In 2021, Kerwin, a post-90s entrepreneur from Shandong, founded his own company, Linqu Resi, with full enthusiasm, and resolutely embarked on the Amazon cross-border e-commerce journey. In order to fully invest in his business, he leased this ordinary apartment in the city center and cleverly transformed it into a multi-purpose space integrating office, storage, and living.

When I opened the door, I saw the living room, which was divided into an office area and a packing area, and every inch of space was fully utilized. The kitchen and bedroom settings ensure that Kerwin can work with peace of mind while also meeting basic living needs. This small space carries Kerwin's dream and persistence in the cross-border e-commerce business.

In this age of rapid change, the trajectory of life is often full of surprises and opportunities. Kervin started his career in the construction industry and later worked in Indonesia for a few years. After returning home, he chose the foreign trade industry as his new career direction. While exploring traditional foreign trade, he came into contact with the Amazon platform and learned the advantages of the B2C model over the B2B model for individual entrepreneurs.
In 2021, he officially began his Amazon seller journey. At first, he chose jewelry products as an entry point, then gradually focused on the fashion category. It is worth mentioning that he chose Japan as his main battleground, and he has been working hard for 3 years now.

Choosing the Japan station was a well-considered decision. Due to limited start-up capital, only RMB 10,000 to RMB 50,000. Logistics costs are lower at the Japanese station, and delivery time is faster. Shipping from Qingdao, Shandong to Japan usually only takes about 7-15 days, which means a shorter replenishment cycle and fewer capital requirements.
In the operation of the Japanese station, one of their student school bag products has achieved great results. The success of this product was not an accident, but was based on meticulous market research and product optimization.
Kerwin: When we chose this product at the time, we went through a lot of data analysis, analyzed some similar products, read their reviews, looked at some features of the products they are currently selling, and made targeted improvements and upgrades. Afterwards, we tested the product and received good customer recognition.

In the early stages of starting a business, Kerwin faced a critical decision point: self-shipping or FBA?
“We are an individual startup seller with zero experience,” Kerwin recalled. “That is to say, we had no experience at the time, and we couldn't even do the basic operations of uploading products. So I initially chose the FBM model. "
However, as he learned more about the platform, he gradually realized the advantages of the FBA model. “We learned that FBA would have more traffic support, faster delivery efficiency, and then more customer choices,” he explained, “so we started moving to FBA. "

This shift has brought about significant improvements. He highlighted several key advantages of FBA over FBM:
1. More product traffic: Since FBA provides faster delivery times, customers prefer to choose FBA products, which is very helpful for product promotion and sales.
2. Faster delivery: From 7-10 days in the original shipping model, the delivery time was reduced to FBA's two-day delivery or up to three-day delivery.
3. Reduced operating costs: The FBA model has helped save significant operating costs. “When shipping, we need more effort to pay attention to orders every day, ship every day, and purchase products according to order volume. But after moving to FBA, we only need to focus on inventory levels in Amazon warehouses to maintain a safe inventory level. "

Reflecting on this experience, Kerwin now recommends that novice sellers start directly with FBA. He believes that although more learning and adaptation may be required in the early stages, the advantages of the FBA model are obvious in the long run. It not only optimizes the supply chain, but also frees up valuable time and energy. “We have more time to improve our operational capabilities and choose more new products,” he added.

As the business expanded, Kerwin deeply appreciated the complexity of cross-border logistics and warehousing management. In this challenging field, he gradually developed a unique set of operating strategies.
“Cross-border logistics and warehousing involves exports; in fact, there is a risk,” Kerwin explained, “that is, whether the goods can be sold, or how long it takes to be able to sell them. So be sure to have a healthy inventory. “This sentence reveals one of the core challenges of cross-border e-commerce: how to maintain optimal inventory levels in an uncertain market.

Kerwin emphasized that the ideal state is not to be out of stock, but also to maintain a flexible and safe replenishment cycle to ensure that the product continues to sell well. This requires sellers to have keen market insight and accurate inventory control capabilities.
Speaking about specific strategies, Kerwin shared his experience: “After launch, we used a small number of batches to send goods to the FBA warehouse based on sales conditions and market trends. “This approach not only reduces the risk of inventory backlogs, but also effectively responds to unexpected situations that may occur in logistics. “If you send a large number of items at once, if you run into problems with the first step, the link may be broken. Sending a few more batches and in smaller quantities can both achieve the same effect and reduce risk. "

In terms of logistics costs, Kerwin recalls: “At the beginning, logistics accounted for about 25% of the investment, including the first and last steps. “As the scale of the business expanded, their logistics strategy continued to evolve: “In the beginning, they mainly relied on air freight, then as sales increased, we used sea freight more, so part of the cost would drop. "
Kerwin's experience highlights the importance of refined operations in cross-border e-commerce. Inventory management and logistics optimization not only directly affect profit margins, but are also key factors in maintaining continued business growth.
Through this refined operation method, Kerwin not only effectively controlled costs, but also successfully maintained a stable supply chain amid market fluctuations, laying a solid foundation for the continuous growth of the business.

As an experienced Amazon seller, Kerwin shared some valuable money-saving tips for new sellers. These suggestions will not only help new sellers reduce initial costs, but also lay the foundation for their long-term growth.
First, Kerwin emphasized the importance of making the most of Amazon's New Seller Package. “The Amazon New Seller Package includes a lot of valuable benefits,” he explained, “such as Vine Program coupons, advertising credits, coupon credits, and free send-in credits. For new sellers with limited funds, these offers can save significant upfront costs. "

Regarding new products, Kerwin specifically mentioned the benefits of Amazon Logistics's new product entry discount program. “This plan is particularly useful for us to test new products,” he said. “For example, we may only send 30-50 new products for testing, and choosing Amazon's new product entry plan may completely cover logistics expenses. This is a great help for new sellers with limited funds. "
Another important benefit project Kerwin emphasized was the use of Amazon's Small and Light Items Program. “When we first started in the jewelry category, we didn't know that some products could be classified as small and light items,” he recalled. “Later, we discovered that all we saved by using the small items plan was profit. "

To maximize this advantage, Kerwin's team even optimized the product packaging. “We have adjusted some packages that were originally larger than light, such as reducing the height of the box to meet the requirements for small and light items. In this way, we can enjoy preferential discounts on small and light items, saving a lot of costs and increasing profits. "
Kerwin's recommendations highlight one of the key elements of successfully operating on the Amazon platform: being good at using various tools and preferential policies. By using these resources wisely, new sellers can greatly reduce initial costs and gain themselves more room to operate and experiment.

From brand crossing borders to site development, from product “cost performance” to “price ratio”, QCY has broken through and eventually transformed into a senior cross-border e-commerce player, proving once again that Chinese sellers have the courage to not be afraid of hardships and risks and dare to take on challenges. I believe that with the help of Amazon, more cross-border sellers can set sail and sail to a wider sea.