is up to shenanigans again after posting crazy profits (upwards of $42 Billion from sellers alone, no big deal). “ How much estimated GMV do US based sellers generate on Amazon? — Answer below This week in Amazon Stupidity We get it. Congress passed the INFORM Act is a silly attempt to make consumers safer. Meanwhile all it did was add red tape...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
JAS Fam! Again, thanks for giving me the time and attention to intrude on your inbox. Before this value packed version below, a little about what I’ve been up to over the past few weeks. Without a doubt, most of you have been hearing from me via my welcome flow. But now I'm back and happier than ever to show you guys what I've been up to all August and September. What I've prepared for my beloved subscribers (because that's what you truly are, really, I promise) is a mini series on the...
about 1 month ago • 7 min read
If you’ve been anywhere near earth this year, you’d think AI personally invented e-commerce. Every talk, every LinkedIn post, every “next big tool” pitch is about it. Liek who didn't hear that ChatGPT now has checkout abilities this week? Where AI actually matters is product development. It’s now a HUGE part of the business where data and instinct have to work together to win. That’s where my attention has been this year — and it led me straight into one of the most effective systems for...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
This week I’ve got Dell handing out “free” money, Walmart loosening yet tightening its grip on MCF, and Shopify testing what looks like AI-powered magic on the checkout page — while somehow no one’s talking about the fine print. “ Prime Day is held in 26 countries. Which countries experienced Prime Day for the first time this week? — Name Did you know ChatGPT runs out of gas? Me neither. There I was, coming up with my LinkedIn post based on this newsletter and Chat gave me this. I never saw...
5 months ago • 5 min read
I remember being on a webinar last year with Vanessa Hung and Chelsea Cohen from Carbon6 with them explaining the ridiculousness of the new Amazon fees for using FBA. We were all frustrated and curious at what the new fee structure meant for our businesses and margins. But here we are, with no more "minimal split" options (only single facility or Amazon Optimized Splits) where out of the box (see what I did there) thinking kicked in. 📦 Amazon's Fee Games Just Got Outsmarted — Kind Of At...
5 months ago • 2 min read
Sometimes I forget how privileged I (we?) are to have the opportunity to operate freely in the land of the free, and the home of the brave, with all the liberties this great nation affords us. Free markets and entrepreneurship is what built this country for a quarter century. Here's to being a proud American, proud of that flag, showing we're not perfect but always chugging to make ourselves better. Happy 4th of July (even to those of you abroad!). Amazon marketplace is the best place to be...
5 months ago • 7 min read
Didn’t I tell you Trump was going to extend the TikTok deadline? That’s not a “told you so.” It’s a reminder: in this business, if you’re not tracking the weird intersection of politics, policy, and platforms… you’re missing half the playbook. This week’s issue of Just a Seller is packed: What Chase is (laughably) celebrating A new Amazon policy that could crush resellers My 9-year experiment with Walmart (spoiler: still not profitable) And what I think of masterminds like MDS, even when I...
5 months ago • 6 min read
🛢️ War, Oil, and Your FBA Carton: Why You Should Care About the Israel–Iran Escalation Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, not what this week's about. Last weekish, Israel reportedly struck inside Iran, aiming at nuclear infrastructure — a move that could shift the entire geopolitical axis of the Middle East. If you’re thinking, “Okay Charles, and?” — you’re missing the play. Because whether you sell bath mats, garlic presses, or do eight figures in office furniture, this matters. And it matters now....
6 months ago • 2 min read
Welcome back, eCommercers—especially the ones juggling freight quotes, diaper listings, and a sudden distrust of TikTok’s algorithm. I waded through the usual sludge of Amazon updates, fintech fumbles, and marketplace chaos to pull out what actually matters this week. Whether you’re still figuring out where the Vine program went wrong (spoiler: everywhere), or debating if Chase’s new card is a fancy scam, I’ve got you. This isn’t a guru pitch. It’s not a vibe. It’s ops and insight from...
6 months ago • 9 min read