TLDR – Is There A Sophie Howard Scam Going On Here?
So, should you fork over that hard-earned cash to Sophie Howard?
Probably not…
…but that doesn’t mean she’s a scam artist or anything like that – it’s just a little complicated.
For a start, Amazon FBA has made a ton of people rich over the years. There’s a reason Sophie is still able to sell people on the idea – Amazon is a huge company with lots of shipping going on, so why can’t you get a cut of all that?
Well, as we mentioned in the previous section, Mr. Bezos wants his cut. And who’s gonna stop him, really? Do we really think that Amazon is going to cut their percentages at any point in time, giving back to the people? C’mon, now…
It’s also telling that Sophie has began shifting over to Amazon Kindle E-Book sales, an indication that traditional FBA may not be making the money it once was. This Reddit user certainly seems concerned.
To be fair, there has been a big increase in e-books ever since the madness of 2020 went down (this Forbes article digs into that), so it’s actually to her credit that Sophie Howard has made this adjustment…that said, how long until she moves on from that?
It seems like Sophie is just fighting the tide at this point, and your money is probably better off with a more well-rounded, recession-proof skillset like the one this company has been teaching its students for a while. You never want to be the last to hear about the “next big thing”.
They seem extremely passionate about what they’re doing – not just getting by, but creating their own future. You don’t have to take our word for it – the Digital Leasing reviews are already rolling in.
You’re probably wondering who this program is and isn’t for by now. That’s what we handle right below this section in our Sophie Howard Amazon review.
Who Benefits From Sophie Howard’s Program…And Who Should Avoid It?
We’ve been around the block, and we’ve seen some students that are great fits for some industries that are train wrecks in another. For that matter, we’ve seen students who do great things under the right mentor, but drown in debt with the wrong choice.
Let’s get right into it:
Sophie Howard’s Blue Sky Amazon Might be for you if…
- You’ve already worked with Amazon and feel comfortable sticking with what you know
- You can relate to Sophie Howard’s situation and how she often references her children
- You’ve taken some of Sophie’s other courses and found them very fulfilling
On the other hand, it probably doesn’t make sense to join her if…
- You’ve already fizzled out with Amazon FBA and are looking for something more reliable
- Sophie’s bad reviews have scared you off, like this one here
- You’re looking for something with more broad appeal, something with transferable skills and a strong mentor standing behind it
Sophie Howard at a 1,000 FT View
Who Is Sophie Howard?
Sophie Howard is a New Zealander raised in the U.K.. She launched her FBA business while looking after her newborn infant in her own home in 2014.
She sometimes gets lumped in with Rachel Rofe as two women doing well in the ecommerce world.
Within 18 months, she developed a seven-figure eCommerce company on Amazon selling tea products by having a group of virtual assistants help her out.
Today, Sophie is known as “The Amazon Selling Queen” to her loyal followers after the explosion of her “Higher Tea” brand.
In 2016, Sophie published a book titled Amazon Jetstream Income, which includes her selling experiences and promises to assist individuals to launch a business on Amazon. Unfortunately, the books is pretty much just one big sales pitch and lacks substance.
What Else Got Sophie Howard Her Start?
The majority of other Amazon sellers were ex-internet marketing companies searching for quick hacks, adhering to a copy paste blueprint, and of course…most sourced their products from China.
Sophie, on the other hand, ended up selecting New Zealand wool products hand-felted in Nepal.
Nepal wool – that’s one of a dropshipping niche!
She began with 400 products in that very first year instead of focusing on one or two products just as she was taught to. She ignored many of the rules coming from the Amazon course she took, which was costly at $4,000.
I think the fact she found success through ignoring her mentor says two things: one, she had the wrong mentor. Two, it means you’re getting a strong-headed guru in Sophie, someone who does things her own way. That might be great, or may be tough depending on what you’re looking for.
Sophie’s company was profitable in the first month, and within the first year she had made more than one million dollars.
She really just enjoyed the start-up phase of building a business and did not wish to make it an empire, so Sophie considered selling it.
Sophie wound up cashing in at its peak; she provided the buyer around 80% of the 400 items she had and kept 20%, seeding three brand new businesses on Amazon.
How Much Does Sophie Howard’s Course Cost?
It appears that the cost of Sophie’s courses can range from $3000 USD to as high as 5000 British Pounds!
While price isn’t everything – and it can certainly be worth it – that kind of investment means the value must be there for the cost to make sense.
And it has to make dollars to make cents.
Is Sophie’s Course Legit Or Not?
Before we get into my thoughts, let’s see what the people think:
A 2.1 score on Trustpilot is not ideal – especially when there are many concerns about gurus giving students deals and incentives to give 5-star reviews.
Now, Sophie Howard appears to know how to make some money, for sure. You’re most likely not throwing your money into a dumpster fire here. There are way worse courses out there.
That said, why would you want to limit yourself to something that is “not the worst?”
You want the best. Something that can get things done and doesn’t need to reshape its entire product line every few years.
Digital Leasing is a lot more legit than anything on Amazon FBA these days. 10 years ago? Maybe. But with all the risks involved with establishing a sustainable Amazon FBA Business, I’d recommend looking elsewhere.
Personal Opinion On Sophie Howard
Listen, we’ve been reviewing these kind of gurus for years, whether it be Amazon FBA, affiliate marketing, MLM, you name it. No matter the industry, there are always red lights and green lights.
So, how do we choose the right Amazon seller?
- Look for the right mentor that’s been doing this with strong success over a long period of time
- Ensure they’ve actually made money with what they’re promoting
- Figure out if they have information beyond the basics, like how to tell who the most reliable suppliers are
The first two criteria are so important that I’d argue they span across all industries that you’ll encounter. If you find someone who can’t connect with you, or has zero track record of success in the industry…then you might be coming across someone trying to earn a quick buck, rather than a genuine “guru”.
That said, I don’t think Sophie falls under that category. She’s been at this for years now, selling everything from tea, to fabric, to e-books. This is someone who – although the Amazon FBA industry isn’t doing so well these days – has done a ton of great work within the industry that has made her some real money.
Do I Recommend Sophie Howard?
Source | Quote | Link |
---|---|---|
Trustpilot | “Seems no one actually works there” | https://www.trustpilot.com/reviews/6520de278fb1f606b5702972 |
Quora | “don’t spend your money on a 2000+ course all the information you can find elsewhere” | https://www.quora.com/Is-Sophie-Howards-ebook-advice-any-good-Why-would-the-real-writer-the-ghost-not-just-sell-their-books-themselves-instead-of-handing-them-over-to-Sophie-to-sell-and-profit-from |
It might be getting clear that I do not recommend Sophie Howard’s Amazon FBA courses. It’s nothing against her as a person…
…but that doesn’t change the fact that Amazon is taking more and more of your money, a trend that is unlikely to change barring a miracle.
So even if Sophie ran a foolproof course, it’s still basically impossible to really consider Amazon FBA the best passive income model these days.
What’s Inside Blue Sky Amazon?
You could be forgiven for being confused when looking between online reviews for Sophie Howard, and then searching over her website. I say that because the names of her programs – and even the contents – don’t always stay the same.
She began selling tea, then wool, and turned that into an umbrella Amazon FBA program knowns as Blue Sky Amazon.
Under that program, she has offered courses like Product University, Amazon Navigator, and now her e-book course, Kindle Publishing Income.
As you’ll notice, these gurus try to compete with traditional schooling, hence names like Ecom Degree University. It does help justify their pricing when you compare the two!
Product University
This course features six modules that will give you about 25 hours of content. The modules will advise you on how to build a successful product, utilize VAs, and sell on Amazon.
The modules are as follows:
- Foundation
- Product Selection Strategy
- Basics Of Sales Funnels
- Hiring Virtual Assistants
- Selling On Amazon
- Forgotten Product Sourcing Places
Amazon Navigator
This program is about – you guessed it – selling on amazon. When it comes to building a successful Amazon FBA business, Sophie definitely has earned the street cred to tell people about it.
All that said, some great athletes don’t make such great coaches. We’ll see if that same analogy applies here with her Amazon Navigator program:
Module 1: Welcome
Module 2: What You Don’t Know About Branding
Module 3: Selecting Products That Sell For The Long Term
Module 4: Are Your Listings Pristine?
Module 5: Do Not Get Samples, Order The Entire Shipment
Module 6: Promoting The Sh*T Out Of Your Products
Module 7: Maintaining Your Account
Module 8: Scaling Beyond Amazon & Hiring Virtual Assistants
Kindle Publishing Income
This appears to be Sophie’s newest endeavor, as there are only a few reviews out there regarding its quality compared to her Amazon FBA teachings.
It’s hard to say exactly what’s inside the course, but her website maintains there are three keys to killing it as an ebook writer:
- Selling on Amazon.
- Selling eBooks on Amazon.
- Selling eBooks on Amazon after paying for her course.
It seems that she does offer a free virtual workshop, so maybe you can check that out and see if it’s worth your time and money – but as we’ve illustrated, the reviews aren’t great so far.
Sophie Howard Amazon Review: Conclusion
So, what’s the final call?
At the end of the day, it’s up to you – within Amazon FBA it’s fine, but I’d keep looking for alternatives. Again, it’s nothing against Sophie Howard, but a greater concern with the overall Amazon FBA industry.
Between low profit margins, high percentages being taken from your profits, it just doesn’t make sense for anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit to consider this as a viable career path.
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 Sophie’s course, 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 Sophie, 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 Sophie you’ll be spending 4-5 hours a day prepping and packing products to send to Amazon – it’s a huge time commitment.
Plus, you constantly need to be buying new courses from Sophie if you want to keep leveling up your business. You need to spend even more money if you want to scale up.
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. 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 Sophie Howard, who could one day make you money.
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.
7 Responses
Hi. Thanks for sharing these information in the public! I got retrenched since last year and I was thinking about joining her $277 program. I really can’t picture how much of work I needed to do once there’s an agreement because she made it all sound so easy. But after reading through all this, I changed my mind. Thanks a lot for the research, suggestions and ideas!
MONEY GREEDY – SHAK MARKETING – UDEMY HAS BETTER COURSES FOR 14 DOLLARS NOT 3000 PLUS.
Dont sign up for anything this woman sells. Its a greedy entrepenour like she calls herself. She hired a marketing shark and advertise targeting the retired or semiretired with all the promises you can imagen, once you sign up you are on own, the course is a lot of bla, bla, bla, confusing and not to the point, it does not tell you either how to open a store in amazon, you have to do that on you own, and all you get is you pocket out of 3000 dollars plus. You get better couses from Udomy for 14 dollars, they help you more, this one of Sophie Howard is borderline a scam.
I just paid NZ$3200 to Sophie Howard but didn’t realise there would be advertising expenses. It was never mentioned.
tried this n ngl got NOTHING from it i think her face tricked me lol sucker for blondes
o well
Bought into the #GirlBoss BS…she’s just out to make money…got nothing of value really…maybe someone else can do better but it didn’t work for me!!
Amazon FBA was a decent option 5-10 years ago, this review is pretty spot on in that there are better alternatives these days.
I checked out your Digital Leasing pitch – was concerned it would be about NFTs, but it looks like an actionable course. I’ll give it a go, call me
Dear Pete, have you tried or started Digital Leasing? Thank you for your return. Patrizia