Serious Sellers Podcast: Learn How To Sell On Amazon FBA & Walmart

Explore the white-hat advantages and black-hat tactics used by Chinese Amazon sellers, from rapid product testing and supplier research to manufactured demand, AI imagery, and branding gaps.

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What strategies are Chinese Amazon sellers using to compete, and what can sellers elsewhere learn from them? Recorded in Shenzhen, China, Bradley Sutton sits down with experienced Amazon seller and new Helium 10 team member Shawn Su to explore the advantages, tactics, and challenges shaping one of the world’s most competitive e-commerce communities.

Shawn shares his journey from two unsuccessful product launches to building two six-figure Amazon brands. He explains how he discovers overlooked opportunities using narrow price filters, minimum search-volume requirements, weak competitor images, and low title density. He also reveals why the ability to test small orders, respond to reviews, modify products, and launch improved versions quickly may be a greater advantage than lower manufacturing costs.

The conversation also examines a controversial tactic involving manufactured keyword demand. Some sellers use external traffic to make previously unknown search terms appear popular before launching new FBA listings. Bradley explains why a sudden search-volume spike does not always represent organic demand—and why sellers should investigate where that traffic is coming from before entering the market.

From reverse-sourcing products through 1688.com to accessing real-time information through WeChat seller groups, Shawn provides a rare look inside China’s Amazon ecosystem. But speed and sourcing are not everything. Western sellers can still gain an edge through cultural understanding, memorable storytelling, customer relationships, and long-term brand building.

In episode 767 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Bradley and Shawn discuss:

00:00 - Introduction

01:26 - Shawn Su’s Background In China

02:29 - Discovering Amazon And E-Commerce

03:38 - Two Failed Product Launches

06:06 - Finding His First Successful Product

08:02 - Shawn’s Product Research Strategy

10:06 - Using Title Density To Find Opportunities

11:44 - How Sellers Manufacture Keyword Demand

15:06 - The Speed Advantage Of Chinese Sellers

16:48 - Affordable Product Photography And AI Images

19:39 - Reverse-Sourcing Competitors Through 1688

20:46 - WeChat Groups And Real-Time Seller Intelligence

22:38 - Why Western Sellers Win At Brand Storytelling

Enjoy this episode? Be sure to check out our previous episodes for even more content to propel you to Amazon FBA Seller success! And don’t forget to “Like” our Facebook page and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen to our podcast.

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Freedom Ticket: Taught by Amazon thought leader Kevin King, get A-Z Amazon strategies and techniques for establishing and solidifying your business.

Helium 10: 30+ software tools to boost your entire sales pipeline from product research to customer communication and Amazon refund automation. Make running a successful Amazon or Walmart business easier with better data and insights. See what our customers have to say.

Helium 10 Chrome Extension: Verify your Amazon product idea and validate how lucrative it can be with over a dozen data metrics and profitability estimation.

SellerTrademarks.com: Trademarks are vital for protecting your Amazon brand from hijackers, and sellertrademarks.com provides a streamlined process for helping you get one.

A handmade Christmas gift became a patented product and a multimillion-dollar Amazon business. Discover the licensing, team-building, and growth strategies behind its success.

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► Free Amazon Seller Chrome Extension: https://h10.me/extension

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► Learn How To Sell on Amazon: https://h10.me/ft

 

What began as a handmade Christmas gift eventually became a patented product, a successful licensing deal, and a multimillion-dollar Amazon brand. Super Blanky founder and CEO Karen Bonnici joins Bradley alongside her nephew and newest intern, Jack Lustig, to share the story behind the wearable blanket. After watching the children play with her original cape-style design, Karen developed its signature pocket sleeves, hand-sewed the first 500 units, and validated the idea through craft shows.

Karen later licensed her patents and trademarks to a manufacturer that brought the product into Target with characters such as Jurassic Park and Paw Patrol. Although the arrangement generated approximately $4 million in first-year retail sales, Karen earned only a royalty percentage and had limited control over the brand’s direction. When the licensing business began to decline, she learned e-commerce, sourced her own inventory, and launched Super Blanky on Amazon with two SKUs. The brand generated approximately $75,000 in its first five months, reached $2.2 million in sales last year, and is now projected to more than double that revenue.

The conversation also explores Karen’s approach to building a team around complementary strengths. Her creativity and product-development experience are balanced by Jack’s background in data science, economics, and competitive sports. As he learns PPC, inventory management, and Amazon operations, Jack is gaining real-world experience while helping the family business become more data-driven. Karen also discusses simplifying her brand identity, tracking every major business change, investing in education, and keeping essential talent inside the company.

With TikTok, Shopify, new products, and an eventual exit on the horizon, Karen is deliberately building Super Blanky with room for its next owner to grow. Her journey proves that an idea does not need to begin with a perfect business plan. It can begin with one thoughtful gift, one problem worth solving, and the courage to keep learning until that small idea becomes something far bigger.

In episode 766 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Bradley, Karen, and Jack discuss:

00:00 - Introduction

00:50 - Meet Karen Bonnici And Jack Lustig

05:14 - The Idea Behind Super Blanky

07:18 - From Handmade Blankets To A Patented Product

08:15 - Licensing The Product For Major Retailers

11:23 - Taking Control Of The Brand

13:20 - Launching And Scaling On Amazon

16:08 - Bringing Jack Into The Family Business

19:26 - Reaching $2.2 Million In Annual Sales

19:55 - Expanding To TikTok And Shopify

24:10 - Strategies That Helped The Business Grow

31:34 - Preparing The Company For An Eventual Exit

Kickstarter rejected her product, but she built the same product into a million-dollar brand. Learn how viral videos and founder-led content transformed an overlooked pain point into success.

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What happens when a failed nursing student, experienced e-commerce marketer, and new mother transforms a personal frustration into a million-dollar brand? In this episode, Bradley Sutton speaks with Kate Bray, founder of Reb Relief, about the unconventional journey that led her from Amazon advertising and agency leadership to creating a product inspired by her postpartum experience. After building and testing her own prototype, Kate posted a seven-second TikTok video that went viral and a second video helped her collect approximately 1,500 email sign-ups before producing a single unit.

Her launch nearly collapsed when Kickstarter rejected the product just three days before the campaign was scheduled to begin. Instead of walking away, Kate turned the rejection into a powerful marketing hook and moved the launch to Shopify. Through preorders, a local credit-union loan, and investments from strategic advisors, she raised enough to fund a $60,000 initial purchase order. Despite spending most of her career in the Amazon ecosystem, Kate has yet to launch Reb Relief on Amazon because the brand has remained consistently sold out through Shopify.

Kate also reveals the strategies behind the company’s rapid growth. She invested early in a utility patent and professional product development, positioned Reb Relief inside an underserved blue-ocean category, and used the taboo surrounding period pain as a marketing advantage. Founder-led videos continue to outperform traditional user-generated content, while an appearance on *The Drew Barrymore Show* created stronger results when repurposed as credibility-building creative in Meta ads. She also uses Helium 10 to study keyword demand, validate new product ideas, and determine which brand extensions offer the greatest potential.

After surpassing $1 million in sales and helping approximately 14,000 customers, Kate is now preparing Reb Relief for its next chapter: brick-and-mortar retail. Her goal is to see the brand carried by major retailers such as Target, CVS, or Walmart and eventually become the defining name in its category. Her story is a reminder that meaningful businesses are not built by avoiding failure; they are built by turning rejection, uncertainty, and overlooked problems into opportunities worth pursuing.

In episode 765 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Bradley and Kate discuss:

00:00 - Introduction

01:24 - Kate’s Unconventional Journey Into E-Commerce

05:54 - How Seven Seconds Can Change Your Life

08:32 - Turning A Postpartum Struggle Into A Product

09:44 - Viral Videos Validate Demand Before The Launch

11:05 - Building Reb Relief With An Abundance Mindset

12:06 - Turning Kickstarter Rejection Into 1,500 Preorders

14:47 - Why Reb Relief Has Not Entered Amazon

18:02 - Protecting A Blue-Ocean Product From Competitors

20:28 - The Real Value Of National Media Exposure

22:01 - Founder-Led Content Drives Most Shopify Sales

25:32 - Using Helium 10 To Validate Product Ideas

27:35 - Retail Ambitions And The Impact Of 14,000 Customers

What do homemade soap, TikTok creators, AI automation, and old-school catalogs have in common? Discover how two sellers use them to build and grow multimillion-dollar e-commerce brands.

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► Free Amazon Seller Chrome Extension: https://h10.me/extension

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► Learn How To Sell on Amazon: https://h10.me/ft

 

What does it take to turn a homemade product into a multimillion-dollar brand? In this episode, Bradley Sutton speaks with Joe McCutcheon, founder of Carolina Castile Soap, and Marc Messer from Advanced Bionutritionals. Together, they reveal how product differentiation, creator partnerships, AI-powered systems, and even old-school direct mail can produce remarkable results in today’s e-commerce world.

Joe began making soap for his cleaning company before testing it on eBay and eventually launching on Amazon. After years of reinvesting his profits and producing batches from his kitchen and garage, he grew Carolina Castile Soap from $1.8 million last year toward a projected $3 million this year. Joe explains how professional packaging, distinctive scents, Helium 10 research, and a community of TikTok creators helped the brand stand apart. Today, approximately 70% of its revenue comes from Amazon, while TikTok Shop has become both a profitable channel and a source of additional Amazon demand.

Marc shares a very different path to growth at Advanced Bionutritionals, a primarily direct-to-consumer company generating between $30 million and $50 million annually. He breaks down the company’s marketing-first product launch process, multichannel profitability analysis, and use of AI to create SOPs, forecast inventory, analyze real-time data, and generate dozens of advertising variations within minutes. He also explains why long-form direct mail still works for the right demographic and why brands need a proven sales message, sufficient cash flow, and patience before testing it.

Whether you are making your first product at home or managing tens of millions of dollars across multiple channels, the principles remain the same: understand your customers, create something worth remembering, and build systems that give your best people room to grow. Success rarely comes from following the crowd. It comes from remaining curious, acting on what you learn, and having the courage to build the brand your customers will never want to leave.

In episode 764 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Bradley, Joe, and Marc discuss:

00:00 - Introduction

02:09 - Cleaning Business Inspires A Homemade Soap Brand

05:10 - Growing Revenue From $1.8 Million To $3 Million

07:30 - Balancing Amazon Sales With Profitable TikTok Growth

09:28 - Using Helium 10 To Research New Products

12:28 - Better Packaging And Scents Transform The Brand

16:18 - Building A TikTok Creator Community Beyond Samples

21:57 - Mark’s Multichannel And Marketing-First Growth Strategy

27:18 - Using AI To Improve Operations And Forecasting

33:29 - Scaling Creative Testing With AI-Generated Ad Variations

35:27 - Who Should Consider Traditional Direct Mail Marketing

38:28 - Building Customer Loyalty And A 70% Reorder Rate

One Amazon review helped destroy a brand and led to bankruptcy. Discover how its owner rebuilt his life and earned up to $28K a month in TikTok Shop commissions after losing everything.

► Watch The Podcasts On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Helium10SeriousSellersPodcast?sub_confirmation=1
► Instagram: instagram.com/serioussellerspodcast

► Free Amazon Seller Chrome Extension: https://h10.me/extension

► Sign Up For Helium 10: https://h10.me/signup  (Use SSP10 To Save 10% For Life)

► Learn How To Sell on Amazon: https://h10.me/ft

 

Paul Baron returns to the Serious Sellers Podcast to share one of the most candid stories ever featured on the show. After entering e-commerce in 2015, Paul and his wife launched a reusable baby swim diaper on the first-ever Prime Day. Their Amazon brand eventually approached $1 million in annual sales, leading them to turn down a potential exit in hopes of building an even more valuable business.

Everything changed when COVID disrupted the swimming industry, and a damaging one-star review accused the company of shipping a used swim diaper through Amazon FBA. The review accumulated hundreds of helpful votes, while listing attacks, incorrect adult-product classifications, rising freight costs, and a delayed container caused the company to miss its peak season. A $500,000 EIDL loan intended to accelerate growth only intensified the financial pressure, eventually leaving Paul and his wife with bankruptcy as their best path forward.

Paul also opens up about the emotional consequences of losing the business and the danger of tying an entrepreneur’s identity to revenue, recognition, and public success. With support from his family, friends, and a mental health professional, he began confronting the problems he had avoided and redefining what success meant. That recovery eventually created space for an unexpected new chapter as a TikTok Shop creator.

After earning only $3 during his first three months, Paul learned how to combine powerful hooks, clear product keywords, compelling scripts, and consistent content. His commissions eventually reached approximately $28,000 in one month, with one day generating around $8,000. Now known as @realdadreviews on TikTok, Paul proves that losing one business does not mean losing your future. Sometimes the end of one dream becomes the beginning of a stronger, healthier, and more meaningful one.

In episode 763 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Bradley and Paul discuss:

00:00 - Introduction

03:30 - How Paul Entered The Amazon Business

06:08 - Nearly $1 Million And The Growth Trap

07:54 - Why Paul Chose Not To Sell

09:51 - COVID And The Review That Changed Everything

12:43 - Listing Attacks And A Costly Shipping Crisis

14:28 - The $500,000 Loan Used To Force Growth

16:47 - Public Exposure Reveals The Full Debt Crisis

19:06 - Choosing Bankruptcy And Beginning A Mental Recovery

23:18 - Paul Starts His New TikTok Chapter

24:05 - Cracking TikTok Hooks, Keywords, And Content Indexing

25:26 - TikTok Commissions Climb To $28,000 Monthly

30:52 - Paul’s Beginner Roadmap For TikTok Shop Creators