How to Find Profitable Products to Sell on Amazon

Knowing what to sell on Amazon is half the battle. While much can be said about this subject, the best plan of attack is simply offering something that people want at a price that they can't pass up.

Figuring out what products people want though...therein lies the real challenge.

To help you get it right, we put together this quick guide on how to find profitable products to sell on Amazon. Let's get to it!

What to Look for in Amazon Products

Before you begin your search, it’s important to know what kinds of items you're looking for. Keep your eyes peeled for specific types of market openings. In particular, watch out for:

1. Pricey products that can be sold for less. One worthwhile strategy for selling on Amazon is to undercut the price of an already popular product. If you can find inroads for product sourcing like retail arbitrage or cheaper alternatives for selling private label, you can siphon shoppers away from the current market leaders. After all, most Amazon shoppers will automatically choose the option with the lowest price.
2. Products that aren’t listed. As big as Amazon is, it still has some blind spots. Not all salable eCommerce products are available on this platform, especially brand new or previously unknown products. Finding a popular item that’s not yet offered on Amazon is a great way to get a foothold in this competitive market as a new or emerging seller.
3. Unfulfilled niche versions of popular products. Targeting niche groups is an effective way to stay afloat in a competitive sales market. Like memorabilia for a specific sports team or eco-friendly versions of everyday items, specialized products for smaller interest groups tend to have less competition because there are fewer buyers (who are also willing to spend more money).

How to Find Profitable Products to Sell on Amazon

Now that you know what you’re looking for, here’s how to find profitable products to sell on Amazon.

Review Sales Trends

General retail trends apply to Amazon as well, so understanding what’s trending overall can help you hone in on what to sell on Amazon. Once you develop your sales instincts, you can probably identify best-selling products pretty early on. Until then, you can read retail news for forecasts and upcoming trends.

Conduct Keyword Research

Keyword research is an indirect way to find out what people want: search engines aggregate all the different product searches so that the top entries reflect which ones are the most popular (and the most profitable). We’ve already outlined how to do Amazon keyword research directly in Amazon’s search engine, but you can also cross-reference your findings with what’s rising on Google Trends or other SEO tools.

Find Out What’s Currently Selling on Amazon

Amazon’s not modest about which of its products are selling well. Its Best Sellers page shows many of the most profitable products to sell on Amazon in each category, but the competition will be fierce because these products are already popular. If you’d rather discover lesser-known items that you can sell before your competitors, try the Movers & Shakers page; it only shows trending products from the last 24 hours.

Related reading: 3 Ways Sellers Can Use the Amazon Movers & Shakers Page

Additionally, the annual Amazon Trend Report recaps the trends of the preceding year. While it may not hint at what will be popular next, it’s still a good resource for understanding the business and helping you to identify trends on your own.

Look at Product Reviews

Any successful retailer will tell you how important it is to understand your customers. One of the quickest and most convenient ways to touch base with Amazon shoppers is to read their product reviews.

Amazon reviews reveal what works and what doesn’t for any given item, in the words of the shoppers themselves. They’ll tell you which features or aspects of a product they like and want more of, and which parts are underwhelming or unnecessary. To tap into the wants and needs of your target audience, make sure to read the reviews of the products most similar to your own.

Did you know: FeedbackFive allows you to monitor and analyze Amazon reviews for your own products as well as competing ASINs. Simply enter the ASINs you wish to track and the tool will immediately begin importing a 90-day review history for each item. Filter and sort this review data to see high-level trends of what buyers like and what could be improved. Can you take advantage of any areas where your competitors fall short?

Use an Amazon Research Tool

There is a more direct approach than the others on this list, one that doesn’t involve so much digging. Amazon research tools and supplemental software list out the data of existing Amazon products so you can better see which products have the highest popularity and the lowest competition.

Start Finding Products to Sell on Amazon Today

Understanding how to find profitable products to sell on Amazon can feel overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. Start with the basics of what to look for and narrow down the list from there.

All of your hard work behind the scenes will put you in a great position to make a more informed business decision. And, maybe you'll even get lucky and learn a few blowout items are worth buying. Who doesn't like a top-selling item that's almost free to stock? Good luck!