Most Amazon sellers source the same way everyone else does — and then wonder why every brand they email already has ten resellers. Diana Gershman doesn't have that problem. She's been doing brand-direct wholesale since 2003, and she sources where almost no one else is looking: the trade show floor.

In this special part-podcast, part-webinar edition of Marketplace Mavericks, host @BuyBoxMaverick sits down with Diana Gershman — founder of Sellers United, the annual convention coming up in August — for a free-form, high-value breakdown of how she finds, networks, and closes brand accounts at trade shows. With 25 years in the space, Diana is a rare OG who has watched Amazon change over and over and kept mastering her craft the whole way through.

This one is tactical and unscripted. Diana sits down with the host and students from their online class to walk through exactly how she builds her sourcing spreadsheets, how she preps for and attacks a trade show, how she networks a room without being salesy, and how she wins accounts by quietly adding value and solving brands' problems before she ever asks for anything. It's a masterclass in the relationship side of wholesale that spreadsheets alone can't teach.

Whether you're brand new to Amazon or years into wholesale and looking for a sourcing edge nobody else is using, this is your roadmap to the trade show channel.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

• Why trade shows are an underused sourcing channel for Amazon wholesale and brand-direct
• How a 25-year veteran preps before walking the floor
• The spreadsheet system Diana uses to organize and prioritize brands
• How to network a trade show room without sounding like a salesperson
• The "add value first" approach: fixing a brand's problems before asking for the account
• How to turn a single conversation on the floor into a long-term brand partnership
• What's changed — and what hasn't — in Amazon sourcing over 25 years
• How mastering one craft over time compounds into a real competitive advantage
• CONNECT WITH DIANA: Sellers United: [LINK] Sellers United Convention (August): [LINK] Instagram / LinkedIn: [LINK]

  FOLLOW MARKETPLACE MAVERICKS: Subscribe & turn on notifications: [LINK] Instagram / TikTok / YouTube: [LINK] Join Operation Amazon: [LINK]

  New episodes weekly. Like, subscribe, and share this with a seller who needs a better way to source.

  KEYWORDS: Amazon FBA, Amazon wholesale, brand direct, trade show sourcing, wholesale sourcing, Amazon selling, ecommerce business, brand partnerships, Amazon seller tips, scaling on Amazon, sourcing spreadsheet, networking, Sellers United, Diana Gershman, ungating, ecommerce entrepreneur

  #AmazonFBA #AmazonWholesale #BrandDirect #TradeShowSourcing #WholesaleSourcing #AmazonSeller #Ecommerce #AmazonBusiness #FBAWholesale #SourcingStrategy #SellersUnited #Entrepreneur #SellingOnAmazon #AmazonSourcing #MarketplaceMavericks

In this episode of Marketplace Mavericks, host John sits down with Jonah Hodges (@jonahhodges_) — a 15-year Amazon veteran who turned a high school side hustle into a full-blown brand direct wholesale operation. Jonah pulls back the curtain on how he went from reselling textbooks and used Apple products in 2010, to running a mini-agency with 12+ VAs, scaling exclusive brand partnerships, and coaching sellers inside The Wholesale Network.

If you're a wholesale or brand direct seller — or you're stuck in OA/RA and wondering what's next — this conversation is loaded with practical gold.

🔑 What we cover:

• Why Jonah ditched pure reselling after one too many listing cutoffs
• How "fixing listings for free" became his secret door-opener with brands
• The myth-busting conversation every Amazon seller needs to have with brands (you're NOT an agency)
• Structuring deals: exclusives, contracts, buyout clauses & launch protection
• Why phone calls and trade shows crush cold emails every single time
• Brand launches that flop vs. brand launches that print — the difference is in the data
• How Jonah uses AI without falling down the rabbit hole (rules: make money, save time, improve client journey)
• Building VAs and a team that actually scale your business
• The transactional vs. relationship mindset shift that separates wholesale from arbitrage
• Distributors as gate-openers — and why you should be talking to them too
• What's ahead for The Wholesale Network: more exclusives, AI tooling, and faster brand launches

Whether you're doing $5K a month or $250K a month, Jonah's perspective on partnership, patience, and playing the long game will change how you approach your next pitch.

🔗 Follow Jonah:

• Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jonahhodges_/
• X / Twitter → https://x.com/jonahhodges_
• YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@jonahhodges_

🎙 Next week on Marketplace Mavericks: Diana Gershman joins to break down how she sources and dominates trade shows — a must-watch on YouTube.

If you got value from this episode, smash that like button, subscribe, and share it with someone who's tired of getting cut off listings.

#AmazonFBA #BrandDirect #Wholesale #AmazonSellers #Ecommerce #MarketplaceMavericks #JonahHodges #TheWholesaleNetwork #AmazonBusiness #BrandPartnerships

Most Amazon sellers walk away from a brand after one "no." That instinct is exactly why they never land the accounts that change everything.

In this episode of Marketplace Mavericks, host @BuyBoxMaverick sits down with wholesale operator Justin Taliaferro (@jett.llc) to unpack the real mechanics of going brand-direct on Amazon — including the story of a seller who hadn't spoken to a brand in over a year, got a surprise call out of nowhere, and walked straight into an $80,000-a-month exclusive deal.

This is a tactical, no-fluff conversation about making the jump from online arbitrage (OA) and retail arbitrage (RA) into Amazon wholesale and brand-direct selling — the model where you stop chasing the next product flip and start building an actual business. Justin and the host get into what scaling really takes: when to hire your first VA, why building systems too early will burn you, how to run 100–150 outreach calls a week, and how to structure deals that make brands want to work with you instead of around you.

Whether you're three weeks into Amazon or a year into wholesale and grinding to scale, this one is a roadmap for turning a side hustle into a sustainable, partnership-driven business.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

• Why wholesale and brand-direct beat retail/online arbitrage for building a repeatable business
• The "Buy Back Your Time" mindset shift every solo seller needs
• When to hire a VA and an ad agency — and why hiring slightly early unlocks scale
• The #1 mistake new founders make: building systems and SOPs before the revenue exists to support them
• Why outreach is a volume game — and why you should call, not email
• "Follow up till they die": how timing turns dead leads into six-figure accounts
• How transparent fee breakdowns (FBA, referral fees, advertising) build trust and close better deals
• Why Amazon should be a premium sales channel — never your discount channel
• How to evolve from "reseller" to a true brand partner who tells the brand's story

#AmazonFBA #AmazonWholesale #BrandDirect #OnlineArbitrage #RetailArbitrage #AmazonSeller #Ecommerce #AmazonBusiness #FBAWholesale #SideHustle #Entrepreneur #AmazonTips #SellingOnAmazon #WholesaleSourcing #MarketplaceMavericks