The 80/20 of Ecommerce – September 3, 2021

As we are turning the calendar to September, Happy Labor Day to those celebrating in the US!  

It’s the unofficial end of summer as we are almost entering fall and Q4.  

Meanwhile, because of space issues and Covid risks at our current residence, my family and I decided to move our home this week which is a big project so this will be a short newsletter.  

59 container ships stuck “at anchor” at the Port of Long Beach

It seems that the shipping headaches continue as there are now 59 container ships “at anchor” at the Port of Long Beach according to the Marine Exchange of Southern California.  

According to Business Insider, the Port of Long Beach, CA accounts for nearly one-third of US imports.  

The reasons for the wait include “ the labor shortage, COVID-19-related disruptions, and holiday-buying surges. 

Port of Los Angeles data indicated that the ships’ average wait time had increased to 7.6 days.”

 “The normal number of container ships at anchor is between zero and one,” according to Kip Louttit.

Source: Southern California Marine Exchange

As you can see from this graph, the problem seems to be escalating.  

Plan ahead guys and if you don’t have your orders for Q4 on the boat yet, better move fast so you don’t miss out!

Amazon bans over 50,000 “Blackhat” sellers in China

This can be considered “good news” for ecommerce sellers who are playing by the rules.  

According to a Global Times report “Since May, Amazon has blocked up to 50,000 Chinese sellers on its platform. The reasons for the ban include “improper use of review functions”, “soliciting fake reviews,” and “manipulating reviews by giving gift cards.”

What are the banned sellers doing to react?  

Some are looking at setting up their own websites to eliminate the risk of putting all their eggs in one Amazon basket.

But it’s not so easy driving traffic and building trust selling from your own website.

There is a saying in Chinese called “Kill the Chicken to scare the Monkey”.  Will this bloodletting by Amazon be the wakeup call needed to jolt Chinese blackhat sellers that they need to start playing by the rules? 

Time will tell!

The moral of the story is: In any case it makes business and ethical sense to play by the rules.

Here are some things you may have missed recently:

• Amazon Vs. Walmart: The Epic Battle Of Retail Kings Gets Hot
• Amazon plans to open its own department stores, report says
• Hiring a VA for your Amazon business? Book a Free 30 min call with VA Hiring expert Gilad plus bonuses (Sponsored Post)
• Selling Your First Business: A Guide For FBA Sellers (Sponsored by Thrasio)
• Get $400 in Free FBA reimbursements from GETIDA (Sponsored)
• Here’s your ticket to selling on Amazon Globally (Sponsored message from Zonguru)

Have a great weekend!

Gary

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