#725 – Hijacked Amazon Trucks + TikTok Shop Strategies

In this episode, Bradley Sutton kicks off a brand-new era for both the AM/PM Podcast and the Serious Sellers Podcast with co-hosts Carrie Miller and Shivali Patel. This simulcast episode sets the tone for what’s coming next: more Amazon, TikTok Shop, Walmart, and AI-driven strategies designed to help you make money in the AM and the PM. Bradley also shares the new format for both shows, including Weekly Buzz moving to AM/PM Podcast, expert-led trainings, and a renewed focus on real seller stories on Serious Sellers Podcast every Monday.

From there, things get wild. Carrie tells the story of a truckload of her Amazon inventory being hijacked on the freeway like a scene straight out of Fast & Furious, complete with a fake carrier, turned-off tracking, ransom demands, and a loss that ballooned to around $70K after tariffs. She breaks down what she learned about freight, tariffs, switching manufacturing from China to Turkey, and why sellers need to be more hands-on with carriers and agencies alike. Shivali then shares her own hard lesson: a high-margin product that kept failing customers, forcing her to pull the listing and rebuild the brand off-Amazon using a digital-first strategy that pairs a makeup mastery course with a physical product bonus and a new funnel powered by Google Ads.

To round out the episode, Shivali walks through exactly how she became a TikTok creator in just 12 days, qualified for the Creator Pilot Program, and started monetizing with TikTok Shop using existing camera-roll content, smart reposting, and product tagging. She also reveals some under-the-radar AI tools like Higgsfield and Arcads that can help sellers generate before-and-after content, influencer-style videos, and scalable creatives without always needing the physical product on hand. Carrie closes with one more key reminder for Amazon sellers: start paying attention to Rufus and optimize your listings around the real questions shoppers are asking, because AI-driven search is already changing how people discover products on Amazon.

In episode 725 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Bradley, Carrie, and Shivali discuss:

• 00:00 – Bradley kicks off the new era of the AM/PM & Serious Sellers Podcasts
• 02:03 – Fast & Furious moment: an Amazon shipment gets hijacked
• 03:20 – How the thieves impersonated the carrier and held the load for ransom
• 05:14 – $70K in losses and what sellers MUST know about subcontracted carriers
• 07:48 – Turning a product failure into a digital-product-first business model
• 15:50 – Carrie moves manufacturing from China to Turkey – costs vs. tariffs
• 16:55 – Major announcement: Weekly Buzz moves to the AM/PM Podcast
• 22:10 – How Shivali became a TikTok Creator in 12 days & 
• 27:45 – Carrie’s Amazon PPC agency disaster & how she rebuilt with Helium 10
• 34:05 – AI tools sellers haven’t heard of
• 36:45 – Optimizing Amazon listings for Rufus AI
• 37:55 – The future format of both podcasts moving forward

Enjoy this episode? Be sure to check out our previous episodes for even more content to propel you to Amazon FBA Seller success! And don’t forget to “Like” our Facebook page and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen to our podcast.

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Want to absolutely start crushing it on Amazon? Here are few carefully curated resources to get you started:

• Freedom Ticket: Taught by Amazon thought leader Kevin King, get A-Z Amazon strategies and techniques for establishing and solidifying your business.
• Helium 10: 30+ software tools to boost your entire sales pipeline from product research to customer communication and Amazon refund automation. Make running a successful Amazon or Walmart business easier with better data and insights. See what our customers have to say.
• Helium 10 Chrome Extension: Verify your Amazon product idea and validate how lucrative it can be with over a dozen data metrics and profitability estimation.

SellerTrademarks.com: Trademarks are vital for protecting your Amazon brand from hijackers, and sellertrademarks.com provides a streamlined process for helping you get one.