From 60 Years of B2B Export to a $312K Amazon Brand in 11 Months

A 4th-generation Moradabad brassware family had been exporting wholesale to American department stores since 1962. Their margins had been compressed for 8 years straight. We helped them build a direct-to-consumer Amazon brand. Year-1 GMV: $312,479. Year-1 net margin: 41%. Here's exactly how.

The setup

The client (we'll call them "Brass & Bloom" - not the real brand name) is a Moradabad-based family running a 60-year-old brassware export business. They manufacture in their own 8,000 sq ft factory. They've shipped containers to Crate & Barrel, World Market, Pottery Barn, and Bed Bath & Beyond for decades.

By 2023, US wholesale margins were down to 6-9% net. Retailers were squeezing prices, cancelling POs at short notice, and pushing for longer payment terms. The founder (3rd-gen, taking over from his father) wanted to build a direct-consumer brand on Amazon USA - owning the customer, owning the data, owning the margin.

Why they came to Think14

• They had Indian manufacturing dialled in, but no US LLC, EIN, or bank account
• They had decades of export documentation experience but no FBA/D2C knowledge
• They needed someone in the US warehouse to handle FBA prep at scale (1,000-2,000 units/month from day one)
• Their existing freight forwarder didn't understand Amazon's FBA labeling requirements

The 11-month timeline

Month 0-1: Setup

• Texas LLC filed (Day 4)
• EIN obtained via Form SS-4 fax (Day 32)
• Mercury bank account opened (Day 39)
• Amazon US Seller Central verification complete (Day 51)
• USPTO trademark filed for the brand (Day 47)

Month 2-3: First inventory

• First LCL shipment: 1,840 units across 8 SKUs from Mundra → Austin TX
• Landed cost average: $4.20/unit (FOB Mundra + freight + duty + FBA prep)
• Initial retail pricing: $24-38/unit
• Trademark application received serial number; Brand Registry filed

Month 4-6: First sales + iteration

• Live on Amazon US: end of Month 3
• Month 4 revenue: $14,200 (300 units)
• Month 5 revenue: $24,700
• Month 6 revenue: $38,500 - first profitable month after ad spend
• Killed 2 underperforming SKUs, doubled inventory on top 3

Month 7-11: Scale

• Month 7: $51,200
• Month 8: $58,800
• Month 9: $52,400 (post-Prime Day slump)
• Month 10: $39,600
• Month 11 (Black Friday + Cyber Week): $72,400

The numbers - verified

Metric	Result
Year-1 GMV (gross)	$312,479
Year-1 returns	4.8% (very low for category)
Year-1 ad spend	$58,400
TACoS (avg)	18.7%
FBA + Amazon fees	$93,200 (29.8%)
COGS landed	$78,400 (25.1%)
Think14 fees (total)	$11,800 (3.8%)
Net margin	$70,679 (22.6%)

Note: Net margin numbers exclude founder's salary and India-side overhead. Our service fees are itemised separately so you can see them.

What worked

1. Copper water bottles + masala dabbas led. Top 3 SKUs drove 64% of revenue. We doubled their inventory by month 6.
2. "Made in Moradabad, India" callout in listing photos. A+ Content with the family's factory photos shifted trust dramatically. Conversion rate jumped from 7.2% to 11.4% after A+ Content went live.
3. Care card inside every unit. "How to season your brass" card cut returns from 8% to 4.8%.
4. Sponsored Brands video ads. 30-second factory tour video at $0.85 CPC and 14.2% CTR. Among our most successful ad creatives across all clients.
5. LCL monthly cadence. Mundra → Long Beach every 28 days. Kept IPI > 580. Never ran out of top 3 SKUs.

What didn't work

• Brass diyas. Tried to push diya sets for Diwali. Strong Q4 spike but couldn't sustain demand the rest of the year. Cut to clearance in February.
• Wholesale-style packaging. First 200 units shipped in their existing export packaging (kraft boxes designed for retail shelves). Got dinged in Amazon's packaging quality review. Re-prepped in-warehouse at $1.20/unit. Lesson: design FBA packaging from day one.
• $36 price points. Tried premium positioning at $36-44 for hammered copper bottles. Conversion dropped 40% vs $28-34 range. Pulled back. The "Ayurvedic" positioning works at mid-tier pricing - premium positioning needs more brand investment first.

What's next for them

Year 2 plan: launch the same brand on Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS), add 6 more SKUs (kettles, planters, candle holders), and explore Amazon UK and Canada. Currently in onboarding for our Brand tier expansion service.

Could you be next?

If you manufacture brass, copper, or steel kitchenware in India and have considered the US market - this case study is a benchmark, not a guarantee. The honest comparison is in our DIY comparison page. The full path is in our Amazon USA from India guide.