I started this blog about 18 months ago and posted my first blog post on the 27th of December 2017.
The reason why I started blogging? There are two. The first is that I wanted to document my journey in the crazy world of selling on Amazon. I wanted to document and reflect on the successes and the struggles I would experience.
At the time I was fairly new to Amazon FBA and had only started selling used books about ten months prior. So it was a good time to start this blog.
By the way, starting a blog is super easy. I simply headed over to Bluehost and signed up. The rest was easy. The hardest part was the writing, especially as I am not good at it.
The second is that, as an admirer of Gary Vaynerchuck, I was inspired to stop consuming content and instead create my own. My hope was to share my experiences — and if I could help others in the process, great.
Making money from blogging was never the main agenda. But I have to admit, I knew if I did make money from blogging, it would be a bonus.
Okay, let’s find out how much this blog has made so far. Here goes.
Affiliate earnings
The main source of income for this site has been affiliate earnings, with Amazon Associate US being the biggest contributor.
Amazon Associates
October 2018: $1.96
November 2018: $23.23
December 2018: $26.18
January 2019: $31.20
February 2019: 63.73
March 2019: 32.24
April 2019: $91.68
May 2019:
Total: $270.22
Ebay Network
Total: £91.52
Bqool
Total: $25
ScanLister
Total: $160.10
Total: $470 (£450)
Analysis
It seems that most of this site’s traffic mainly comes from two posts: Best Barcode Scanners for Amazon FBA and Best Thermal Label Printer for Selling on Amazon using FBA. These posts review and compare some of the tools needed to start selling used books on Amazon.
Another popular post is How to Start Selling Used Books on Amazon using FBA. I started selling books with little money and hit £15,000 in monthly revenue at one point. So I suppose it’s no surprise why people find it appealing.
My earlier posts on matched betting, however, have not done so well. Why? Because matched betting only works in the UK and is also a competitive niche.
Another reason, to my surprise, is that this site’s traffic (about 70%) comes from the US.
If you are based here in the UK, I would recommend reading my guide on Matched Betting. Why? Because it’s an easy way to make a couple of grand.
Increasing the blog’s income
I enjoy writing without the aim of making money. But in order for me to continue, I need a monetisation strategy. Here are some of the ways I plan to increase the revenue from this blog.
Achieve income potential
I haven’t exhausted the subjects of the content on this blog nor have I fully monetised them. Which means I could expand on and fully monetise each topic covered on this blog.
- The biggest earner for this blog is Amazon Associates. Which means I could write more product review and comparison posts.
- I could categorise the content on this blog and self-publish them on Amazon. Or I could use self-publishing sites like Lulu and market them on this blog.
- Marketing is something I have not done much of, so I could start to market my matched-betting related articles.
- I could expand on other product sourcing methods like Retail Arbitrage, Online Arbitrage, and Wholesale.
Increase traffic
Another option would be to increase traffic. Not just by increasing the traffic of the current content but by broadening the scope of this blog.
- I could write more how-to and informational content on the topics covered — the most obvious way to increase traffic.
- Another way I make on Amazon is through selling on my own branded products. I could start talking about branding and marketing your own products, both on and off Amazon.
- Another way I could increase traffic is to start marketing this blog via social media sites like Quora, Instagram, etc.
- As an avid reader, and with Amazon Associates being a good earner, I could start reviewing and recommending books.
- I could start writing articles on other ways to make money like blogging, print-on-demand, dropshipping, outsourcing and so on.
Final thoughts
Over the last 18 months, this blog has made peanuts. But to be fair, it wasn’t supposed to make any money. The fact that it has is a bonus and has given me extra motivation to continue writing.
This was my first income report and I hope to do one every six months. Why? Because I am more likely to continue producing content if I have something to aim for. And if I am held accountable, I am more likely to find time to write.
This site makes nothing, especially when compared to my other income sources. But I hope to change that so that I can do this more often.