Clear the Shelf with Chris & Chris

Hosted by Chris Grant & Chris Racic

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111

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Jul 2026

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About the show

The show that meets at the intersection of education and entertainment to discuss online arbitrage, retail arbitrage, wholesale, and all facets of selling on Amazon. We'll bring you news, tactics, strategies, insights, stories, and interviews to help you grow your Amazon business. Welcome to the show!

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July 31, 202654 min

He Explains Why the Biggest Amazon Sellers Still Do Online Arbitrage

Apply to work with me one-on-one: https://www.cleartheshelf.com/apply He's done $6.5 million in Amazon sales. He quit a six-figure finance job in New York to do this full-time. And his thesis is that once you get to a certain point, an Amazon business becomes a logistics company. The margin isn't just in sourcing. It's in the supply chain. Sean Kaupp (@Stacksonsr) co-founded ShipVision, uses $1 million in private capital instead of credit cards, and says AWD saves him $2,500 to $7,000 a month in placement fees. Today we get into why he thinks wholesale has the smallest moat, why OA sellers doing $14 million a month prove the model scales, how FTL shipping cuts check-in time from three weeks to under 24 hours, and the order cancellation prevention stack most sellers don't know about. Chapters: 00:00 - $6.5M on Amazon and the Logistics Thesis 02:01 - COVID Masks to $180K Months on Shopify (Then $5K) 05:00 - Suspended Before His First Sale (How He Got Back In) 07:00 - Home Depot Gloves and the Amazon Lightbulb Moment 10:00 - What ShipVision Actually Does (And Why He Built It) 13:30 - $16K/Month for Unlimited Prep and Shipping 15:00 - Why He Threw Away Every Box in the Warehouse 18:56 - AWD: How He Skips $7K/Month in Placement Fees 21:00 - Buy 1,000 Units, Not 100 (The Buy Box Network Effect) 24:00 - $1M in Private Capital (Not Credit Cards, Not SBA) 27:29 - Fundraising Is a Core Entrepreneurial Skill 32:00 - "Wholesale Has the Smallest Moat" 35:49 - "The Real Money Is in the Hidden Prices" 41:08 - Why Walmart Is Not the Escape Hatch You Think 46:00 - The Order Cancellation Prevention Stack 48:00 - Stop Dreaming About Exiting. Start Compounding. Follow Sean: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seankaupp/ Twitter: https://x.com/Stacksonsr Follow Chris Grant: X/Twitter/Instagram: @cleartheshelf Newsletter: https://cleartheshelf.com/newsletter Follow Chris Racic: X/Twitter: @ChrisRacic Newsletter: https://oaleads247.com

July 5, 202649 min

How He Built $385K in 0% Credit Lines to Scale Amazon Online Arbitrage

Apply to work with me one-on-one: https://www.cleartheshelf.com/apply Apply for 0% interest credit cards here: https://www.cardratings.com/bestcards/business-credit-cards.php?src=704525 He was stuck at $30K a month for four months straight. Profitable, healthy sell-through, more leads than money to buy them. The problem wasn't sourcing. It was capital. So he got his first two credit cards, $110K combined, and within five months he hit his first $100K month. He's now done over $7M in Amazon sales in his early 20's. Sadeq has built $385,000 in business credit lines across Chase, American Express, Capital One, and others. He walks us through the exact card stack, the application sequence, billing cycle optimization, the funding traps that cost sellers thousands, and why 0% APR credit cards are the single best scaling tool for OA sellers who've outgrown their cash. Chapters: 00:00 - Stuck at $30K/Month With No More Cash to Spend 02:00 - Sneaker Restocks at 5AM for 18 Months Straight 05:31 - How to Know It's Capital, Not Sourcing 07:00 - What Separates the Best Arbitrage Sellers 09:00 - The Funding Traps That Sound Good Until You Do the Math 14:01 - Why 0% APR Cards Beat Everything Else 16:43 - The Guardrails You Need Before You Touch Credit 18:48 - The Chase Stack: How He Got $72K in One Day 21:10 - Pre-Application Checklist (Don't Skip This) 24:00 - The Heavy Spender Card Nobody Talks About 25:00 - Charge Cards vs Credit Cards: Which One Fits OA? 30:00 - What to Do When You Get Declined 32:46 - Billing Cycle Optimization (No Two Cards Due the Same Day) 38:01 - Signup Bonuses: The Money You're Leaving on the Table 40:21 - Lightning Round: One Card, One Mistake, One Tool Follow Sadeq: X/Twitter: https://x.com/sadeqwahab Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sadeqwahabb/ Work with Sadeq: https://calendly.com/sadeq0905/business-funding-strategy-call Follow Chris Grant: X/Twitter/Instagram: @cleartheshelf Newsletter: https://cleartheshelf.com/newsletter Follow Chris Racic: X/Twitter: @ChrisRacic Newsletter: https://oaleads247.com

June 26, 20261 hr 1 min

This Guy Went From Bartending to $200K/Month with Amazon FBA | Online Arbitrage

Apply to work with me one-on-one: https://www.cleartheshelf.com/apply He bartended for 15 years. Then COVID hit, and he never went back. He flipped GPUs, then PS5s, then found Amazon. Now he's doing $200K months with online arbitrage at 15-16% net margins and pulling $36K a year in cashback on top of the profit. Blake (@Blake_FBA) is a seven-figure Amazon OA seller who's survived brand reviews, lost entire categories, and still keeps running it up. Today we get into how he actually sources, why repricing separates good sellers from great sellers, the cashback that pays for his life, and why he says fees only hurt you when your sourcing is weak. Chapters: 00:00 - Bartender for 15 Years. Then Everything Changed. 02:00 - GPU Flipping in a Discord and a Cash Deal With a Stranger 04:15 - The Walmart Pallet That Made $50K at 1800% ROI 08:00 - First OA Hire: Neither of Us Knew What We Were Doing 13:15 - Why OA Has a Higher Ceiling Than RA 16:00 - New Brands Nobody Heard of Two Years Ago 20:00 - How He Went Wide Before Going Deep 22:27 - Losing Brands and the Forced Pivot to Multi-Channel 27:00 - eBay, Walmart, and Cross-Listing as Insurance 30:45 - What a Sourcing Session Actually Looks Like 37:26 - Repricing: The Skill That Separates Good From Great 42:43 - $36K in Cash Back and a Backyard Bio Lab 47:55 - The Year He Ran It Fully Automated (And What He Missed) 51:21 - "There's a Biological Creature Running the Ship" 55:16 - "Fees Only Hurt When Your Sourcing Is Weak" Follow Blake: X/Twitter: https://x.com/blake_fba Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blake_fba/ Follow Chris Grant: X/Twitter/Instagram: @cleartheshelf Newsletter: https://cleartheshelf.com/newsletter Follow Chris Racic: X/Twitter: @ChrisRacic Newsletter: https://oaleads247.com

June 18, 20261 hr 4 min

He Made $1.7M Buying from Amazon and Selling Back on Amazon (A2A Flips)

Apply to work with me one-on-one: https://www.cleartheshelf.com/apply Grab the FREE Amazon to Amazon Flips Playbook: https://cleartheshelf.gumroad.com/l/A2A-Playbook He's sold over $1.7 million in inventory that he bought directly from Amazon and resold right back on Amazon. If that sounds insane, it is. But Amazon's pricing algorithms create errors, they clearance aged inventory, and their bots price match obscure websites. Ryan Otwell turned those inefficiencies into a full-time business. Ryan runs the YouTube channel A2Amazing and has been doing Amazon to Amazon flips full-time for about two years. Today we break down every sourcing method (Keepa Deals, Flip Alert, debundles), why the offer tab is the most underrated Keepa feature, how to compete against Amazon on a listing, and more. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - $1.7M Buying and Selling on the Same Platform 04:52 - Amazon to Amazon Flips Explained in 10 Seconds 07:00 - Why Amazon Sells Below Cost (Your Opportunity) 09:42 - Is This Allowed? What Amazon's Own Policy Says 14:00 - The Pursuit of Flexibility Over Freedom 16:56 - How to Find A2A Deals With Just Keepa 20:40 - Handing A2A Sourcing to a VA 24:33 - What the Perfect A2A Flip Looks Like 27:16 - The Keepa Tab Nobody's Using 34:50 - Funding a $3M A2A Business 38:06 - $140K Stranded Overnight (The Nike Incident) 41:00 - Put 999 in the Box First 55:00 - Debundles: Where the 400% ROI Hides 59:00 - Competing Against Amazon Isn't What You Think Follow Ryan: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@A2Amazin⁩ Follow Chris Grant: X/Twitter/Instagram: @cleartheshelf Newsletter: https://cleartheshelf.com/newsletter Follow Chris Racic: X/Twitter: @ChrisRacic Newsletter: https://oaleads247.com

June 5, 20261 hr 2 min

How Matt Runs a $7M Amazon Wholesale Business in One Day a Week

Apply to work with me one-on-one: https://www.cleartheshelf.com/apply He did $7 million in Amazon sales last year. His goal for 2026 is $10 million. His entire operation runs with 12 people, mostly offshore. And his core work is done by Monday at lunchtime. Matt Hassler started selling on Amazon in July 2022 with $5,000. He ran the business from a camper while traveling the country with his wife. Today he runs an almost entirely wholesale operation using just 3 Keepa Product Finder filters and a team of sourcers, admins, and an ops manager. This episode breaks down his sourcing system, how he opens and evaluates wholesale accounts, the 3 constraints that limit growth, how he built a team, and the restocking software he built from his own process. Chapters: 00:00 - $7M in Sales, Done by Monday at Noon 01:37 - Chemical Engineer to Amazon Seller 04:00 - The Capital Deployment System 08:00 - What Opening a Wholesale Account Actually Looks Like 14:56 - 3 Keepa Product Finder Filters 20:04 - Could This Wholesale Model Work for OA and RA? 22:05 - Three Constraints: Suppliers, Sourcers, or Capital 26:19 - The Lead Approval Process 31:02 - Amazon Seller Market Outlook 34:49 - Building a Team of 12 38:00 - How He Incentivizes Sourcers 41:00 - Culture and Integrity 45:44 - Top 3 KPIs: Revenue, Spend, and Inventory Age 48:00 - Why He Still Does His Own Repricing 51:10 - AI Distributor Scraper: 30 Distributors in 15 Minutes 54:00 - ReplenPulse 58:45 - Lightning Round Follow Matt: Website: https://matthewhassler.com/ Software: https://www.replenpulse.com/ Follow Chris Grant: X/Twitter/Instagram: @cleartheshelf Newsletter: https://cleartheshelf.com/newsletter Follow Chris Racic: X/Twitter: @ChrisRacic Newsletter: https://oaleads247.com

May 28, 20261 hr 5 min

How Harry Replaced His Full Time Income in 6 Months with Amazon FBA

Apply to work with me one-on-one: https://www.cleartheshelf.com/apply Harry's an HR Director with a 10-year corporate career, a wife, kids, and a barn full of a million worms. In January 2026, he wrote a post to himself: "365 days from now you freaking did it, bro." Less than two months later, he replaced his W2 salary with Amazon income. Harry (@SellFlipDad) is building everything at once: a full-time career, an Amazon OA business, Whatnot live selling shows with his wife, and a Claude AI bot that messages potential customers 24/7 while he sleeps. This episode covers how he went from worm farming to salary replacement in 6 months, why he calls himself a "reseller" instead of an Amazon seller, the AI bot that runs his Whatnot chat (and accidentally bought him a Carhartt hat), and how he balances all of it without losing his family or his mind. Chapters: 00:00 - The HR Director Who Replaced His Salary With Amazon 02:00 - "Our Son's Twin Passed Away. We Needed Our Why." 03:49 - From Worm Farming to Amazon (The Unlikely Pipeline) 05:23 - "365 Days From Now You Freaking Did It, Bro" 07:00 - What Amazon Revenue vs. Profit Actually Looks Like Early On 10:00 - Getting Your Spouse On Board (She Said "You're Crazy") 15:02 - Wife Goes From Teacher to Fashion Business Owner on Whatnot 18:18 - "I Am a Reseller." Why Identity Matters 23:00 - Daily Prioritization: W2 First, Then Where's the Money? 27:07 - Whatnot Live Selling: $1 Starts on Goodwill Kids' Clothes 33:00 - The AI Bot That Runs His Whatnot Shows (Claude Cowork) 36:00 - How Claude Messages Thousands of Potential Buyers While He Sleeps 39:24 - Claude Automated His Entire HR Paperwork Too 40:00 - Going Deep: The Magic Number Is 700 Monthly Sold Batch 44:00 - Paying to Play: Using Losses to Build Sales History 46:57 - Ungating: "Keep Asking. Gamify It. Try Number 60 Is Coming." 51:36 - Claude for Amazon Sellers: Where to Start 55:00 - Balancing Work, Family, and the Grind (The Honest Take) 59:00 - What Does Freedom Actually Look Like? 01:01:00 - Lightning Round: Bidet, Lawn Service, and a Million Worms Follow Harry:X/Twitter: @SellFlipDadWhatnot: Outgrow Kids Follow Chris Grant: X/Twitter/Instagram: @cleartheshelf Newsletter: https://cleartheshelf.com/newsletter Follow Chris Racic: X/Twitter: @ChrisRacic Newsletter: https://oaleads247.com

May 21, 20261 hr 28 min

How Ryan Scaled Amazon Online Arbitrage to $1.8M at 23 (Full Playbook)

Apply to work with me one-on-one: https://www.cleartheshelf.com/apply Ryan set a goal of $600,000 in Amazon sales, then he tripled it. He did $1.8 million in his first full year of doing online arbitrage. He did this while graduating from college and turning down every corporate job offer. He's 23 years old, and this year he's targeting $5,000,000 in revenue. In this podcast, we learn about his journey, find out what got him started, and he shares what he's done to scale his business. Chapters: 00:00 - Video Game Currency to $1.8M on Amazon (Origin Story) 05:23 - "Burned the Boats" While Barely Profitable 07:00 - What Walmart Corporate Taught Him About 3P Selling 10:00 - Why People Quit Before the Inflection Point 14:00 - The FAFO Moment: $600K Goal, $1.8M Finish 18:52 - Turning $1 Into $400 in Sales on a Single Deal 20:04 - Order Cancellations: The Full Checklist 22:04 - Replenishables and Stalking Your Own Storefront on Keepa 26:00 - Why He Took an $85K Loan to Scale (The Math) 29:00 - Cash Conversion Cycle Explained (60-70 Days) 34:00 - Team of Five: Hiring VAs With a 3% Pass Rate 39:00 - The Trick Questions That Eliminate 97% of Applicants 42:01 - Teaching VAs to Solve Problems (Not Just Report Them) 45:00 - Culture Building: Chemistry, Character, Competence 49:08 - VA Incentives: 5% of Cashback + Tiered Lead Bonuses 52:15 - The Custom Credit Card Dashboard (SimpleFin API + Float Scores) 55:00 - Invoice Compilation Tool Built in One Day With Claude Code 59:00 - P&L Management: The Weekly Reconciliation Process 01:03:00 - Why He's Never Been More Bullish on Amazon 01:06:00 - Fuel Surcharge and Delivery Date +7: "What Does Complaining Do?" 01:07:00 - Diversify Within Your Catalog, Not Across Platforms 01:11:37 - AI-Generated Fake Return Photos (His VA Caught Them) 01:15:00 - Scaling to $5M: The Reverse-Engineered Framework 01:20:00 - "What Got Me to 1.8M Won't Get Me to 5M" 01:24:00 - Lightning Round: Bet on Yourself Follow Ryan: X/Twitter: @CookingCashflow Instagram: @CookingCashflow Follow Chris Grant: X/Twitter/Instagram: ⁨@cleartheshelf⁩ Newsletter: https://cleartheshelf.com/newsletter Follow Chris Racic: X/Twitter: @ChrisRacic Newsletter: https://oaleads247.com

May 14, 202642 min

These 7 Amazon Products Will Destroy Your Business Without Coverage

Apply to work with me one-on-one: https://www.cleartheshelf.com/apply $30,000 in legal fees. Just to get dismissed from a lawsuit. The seller didn't make the product, didn't ship it, didn't fulfill it. The customer tripped over the FBA box on their doorstep and sued everyone. Ashlin Hadden has insured more than 5,000 e-commerce businesses. She processes 50-100 insurance applications a week for Amazon sellers. Today she breaks down what Amazon actually requires, what your LLC doesn't protect you from, why your homeowner's insurance won't cover your inventory, and the seven product categories you should never sell without a policy. Chapters: 00:00 - Ashlin's Origin Story 04:57 - What Amazon Actually Requires 06:14 - General Liability vs. Product Liability 07:10 - You Jumped on Someone's Listing. You're Responsible for It. 08:10 - "Your LLC Can't Pick Up the Phone and Defend You" 10:46 - What Happens When You Get Sued (The Claims Process) 12:12 - How Much Coverage Do You Actually Need? 14:13 - Umbrella Policies and Excess Coverage Explained 16:33 - The $30,000 Lawsuit Over a Box on a Doorstep 19:00 - 7 Products You Should NEVER Sell Without Insurance 22:12 - A Resistance Band Hit a Surgeon in the Face (Horror Story) 26:00 - Your Homeowner's Insurance Won't Cover Your Inventory 28:06 - Prep Center Risk: Only a Handful Actually Have Coverage 30:05 - Prop 65: California's Ambulance Chaser Problem 32:34 - Cease & Desist: Is Legal Defense Covered? 34:00 - What Does Insurance Actually Cost? ($600 to $150K) 37:37 - How to Get Started (Application to COI in a Day) 38:52 - Lightning Round: One Thing Every Seller Must Know Follow Ashlin: Website: ecom.insure Email: sales@ashlinhaddeninsurance.com Social: @ashlinhadden everywhere Follow Chris Grant: X/Twitter: @cleartheshelf Newsletter: https://cleartheshelf.com/newsletter Follow Chris Racic: X/Twitter: @ChrisRacic Newsletter: https://oaleads247.com

May 7, 20261 hr 4 min

He Went 12 for 12 on Amazon Ungating in 2026. Here's How.

Apply to work with me one-on-one: https://www.cleartheshelf.com/apply He went 12 for 12 on Amazon brand ungates. One took 155 days and 50+ attempts. Another got approved on the first try. There's no rhyme or reason. But there is a system. Zach Altmyer (@ZachAlt) is back on the podcast. Since his last appearance, he launched the Bolo Insider newsletter, built a full discontinued product database, and went on a 12-for-12 ungating streak. Today we dig deeper into his buy-and-hold strategy for discontinued inventory, his exact ungating application process, why eBay is an underrated sourcing tool (not just a selling platform), and how to find profitable products collecting dust on shelves nobody else checks. Chapters: 00:00 - The Bolo Insider Database: What It Is and How It Works 04:22 - "His Revenue Tripled" (Subscriber Results From the Database) 06:17 - $2 Product, 243 Units, $15 Each: The Math on Discontinued 08:49 - Five Signs a Product Has Been Discontinued 14:25 - "Just Call and Ask": Confirming Discontinuation With Brands 16:24 - Buy and Hold vs. Quick Flip: How to Decide 20:04 - Cash Flow Management: Funding Your Hold Cycle 22:54 - Using eBay as a Sourcing Tool (Not Just a Marketplace) 25:00 - Your First Trip: Google Maps, Dusty Shelves, and Price Tags 29:18 - Dollar General Clearance Events: Digging Through the Dust 31:06 - 12 for 12 on Amazon Ungates: The Full Strategy 35:56 - 155 Days, 50+ Attempts: What Kept Him Going 38:37 - Combining Brand and Walmart Invoices (Did It Work?) 45:53 - The Case for eBay: Brands You Can't Sell on Amazon 49:03 - eBay Algorithm Hack: End + Sell Similar vs. Relist 55:51 - Using Claude AI to Automate RA Receipt Processing 59:05 - Lightning Round: Bargain Outlets, Air Purifiers, and Dreams Follow Zach: X/Twitter: @ZachAlt Newsletter + Database: boloinsider.com Follow Clear the Shelf: X/Twitter: @cleartheshelf Newsletter: https://cleartheshelf.com

April 29, 20261 hr 12 min

Zero Percent APR Stacking Strategy for Scaling Amazon

He has 30+ credit cards. His credit score is excellent. And he built $142,000 in 0% APR credit limits across banks to scale his purchasing power. The math on credit cards for Amazon sellers is wild if you actually run it. Looking for the best Credit Card: https://www.cardratings.com/bestcards/business-credit-cards.php?src=704525 Taylor Thomas (@ArbitrageCard) is back on Clear the Shelf. This time we go deep on credit card strategy for Amazon sellers: how to time applications across banks, the 5/24 rule, stacking credit limits on 0% APR cards, and why a seller spending $8K/month on inventory is leaving $10K+ per year on the table in signup bonuses alone. We also cover discount gift card best practices, the cashback model transition at Arbitrage Card, and how to turn credit card points into real travel value. Chapters: 00:00 - What's New at Arbitrage Card (Cashback Model, Rebrand, Balance Checker) 04:22 - The Cashback vs. Discount Model (Why It Matters for Sellers) 08:00 - Building a Team of 11 From One Extended Family 12:08 - How to Choose a Business Partner (Taylor and Joe's Story) 17:00 - Gift Card Tracking: Best Practices for Reconciliation 23:00 - Credit Card Misconceptions: More Cards = Bad Credit? (Wrong) 27:06 - Can You Get the Same Signup Bonus Twice? (Usually Yes) 31:27 - $10K Per Year in Signup Bonuses on $8K/Month Spend 35:15 - Timing Credit Card Applications Across Banks and Bureaus 38:00 - The Bureau Freeze Hack: How to Apply for Multiple Cards in One Day 43:36 - Chase 5/24 Rule Explained (And How to Work Around It) 47:31 - The 0% APR Playbook for Scaling Your Amazon Business 53:37 - How He Stacked $142K in 0% APR Credit Limits 57:24 - The Three Biggest Credit Card Mistakes Amazon Sellers Make 01:01:00 - Is Credit Card Points Hacking Getting Worse in 2026? 01:04:44 - How to Turn Chase Points Into Airbnb Stays 01:06:52 - Lightning Round: Best Card, Best Hack, One Hour to Improve Follow Taylor: Website: https://arbitragecard.com/cleartheshelf Use code: cleartheshelf to save $50 on your first $100+ purchase. Email: info@arbitragecard.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/psalm103.1 Follow Chris Grant: X/Twitter: @cleartheshelf Newsletter: https://cleartheshelf.com/newsletter Follow Chris Racic: X/Twitter: @ChrisRacic Newsletter: https://oaleads247.com