I've been heavily thinking about the future of online and retail arbitrage, especially with Amazon's evolving policies, and I'm starting to wonder if these models are being actively phased out or becoming too risky to be viable.

Here are some of my major pain points and concerns:

• Proof of Ownership/Inventory Loss: This is a big one. If Amazon loses your FBA inventory (and let's be real, it happens), a retail receipt often isn't considered a sufficient invoice to prove ownership and get reimbursed. It feels like we're increasingly at Amazon's mercy here.

• IP Complaints & Invoices: Getting hit with an intellectual property complaint (even if it's baseless) is a nightmare. Without a direct invoice from an authorized distributor, it's incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to defend yourself. Receipts just don't cut it.

• New Stolen Goods Policy (Effective 6/30): I just heard about Amazon implementing a new stolen goods policy on June 30th. While I understand the intent, I'm really concerned about how this will impact arbitrage sellers. Does anyone have more details on this and how it might add another layer of complexity or risk?

I see so many YouTubers still promoting retail and online arbitrage as paths to making millions. While I admire their success, I'm struggling to reconcile that with the increasing difficulties and risks involved.

So, my question to the community is: Are online and retail arbitrage dead or dying as sustainable business models on Amazon? Or am I just missing something crucial?

Would love to hear your experiences, strategies for navigating these issues, or if you've shifted away from arbitrage and why.

Thanks in advance for your insights!

As someone who’s been selling through online arbitrage on Amazon for about 2 years now, I’m facing a dilemma and would appreciate your insights. Lately, Amazon seems to be actively removing the buy box for sellers if the item’s price is significantly higher than on other websites. This strategy of Amazon complicates our ability to forecast profitability.

The main issue here is the lack of clarity from Amazon regarding the maximum price threshold before they decide to remove the buy box. This uncertainty makes each purchase a risk, potentially leading to razor-thin margins, breaking even, or even losses. I’ve purchased products before that seemed promising only to have Amazon remove the buy box until I brought it down to a price that led to a loss.

Given these circumstances, I’m questioning the feasibility of continuing with OA on Amazon. How are you all managing this situation? Do you still find OA on Amazon to be a viable strategy?

Eager to hear your thoughts and experiences.

Hi there! I know people are asking same questions over and over again, but I'll really appreciate getting some real world experience answers.

Just found out this business model which is tempting for a beginner like me.

I am from Europe and planning to start Online Arbitrage FBA with prep center in the US.

Realistically what kind of revenue is possible to be processed by myself in a long term without virtual assistant and possibly adding automation tools like tactical arbitrage, repricer etc. I understand I have long way till I reach this stage, but still I need some insight on what I could expect and if it's worth investing my time and money into this kind of a business. Till now I've spoken with chatgpt for all of my questions and watched tons of videos and tutorials, but they are presenting it a bit too sugary to be true in my eyes. Also I've read that ungating is a huge blocker for newbies. I would love some guidance about it aswell.

I have many more questions but let's keep these for now.

Thanks in advance!

Are there any OA sellers on here who wouldn’t mind sharing what their margins are?

I ask because I keep seeing people online post huge #s in sales, but they rarely ever speak on margins.

I understand 98% of the time it’s just hype to sell their course, but I still can’t help but wonder what the actual profit is, because sales seems to be so misleading.

I’m not knocking anyone’s hustle, just interested to see if it’s viable with dedication and time spent sourcing/learning.

Hey everyone,
I'm getting more into online arbitrage and wanted to ask, what websites do you use to find good deals for reselling in the U.S.?

I know the obvious ones like Walmart, Target, and maybe Walgreens, but are there any underrated or niche sites you’ve had success with?

Would love to hear what’s working for you lately!

Is online arbitrage sustainable? I recently started, and so far, it's going well, but I always see people speaking down on it and saying to switch to private label. Could you live off online arbitrage or at least make 50k a year from it?

is there any truth to this? is online arbitrage with amazon fba a legit business? or will you get suspended soon after starting?

What was your start up capital?

How long have you been selling on Amazon?

What is your monthly net profit?

How long did it take for you to start seeing profit?

How did you scale your business?

Do you still have a full time job? Is it hard to juggle the both?

If selling via OA and wholesale do you regularly just send items straight to the prep centre instead of your own venue? Please explain your reasoning. I’m asking because whilst it’s “fulfilled by amazon” for a reason I’ve noticed a lot of people on YouTube still store items in their own property or warehouses. Why’s this the case?

What do you like an dislike about having sell via online/retail arbitrage and wholesale?

Is there something you wish someone would’ve told you before selling on Amazon?

Many thanks!

I have just started doing Retail and Online arbitrage just a couple weeks ago, 100% FBA, I barely invested $150 and did over $600 in sales with a 20-30% profit. I don't understand why everyone on reddit says it's not worth it and that people doing videos of arbitrage are fake?

My only limitation at the moment is not having more money to invest in more products, but this will come with time. I find profitable products everyday, both online and in retail stores. Everything I tried to sell sold in less than 10 days. Am I lucky? Am I tripping? I can only think if I had 10-20x more money to invest I would be making 10-20x more. And that would be fucking amazing..

Anyone there making a living from arbitrage? I can't wait to quit my job and work 100% on this, I am really excited.

Why do online arbitrage sellers get such a bad rep? I started doing this about 6 months ago and it’s turning out to be surprisingly profitable.

But I’ve seen someone call OA sellers “the dying breed of amazon”

Why is that? Just curious.

I used to FBA years ago as part of a program called DropShip Domination, but it's been several years and my eBay account is far more established now; and I've only been using it for years now...Which do you find to be a better selling experience/profitable/safer to retail arbitrage stuff on now-a-days?

Hi there, I’m wanting to start selling through Amazon fba but trying to figure out what option is best. Can anyone tell me their experiences, pros/cons with Arbitrage and private label? I was originally going to start with private label but after some research maybe online Arbitrage would be better then switching to PL? Any help is appreciated!! Thank you!!

Hi,

I'm thinking to get started on Amazon with online arbitrage. I need to build up experience and capital before moving to wholesale. Is that a strategy you all would recommend for someone starting out?

Do people think leads list are worth it?
I tried using some leads list (OA beans) but wasn't impressed with the results. Are there some leads lists out there that are actually good.

Arbitrage BFF haven't tried their leads list but the mining leads option has been impressive to me I'm finding it much easier to start using than Tactical Arbitrage.

Anyway super curious for advice and opinions.

Thanks so much.

What do you find to be the best strategy for sourcing OA items? I have used manual and reverse sourcing and Tactical Arbitrage.

I found majority of items with TA but I find it is very hard to find good items that don’t tank for a few months before even coming close to my asking price.

I make sure the keepa looks good and steady price and everything, but I think the issue might be everyone else is seeing the similar results through the search database and items just start ranking.

Is retail/online arbitrage currently viable on Amazon?

I'm aware there are serious pitfalls to this business model I will address in a second. But my general question is whether there

are niches where retail/online arbitrage actually works and doesn't violate any ToS

rules assuming I put enough care to adhere to them.

Potential risks I'm aware of:

1. Resold product is not considered new. However according to this response from

an Amazon support employee it shouldn't be an issue.

2. You need to prove an item isn't counterfeit. But in order to prove that you

just need a valid receipt invoice issued in the last 365 days (again refer to this response).

3. A sale of an item or creation of a listing could violate IP rights. However

according to this FAQ if

a listing doesn't contain confusing information and identifies an authentic

product it should be fine.

4. An item is dropshipped violating the drop shipping policy. However,

if I repackaged the item and the packaging identified me as a seller it should

also be fine.

5. A warranty is voided when sold by an unauthorized reseller.

Assuming I make sure I don't violate any of the rules and policies mentioned

above and don't sell products where there's a chance I'll be pursued by a

manufacturer for IP infringement, is online/retail arbitrage a viable business

model? It looks like it's a grey area where you need to tread carefully, but seems to be acceptable by Amazon unless you cause any trouble.

Did you have any success reselling items in 2020?

Is retail arbitrage still viable in 2025? I just opened my account a few days ago and everything is gated, and I can’t really get any invoices. Are there any ways to get ungated other than invoices?

I’d appreciate any help. I didn’t create my account with the intention to source in retail but I’ve always thought about it.

Hello folks,

I hope you are all doing well. After having researched Amazon FBA business models extensively, I've settled on the Online Arbitrage method using Selleramp and Keepa as well as couple other extensions in order to get some effective market research done and get a business going. As someone about to graduate from college and unsure about what lies ahead, this seems like a truly viable alternative to the crushing 9-5 that so many of us see as an inevitable "must." Currently living in an apartment and contemplating the logistics behind inventory management in such a limited space (as well as security concerns regarding delivery). This summer, I'll be back home for some time and looking to dive into OA. Do you guys have any recommendations for me, as someone who can't necessarily hop into starting up OA through FBA immediately? Will I be waiting too long and missing out greatly on opportunities?