First Steps

Your first 3 steps after completing the setup wizard. These are the exact actions SellerMagnet recommends to new users while your historical data is importing in the background.

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Difficulty: 🟒 Beginner · Reading time: ~7 min

🎯 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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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.

First Steps - SellerMagnet Welcome Page

πŸ‘£ The Three First Steps

Products Management: enter COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) to enable accurate profit tracking
1

πŸ“Ί Step 1: Watch the "Getting Started" Video

A 2-minute overview of your new dashboard features.

Click the video thumbnail (shown with a β–Ά 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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Player controls: Standard play/pause, volume, and fullscreen. Click anywhere outside the video or press Esc to close.

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πŸ’° 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 β†’" 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:

Option
How it works
Best for

Manual entry

Click a product row, then click the Edit icon in the COGS column. Enter your purchase price per unit.

Small catalogs (< 50 products)

Bulk CSV upload

Click the Bulk Upload button β†’ download the template CSV β†’ fill in ASINs & cost prices β†’ upload. SellerMagnet matches by ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number)/SKU (Stock Keeping Unit).

Medium-to-large catalogs (50+ products)

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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.

3

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

Click the "Go to Expenses β†’" 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:

Expense Type
Examples
Frequency

Software / SaaS

SellerMagnet subscription, accounting software

Monthly

Virtual Assistants

Customer service VAs, listing optimization, PPC management

Monthly / Hourly

Warehouse / Storage

Offsite storage, 3PL fees (if any), bubble wrap and packaging

Monthly

Services

Photographer, copywriter, graphic designer, translator

One-time / Project

Legal / Admin

Trademark registration, VAT filings, accountant, insurance

Annual / Quarterly

Marketing

Non-PPC advertising, influencer fees, coupons off-Amazon

Variable

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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.


⏭️ Skip to Dashboard

If you prefer to explore on your own, click "Skip to Dashboard β†’" 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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⏱️ What's Happening in the Background

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

Phase
What's loading
Typical duration

Phase 1

πŸ“¦ Products & catalog metadata (titles, images, ASINs)

2-5 minutes

Phase 2

πŸ“‹ Orders (oldest to newest, chronologically)

5-15 minutes (<1k orders) 20-40 minutes (10k+ orders)

Phase 3

🧾 Financial transactions, fees, settlements

5-10 minutes

Phase 4

🎯 PPC campaigns & keywords (if connected)

5-15 minutes

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: "βœ“ Initial sync complete."


❓ FAQ

Quick answers to the most common First Steps questions.

chevron-rightCan I see my data before the import finishes?hashtag

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.

chevron-rightWhat happens if I close the browser during the import?hashtag

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).

chevron-rightWhy do I need COGS data so urgently?hashtag

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.

chevron-rightDo I have to add every expense?hashtag

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.

chevron-rightWhere's the "Getting Started" video if I miss it?hashtag

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

chevron-rightCan I come back to the First Steps page later?hashtag

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


βœ… Quick Checklist

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

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


➑️ What's Next?

Dashboard Overviewchevron-rightRepricer Overviewchevron-right

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