I might have just written the scariest Harry Potter title yet... at least for small businesses...
Some folks have written asking when our products will be back in stock on Amazon, and I'm pleased to announce that we have begun restocking some of our products on Amazon... SOME, but not ALL.
As usual, I'm going to use this opportunity to explain how small business works (at least for us), and *particularly* how Outlaw works with Amazon.
Outlaw & Amazon
For our business, we are glad to be on Amazon. Amazon is the undisputed heavyweight in the retail world, and because of that, most product searches start on Amazon. This means that if we want to get in front of our customers, and our customers are on Amazon, we need to get on Amazon.
We use their fulfillment service for packages purchased from their site, because that means their Prime folks get shipping included for their annual subscription price (I don't like calling it "free shipping," because people are paying for the Prime membership, but I digress...).
Once people try out our products on Amazon and realize how stunningly amazing we are (if we do say so ourselves), they often hop on over to LiveOutlaw.com to get cologne and deodorant and subscriptions, none of which are available on Amazon.
We appreciate that people are finding us on Amazon and honestly, we're just happy to be on people's bodies at all. ... (That did NOT come out how I meant it to sound, but hopefully you know what I mean)
But at the same time, Amazon charges about 40% for this service.
So if it comes down to the decision of whether we're going to carry a limited amount of inventory on LiveOutlaw.com or on Amazon, we're going to pick LiveOutlaw.com. Yes, we charge shipping (unless you're doubling down on our double down subscription), but as a small business, these are the dollars that really, really, really count, especially as postage rates increase.
At the end of the day, of course, it comes down to what YOU, the Outlaw customer and friend, want:
- If you buy direct, you get to enjoy a broader selection and a more consistent inventory selection.
- If you buy from Amazon, you get the speed and efficiency of Amazon, and the badass olfactory adventure of Outlaw.
Either way, we're glad to have you in our gang! Thanks for bein' here!
