Hey there!

It's the final stretch of Q4 and I hope it has been a successful one for you so far.

The data seems to indicate that a large percentage of the holiday spending could still be ahead of us.

In the meantime, here's another round of non-breaking news, memes, quotes, and updates for you in the most inconsistent "weekly" newsletter around.

💬 Quote of the Week

Reading this quote, I can't help but think of the sellers that are crushing merchant-fulfilled orders right now.

But it's a valuable lesson for all of us. I have a tendency to become a spectator in the various communities & groups that I'm in. I admire without personal action. When in reality, engagement with our peers should serve as inspiration.

What good is surrounding myself with success if it doesn't motivate me to do likewise?

Now let's see what we missed on the back pages of e-commerce news. ⬇️

What's the Matter?

📰 Amazon Hired The Noid?

In what must be a shoutout to Domino's Pizza circa the 1980's, Amazon is testing a service called Amazon Now that promises delivery of groceries and household essentials in 30 minutes or less.

Orders go out from small, hyper-local fulfillment hubs. Prime customers pay a discounted delivery fee (about $3.99 per order).

Items available are mostly everyday staples (think eggs, milk, paper products, pet food).

Why it matters:

• A low friction path to essentials may strengthen Prime retention, which is good for sellers based on spending patterns.
• Opportunity: when the local hub runs out of stock, third party sellers can fill those gaps.

📢 We talked about this on our twice-weekly News and Q&A show yesterday. You can catch the replay here.

📰 Return on Returns

Amazon now lets sellers set which low-cost items qualify for “returnless” refunds and enable the option per product.

Sellers are also getting a returns dashboard with reasons, recovery value, and tips to cut returns.

Why it matters:

• Better data, better decisions? Being able to see top return reasons and identify trends can help us spot problem SKUs and reevaluate our inventory & sourcing.
• Reduce fraud: setting our eligibility cap by price ensures higher value items still require a physical return.
• The program is designed to screen out customers with histories of return abuse.

📰 The Premier Online Seller Community

You have a chance to make one of the best business decisions you can make by clicking this button. 👇

Why it matters:

The OAC+ is THE premier community for sellers who want or need more than just YouTube videos and social media.

It's everything you need to get your business to where you want it to be.

What's included?

• A dedicated FlipAlert channel feeding you A2A flips 24/7
• Free access to Storefront Stalker Pro and a massive discount if you want a bigger plan
• Access to a $3000+ education in the course vault
• Live over-the-shoulder sourcing sessions weekly
• Live coaching calls weekly
• An active community inside Discord
• Free entry to every future OA Challenge
• Suspension support if things go sideways with your account
• Confidential ASIN Reviews if you want expert eyes on a product you aren't sure about
• Exclusive special guest interviews

And that's just the beginning. I've seen the roadmap of what's ahead and you won't want to miss out.

📰 RIP Doorbusters

Online Black Friday sales rose 10.4% year over year, outpacing in-store sales.

Foot traffic in stores actually dropped about 5.3% over Friday and Saturday compared to last year.

Why it matters:

• To put it simply, the crowds continue to move online at a massive rate, which is obviously very good for us.
• Clothing & Shoes were in huge demand. If you sell in this category or plan to, you received a vote of confidence that demand is still rising.
• Brick & mortar stores that didn't receive the foot traffic they expected may have excess inventory that they'll need to liquidate at steep discounts.

🎧 What's the Latest on the Clear The Shelf with Chris & Chris Podcast?

Taylor Thomas of Arbitrage Card joined us on the pod and talked about some of the (legitimately) great new features they've rolled out and offered some tips on ways to maximize your leverage and cash back.

Check it out below.

🎥 Remember, we're live on YouTube, Facebook, & Twitter twice a week answering your questions and talking breaking news.

• Wednesday at 5:30 pm et
• Sunday at 5:30 pm et

Be sure to stop by with any questions or just hang out and talk shop with us.

Listen to Clear the Shelf with Chris & Chris on your favorite podcast player: ​YouTube​ ​Apple​ ​Spotify​

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💰 Weekend Lead Lists

📢 As I write this, there are some openings.

Subscribers are finishing Q4 strong and focusing on maintaining momentum as we move into Q1.

Alpha has a cap of 20 sellers. Gamma will give you even more exclusivity with a 15 seller cap.

📚 The Most Successful People I Know Are Readers

Anytime a book full of wisdom from someone I admire drops to a few dollars, I'm picking it up.

Warren Buffet's Ground Rules is a collection of semiannual letters Buffet wrote to his partners while running Buffett Partnership Limited; a 14 year span after studying under Benjamin Graham and before he took over as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway

🤣 Sometimes I Think I'm Funny

Find me on social media and share this week's meme below and I might shout you out in the next newsletter.

Shoutout to the MF'ers out there killing it.

Have a great week! Talk to you soon.

Chris

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