I am an Amazon seller, co-host of the Clear the Shelf with Chris & Chris podcast, and owner of OA Leads 24/7, among other entrepreneurial ventures. I write about things that I found interesting or helpful for Amazon sellers and entrepreneurs. You can sign up for my newsletter below!
📈 Ecom Matters 8/20/25 - Cardboard Boxes, Old Friends, & More
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Hey there! Hope your Q3 is running smoothly. I'm back with another round of non-breaking news, memes, quotes, and updates for you in the most inconsistent "weekly" newsletter around. 💬 Quote of the Week Warren isn't talking about kissing butt. He's talking about leveling up. The people around you shape your habits, goals, and standards. Make sure everyone in your circle matches the energy of where you want to be and you’ll rise with that tide. Now let's see what we missed on the back pages of e-commerce news. ⬇️ What's the Matter? 📰 Amazon's Aisle Ambitions Amazon said customers in more than 1,000 cities can now get same-day delivery of fresh groceries, with plans for 2,300 cities by year-end. Online grocery shopping is trending up with more than 138 million consumers using daily services last year. Couple that with the already $100 billion in grocery Amazon already sells.
Why it matters: This is potentially huge.
We covered this on our Sunday Live News and Q&A show. You can catch the replay here. And join us every Wednesday & Sunday live at 5:30 est. 📰 Just Like Old Times, But Better Do you remember the magic that was the old OA Challenge VIP group? The group full of fellow sellers all armed with the skills we learned in the OA Challenge, where we could test & refine those skills, ask questions, network with each other, and all make more money? Well, it's back. It has been rebuilt from the ground up as the OAC+. It's been leveled up for action, profit, support, and long-term success. And you don't have to take the OA Challenge to get access right now. You have a chance to make one of the best business decisions you’ll look back on by clicking this button. 👇
Why it matters: The OAC+ is the new flagship 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?
And that's just the beginning. I've seen the roadmap of what's ahead and you won't want to miss out. You also won't want to miss out on one of the few remaining (less than 5 left) Founders Rate spots. The price will go up once the Founders memberships sell out. 📰 Cardboard Crisis Move over Lipstick Index, cardboard has entered the chat. U.S. cardboard box sales fell to their weakest second-quarter level since 2015. What this suggests is retail demand may be weakening and could signal a wider pullback in consumer spending.
Why it matters: Fewer boxes mean fewer orders. We can't seem to go a day without news warning of tariff impacts or fears, but this is something to keep an eye on. Don't pass it off as definite bad news, though. Less inventory from brands and retailers could translate to fewer closeouts, slower restocks, and erratic clearance patterns. There's opportunity in each scenario for the sellers that stay in stock. 🎧 What's the Latest on the Clear The Shelf with Chris & Chris Podcast? Cajua Robinson gave us a masterclass in brand direct wholesale on the latest episode. The Toy Investor shared his secrets to six-figure toy holds before that. Both episodes are well worth your time. Check them out below. 🎥 And remember, we're live twice a week answering your questions and talking breaking news.
Be sure to stop by with any questions or just hang out and talk shop with us.
💰 Alpha Weekend Lead List As I hit send, I did (finally) have some spots open up. 🛑 Also, I've been asked about it enough that I started making plans to open a 2nd weekend list. Look for an announcement soon.
📚 The Most Successful People I Know Are ReadersAs ubiquitous as the name Amazon has become and as frustrating as his company can be to sell on, it's easy to forget that Jeff Bezos built the fastest company to reach $100 billion in sales ever. What's also easy to forget is that he gave us the blueprint to his success through his annual shareholder letters. The Bezos Letters collects all of that wisdom and distills it into a single volume. And it's on sale for just a few dollars right now. 🤣 Sometimes I Think I'm FunnyWalmart certainly picked a pajama-pants-in-public way of handling things. Have a great week! Talk to you soon. Chris **Not interested in this newsletter? Scroll to the bottom and adjust your preferences. |
Chris Racic
I am an Amazon seller, co-host of the Clear the Shelf with Chris & Chris podcast, and owner of OA Leads 24/7, among other entrepreneurial ventures. I write about things that I found interesting or helpful for Amazon sellers and entrepreneurs. You can sign up for my newsletter below!