Chapter 16: Amazon-to-Amazon flips
What you'll learn: what an Amazon-to-Amazon (A2A) flip is, how ArbiSource finds them, how Business A2A works, and how to judge whether a flip is worth buying.
An A2A flip means buying a product on Amazon.com while its price is temporarily low, then selling it through FBA once the price is back to normal. Prices on Amazon move constantly: a short-lived discount, a seller clearing stock, or a listing priced by mistake. Because you never leave Amazon to buy, A2A is quick to try. A2A Flips are a Premium feature.
Finding A2A flips in ArbiSource
Open Amazon To Amazon from the sidebar (the dashboard shortcut is labeled A2A Flips). New flips appear throughout the day.
- Choose a Seller Type from the dropdown: All Sellers, Amazon (sold by Amazon itself), Third-Party, Amazon (Business) or Third-Party (Business).
- Compare Price sets what the deal is measured against, such as the 90 Day Average, and you can choose which categories to include.
- Your filters still apply, so you only see flips that meet your profit, ROI and sales settings.
- Turn on notifications (the bell, top right) to hear a sound and see new flips appear at the top of the list.
- Every flip is reverse-searched against retailers, so you can see whether a store sells the same product: the Other Stores panel beside each flip lists retailers and their prices, with a SEARCH button and a Search Google link. That can explain the low Amazon price, or give you another source if the Amazon stock runs out.
- Discord roles let you be notified only about the kinds of flips you care about, such as Business flips.
▶ Watch Miles (Flips4Miles) demo A2A flips, from 2:04 (to about 3:12).
Business A2A
ArbiSource also tracks Amazon Business prices. Amazon Business often offers lower prices for buying in quantity (for example, a discount from a set number of units), which can make a product profitable to resell on the regular Amazon.com site. These deals show the quantity needed in the header (for example Quantity Required: 10+); choose Amazon (Business) or Third-Party (Business) under Seller Type to see only them. You'll need an Amazon Business account to buy at those prices, and Business prices can vary between accounts, so check the price you're actually offered before buying.
Amazon charges sales tax on most orders. If you have a resale certificate, Amazon Business's Tax Exemption Program can make qualifying purchases for resale tax-free, which protects your margin on flips (Chapter 6).
Judging an A2A flip
An A2A flip only works if the price recovers and stays there long enough for you to sell. Run it through the Lead Check like any other lead, paying particular attention to these:
- Is the higher price normal? Look at the Keepa chart (Chapter 9). If the product has spent most of the last few months at or near the price you'll sell at, that's encouraging. If the low price is the new normal, pass. The average profit filter helps here.
- Who else is buying? Other sellers may grab the same deal. Check how many sellers there are, and whether Amazon is likely to come back on the listing at a lower price (Chapter 10).
- Can you sell it? Check restrictions before you buy. Restrictions affect every seller, and A2A products are no exception.
- Allow time. Your order has to arrive, be prepped and labeled, and reach a fulfillment center before it can sell. Prices can move in that time, so a healthy margin matters.
- Quantity limits: Amazon and some sellers limit how many units one customer can buy, and may cancel larger orders.
For a product you'd like to flip when the price isn't low enough yet, set an Amazon price alert (Chapter 11) and let ArbiSource tell you when it drops.
Checklist
- I know what an A2A flip is and that A2A is a Premium feature
- I've filtered the A2A page by All, Amazon and 3P
- I check Keepa to see whether the higher price is normal
- I know Amazon Business tax exemption can remove sales tax on flips for resale
- I allow for the time it takes to get stock into a fulfillment center