The Garlic Press, Issue 15: Bad Knees Yoga, Global Talent Map, Amazon Rentals
and more...
Hello, and welcome to another edition of The Garlic Press, a newsletter for Amazon sellers, written by an Amazon seller.
I digest hundreds of Amazon-related podcasts, Youtube videos and newsletters and bring you the best bits.
Here are this week's top insights:
🎯 One Product, Many Stories: Match Ads to What People Actually Want
🐹 The Guinea Pig Method: Validate New Niches via Successful New Sellers
🛡️ The Amazon Image Test: How to Avoid the Ban Hammer
🗺️ Stop Hiring Filipino VAs for Everything: The Real Global Talent Map
♻️ The "Amazon Rentals" Trap: How to Avoid Profit-Killing Returns
🎯 One Product, Many Stories: Match Ads to What People Actually Want
Your customers aren't searching for a keyword. they're searching for a solution to a problem.
Someone types "yoga mat for hot yoga"? They're imagining themselves dripping sweat, and losing weight. Show them THAT. Sweaty and fit model, towel nearby, mat that clearly handles moisture.
"Yoga mat for bad knees"? That's a grandma trying to stay active without destroying her joints. Show HER. Knee support, extra cushioning.
Same mat. Completely different emotional triggers.
How to do it:
Create Buyer Buckets by grouping keywords based on what the person actually wants. Are they buying a wedding gift? For daily use? For a specific problem like bad knees?
Craft a Story for Each Bucket, a unique ad, with different headlines, images and copy.
Launch a Separate Campaign for Each Bucket.
Watch and Learn. Which stories get the most clicks? Which ones actually turn into sales? You’ll quickly see which customer stories are the most successful. Kill the losers and work with the winners.
Extra bits:
Complexity: Medium.
Time: 4-8 hours per ASIN if you're not overthinking it.
Tags: #PPC #Advertising #ConversionRateOptimisation
[source]
🐹 The Guinea Pig Method: Validate New Niches via Successful New Sellers
Before you jump into a niche, look for sellers with under 250 reviews who launched in the last year and are achieving significant revenue (e.g., $10k+/month).
If you find three or more of these then that's your green light.
If all you see at the top are old, high-review listings, it’s a red flag. Run away.
How to do it:
Pick a niche the usual way: keyword research, trends, your product radar.
Pull up the main keywords in Helium 10 X-Ray, Jungle Scout, or whatever you trust.
Filter for successful new sellers:
< 250 reviews
Launch date within the last 12 months (“Creation Date” in H10).
Sexy monthly revenue.
The 3+ Rule: Find at least 3 of those? Green light. Less than that? Yellow to red flag.
Extra bits:
Complexity: Low–Medium
Time: 30–60 min per niche
Tags: #ProductResearch #NicheValidation
[source]
🛡️ The Amazon Image Test: How to Avoid a Suppression
One "risky" main image can cause Amazon to suppress your entire listing.
Here's how to avoid this: you create a clone of your product in Seller Central, make it "Fulfilled by Merchant", and put a ridiculously high price on it. Then, you swap in your new, potentially risky image. If Amazon suppresses it, you lose nothing. If it passes, you know you're safe to upgrade your main listing.
Duplicate the ASIN inside Seller Central, switch it to FBM, set the price sky-high and upload the new image there. Moderation reviews the clone. If it clears, the original ASIN is safe to upgrade. The step shields your conversion history and keeps ads running. Use it for thumbnails, infographics and lifestyle shots that edge near policy lines.
How to do it:
In Seller Central, Add a Product → Sell a product similar to this.
Copy everything: title, bullets, backend keywords.
Change SKU to
{ASIN}-TEST, quantity = 1.Set to Fulfilled by Merchant.
Price at x3 normal so no one clicks “Buy”.
Save and wait for Amazon to index it.
Swap in the new main image.
If it passes, upload the same image to the real ASIN and republish.
Close/delete the test listing.
Extra bits:
Complexity: Medium. It involves a few steps, but it’s straightforward.
Implementation Time: About 30 minutes per image test, plus waiting time for Amazon.
Tags: #ImageOptimization #RiskManagement
🗺️ Stop Hiring Filipino VAs for Everything: The Real Global Talent Map
If your answer to “Where do I hire remote workers?” is always “Philippines,” you are missing out on better talent elsewhere. People from the Philippines are great for customer service and basic admin. They are generally not as good for complex analytical work.
The best data-driven PPC managers are often in Pakistan.
Eastern Europe (Ukraine, Poland, Romania) is great for detail-obsessed SEOs and world-class web devs.
Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, etc.) is a surprisingly good talent source if you are looking for affordable graphic designers who “get” US culture and work in a US timezone.
To find them, avoid the mainstream platforms and use specialized sites like Jobrack (Eastern Europe) and Workana (Latin America).
Extra bits:
Complexity: complex. Hiring great people has never been easy.
Tags: #HR
[Source: Selling on Amazon with Andy Isom]
♻️ The "Amazon Rentals" Trap: How to Avoid Profit-Killing Returns
Some shoppers now treat Amazon like Blockbuster with free shipping: they buy a product, use it for one weekend, and then send it back for a full refund. Great for them, bad for you. Think Halloween costumes, party decorations, or a special tool for a one-off DIY project. Some categories hit 30% return rates.
These are products that fit two dangerous criteria:
they are used for a specific, short-term scenario (like a party costume)
they are a reluctant "need," not an enthusiastic "want" (like a pair of crutches). These products have sky-high return rates because customers are already in a bad mood about buying them and have no long-term use for them.
Steer clear of both to protect your profits.
How to do it:
During product research, add an "Amazon Rentals" check to your criteria.
Ask: "Is this product primarily used for a specific, one-time event or a very short duration? If yes, this is a major red flag. Avoid it.
Extra bits:
Complexity: Low
Time: 1–2 min per product in research phase
Tags: #ProductResearch #ReturnRate
[Source: Selling on Amazon with Andy Isom]
This is it for this week. I hope you enjoyed it!
Max Burdilov