Analysis & Research Tools

Amazon selling is a numbers game. You need to know:

• Whether a product is actually selling (not just listed)
• What the real profit margin is after all fees and costs
• Whether competition is increasing or decreasing
• If the market is seasonal or year-round
• What price point wins the Buy Box most consistently

Without analysis tools, you're making sourcing decisions blind. Manual research takes hours. Professional analysis software condenses this into seconds, showing you sales velocity, profit calculations, competition trends, and price history in real time.

The best sellers use multiple tools because each one answers different questions. Keepa shows price and sales rank history. SAS calculates instant profitability. BuyBotPro automates the decision (buy or don't buy). Profitl does quick mental math. Smart Scout reveals brand and category trends.

The ROI is simple: a £50/month tool that helps you avoid two bad sourcing decisions a month (which would have cost £500+ in dead inventory) pays for itself many times over.

Free tools are limited but useful:

• Keepa Free Browser Extension — Shows basic price and sales rank history on Amazon listings. Good for quick checks but limited to 90 days of history.
• CamelCamelCamel — Free price tracking for Amazon.com products (US only). No sales rank data.
• Amazon Seller Central Reports — Your own sales data is free but doesn't help research products you don't own yet.

Paid tools are worth it if you:

• Source more than 5 products per week
• Need to evaluate products in under 2 minutes
• Want historical data beyond 90 days
• Need automated profit calculations with your actual fees
• Want to avoid costly mistakes with trend analysis

Essential paid tools (in order):

1. Keepa (paid subscription — check their website for current pricing) — Non-negotiable. Absolute baseline for any serious seller.
2. SAS (Seller Amp SAS) (paid subscription — check their website) — Instant profitability calculator. Faster than mental math.
3. BuyBotPro (paid subscription — check their website) — Automated buy/don't buy decisions with customised rules.
4. Smart Scout (paid subscription — check their website) — Brand research and category trends. Optional but valuable.

Most sellers use 2-3 tools. You don't need all of them, but you absolutely need Keepa. Start there, add SAS within your first month, and expand based on your sourcing style.

What Keepa is: A price tracking and sales rank analysis tool that shows the complete history of any Amazon product. It's the single most important tool for Amazon sellers in the UK and beyond.

What Keepa shows you:

• Price History (blue line) — Every price change over months or years
• Sales Rank Inverse (green bars) — How many units sold on any given day (calculated from BSR movement)
• Buy Box Price (orange line) — The price winning the Buy Box at any given time
• Lowest Price (red line) — The lowest price listed by any seller (including FBA and FBM)
• Amazon Historical Price — If Amazon once sold it, what they charged
• Used Price (grey) — For used/refurbished listings

How to read a Keepa graph:

Each graph typically shows 12 months of history (configurable to longer). Imagine a product with:

• Price steady at £25 Jan-May
• Green bars (sales) average 3-5 per day
• June: sharp price drop to £15, green bars spike to 20+ per day
• July-Dec: price climbs back to £23, sales settle to 2-3 per day

This tells you: seasonal demand in June, price-elastic (drops price = sells more), returns to normal after season ends. You'd want to source heavily before June and have stock ready.

Red flags on Keepa:

• Flat green bars (no sales rank movement) — Product isn't selling or is too niche
• Sudden drops in BSR then no recovery — Either a one-time sale event or market collapse
• Price only ever going down — Sign of a fad product or over-saturated market
• Lots of used listings with low prices — Competitors may be liquidating, or market is weak
• Amazon or brand holding stock (high own-box %) — You'll struggle to win Buy Box

Keepa pricing:

• Free extension — 90 days history, limited data
• Basic (lower tier) — 18 months history, all graphs, no alerts
• Pro (higher tier) — Unlimited history, price drop alerts, analytics, deals notifications

Recommendation: Pro version pays for itself instantly. The alerts alone (price drops on products you source) can help you flip stock or avoid buying into a collapsing market.

What SAS is: Seller Amp's SAS is a real-time profitability calculator. You input your cost, and it instantly tells you your profit, ROI, and whether the deal is worth sourcing.

What SAS does:

• Calculates all Amazon fees (referral %, FBA fees, storage)
• Accounts for inbound shipping and prep costs
• Shows profit per unit and total profit
• Generates a "score" based on profit margin and sales velocity
• Compares your potential profit against the competition

How SAS helps:

You're in a warehouse sourcing, £2 product cost. Instead of pulling out a spreadsheet (taking 2-3 minutes per item), you plug in the number in SAS and see:

• Buy Box price: £8.50
• Your profit per unit after all fees: £2.10
• Average daily sales: 12 units
• Profitability Score: 7/10

Instantly you know: worth sourcing. Buy 100 units, turn them in 9 days, make £210 profit. Next product!

SAS limitations:

• Assumes average delivery times (you need to input your own costs)
• Doesn't account for seasonal dips
• Doesn't show if market is saturating
• Score is relative, not absolute (a 7/10 product today might be a 3/10 in 3 months)

Use SAS with Keepa: Keepa shows the trend. SAS shows today's profit. Together they're powerful: Keepa tells you the market is growing, SAS confirms the margin is fat. Source it.

Pricing:

• Check Seller Amp's website for current pricing
• Often bundled with other Seller Amp tools

What BuyBotPro is: A deal-finder and automated sourcing assistant. You set your rules (minimum margin, minimum sales velocity, etc.) and BuyBotPro tells you instantly whether a product meets your criteria.

How BuyBotPro works:

You configure rules like:

• Minimum profit per unit: £1.50
• Minimum monthly sales: 50 units
• Maximum competition (seller count): 20
• Minimum positive reviews: 100

Then you scan a product (via browser, QR code, or ISBN). BuyBotPro pulls data from Keepa and Amazon and green-lights it or red-flags it instantly. Takes 2 seconds per product instead of 5 minutes of manual analysis.

BuyBotPro strength:

Speed and consistency. In a warehouse with 500 products, manual analysis is impossible. BuyBotPro lets you scan hundreds per hour, auto-filtering to only the viable ones. Perfect for bulk sourcing.

BuyBotPro limitations:

• Requires you to set the rules upfront (garbage in, garbage out)
• Doesn't account for seasonal trends or category saturation
• Can give false positives (a product that technically meets your rules but the market is collapsing)
• Doesn't factor in your actual inbound shipping costs (you have to configure them)

Best use case:

Bulk warehouse sourcing where you need rapid filtering. Pair with Keepa to validate the trend, then use BuyBotPro to confirm the profit.

Pricing:

• Free trial (limited scans)
• £15-20/month depending on scan limits

What Profitl is: A lightweight profit calculator and mobile app for sourcing on-the-go. It's simpler than SAS but fast and accurate.

Profitl strengths:

• Mobile app — Calculate profit while standing in a warehouse
• Barcode scanning — Scan a product, get instant profit estimate
• Customisable fees — Set your own Amazon referral %, FBA costs, shipping
• List-building — Save scanned products to a sourcing list
• Lightweight — Works fast even on slow data connections

Profitl vs SAS:

SAS is more feature-rich (shows trends, scores, competition). Profitl is faster and mobile-friendly. Many sellers use Profitl on the go and SAS at the desk for deeper analysis.

Pricing:

• Free version (limited features)
• Premium: £5-10/month

Recommendation: Good starter tool. Once you're sourcing regularly, graduate to SAS for more insight.

What Smart Scout is: A brand and category research tool. Instead of finding individual products, Smart Scout helps you find trending categories, untapped brands, and market gaps.

What Smart Scout does:

• Category trends — Shows which Amazon categories are growing, declining, or saturated
• Brand discovery — Identifies brands with gaps in their Amazon presence (opportunity to private label or source related products)
• Competitor analysis — Shows best-selling products from any brand and their profit margins
• Demand forecasting — Predicts seasonal trends based on historical data
• Niche finder — Helps identify under-saturated product opportunities

How Smart Scout helps:

You're looking for sourcing niches. Smart Scout shows you that the "Home Office Storage" category is trending up 40% year-on-year, but "Desktop Organizers" are saturated. You can then narrow your sourcing to specific products in that trending niche.

Best use case:

Strategic sourcing (finding new niches) and private label research (sourcing a related product not yet offered by your target brand).

Limitations:

• Expensive relative to other tools (£29/month is the priciest)
• More valuable for private label than resale sourcing
• Requires experience to interpret trends (false positives possible)

Pricing:

• Free trial
• Pro: £29/month

Recommendation: Optional. Great if you're scaling and want to be strategic. Beginners should prioritise Keepa and SAS first.

What is IP? Intellectual Property is a legal right granted to a creator or company. On Amazon, it includes:

• Trademarks — Brand names (Nike, Samsung, LEGO)
• Patents — Inventions or unique designs
• Copyrights — Written works, images, designs
• Trade secrets — Proprietary manufacturing processes

Why IP matters for Amazon sellers:

If you sell a product with a trademarked brand logo and haven't been authorised by the brand to sell it, the brand can file an IP complaint. Amazon will suspend your listings and potentially your account.

How to avoid IP complaints:

• Only source from authorised distributors — If you buy from a legitimate UK distributor, you have proof of authenticity
• Check seller gating — Some brands restrict who can sell (gated categories). Don't sell if gated unless approved
• Avoid counterfeit sources — Suspiciously cheap stock from unknown suppliers is a red flag
• Don't modify packaging or add logos — If you alter a product's branding, you're liable for IP violation
• Use Keepa to spot IP problems — If a product suddenly drops from 1000s of sellers to dozens, IP purge might have happened
• Research the brand — Big brands (Apple, Dyson, Sony) are strict about IP. Smaller brands often don't police as hard

If you get an IP complaint:

• Remove the listings immediately
• Reply to Amazon with proof of authenticity (invoice from authorised distributor)
• File an appeal with all documentation
• Avoid that product and supplier in future

Bottom line: Stick to reputable suppliers and check Keepa history before sourcing anything new. If the seller count dropped suddenly, investigate why before sourcing.

What are DGs? Dangerous Goods are products that Amazon classifies as hazardous: batteries, liquids, aerosols, certain chemicals, etc.

Why this matters:

• DGs cost more to ship and store on Amazon (hazmat fees)
• DGs require special packaging and documentation
• You cannot use some shipping methods (air transport restrictions)
• DGs are slower to receive at FCs due to additional inspections
• DG sourcing is complicated and not recommended for beginners

Common DG categories:

• Lithium batteries and battery-powered devices
• Perfumes, colognes, cleaning sprays (flammable liquids)
• Aerosols (deodorant, spray paint)
• Pressure vessels (propane, compressed gas)
• Certain electronics (capacitors, some large electronics)
• Food supplements with certain ingredients

How to spot DGs before buying:

• Check the product category on Amazon (DGs marked as "restricted")
• Look for hazmat symbols on packaging
• Check Seller Central's restricted products list
• Ask the supplier or distributor directly
• Use tools like SAS or Keepa (some show DG status)

If a product is DG:

• Don't source it unless you're experienced with hazmat shipping
• If you must source it, get hazmat-certified packaging and shipping quotes
• Factor in the additional costs (often £5-20 per unit extra)
• Expect longer delivery to FCs (5-7 days extra)

Best practice: Stick to non-DG products for your first 50+ sourcing runs. Once you're experienced, you can explore DG if it makes financial sense.

This is covered in detail in the Keepa section above, but here's a quick checklist for reading Keepa graphs:

The 5-step Keepa graph checklist:

1. Look at the green bars (sales rank inverse) — Are there consistent bars? If bars are missing or sporadic, the product isn't selling regularly. Thin or non-existent bars = dead product.
2. Check price stability — Is the price consistent or all over the place? Stable = healthy. Wild swings = either seasonal or over-saturated (competitors price-warring).
3. Look at the trend line (6-month look) — Is sales volume increasing, stable, or declining? Up = good. Flat = stable but not growing. Down = avoid unless you see seasonal recovery coming.
4. Identify Buy Box price range — What's the typical buy box price? Is it in the orange line? Or are FBM sellers undercutting (red line below orange)? If FBM dominates, harder to win buy box.
5. Look for seasonal patterns — Does it spike at certain times (Dec = Christmas, Jun = summer)? Seasonal products need stock timing. Year-round sellers are safer bets.

Red flags on Keepa:

• No green bars for 30+ days (product dead)
• Price-only trend going down (losing ground)
• 20+ seller count with declining sales (over-saturated)
• Sudden drop in Buy Box price followed by no recovery (market crash)
• High used inventory with low prices (competitors exiting, you should too)

Green flags on Keepa:

• Consistent green bars every single day (reliable seller)
• Sales increasing over time (growing market)
• Low seller count (less competition)
• Stable buy box price (no price warring)
• Reviews increasing (social proof driving sales)

What is BSR? Best Sellers Rank is Amazon's internal ranking of how a product is selling relative to others in the same category. Rank 1 is the best-selling product in that category.

BSR fundamentals:

• Every Amazon product has a BSR within its category
• BSR is updated hourly (it changes constantly)
• Lower BSR number = better sales (1 is best, 10,000+ is poor)
• BSR only shows your rank within your category, not absolute sales

How BSR relates to sales volume:

BSR is NOT a direct sales number. A product ranked #100 in Electronics doesn't sell the same volume as #100 in Stationery. Categories differ dramatically in size.

But you can use BSR movement to estimate sales:

• BSR 1-100 (top of category) — Typically 20-100+ sales per day (varies by category)
• BSR 100-500 — 5-20 sales per day
• BSR 500-2000 — 1-5 sales per day
• BSR 2000+ — Less than 1 sale per day (slow mover)

These are rough estimates. Electronics move faster than Greeting Cards.

How Keepa uses BSR:

Keepa's green bars are the BSR inverse — they show when BSR dropped (indicating a sale happened). The taller the bar, the lower the BSR went, meaning stronger sales activity that day.

BSR pitfalls:

• BSR doesn't account for category size — A product ranked #500 in Electronics (huge category) is more impressive than #100 in Greeting Cards
• BSR is temporary — A single day of good sales will improve BSR, but it bounces back if you don't maintain sales
• BSR can be manipulated — Sellers can artificially boost BSR through discounting (losing money to improve ranking)
• BSR doesn't show profit — A top-ranked product might be unprofitable if sellers are price-warring

Using BSR for sourcing decisions:

Don't source based on BSR alone. Use it as a secondary signal:

• Good BSR + stable Keepa history = source it
• Good BSR + declining sales on Keepa = avoid (temporary spike, not sustainable)
• Poor BSR + healthy Keepa = consider it (niche product, slower sales but reliable)
• Good BSR but no Keepa history = be cautious (might be new product or fake spike)

The biggest mistake beginners make: They calculate profit wrong and source unprofitable products.

Correct profit calculation:

Profit = Selling Price - (Product Cost + All Fees + Logistics)

What "all fees" includes:

• Amazon Referral Fee — A percentage of your selling price (varies by category — check Seller Central for current rates in your category)
• FBA Fee — Based on weight and dimensions of the product (check Amazon's FBA fee calculator for exact figures)
• Inbound Shipping — Cost to get stock to Amazon's fulfilment centre, divided by units
• Prep Costs — If using a prep centre like Precision (45p per unit) or DIY supplies
• Returns & Losses — Budget a small percentage for damaged goods, returns, and shrinkage
• Storage Fees — Amazon charges monthly storage fees based on volume (check Seller Central for current rates, as they change seasonally)
• Currency conversion — If buying in a foreign currency, factor in exchange rate fees

How to calculate:

For every product you're considering, use Amazon's FBA Revenue Calculator in Seller Central. Enter the ASIN or product details, your buy price, and it will show you the exact referral fee, FBA fee, and estimated profit. Don't rely on rough estimates — use the calculator for accurate figures before committing to stock.

ROI calculation:

ROI = (Profit / Total Investment) × 100

Your total investment includes product cost, inbound shipping, and prep fees. Divide your profit per unit by your total cost per unit to see your return. A healthy ROI means you're making meaningful profit relative to what you've invested.

Common profit calculation mistakes:

• Forgetting referral fees — This is a percentage of every sale. Huge impact on margins.
• Not including inbound shipping — Makes profit look better than it is
• Ignoring losses — A small percentage of stock always has issues. Budget for it.
• Using the minimum Buy Box price — Calculate profit on Buy Box price, not the lowest FBM price
• Forgetting storage fees — If stock sits unsold for months, storage fees eat into your profit. Check Amazon's current rates.

Tools for calculation:

Use SAS or Profitl for quick estimates. But always double-check with a spreadsheet using YOUR actual costs, because every seller's situation is different.