Every Amazon journey has its cycle: the spark of innovation, the rush of growth, the sting of competition.
But what happens when the numbers no longer add up, and the shelves are full of inventory that won’t move?
One seller found out the hard way after copycats turned a $1.25M success into a fight for survival.
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An Amazon seller (OP) asked: How to sunset their business after riding the full cycle?
In the beginning, it was a sweet success story: an innovative product that carved out its own lane, growing steadily for 4–5 years and peaking at $1.25M in global sales with $350K net profit.
🎈 What goes up doesn’t always stay up
What started as a dream run now looked like a hard stop.
- Competitors swarmed in with copycat versions, undercutting prices by nearly half. 😾
- OP’s once-dominant 60% market share shrank to around 10%.
- The business struggled:
- Sales collapsed to 10% of their peak
- Ad spend ballooned with an ACoS near 50%
- $200K in inventory stuck on shelves
🛣️ The crossroads of exit
So, do they fight to squeeze out every last dollar, or bow out gracefully before things get worse? The choices aren’t easy, but here’s what OP is weighing:
- Cash-out pricing. Slash prices to break even and recover about $200K.
- Aggressive PPC. Keep prices steady but spend heavily to move inventory.
- Deals and promos. Try coupons, BOGOs, and discounts—anything to spark a little velocity. 🔖
- Resell the stock. Offload to a buyer who can run leaner, even at cost.
- Other plays. Any creative strategy that clears the books and closes the business cleanly.
🕵️♂️ Wisdom from the seasoned
The community offered tactical ways to approach the sunset:
- Go lean. Turn off PPC, lower prices, and find the velocity to clear stock in over 90 days.
- Coast it down. Cut back ads, lower prices gradually, and let sales trickle out. ✂️
- Sell the business. Even if multiples aren’t what they used to be, someone might want it.
- Play defense. Some sellers fought copycats with design patents, better branding, and sponsored ads.
➿ Closing the loop
Veterans agreed that the real win isn’t squeezing the last bit of profit, but closing clean.
Walking away with cash in hand and a clean account isn’t a failure; it’s strategy. And in this game, a seller’s reputation is often more valuable than revenue, because it’s the seed for whatever you decide to build next. 🌱
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
To win the ecommerce game is not to stand unshaken, but to pivot gracefully before the ground gives way.
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