E-Commerce Supply Chain & Logistics for Amazon Sellers

Finding a reliable manufacturer is the most critical decision in your supply chain — and it's where most beginners make expensive mistakes. This lesson teaches you exactly how to search for suppliers on Alibaba, trade shows, and through sourcing agents, how to evaluate supplier reliability using verification criteria, what red flags to watch for, how to conduct due diligence before sending any money, and how to request samples and evaluate them correctly. You'll learn the difference between manufacturers, trading companies, and sourcing agents — and when to use each.

Negotiation is a skill, and in the supply chain, it directly impacts your profit margin. This lesson covers the complete negotiation framework for working with Chinese and global manufacturers — including how to negotiate price, MOQ (minimum order quantity), payment terms, lead times, and packaging. You'll learn what leverage you have as a buyer, how to structure a Request for Quotation (RFQ), how to compare quotes from multiple suppliers, and the professional tactics experienced supply chain managers use to get better terms without damaging the relationship.

A handshake deal with a supplier is not a supply chain strategy. This lesson teaches you how to create a legally sound contract and purchase order that protects your business. You'll learn what every PO must include; how to specify product requirements, payment milestones, delivery terms, and quality standards in writing; what happens when you don't have a proper contract; and how to use payment terms (30% deposit, 70% before shipment) as leverage for quality. This lesson also covers the difference between a contract and a PO, as well as when you need both.

Quality control is not a single inspection at the end — it's a three-stage process that protects you throughout production. This lesson covers all three stages of professional QC: pre-production inspection (before manufacturing begins), during-production inspection (while goods are being made), and pre-shipment inspection (before goods leave the factory). You'll learn what each inspection covers, how to choose a third-party QC company, what a professional inspection report looks like, and how to make decisions based on QC results. Missing any of these stages is one of the most expensive mistakes in e-commerce operations.

AQL — Acceptable Quality Limit — is the international standard used by every professional QC company and factory in the world. In this lesson, you'll learn exactly how AQL works, how sample sizes are determined for any order quantity, and how defects are classified into three categories: critical (zero tolerance), major (2.5% AQL), and minor (4.0% AQL). You'll also learn how to read a QC inspection report, what to do when your shipment receives a FAIL result, and how to communicate with your supplier to resolve quality issues professionally

A Tech Pack is the document that tells your manufacturer exactly what to produce — materials, dimensions, colors, packaging, labels, and quality standards. Without it, you're leaving everything to interpretation and risking production errors. In this lesson, you'll learn what a complete Tech Pack includes, how to create one even without a design background, what information manufacturers need to produce your product accurately, and how to use the Tech Pack as the foundation for quality control. This lesson includes a practical walkthrough of all key components.

Every product sold on Amazon requires specific identifiers — and getting them wrong is a common and costly mistake. This lesson covers all the product identifiers you need to know: UPC, EAN, FNSKU, ASIN, and ISBN — what each one is, who issues it, and when you need it. You'll also learn Amazon's labeling and packaging requirements, restricted product categories, compliance requirements for selling in the USA, and how to avoid the most common reasons shipments get rejected at Amazon fulfillment centers.

Incoterms are the 11 internationally recognized rules that define who is responsible for shipping, insurance, and customs at every stage of international delivery. Not understanding them can cost you thousands. This lesson covers the most important Incoterms for e-commerce sellers — EXW, FOB, CIF, DDP — explains what each means, who pays what under each term, and which Incoterm is best for different situations. You'll finish this lesson able to read any supplier quote and understand exactly what's included in the price.

Moving goods from China to the USA involves multiple shipping modes, and choosing the right one depends on your cost structure, timeline, and product type. This lesson covers all the main international shipping options — ocean freight (FCL and LCL), air freight, and express courier — with real cost comparisons and timeline expectations for each. You'll learn how to work with freight forwarders, what documents are required for international shipping (commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading), and how to track your shipment from factory to warehouse.

Every product imported into the USA passes through customs — and the cost can significantly impact your profitability if you don't plan for it. This lesson teaches you how customs clearance works, what an HS code is, and how to find the right one for your product, how import duties and tariffs are calculated, what a customs broker does and when you need one, and what documentation is required for legal import. You'll also learn about Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods and how they affect your landed cost calculation.

The price your supplier quotes is not the price you actually pay. Landed cost is the total cost of getting your product from the factory to your warehouse — and understanding it is essential for setting the right retail price and maintaining profitability. This lesson teaches you exactly how to calculate landed cost, covering all cost layers: manufacturing price, freight, customs duties, port fees, 3PL or FBA receiving fees, and storage. You'll learn how to build a landed cost calculator for your own products and how to identify where you're overpaying

How you fulfill orders determines your customer experience, your costs, and your operational complexity. This lesson compares all major fulfillment options available to Amazon sellers: Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA), Fulfilled by Merchant (FBM), Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD), and third-party logistics (3PL). You'll learn the true costs of each model, including FBA fees, storage fees, and long-term storage penalties, when to use each fulfillment type, how to decide based on your product size, sales velocity, and business model, and how professional supply chain managers split inventory across multiple channels.

This final lesson unites the course into a practical system. Discover the 4 critical supply chain mistakes that cost eCommerce sellers thousands: stockouts that kill Amazon rankings, QC failures causing defective inventory, documentation errors that delay customs clearance, and landed cost miscalculations that erase profit.
Includes a master product launch checklist to ensure smooth, profitable launches every time.