# First Steps

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**Difficulty:** 🟢 Beginner · **Reading time:** \~7 min
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## 🎯 Overview

After you complete the **Initial Setup Wizard** and connect your Amazon account, SellerMagnet shows a **"First Steps"** screen while your historical data imports in the background. This page walks you through the **3 essential actions** every new seller should take in their first session.

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**Data import runs in parallel.** You don't have to wait for the import to finish before taking these steps. Your first numbers appear within **5-10 minutes**, and the complete historical import typically takes **up to a few hours** depending on your account size.
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**What you'll see:** A welcome banner *"Connection Successful! Data Import in Progress."* followed by 3 numbered step cards. Each card has a title, description, and a button to jump directly to the relevant page.
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![First Steps - SellerMagnet Welcome Page](/files/LdrCIByXhWGqdlcvxWMz)

***

## 👣 The Three First Steps

![Products Management: enter COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) to enable accurate profit tracking](/files/2neRAfpu9grYHlmAhFrd)

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#### 📺 Step 1: Watch the "Getting Started" Video

**A 2-minute overview of your new dashboard features.**

Click the **video thumbnail** (shown with a ▶ play icon overlay) to open the video in a modal player. The video walks through:

* The main dashboard layout
* How to navigate between tools (Sidebar, top bar, connection selector)
* Where to find your sales data, products, and reports
* How to switch marketplaces and date ranges

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**Why watch it first:** You'll save 30+ minutes of self-exploration. The video answers the most common questions new users have before they even ask them.
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**Player controls:** Standard play/pause, volume, and fullscreen. Click anywhere outside the video or press **Esc** to close.
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#### 💰 Step 2: Enter Your Buy Prices (COGS)

**Go to the Products page to bulk-upload or enter unit costs.**

This is the **single most important step** for accurate profit tracking. Click the **"Go to Products →"** button on the First Steps page to jump directly to your product catalog in a new tab.

Once on the Products page, you have two options:

<table><thead><tr><th width="200">Option</th><th>How it works</th><th>Best for</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Manual entry</strong></td><td>Click a product row, then click the <strong>Edit</strong> icon in the <code>COGS</code> column. Enter your purchase price per unit.</td><td>Small catalogs (&#x3C; 50 products)</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Bulk CSV upload</strong></td><td>Click the <strong>Bulk Upload</strong> button → download the template CSV → fill in ASINs &#x26; cost prices → upload. SellerMagnet matches by ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number)/SKU (Stock Keeping Unit).</td><td>Medium-to-large catalogs (50+ products)</td></tr></tbody></table>

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**Without COGS data, profit calculations are wrong.** SellerMagnet computes profit as `Revenue - Amazon Fees - Shipping - COGS`. If COGS is missing, your margins will appear **artificially high** because only Amazon fees are being subtracted. Start with your **top 20 best-selling products** and expand from there.
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**Pro Tip:** If you have variable cost prices (seasonal suppliers, bulk discounts), use **Product Batches** instead of a single COGS value. Batches let you track cost-per-unit across multiple purchase lots, so SellerMagnet picks the right cost for each order based on when it shipped.
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#### 📋 Step 3: Add Indirect Expenses (Optional but Recommended)

**Software subscriptions, VA salaries, tools, and other recurring costs go on the Expenses page.**

Click the **"Go to Expenses →"** button to jump to the Expenses page in a new tab.

**Why it's important:** Amazon fees + COGS cover your direct costs, but most sellers also have **indirect operating costs** that eat into real profit:

<table><thead><tr><th width="220">Expense Type</th><th>Examples</th><th width="130">Frequency</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Software / SaaS</strong></td><td>SellerMagnet subscription, accounting software</td><td>Monthly</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Virtual Assistants</strong></td><td>Customer service VAs, listing optimization, PPC management</td><td>Monthly / Hourly</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Warehouse / Storage</strong></td><td>Offsite storage, 3PL fees (if any), bubble wrap and packaging</td><td>Monthly</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Services</strong></td><td>Photographer, copywriter, graphic designer, translator</td><td>One-time / Project</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Legal / Admin</strong></td><td>Trademark registration, VAT filings, accountant, insurance</td><td>Annual / Quarterly</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Marketing</strong></td><td>Non-PPC advertising, influencer fees, coupons off-Amazon</td><td>Variable</td></tr></tbody></table>

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**Quick win:** Add your **SellerMagnet subscription** and **accountant/tax costs** first. These are the most common recurring expenses and are easy to forget when calculating "real" profitability.
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**This step is optional:** you can come back later. But if you skip it, your Net Profit KPI will be higher than reality.
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***

## ⏭️ Skip to Dashboard

If you prefer to explore on your own, click **"Skip to Dashboard →"** in the top-right corner of the First Steps page. You can always come back to these steps by revisiting them from the **Help Center** in the sidebar.

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**Your profit data will be incorrect until you complete Step 2 (COGS).** Even if you skip the First Steps page, make sure to enter product costs within your first day of using SellerMagnet, otherwise every profit figure you see will be too high.
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***

## ⏱️ What's Happening in the Background

While you work through the First Steps, SellerMagnet is importing your Amazon data. Here's what to expect:

<table><thead><tr><th>Phase</th><th>What's loading</th><th width="180">Typical duration</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Phase 1</strong></td><td>📦 Products &#x26; catalog metadata (titles, images, ASINs)</td><td>2-5 minutes</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Phase 2</strong></td><td>📋 Orders (oldest to newest, chronologically)</td><td>5-15 minutes (&#x3C;1k orders)<br>20-40 minutes (10k+ orders)</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Phase 3</strong></td><td>🧾 Financial transactions, fees, settlements</td><td>5-10 minutes</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Phase 4</strong></td><td>🎯 PPC campaigns &#x26; keywords (if connected)</td><td>5-15 minutes</td></tr></tbody></table>

**Live sync indicator:** Look for the progress pill in the top-right corner showing *"Syncing. XX% complete"*. It updates in real time. When the sync finishes, a **green success banner** appears at the top of the dashboard: *"✓ Initial sync complete."*

***

## ❓ FAQ

> Quick answers to the most common First Steps questions.

<details>

<summary><strong>Can I see my data before the import finishes?</strong></summary>

Yes. Products and orders appear **in real time** as they're imported. You can click around the dashboard and see data filling in. Some KPIs may show "N/A" until the relevant import phase completes.

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<summary><strong>What happens if I close the browser during the import?</strong></summary>

Nothing, the import runs on SellerMagnet's servers, not your browser. You can log out, close the tab, or come back tomorrow. When you return, your data will be ready (or still importing if it's a large account).

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<summary><strong>Why do I need COGS data so urgently?</strong></summary>

Because profit calculations without COGS are **wrong**. SellerMagnet knows what Amazon paid you (revenue) and what Amazon charged you (fees), but it has no way to know what **you** paid for each product. Without that, "profit" is actually just "revenue minus Amazon fees", which massively overstates reality. Entering COGS is the single fastest way to get real profit numbers.

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<summary><strong>Do I have to add every expense?</strong></summary>

No. Expenses (Step 3) are **optional**. But every recurring cost you skip means your Net Profit number is inflated by that amount. For the most accurate picture, add your top 5-10 recurring expenses first (software, accountant, VA, storage), then add one-time costs as they happen.

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<summary><strong>Where's the "Getting Started" video if I miss it?</strong></summary>

The video is always available in the **Help Center** (sidebar → Help Center → Tutorials). You can also re-trigger the guided dashboard tour anytime by clicking **Help Center → Replay Tour**.

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<summary><strong>Can I come back to the First Steps page later?</strong></summary>

The First Steps page only shows automatically right after your first setup. However, you can always revisit the same guidance from the **Help Center → First Steps** link. The key actions (COGS entry and expense tracking) are accessible anytime from their respective pages.

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***

## ✅ Quick Checklist

Use this checklist to make sure you're ready to use SellerMagnet effectively:

* [ ] 🎥 Watched the 2-minute Getting Started video
* [ ] 💰 Entered COGS for at least your **top 10 products**
* [ ] 📋 Added at least 1 recurring expense (e.g., SellerMagnet subscription)
* [ ] 📊 Checked the Dashboard to see your first KPIs populating
* [ ] 🔔 Set up at least 1 alert (price, Buy Box, or inventory)
* [ ] ⚙️ Reviewed your Settings (currency, VAT, connections)
* [ ] 📺 Completed the guided dashboard tour (or scheduled to do so)

Once all items are checked, you're fully set up and ready to make data-driven decisions about your Amazon business.

***

## ➡️ What's Next?

{% content-ref url="/pages/gEHjN0IlyP0zjQ7jBbK4" %}
[Dashboard Overview](/dashboard-and-analytics/dashboard-overview.md)
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{% content-ref url="/pages/XxiOnXmNvAunjLWPxJPP" %}
[Repricer Overview](/selling-tools/repricer-overview.md)
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