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Reducing Return & Damage Costs: Protecting Your Amazon Profits

FBA & Operations, Profit & Costs, Customer & Growth Lucy Clarke 07/05/2025 FBA & Operations, Profit & Costs, Customer & Growth Lucy Clarke 07/05/2025

Reducing Return & Damage Costs: Protecting Your Amazon Profits

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The Upside Podcast

£100K Amazon Scam? (Costly Launch Mistakes to Avoid) | Upside #101

26 August 2026

£100K Amazon Scam? (Costly Launch Mistakes to Avoid) | Upside #101

26 August 2026

Round two of the real questions and mistakes we see from brands starting on Amazon, from a £100k agency quote that made no sense to the two spreadsheets that actually tell you your margin.

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26 August 2026

Shein Is Collapsing, Whatnot Just Hit $20 Billion | Upside News

24 August 2026

Shein Is Collapsing, Whatnot Just Hit $20 Billion | Upside News

24 August 2026

Whatnot passes 1 billion orders and hits a $20B valuation. Shein's IPO value keeps sliding. What both mean for Amazon sellers, and why UK sellers are caught in a de minimis gap of their own.

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24 August 2026

Ask your CEO ANYTHING | Upside #100

19 August 2026

Ask your CEO ANYTHING | Upside #100

19 August 2026

We handed our own team the mic at our Cambridge retreat and let them ask us anything, no script. Real answers on failure, cash flow, and giving up control after five years of building This Way Up.

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19 August 2026

AI Shopping Agents vs Amazon's $80 Billion Ad Machine | Upside News

17 August 2026

AI Shopping Agents vs Amazon's $80 Billion Ad Machine | Upside News

17 August 2026

A court ruling just revealed what Amazon's most afraid of, and TikTok Shop made FBA fulfilment for TikTok orders official. Here's what both mean for sellers this week.

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17 August 2026

11 August 2026

TikTok Shop vs Amazon: Where Should Your Brand Focus in 2026? | Upside #99

11 August 2026

TikTok Shop hit $64B in GMV last year, so is it time to ditch Amazon? We break down what each platform is actually good for, and why the real question isn't which one to pick.

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11 August 2026

9 Lessons Every Founder Needs to Hear | Upside #98

5 August 2026

9 Lessons Every Founder Needs to Hear | Upside #98

5 August 2026

James Sudcliffe, founder of The Founding Network, joins the pod to talk about why founders become the bottleneck in their own business, why most shouldn't raise money, and how the right conversation can save you six months of mistakes. Watch the full episode.

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5 August 2026

New US Tariffs Are Here: Will Your Business Survive? | Upside #97

30 July 2026

New US Tariffs Are Here: Will Your Business Survive? | Upside #97

30 July 2026

New US tariffs, a postal duty shake-up, and Amazon's new AI labelling rules all landed this week, and costs are heading up again. Leon and Al break down what it means for sellers, from pricier US shipping to the Red Sea escalation pushing oil past $100 a barrel. Watch the full episode for the details.

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30 July 2026

We Ranked The Best and Worst World Cup Marketing | Upside #96

24 July 2026

We Ranked The Best and Worst World Cup Marketing | Upside #96

24 July 2026

From Levi's turning a FIFA logo ban into a viral moment to Budweiser losing $112 million in Qatar, this episode of The Good, Bad, The Ugly breaks down the smartest and most costly marketing moves of the World Cup.

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24 July 2026

We Audited 30+ 6-Figure DTC Accounts: Here's What's Broken and How to Fix It | Upside #95

15 July 2026

We Audited 30+ 6-Figure DTC Accounts: Here's What's Broken and How to Fix It | Upside #95

15 July 2026

New co-host, same sharp e-commerce talk. Al and Leon cover a surprisingly strong June, the EU's new per-parcel customs fee hitting Temu, Shein and small sellers, and what Amazon's deal with Anthropic could mean for seller payouts. Then: real TACoS numbers to budget for, and the recurring mistakes still costing Amazon sellers money. Watch the full episode on YouTube.

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15 July 2026

Most Agencies Don't Want you to know this... | Upside #94

8 July 2026

Most Agencies Don't Want you to know this... | Upside #94

8 July 2026

This episode looks at why so many founders have bad agency experiences and what is usually going wrong underneath. Ali and Zamir talk through broken incentives, generic processes, red flags to watch for, and the questions worth asking before you bring in outside help.

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8 July 2026

The Amazon cash trap with Sameed Naviwala| Upside #93

6 July 2026

The Amazon cash trap with Sameed Naviwala| Upside #93

6 July 2026

In this episode, Ali and Zamir sit down with Samir to talk about what it really takes to keep building on Amazon when fees rise, cash gets tighter, and the market keeps shifting. They get into cash flow, profit vs growth, staying lean, holding rank, and why resilience matters just as much as product quality.

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6 July 2026

Why Smart Brands Look Beyond the Dashboard | Upside #92

25 June 2026

Why Smart Brands Look Beyond the Dashboard | Upside #92

25 June 2026

Amazon is not exactly lying to you, but the data is rarely telling the full story. In this episode, Ali and Zamir unpack why great decisions do not come from dashboards alone, and how weather, competitors, timing, and market context can completely change what the numbers seem to say.

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25 June 2026

How to Stop Sounding Painfully Corporate (With Rob D. Willis) | Upside #91

18 June 2026

How to Stop Sounding Painfully Corporate (With Rob D. Willis) | Upside #91

18 June 2026

If your message sounds clear in your head but still is not landing, this episode is worth your time. Rob D. Willis breaks down why most founders get storytelling wrong, how to create real tension in your message, and what it takes to connect with an audience online.

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18 June 2026

Amazon destroying your D2C? | Upside #90

11 June 2026

Amazon destroying your D2C? | Upside #90

11 June 2026

This episode looks at the real difference between selling on Amazon and selling through your own website. Ali and Zamir unpack customer ownership, confidence, marketplaces, and why your brand is still your most valuable asset.

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11 June 2026

How Bayer Builds Trust in an AI World | Upside #89

8 June 2026

How Bayer Builds Trust in an AI World | Upside #89

8 June 2026

In a world full of noise, ads, and AI-generated content, trust matters more than ever. This episode explores how Bayer approaches credibility, storytelling, and human-first content, with practical lessons any brand can take into digital marketing.

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8 June 2026

Shivali Patel Reveals What Data Most Amazon Sellers Ignore

27 May 2026

Shivali Patel Reveals What Data Most Amazon Sellers Ignore

27 May 2026

Shivali joins the podcast to share practical advice for Amazon sellers on what data to watch, which tools actually matter, and how to approach product research, optimisation, and Prime Day with a clearer strategy.

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27 May 2026

Amazon’s Next Big Problem

20 May 2026

Amazon’s Next Big Problem

20 May 2026

Amazon is moving on from Rufus, but the bigger issue is what comes next. In this episode, Ali and Zamir look at Amazon’s AI direction, why sellers should ignore the hype, and the growing cash flow risk brands may need to plan for now.

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20 May 2026

Amazon's Squeezing Sellers Again - Fees Up, Prep Gone, Profits Soaring

13 May 2026

Amazon's Squeezing Sellers Again - Fees Up, Prep Gone, Profits Soaring

13 May 2026

Amazon has rolled out another wave of seller changes. In this episode, Ali and Zamir break down higher FBA fees, the end of prep services, and what Amazon’s Q1 results reveal about the platform’s next move. They also look at rising ad revenue and what it could mean for seller margins, packaging, and profitabilityю

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13 May 2026

Entering the US Market: Costs, Strategy & Mistakes

29 April 2026

Entering the US Market: Costs, Strategy & Mistakes

29 April 2026

Breaking into the US on Amazon can look exciting from the outside, but the reality is more expensive and demanding than most brands expect. This episode unpacks the pressure points behind US expansion, from rising ad costs and stock planning to the cash flow needed to keep growth from turning into strain.

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29 April 2026

Amazon Sellers Asked… We Answered (Amazon Clinic Ep. 2)

22 April 2026

Amazon Sellers Asked… We Answered (Amazon Clinic Ep. 2)

22 April 2026

A practical Amazon Clinic episode on the fixes that make the biggest difference, from packaging and profit margins to the few things sellers should actually be paying attention to each week.

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22 April 2026

Andy Jassy's just put $200B on red

22 April 2026

Andy Jassy's just put $200B on red

22 April 2026

A closer look at Andy Jassy’s latest shareholder letter and what Amazon’s huge AI push could mean for the platform’s future. This episode explores the pressure on cash flow, rising seller costs, and why sellers may end up feeling the impact long before they see the upside.

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22 April 2026

Why Founder Led Brands Are Taking Over

22 April 2026

Why Founder Led Brands Are Taking Over

22 April 2026

A sharper look at what modern advertising is getting right, getting wrong, and quietly losing in the process. This episode moves from founder-led content and flat brand campaigns to AI-generated ads and the growing tension between efficiency and real connection.

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22 April 2026

This Is Why Your Amazon Listing Isn’t Selling

22 April 2026

This Is Why Your Amazon Listing Isn’t Selling

22 April 2026

A practical E-commerce Clinic episode that breaks down why an Amazon listing may not be selling, using real examples to show what is working, what is not, and where sellers should focus first to improve performance

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22 April 2026

AI Is Not Intelligent - And We Can Prove It

17 April 2026

AI Is Not Intelligent - And We Can Prove It

17 April 2026

A calmer take on AI, Amazon, and the gap between the hype and what actually matters. This episode cuts through the noise around LLMs, Rufus, and automation, and brings the focus back to what really drives performance for sellers.

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17 April 2026

We Ran Our Business Across 4 Countries in 4 Weeks

17 April 2026

We Ran Our Business Across 4 Countries in 4 Weeks

17 April 2026

A behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to run a global e-commerce business across very different markets. This episode follows the realities of scaling through travel, local insight, team connection, and the operational messiness that never shows up in the polished version.

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17 April 2026

Middle East Conflict: Are Supply Chains Under Pressure Again?

17 April 2026

Middle East Conflict: Are Supply Chains Under Pressure Again?

17 April 2026

A practical conversation on supply chain risk, geopolitical disruption, and how businesses can respond without panicking. This episode looks at what rising tensions in the Gulf could mean for shipping, costs, and long-term resilience.

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17 April 2026

We Answered Real Amazon Seller Problems (Amazon Clinic)

17 April 2026

We Answered Real Amazon Seller Problems (Amazon Clinic)

17 April 2026

A hands-on Amazon seller clinic covering the problems that show up in real life, from login headaches and weak CTR to auto campaign decisions and listings that suddenly stop showing in search.

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17 April 2026

How Understanding People Built an E-Commerce Empire (With Umar Farooq Rana)

16 April 2026

How Understanding People Built an E-Commerce Empire (With Umar Farooq Rana)

16 April 2026

A wide-ranging conversation on building real-world technology, solving hard infrastructure problems, and eventually turning that same mindset toward human performance. This episode moves from ecommerce systems and entrepreneurship to sleep, recovery, and the idea that personal optimisation matters just as much as business growth.

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16 April 2026

Expert Digital Marketing and Growth Strategist (Rafay Raheel)

16 April 2026

Expert Digital Marketing and Growth Strategist (Rafay Raheel)

16 April 2026

A focused conversation on what happens when Amazon growth and DTC growth are treated as part of the same system, not two separate worlds. This episode explores conversion, retention, funnel gaps, and why better performance starts with fixing what happens after the click.

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16 April 2026

Side Hustles, Trend Products, and Testing Fast

15 April 2026

Side Hustles, Trend Products, and Testing Fast

15 April 2026

A practical conversation about low-risk business ideas that can be tested quickly without tying up too much money. From niche kits to print-on-demand products, this episode is all about moving fast, spotting demand, and learning by doing.

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15 April 2026