TLDR – What’s The Verdict On Smart FBA?
Smart FBA seems like a decent way to get your Amazon business up and running, if that’s the industry you’re dead-set on joining.
But are they the best bang-for-your-buck program out there?
It’s not likely…
…but these guys aren’t scammers or anything like that. Frankly, if you’re really gonna head down that Amazon FBA rabbit hole, I can think of a lot worse programs you could sign up with.
At the same time, the biggest downside to Smart FBA (other than the brutal business model) is that they charge more than I’ve ever seen any other Amazon program I’ve ever heard of.
So what do we do here?
I think it goes without saying that just about everyone on earth has heard of Amazon by this point…so even if Smart FBA is worth the money, you are very likely to dive in headfirst to an oversaturated industry where there are tons of people with a head start on you.
While I love a challenge, if I’m gonna dump my life savings into something, I’m gonna make it as easy on myself as possible. Personally, I’ve noticed that lead generation seems to be a pretty solid industry these days – it’s actually gaining momentum instead of dying out.
All you do is bring in leads to local businesses, so you don’t have to worry about people from China stepping into your territory or thousands of other stores vying for the same businesses.
If you’re into all that, give Digital Leasing a look.
Who Benefits From Smart FBA…And Who Should Avoid It?
| Area | Score | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Time Investment | 2/5 | This is a nonstop job, something you’ll always have to be plugged into every day of the week…and it will take a long time to make your investment back. |
| Level of Control | 1/5 | As nice as it is that Smart FBA holds your hand, you also have little control. Amazon could ban your account, too. |
| Ease of Implementation | 3/5 | There is a lot to learn with Amazon FBA, but at least Smart FBA will help all along the way. |
| Profit Potential | 2/5 | There’s some money to be made, but revenue is not the same as profits…and your expenses will be very high. |
Smart FBA isn’t your standard Amazon FBA program – it has priced itself into another tier, and I think they are at the very least a little better than what some of those other Amazon gurus out there are bringing.
Let’s get right into it:
Smart FBA might be for you if…
- You’ve done some Amazon FBA learning and enjoyed it (like the Rainmaker Challenge)
- You like their corporate, professional feel
- You have plenty of money to invest in an Amazon store
On the other hand, it probably doesn’t make sense to join them if…
- You are nervous about the thousands of other Amazon sellers rivaling you
- Between Amazon and Smart FBA, you think they are taking too much of your profits
- You don’t like Jeff Bezos being your boss and telling you how to use Amazon’s platform
Smart FBA at a 1,000 FT View
Amazon FBA has been getting wrecked lately for a few different reasons. For one, running an FBA store can already be rough on cash flow given all the store and extra inventory you’re expected to have on hand at all times.
Another sketchy factor is the bigger and bigger cut Jeff Bezos takes from sellers. What’s to stop Amazon from continuing to increase it? Between Amazon’s percentage and Smart FBA taking a large cut, it may be very difficult for you to see any real profits – even with Smart FBA’s “wholesale pricing”.
I really do think Smart FBA may be the most professional out of most of the other courses out there…after all all, they do offer to do the work when it comes to automating operations, and making sure their students don’t all go after the same product.
These are important factors, because one of the worst things about Amazon FBA is that most programs will push you to sell cheap products that everyone else is already selling, which doesn’t offer much room for profit margins.
On the other hand, Smart FBA likes to boast about all the product research they’ve done, and the agreements they’ve secured to make “restricted brands” available to their students to be able to sell name brands that could help separate them from the pack of knock-off, lower-ticket sales.
It’s interesting to me, because as much as this is one of the most expensive investment opportunities out there…I can’t help but wonder how much more powerful the people behind Smart FBA would be if they had taken their skills and applied them to a better business model, like lead generation.
It’s just hard to justify handing over 40% to Smart FBA, and then another huge chunk to Amazon, and then the person who works the hardest barely gets to take anything home…
Like the Shark Tank would say: “…and for that reason, I’m out.”
Imagine that instead of forking over six figures on initial investment to these guys, you take a fraction of that and start up a business in a way safer industry.
There are some gigs out there where you just bring in clients for local businesses, which is basically recession-proof. In fact, because these companies like the increase in sales (shocker, I know), they will be the ones calling you, demanding more and more help for more and more paychecks.
Personally, all of that feels a lot stronger than Amazon FBA.
Who Runs Smart FBA?
Smart FBA is an interesting company. Usually with these kind of programs, there’s one guy or gal who started up and runs the whole operation, bringing in just as much fame for themselves and their charisma as the actual business itself.
With Smart FBA, you basically never see Scott Hunt, the CEO, or Phillip Kramer, COO. The figurehead on social media is a guy named Cohen Chorabik, the Chief Marketing Officer of the company.
That said, behind the scenes they all bring value in their own way:
Scott Hunt – CEO
Scott Hunt is a Texas native with an MBA, and claims over fifty certifications in AI and similar advanced technology credits.
His big claim to fame is making an app that MIT highlighted at one point. Apparently, he’s also done some consulting with heavy-hitters in the corporate world.
Analytics and e-commerce software is his calling card…so in other words, he’s a a nerd! That’s probably why he lets the other guys handle marketing.
I respect it, by the way. Don’t try to be something you’re not.
Phillip Kramer – COO
Kramer – not to be confused with the Seinfeld character – once held a VP position in big business, but left to help independent entrepreneurs scale up systems and work with some advanced models.
He claims to have sold over $10,000,000 online, mostly through Amazon, as a finance guru.
Cohen Chorabik – CMO
Apparently Cohen was more in the engineering side of things until he was lured to the marketing side of things with Smart FBA.
He’s been in the biz since 2016, and is the face of Smart FBA’s ads.
How Much Does Smart FBA Cost?
There are several tiers of pricing for Smart FBA’s program. Let’s a quick rundown:
Basic – $20,000
This is, as the name suggests, the most basic level of entry for newcomers to the FBA industry.
It offers:
- “Wholesale pricing”
- Support systems
- You can sell 1 Restricted Brand
- Smart FBA takes 40% of profits
Elite – $35,000
The next step up will cost you fifteen grand more than the entry-level offering:
- Same wholesale pricing as the basic level
- Improved support
- 5 Restricted Brands can be sold
- Smart FBA takes 30%
Executive – $50,000
This is the second-highest offering from these guys, although they say the next level is “sold out”…so technically, the executive level may be the best they have to give ya:
- Wholesale pricing remains the same again
- Same support access as the elite level
- 15 Restricted Brands now available
- Smart FBA takes 15%
Omni Channel – $80,000
This offering says it’s “sold out”…that may be true, or it may be a sales tactic where they get you on the phone and let you know something like “ohh hey, we just got one more availability, better act fast!”
It’s tough to say with these things:
- Wholesale pricing stays the same
- Now you can build a store on eBay and Poshmark in addition to Amazon
- 20 Restricted Brands can be sold
- Smart FBA takes 15%
All in all, these are all pretty expensive. So…what do you get from all the investment?
It seems like you basically pay Smart FBA more up front to reduce the cut they’ll take from you later – kinda like a nicer version of the mafia! You also gain more access to these “restricted brands“, which are advertised as name brands like Nike.
It’ll be interesting to see if Smart FBA allows you to pick the brand of your choice, or if they only have so many of each brand available to a certain amount of students. If that’s the case, some of the better brands may already be saturated by other Smart FBA students.
Smart FBA Refund Policy
I couldn’t find any mention of the word “refund” on their terms and conditions, so if you decide to sign up with these guys…don’t expect to see any of that huge investment ever again.
Is Smart FBA Legit Or Not?
| Social Media Page | |
|---|---|
| https://www.facebook.com/SmartFBA/ | |
| https://www.instagram.com/smartfba/ | |
| Youtube | https://www.youtube.com/c/SmartFBA/videos |
So…is Smart FBA legit?
That depends.
If you mean “are they scammers?” Then no, this seems to be a pretty solid, professional organization that knows what they’re doing. The question should be more about what they can do for you when it comes to both the cost of their course, as well as how good the business model is long-term.
When it comes to the cost, my biggest issue is that you’re already gonna need to save up big time for Amazon FBA since you always have to have inventory on hand…and that means storage costs, in addition to buying the inventory in bulk.
When you add on Amazon fees, and have to pay off both Smart FBA and Amazon every time you make a profit…is it really worth it? Do you wanna do all the work but get the smallest slice of the pie?
I have a very hard time with Amazon FBA for these kind of reasons, so I have to recommend other industries that might be more “legit” for you.
Personal Opinion On Smart FBA
So, how do you choose the right program?
- Make sure they have a lot of passion in their field
- Check out the costs and make sure you won’t go in too much debt
- Consider the long-term success of the business model
Most Amazon FBA programs are tough to like, but this one isn’t bad.
Here’s a quick 3 things I like about them:
- Very organized
- Selling recognizable brands can help stand out
- The team seems to know their own strengths and weaknesses
…and, to be fair, 3 things I don’t really like:
- Amazon FBA is just a tough business model, no matter how good the program is
- Super expensive, may end up costing you six-figures to start
- Oversaturation is a real problem, especially since FBA peaked a few years back
What’s Inside Smart FBA?
Something you’ll see a lot of with Smart FBA is the phrase “wholesale pricing“. These means you’ll be buying in bulk, which isn’t something necessarily unique to Smart FBA. Anyone running an Amazon store should already be buying in bulk.
However, the big boost they might be able to offer is that it seems like Smart FBA own their own big warehouse, which could help streamline the costs that are passed down to you, the student.
And that also means you can afford to shed your prices a little compared to someone who is packing all their inventory in their garage, for example.
Another thing they do well is go out and get the rights to certain name brands, which might put you ahead of the other guys and gals selling generic spatulas and pen-holders. Nobody gets excited about that.
As you can see by the brands listed above, there are some major players here, which is definitely what Smart FBA leans on when they’re justifying their sky-high costs to join them.
It’s a lot easier to get excited to sell these kind of big-league items, and you can sell them for bigger profit margins than little rinky-dink items.
Something that really concerns me with Amazon FBA is that there are so many horror stories out there about stores being banned with no notice at all, seemingly “at random”.
I think the accounts that pop up selling tons of cheap items are automatically flagged by Amazon’s algorithm and put on a “watch list” of sorts, but there are also just a ton of rules and regulations when it comes to working with Jeff Bezos, and it’s hard to keep track of them all.
Well, Smart FBA helps dodge one of the culprits behind getting banned: avoiding dropshipping through Wal-Mart. Apparently, a lot of gurus will tell you to go ahead and ship your products anyway you want, but this kind of thing can get your Amazon store destroyed overnight.
Maybe it’s cheaper or easier to do it that way, but Smart FBA says they want to protect your account at all costs, so they don’t use Wal-Mart’s dropshipping service. This is nice to see, because when you see students leaving horrible reviews about Amazon FBA, it’s crazy how often they say their accounts were taken down overnight.
Can you imagine that?
Pouring over a hundred thousand dollars into a new business, just to wake up one morning to find it’s all gone, with no way to get it back…because Amazon is too big. It doesn’t need you, and they know it.
Here’s a longer list of what else Smart FBA says they include in their program:
- Live customer service
- Store settings on Amazon
- Order processing
- Product research
- Tracking of shipments
- Inventory management
- Shipping to Amazon
- Repricing of products
- Managing performance metrics
- Customer feedback
- Monthly reports
All in all, these guys definitely have a lot going on…as long as you’re okay with the flawed Amazon FBA business model, as well as a very high investment cost.
Smart FBA Reviews: Conclusion
So…should you roll with Smart FBA?
It’s tricky, but I have to say no.
If you really want to go out there and do Amazon FBA no matter what it takes, and you have unlimited investment money to do it…then I think Smart FBA is probably your best option.
But for everyone else who wants to keep their mind open, or doesn’t have six-figures to start up their Amazon business, I strongly recommend checking out lead generation, particularly Digital Leasing.
Instead of competing with all those people trying to go with Amazon, you just go to local businesses and work with them on bringing in new customers. It’s way more chill, with a lot more room for profit since you don’t have such a high investment cost.
When you sell some Nike shoes, it’s probably gonna be a while until that customer comes back for more. On the other hand, businesses need new customers all the time, so they’ll pay you monthly, leading to recurring payments that keep rolling in…
…who knows, maybe you can even try this gig from the beach.
What Is My #1 Way To Make Money Online in 2025?
I have spent years researching, reviewing, and vetting dozens of business models and thousands of programs.
While there may be no “perfect business”, the research IS conclusive:
Digital Leasing is the #1 online business model for those just starting out.
Whether you’ve never made a dollar online, or you’ve been in this space for a while but never really “made it,” Digital Leasing is for you.
Why?
1) It’s Flexible: got an hour a day? You can do this. Ready to drop everything else and dive in full time? You can do this. Yes, the more time you put in, the faster you see results. But even with a little time each day, you can move the needle in a Digital Leasing business.
And because this system is so flexible, you don’t have to constantly be working to make more money. It’s called PASSIVE INCOME because if you stop working, the money doesn’t.
Imagine taking 3 months off to just tour around Europe, rent a cabin in the woods to write a book, hike the Appalachian Trail, or live on the beach and surf all day.
This is only possible if you have an income stream that’s not tied to your time.
2) You Own & Control EVERYTHING: With Smart FBA, you don’t really own anything. Yes, you technically own the products before you send them into an Amazon warehouse, but that’s it.
With these guys, you don’t own the sales platform, you don’t own a brand, and you don’t own the customers.
Not to mention, Amazon can literally shut you down at any time if they believe you’ve violated their constantly changing terms of service.
So you’re building a business that could be completely taken away from you in the blink of an eye.
With Digital Leasing, you own the assets, which means you have all the power and all the control.
3) Little To No Startup Costs: It’s possible to get into Digital Leasing with zero dollars upfront. Because, using the strategies outlined in this program, you can get a client to pay you BEFORE spending a penny out of your own pocket…even before you do any work.
Even without getting paid in advance, you can have your first Digital Rental Property up, running, and generating profits for less than $100.
4) No Inventory: As mentioned above, with Smart FBA, you’ll be spending 4-5 hours a day prepping and packing products to send to Amazon – it’s a huge time commitment.
With physical products, you’ll always have limits on your time and freedom.
With Digital Leasing, a 100% online business, you never have to worry about that.
5) Easy To Duplicate: Ok, here’s the best part: once you have your first Digital Rental Property up and running, you can literally DOUBLE your income with a few clicks, a couple keystrokes, and a single phone call (and you don’t actually need the phone call).
Remember: each Digital Rental Property is worth $500 to $2,000 a month in semi-passive income (over 95% profit). Every time you decide to create another one and increase your income, it gets easier.
Because you have more knowledge, more experience, more results, and more momentum.
If you wanted to double your income with Amazon FBA, you’d have to double your inventory OR your profit margins. And, guaranteed that’s a lot harder than a few clicks and a few minutes of your life.
6) Make Money Helping Real People: This part is what makes it all worth it. Amazon FBA is a decent way to make yourself money, but it doesn’t improve anyone else’s lives.
After all, there’s always someone else selling rubber spatulas and umbrellas – or even branded higher quality gear. That might be fine in the short term, but in the long run you may feel like you’re missing a purpose.
With Digital Leasing though, you’re actually helping people by solving your clients’ biggest problem…
Small, local businesses need more customers, and with Digital Leasing, you are unleashing a flood of happy, paying customers for these businesses.
You make money by helping them make money.
Not a big, faceless corporation either…a small business owner who’s using that money to put food on the table for their family, start a college fund for their kids, or take care of a sick parent.
Once you see how Digital Leasing makes a real impact in the lives of real people, you’ll sleep like a baby with a big smile on your face.
Now, the choice is yours. You could continue browsing, looking at opportunities like with Smart FBA, who could one day make you money if you can ever make back the big money it costs to invest.
You could continue researching, never making a decision.
OR, you could take a look inside, consider what you really want, and join a program that makes your dreams a reality. At the same time, joining a community of over 2,000 successful students that are living life on their own terms thanks to Digital Leasing.
A consistent, reliable, semi-passive stream of income that doesn’t depend on you or your time to keep producing profits.
All while genuinely helping real people who are grateful and happy to pay for it.
If this sounds more like what you want out of life (or if you just want some nice side income), click here to learn more about Digital Leasing.
