Introduction
This article shows you how to source products on the Product Search page using Basic tools. By the end of this article, you will know how to:
select a website
customize search settings
use filters to find profitable opportunities
1. Activating basic tools
The Product Search page has two states: Advanced and Basic.
This article shows you how to use Basic tools. For information about Advanced tools, see:
To display Basic tools on the Product Search page:
Click Product Search on the side menu bar. The Product Search page displays.
In the top left corner, click the toggle towards Basic. Basic tools display on the page.
2. Selecting a source country
Select a country to source products. That means you tell the platform to find websites from a specific region. This choice affects the range of websites that display in the panel.
Click the box beside Country. A drop-down menu displays.
Select a country.
Generally, you'd select your home country, but that's not required. You're free to select any country from the drop-down menu. You could, for example, select France, si vous pouvez lire le français.
3. Selecting a source website
The next step is to select a website to search. There are several ways to select a website list.
Click the ALL button
Display all company websites in our database - for your selected country - at one time.
Click the ALL button. A list of websites displays.
Scroll through the list.
Click the logo of the company you want to search.
Click a letter
Narrow the list of options by selecting the first letter of a company name.
Click a letter. A list of websites displays.
Scroll through the list.
Click the logo of the company you want to search.
Type a name
Type a name in the search box. If the company name is in our database, the logo displays.
Click the logo of the company you want to search.
Other panel tools
To clear a list of companies, click the blue button with a yellow star.
To visit a company website, click the blue button under the logo.
To add a website to the favorite list, click the yellow star under the logo.
4. Selecting a search category
The next step is to select a category.
Go to the right side of the page. You can see the Basic Filters box. The logo of the company you selected in Step 3 (above) displays in the corner of the box.
4.1 How to search
The Tactical Arbitrage algorithm doesn't search everything on a company's website. Instead, you tell the algorithm what to search by selecting a category. A category is, basically, a web page of products on a website.
Click the box beside Category Select. A drop-down menu displays.
Scroll down the list of categories.
Click the category you want to search. A check mark displays beside that category name. That category name also displays in the select field.
In the image below, we selected the Toy Wiz company. Among all the categories of products carried by that company, we want to run a search on the Lego category. That category has 197 items.
5. Selecting site discounts
After selecting a company and category, the next step is to set discount thresholds. In Basic tools, there are three discount filters.
Store discount
This is the percentage off the retail price. Enter an estimate or visit store websites and look for current promotions.
Cashback
The reward you receive for each sale from cashback companies.
Giftcard
The reward you receive for each sale from giftcard companies.
Note: To get cashback and giftcard rewards, you need to become a member of the companies that provide these services. As a member, you will know the correct percentage to enter in these data fields.
6. Entering cost data
The next step is to enter cost data. The Tactical Arbitrage algorithm uses these figures to estimate your profit per sale and gross return on investment (ROI).
If you live in a jurisdiction that charges sales tax (or your business doesn't enjoy tax-exempt status), enter a figure in the data field.
The Prep $/Item field is the cost to send a product to the Amazon facility you work with. This cost includes prepping a product and shipping to Amazon.
This field estimates shipping costs to Amazon based on weight. It's a difficult number to capture accurately for new users. With experience, you develop a keen sense of this cost for your product range.
Note: For most new users, it's a good to enter a number in all cost fields. These costs will give you a more realistic ROI estimate.
7. Running a search
The final step is to save the filters and start a search.
Click the field beside Name a Search and enter a unique title.
Click the SEARCH button.
In Basic tools, you can run up to 7 searches at one time. You could:
search a different category in the same company, or
create a new search for a different company.
7.1 Search Manager
The Search Manager tracks searches and search results. You can also look at search results using the View Data tool.
Scroll up to the top of the Basic tools page and locate the green button.
Click SEARCH MANAGER. A new page displays.
For more information, see: