Chapter 4.4: Your first look at the Vault
What you'll learn: how to use the Vault to find your first leads in minutes, how to read a result, and how to save the best ones for checking. This is where the fun starts.
What the Vault is
The Vault holds results ArbiSource has already found by scanning retailers in the background. There's no waiting for a scan, because the results are there instantly. It's the best place to start every sourcing session, and the best place to learn what a good lead looks like.
The Vault is built from earlier scans, so a result may be a few hours old. Prices at retailers change often, so always check the live price on the retailer's site before you buy. If you want the very latest results for a retailer, run a fresh Store Scan (Chapter 12).
Ways to browse
The Vault has three tabs across the top: Stores, Amazon Categories and Search by Keyword.
- Stores. Pick a retailer (or find one with the Search for store box) and see all its current results. Each store tile shows roughly how many results it has, how long ago it was updated and its Match Type: UPC/EAN (matched by barcode) or Text/Image. Turn on EAN/UPC Match Stores Only (top right) to show only barcode-matched retailers. Barcode matches are usually very reliable, though you'll see fewer retailers.
- Amazon Categories. Pick a category you know or like, and see results from every retailer.
- Search by Keyword. Search for a brand or product type across all retailers.
The results are filtered by your account filters (set in 4.3). You can adjust them on the page from the bar above the results: the funnel button opens the Filters drawer, and there are selectors for the store and categories, Sort By (for example Confirmed Monthly Sales), Sell Price (for example Current Price), a Discount % box and CHECK RESTRICTIONS.
Check what you can sell
Click Check Restrictions (top right). ArbiSource checks each product against your own seller account:
- On Pro and Premium, you can choose Remove results I can't sell, so the list only shows products you're allowed to list.
- On Essentials, you can check products one at a time from each result.
Restriction checks only read your eligibility. They don't change anything in Seller Central or affect other tools such as Keepa.
Reading a result
Each result appears in its own panel. On the left is the retailer's product; beside it is the matching Amazon listing; and the header shows the key numbers. The coloured header reads, for example, Profit | ROI | BSR: 19,198 (0.31%) | Buy Box: £21.98 (FBA), with the deal score (such as 7.7 / 10) on the right. The main things to look at:
| Part of the panel | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Buy price and Amazon price | What it costs at the retailer and what it sells for on Amazon |
| Profit and ROI | After Amazon's fees and your settings (your VAT setting, plus any additional costs you've added). Hover over the fees to see the breakdown. Red fees mean Amazon's fee data is missing, so treat the profit with caution |
| Deal score (out of 10) | A quick overall rating based on your Deal Score Settings (Account page) |
| Match confidence | How sure ArbiSource is that the two products are the same. For text/image-matched stores it's shown at the bottom of the panel (for example Match Confidence: 88%); barcode-matched stores show EAN/UPC Match with the barcode instead. Always check the images and titles yourself |
| BSR and sales | How well the product sells: the BSR with its BSR % in brackets in the header, plus Estimated Sales and Confirmed Sales (where Amazon shows them) |
| Warnings | Restricted (with a Check button), IP Status (Green, Amber or Red), Oversized and Hazmat/DG, plus stock warnings such as Unknown Stock in red under the buy price |
| Price history graph | Price and rank history, with 30 / 90 / 180 / 365 DAYS buttons above it. Click it to enlarge |
| Past-performance table | For the last 30, 90, 180 and 365 days: the average Sell Price, the Profit / ROI at that price, the BSR (rank and %) and the number of BSR Drops. Compare the averages with today's figures, a great reality check |
| Other stores | Whether ArbiSource has found the product cheaper elsewhere |
| Cashback | A shortcut to available cashback for that retailer, if any |
the in-app welcome guide has short video guides for the Vault and every other feature.
Save your favourites to the Sourcing List
When a result catches your eye, add it to your Sourcing List. Vault results are normally cleared after 7 days. The Sourcing List keeps them permanently, can refresh their data daily (click the refresh icon, Enable Auto Refresh; it then shows Disable Auto Refresh) and lets you export them. It's your shortlist and your workbench for checking leads properly.
Aim to save 5–10 leads on your first day, then check them properly before you buy.
What to do next: your first Lead Check
For each saved lead, work through the four Lead Check questions:
- Match: is it exactly the same product: pack size, variation, edition?
- Money: is it still profitable at the average selling price, after all fees and costs?
- Momentum: does it sell steadily, and has the price held up?
- Safety: are you allowed to sell it, and are you comfortable with the brand and product type?
Rate each green, amber or red, then decide: Buy, Test-buy, Watch or Pass. During your trial, aim to turn at least one good lead into a Test-buy: a small first order that shows you the whole process, from checkout to Amazon. Leads that aren't quite ready can wait on your Sourcing List (with an alert, on Pro or Premium) while you keep looking.
Part 5 teaches the Lead Check in full, with worked examples. Parts 2 and 3 give you the knowledge behind each question: fees, VAT, BSR and Keepa.
Checklist
- I've browsed the Vault by store, category and keyword
- I've run a restriction check
- I can explain each part of a result panel
- I've saved 5–10 leads to my Sourcing List