Scott shares a few 2026 updates shaping the Amazon landscape... plus a key reminder that opportunity is still real, but it’s shifting.

He challenges the “Amazon is dead for new sellers” narrative. Michael White (a longtime SmartScout teammate) left to launch his own Amazon brand and has already crossed $1M in revenue after launching in August. This was driven by patient sourcing and a clear trend thesis.

From there, Scott zooms out to the more sobering macro view behind his YouTube documentary “Death of the Amazon Seller”: fewer new sellers are entering, and incremental marketplace growth is increasingly captured by large brands, large sellers, and Chinese sellers.

using creatine as the example, Scott leans into what he’s most bullish on: trend-chasing done intelligently. While the overall creatine market is booming, the real edge is spotting sub-trends inside the trend (like gummies, Creapure, and women-focused positioning) that are growing faster than the broader category.

He closes with a data point on Chinese sellers shifting their “country of business” (often to Hong Kong or the U.S.) and a new research tool he’s excited about: ECDB, a global e-commerce database founded by a former Statista leader, aimed at mapping retail and marketplace performance worldwide.

Episode Notes

00:31 - A real-world counterpoint to “Amazon is too hard now”: a SmartScout teammate launches and hits $1M+ revenue fast

01:48 - Why Scott’s documentary argues Amazon is consolidating: fewer new sellers, more share captured by big players

03:00 - Why Scott is still bullish on trend-based product selection, especially in fast-moving categories

03:55 - Creatine as the case study: macro growth is strong, but sub-trends are where the outsized opportunity lives

05:00 - Practical takeaway: “find a trend inside the trend” and build positioning around the faster-growing slice

06:45 - New data insight: large Chinese sellers changing business location (often Hong Kong or U.S.)

07:50 - Why: conversion optics and rising pressure around revenue reporting and compliance

09:25 - Tool spotlight: ECDB and what global marketplace data reveals about Amazon vs. China-based giants

11:08 - Scott’s outlook: Still optimistic on growth, but the game is changing

Related Watch

“Death of the Amazon Seller”

Top 10 Chinese Sellers That Have Changed Countries

Scott’s Links:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/scott-needham-a8b39813

X: @itsScottNeedham

Instagram: @smartestseller

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@smartestamazonseller2371

Newsletter: https://www.smartscout.com/newsletter-sign-up

Blog: https://www.smartscout.com/blog

Episode 324 - Trend-Driven Opportunities