Amazon product research and sourcing service, part of Full Relay

We start with demand the marketplaces measure themselves. On Amazon, Product Opportunity Explorer in Seller Central groups products into niches and shows search volume for related terms, units sold over the past 90 days, price trends, average ratings and how well searches turn into sales (Modern Retail, Oct 20, 2021). We read the niche, not one listing, and we look for steady demand over months rather than a spike.

For Walmart we check the same search terms on Walmart.com: how many sellers offer the product and how tightly prices cluster. For Shopify we add search demand outside the marketplaces and an estimate of the ad cost to win each customer, because a Shopify store brings its own traffic.

Demand only matters if a new listing can earn a share of it. We look at how many established listings hold the first page, how many reviews they carry, how good their images and content are, how far apart their prices sit and whether one brand dominates. A niche where the leaders have tens of thousands of reviews needs a real product difference and a bigger launch budget. We tell you which kind of niche you are looking at.

Every product gets a per-unit cost and margin sheet before anyone orders a sample. On Amazon the referral fee is a percentage of the sale price that varies by category, with a minimum per item: 15% is common, some categories are lower and some higher (sell.amazon.com/pricing, checked Oct 20, 2026). Walmart's referral fee is set by contract category, 15% for the Everything Else category, with each category on its own rate (Walmart referral fee schedule, Mar 9, 2026). FBA and WFS fees depend on size and weight, so we use measured dimensions once samples arrive.

Illustrative · sample figures

Same price, same landed cost, same ads. Product B is bulkier, so it pays $2.70 more to Amazon on every unit and falls below a 20% floor. The sheet compares products; it does not forecast how many units either one would sell. We would show you both and recommend against B unless the packaging can be made smaller. Our fee and margin calculator runs the same math on your own numbers.

Some products need approval, test reports or certificates before a marketplace will let you sell them, and some cannot be sold at all. We check before you spend on samples.

• Category approval. Amazon requires approval for certain categories and products, and Walmart's catalog must follow its Prohibited Products Policy (Walmart Marketplace FAQ).
• Children's products. Products designed or intended primarily for children 12 and under need a Children's Product Certificate from the US manufacturer or importer, based on testing by a CPSC-accepted third-party lab. Since Jul 8, 2026, importers of most regulated consumer products must also file certificate data electronically with US Customs when the goods enter (CPSC).
• Dietary supplements. Since April 2024, Amazon has required supplements to be verified by a third-party testing, inspection and certification organization, started from the Manage Your Compliance dashboard (NutraIngredients, Apr 5, 2024).
• Dangerous goods. Products with batteries, liquids, aerosols or magnets go through Amazon's hazmat review and can carry extra costs or limits.
• Forced labor. US Customs presumes goods made wholly or partly in the Xinjiang region, or by an entity on the UFLPA Entity List, are barred from entry unless the importer proves otherwise with clear and convincing evidence (CBP, Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, effective Jun 21, 2022). We ask suppliers to trace materials such as cotton and polysilicon before we shortlist them.

We are not your lawyer or your compliance lab. Where a product needs a legal opinion or formal testing, we say so and include the cost in the product's numbers.

We search for trademarks and patents that a product or its name could infringe, and we check that the brand name you want is free to file. A product that copies a protected design leaves the list, however good its numbers.

Before research starts, we agree kill criteria with you in writing: a minimum share of price left per unit, a maximum first-order budget, categories you will not sell and any gating you will not take on. Products that pass everything go on a shortlist. You choose which, if any, go to sourcing.

Three rules matter here. Duty depends on the product's tariff classification and origin, and rates have changed often since 2025, so we check the current rate with your customs broker the week you order. Low-value shipments no longer enter duty-free: the de minimis exemption was suspended from Aug 29, 2025 (verified platform fact). And for ocean freight, the Importer Security Filing must reach US Customs no later than 24 hours before the cargo is loaded on the vessel at the foreign port (19 CFR 149.2), which your broker or forwarder files.

Our Landed Cost Desk module keeps these numbers current for brands that reorder often.