ManageByStats This Week – Issue 1826
News For The Informed Amazon Seller.
ManageByStats This Week covers a selection of industry and Amazon news, along with updates, tips and tricks for ManageByStats.
FIRST WORD
Hello and welcome. This week we saw a huge announcement from the Supreme Court involving the collection of sales tax by states. We cover that from a few angles in the World Of Amazon section and General Interest.
In other big news we added Two-Factor Authentication to your MBS, so that is now available as an option if desired. We cover how to set it up in Tips & Tricks.
And there’s a great webinar going on later today, being hosted by Northbound Academy. Depending on when you’re reading this it might not be too late to sign up:
TIPS & TRICKS
With the new release of Two-Factor Authentication let’s cover how to use it.
For starters, whether you use 2FA or not, you can now choose to stay logged in to the browser you’re in. At the login screen you see this option:
Checking that box will keep you logged in for that session, until you log out. In other words the login session will not timeout, but will last until you log out.
Note: to use 2FA you’ll need to have the Google Authenticator App on your phone. You can find that in your app store. The app is free.
You can choose 2FA in MBS either by selecting it from your login pulldown, or selecting it under Settings:
If you want to enable 2FA, check the Enable box and you get this screen:
Using your Google Authenticator app, scan the QR code and then enter the six-digit code in section 2, Verify Settings. Make sure you do this within the timeout period. The timeout period should be 60 seconds.
Note: do not enter the spaces in the verification code. It will be a six-digit number, something like “123 456”. The system should allow you to enter the space, but the space is not required.
After that’s done, the next time you log into MBS, after you enter your username and password, you’ll see this screen:
You’ll get a verification code on your phone. Enter the verification code.
If you select the “Don’t ask for codes on this browser”, you will not be challenged for the verification code again on that browser.
Note: Even if you select “Don’t ask for codes on this browser”, if you have your browser set to clear cache on exit (this is not the default, so you’ll know if you have this set), the record of your 2FA verification will not be retained, and you’ll need to provide the code on the next login.
Note Also: If you travel outside the country where you set up the 2FA, you’ll need to provide a verification code on the next login.
Once you’ve selected “Don’t ask for codes on this browser”, you can later revoke it for that browser in your MBS, under Settings > 2FA:
To disable 2FA altogether:
- Deselect “Enable Two Factor Authentication”
- Enter the verification code
- Save
And 2FA will be disabled.
THE WORLD OF AMAZON
This issue we’re spending time on the Supreme Court ruling regarding sales tax, and we cover it from a few angles in the General Interest section below. There we look at how it could impact Amazon from the point of view of consumers. Here let’s take a look at what this might mean for Amazon operationally …
Amazon Could Actually Benefit From The Supreme Court Ruling On Sales Tax
ONGOING OFFER
Through our partnership with AMZ & Beyond, we’re happy to extend this special, limited access for our MBS users to the AMZ & Beyond coaching success mentors:
AMZ & Beyond helps you take your Amazon/eComm business to the next level through your own personal coaching success mentors.
GENERAL INTEREST
A ruling whose time has come? The Supreme Court has cleared states to collect sales tax from online retailers, even if those companies don’t have a physical presence in the state.
It’s not 1992 anymore and, according to Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, the initial ruling, which specified that a company does have to have a physical presence in a state to be taxed, was made at a time when mail-order sales totaled $180m.
“Last year,” Kennedy wrote, “e-commerce retail sales alone were estimated at $453.5B. Combined with traditional remote sellers, the total exceeds half a trillion dollars.”
This was huge news last week, and so in this issue we’re looking at it from a few angles.
The Ruling: South Dakota vs. Wayfair Inc.
Americans have done more and more of their shopping online in recent years, drawn by the promise of low prices, wide selection and buy-from-home convenience. But e-commerce has also had another edge: Many of those sales were, in effect, tax-free.
The Supreme Court on Thursday moved to close that loophole, ruling that internet retailers can be required to collect sales taxes even in states where they have no physical presence …
Supreme Court Widens Reach of Sales Tax for Online Retailers
Impact on Amazon?
The question on all our minds, as Amazon sellers. Truth is, people buy things within a certain price range on Amazon without even checking elsewhere, just because of the convenience, not the price. Amazon is mainly about the experience, not the price, which is why competitors have such a hard time catching up, because they can’t create the same experience for the consumer …
Why Amazon’s Retail Dominance Won’t Be Disrupted
Impact on We The Sellers
An even bigger question. Right now we know that $100,000 in sales or 200 transactions a year is substantial economic nexus in South Dakota. However, the Court did not provide any guidance regarding lower numbers. Could $10,000 or 20 transactions be considered substantial nexus?
Here’s a guest post from our friends at TaxJar, outlining some of these key points and addressing questions most sellers will have …
A Sales Tax Expert Weighs In on the South Dakota Supreme Court Ruling
HUMOR
If you’re considering doing some camping this summer, please note the following public service announcement:
In Alaska, tourists are warned to wear tiny bells on their clothing when hiking in bear country. The bells warn away most bears (brown, black, etc.), but tourists are warned to be careful because they don’t scare Grizzly Bears.
Tourists are then cautioned to watch the ground on the trail, paying particular attention to bear droppings to be alert for the presence of Grizzly Bears.
One can easily spot a Grizzly dropping because it has tiny bells in it.
FUNNY REVIEWS
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“You will never get to the end of the journey if you stop to throw a stone at every dog that barks.”
– Winston Churchill
YOUR THOUGHTS
__
You can reply back directly to this email. Also, if you’d like to comment on ManageByStats in a public forum you can do so here:
We’re looking to build community feedback. If you’d like to help, please do!
__
All the best,
Your ManageByStats Team
And don’t forget to share ManageByStats with your friends. Our affiliate program pays you an ongoing 25% referral commission.
See the Affiliate page under Settings in your ManageByStats.
…
