Are Amazon FBA Courses Worth It? (2023)

When starting an Amazon FBA business it can feel like there’s a world of new information to learn.

So naturally one of the first places many turn is Amazon FBA courses.

But are they really worth what you pay for them?

The truth is that some are, and some aren’t.

In this article, we’ll cover the key questions you need to ask about any Amazon FBA course to know whether it’s worth your time and money.

What makes a good Amazon FBA course?

Amazon FBA courses only start to become worth your time and energy if they are actually good quality.

But what makes them “good”?

Here are 9 key things to look out for:

1. Proven instructors

Selling on Amazon is a business model with unique and continually evolving strategies that can’t just be ‘cut and paste’ from another model.

As such, you’ll find the most value in Amazon FBA courses that are taught by proven practitioners who have recent experience selling on Amazon.

Inside Brand Builder University I teach a lot of the lessons from my experience of operating a 7 figure Amazon business.

We’re also honored to have some of the greatest eCommerce minds teaching lessons in our courses, such as:

• Beast Gear and EcomBrokers founder Ben Leonard who teaches how to build a sellable brand
• 2x 7 figure founder Daniel Little who teaches how to structure your financials
• Sourcing expert Jing Zhu who teaches how to find manufacturers who will help differentiate your products
• Helium 10’s product research expert Carrie Miller who teaches how to find profitable products to sell on Amazon
• Trademarking expert Anita Mar who teaches on protecting your brand

Before investing in Amazon FBA training, take the time to learn about the instructors and their reputation in the industry.

2. A record of results

I often get asked about a good success rate for Amazon sellers, and what ours is inside Brand Builder University.

It’s a hard question to answer because there will always be a large amount of members who prefer to keep results private.

There will also always be a good amount of people who enroll in a course with the best of intentions but take no action whatsoever.

That said, a proven Amazon course will generate a good amount of successful Amazon FBA business case studies and testimonials.

It’s important to verify the authenticity of these testimonials and ideally, you’d be able to see reviews on platforms like Trustpilot that can’t be manipulated.

We also try to do deep-dive case studies with our students to really help listeners understand how they have applied the principles in our Amazon FBA training successfully.

3. A comprehensive curriculum

At the core of a good Amazon FBA course is a clear, easy-to-follow, and thorough curriculum of learning.

It should include in-depth lessons about:

• The Amazon FBA business model (Start)
• Product research (Select)
• Sourcing & manufacturing (Source)
• Setting up your business, brand, and Amazon account (Setup)
• Shipping your goods to Amazon (Ship)
• Creating an optimized Amazon listing (Shape)
• Launching products on Amazon (Sell)
• Scaling your business to 6 figures and beyond (Scale)

(In brackets above are the names we give these stages inside our Amazon FBA course, with each topic given its own dedicated module.)

A good course would have a range of detailed lessons on each of these topics that leave all your questions answered and give you a clear plan to follow.

4. Up-to-date information

The Amazon marketplace is constantly evolving.

Strategies change, and Amazon’s terms of service update.

What was a successful and permitted strategy one year ago, might not be so today.

As such it’s imperative that the Amazon FBA training course you take is kept up to date with the latest strategies that will give you success and keep your Amazon account in good standing.

5. Easy-to-follow lessons

The best Amazon FBA courses (or any online course for that matter) aren’t just full of all the information you need but are presented in a helpful way.

This includes good visuals, clear instructions, and small, bite-size lessons in video and text format.

6. Good support

A top-notch course should offer comprehensive support to help you overcome challenges and roadblocks as you embark on your Amazon FBA journey.

One example of good support is direct access to instructors or mentors.

Courses that provide opportunities for one-on-one interactions or live Q&A sessions with experienced instructors can be incredibly valuable.

These interactions allow you to seek personalized advice, clarify doubts, and get expert guidance tailored to your specific situation.

For instance, we host weekly Q&A calls inside Brand Builder University with a range of guests.

In these sessions, we help you analyze your product research, review your Amazon listings, or provide insights on optimizing your advertising campaigns.

This can go a long way to helping you get started with confidence.

MORE: Amazon FBA Coaching: Finding The Support You Need

7. Value-driven pricing

Amazon FBA courses vary wildly in their pricing, ranging from free Amazon FBA courses that give you a good intro to the business model…

All the way up to coaching programs costing multiple thousands of dollars.

There’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ pricing model, it really is more a case of knowing what you want from your investment and making sure you find a good fit.

Lower-cost programs tend to involve more of a do-it-yourself structure, and higher-priced options typically come with more coaching and community touch-points.

At Brand Builder University we offer a flexible pricing model that delivers good value at each level.

You can access individual courses on a lower-priced self-study basis, or upgrade to a BBU Pro membership which includes all courses, coaching, and community.

Whichever route you choose, the key is getting good value from your investment.

8. Community access

A supportive community of fellow students can be a valuable source of encouragement.

Look for courses that offer access to a private forum or Facebook group where you can connect with other Amazon sellers at various stages of their journeys.

Having previously tested both Facebook groups and Discord servers for our BBU community, we now use an all-in-one community platform to keep everything in one place for our members.

Inside they can access all our courses:

Community discussions in topic-based channels (similar to Slack or Discord):

And our weekly live events:

No more having to log in to Facebook to post a question or trawl through emails to find Zoom links for live calls 🎉

Over the years, we’ve found this community aspect to be a platform for networking, sharing experiences, and finding solutions to common challenges.

I’d highly recommend prioritizing this on your journey too!

9. Business model appropriate

The final consideration when looking at Amazon FBA courses is the specific Amazon business model you’re looking to start.

There are a number of models available to you, with the most popular being:

1. Arbitrage: Buying discounted products online (online arbitrage) or in retail outlets (retail arbitrage) and then selling on Amazon.
2. Wholesale: Buying branded goods in bulk from existing manufacturers to sell on Amazon.
3. Private Label: Creating your own unique brand of products to sell on Amazon (and beyond)

Arbitrage and wholesale can certainly help you learn the ropes, but if you want ultimate control over the future of your business, building a private-label brand is—in our humble opinion—the best way to go.

Whichever model you choose, make sure the FBA course you enroll in is focused on delivering high-quality content to be successful with that model.

Is an Amazon FBA course right for me?

Now you know how to find good Amazon FBA courses, the question becomes ‘Is buying a course right for me?’

While nobody can answer that question for you, there are a few things to consider.

1. Budget: If you are trying to become an Amazon seller on a shoestring budget, you may prefer to invest everything into inventory. But remember, courses can help you learn from other people’s journeys and shortcut your success so it’s not always a simple dollar calculation.
2. Time: A good course will have a well-structured layout that helps you learn what you need when you need it. This can be a huge time-saver and fast-track your launch. However, if you’re cash-poor but time-rich, you may feel that hunting down the right resources on your own is the best approach.
3. Confidence: Making decisions in any business takes a leap of faith at times, and even more so when you are dealing with thousands of dollars worth of inventory. If you have little experience in the world of eCommerce or manufacturing, good Amazon FBA courses can help fill the necessary knowledge gaps that allow you to take confident steps forward.
4. Accountability: By investing in a course or coaching you are getting some ‘skin in the game’. Most people find that once they have committed a financial sum to a project it forces them to give it more time and attention. If you struggle with taking action, perhaps this could be a good motivation for you too.

Alternatives to Amazon FBA courses

If you’re not sure you want to enroll in a course to help you with your Amazon FBA business yet, there are a number of other great resources to get stuck into:

1. Podcasts

Podcasts are a gold mine of information about many aspects of being an Amazon seller.

Here’s our top pick of the best podcasts to get started with:

• The Brand Builder Show by Brand Builder University (us!)
• Seller Sessions by Danny McMillan
• The AM/PM Podcast by Kevin King
• The Serious Sellers Podcast by Helium 10
• Selling on Amazon with Andy Isom

MORE: 19 Best Amazon FBA Podcasts To Help You Succeed

2. Blogs

If you’re more of a reader, then there’s a world of information available with a simple Google search.

The key with long-form written content is to make sure it’s up-to-date.

We have 100+ guides and tutorials on the Brand Builder Blog and keep them regularly updated to make sure information is actionable and reliable.

3. YouTube

YouTube channels can also be a great source of step-by-step video tutorials.

Here are some great channels to subscribe to:

• Brand Builder University 😎
• Jungle Scout
• Orange Klik
• HonestFBA
• Trevin Peterson

4. Social media communities

Social media isn’t for everyone.

But for those keen to build their network and engage in the Amazon seller community, X (or Twitter for those still holding on) and LinkedIn are both good options.