This is the fourth in a series of columns chronicling the entrepreneurial journey of an aspiring e-commerce business owner and the ins and outs of starting an Amazon business.
By Jane Han
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They talk numbers, marketing strategies and everything else in between, but never disclose their items.
At first, I thought it was odd. What's wrong with talking about this?
I even made the mistake of naively asking the forbidden question only to be met with an awkward and hesitant answer that wasn't even really an answer.
After a few more of those awkward moments, I learned why that information is considered top secret.
Say you're doing a moderate $10,000 in monthly sales for one particular product. Why would you want to tell anyone what that item is? Why risk inviting more competition?
After three years of running this business, one of the few things I learned that I didn't know before is to never brag about your business.
It's part of human nature to want to show off. And when you're raking in more than $50,000 a month without working 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., without having a boss to report to and without even having to leave the comfort of your home every day, it is so very natural to want to show off.
But if you start spilling all the details of your money-making business, you may soon find new competition. And that competition can even be your friend.
True story here.
I had an acquaintance who I knew sold on Amazon as a part-time gig. I knew he sold a fabric-related item and I knew he sold lots of it. But didn't know anything more than that.
I learned later through another friend that he sold adult bibs, which are pretty popular at barbecue restaurants in Korea but not so much here in the U.S.
I was surprised at first as I would've never imagined that a 40-something accounting professional somehow landed on selling a product like an adult bib. Knowing that he does roughly $15,000 a month in sales on that bib item alone, why not?
So after learning that business was pretty good, I found myself exploring the possibility of jumping into that category as well.
If I hadn't known that this acquaintance did well selling these unusual bibs, I would've never even thought of looking into it. That product would have never crossed my mind.
I ended up abandoning the possibility for various reasons, but if I decided to go for it, I could've added a few upgrades to the product, made it better or even cheaper to become his new competition.
This is a good example of why never to open up too much.
Relationships between fellow sellers can be tricky, but other than the potential of becoming rivals, the camaraderie is something quite special.
Non-sellers often consider e-commerce business as something easy. Maybe too easy.
I know many full-time Amazon sellers who get extremely frustrated and even angry when they hear people say something along the lines of, ''If my career doesn't work out, I'll just sell on Amazon for a living,'' as if running this business is a last-resort, piece-of-cake kind of thing.
People who've been in e-commerce for even a few short months know that the challenges and hurdles of operating a successful business is just as competitive as handling any other full-time career.
Overseeing all the nitty-gritty of manufacturing, shipping, providing customer service and so much more to keep a business running is not something to be considered lightly. And because e-commerce has such a distinct nature of its own, having a community of fellow sellers that has my back feels like a huge support.
A quick search on YouTube throws at you hundreds of experienced sellers promising to give you the best and only advice you'll ever need to succeed on Amazon. These people sometimes even openly share their best-selling product to prove themselves and attract more subscribers, but don't consider them mainstream.
They often do give good general tips but that's about it.
In fact, don't expect anything more from anyone else either. Unless you're paying money for one-on-one consulting or a similar customized service, you won't get what you need to launch and maintain a successful business. Even if you're paying for service, learning first-hand beats getting spoon-fed information.
As it is with everything else in life, if you pursue a relationship to satisfy your needs, you're not going to get either.
Newbies are quick to ask people who've been in the business all sorts of beginner questions, but unless you do your own homework and offer hard-earned experience to others, you won't find yourself in a good place in the jungle of sellers.
Jane Han (jhan@koreatimes.co.kr) is an e-commerce entrepreneur who currently owns and sells several brands of products on various online platforms. Based in Seattle, she also writes as a freelance correspondent for The Korea Times.
