Jordan Spent $2,800 on AI—and Sold Nothing

Discover the truth about AI-generated Amazon listings before it costs you.

Author

Andy Splichal
June 02, 2025

Let me tell you about Jordan.

He’s a 34-year-old side hustler from Ohio—two kids, night shift security guard, and a dream of building an Amazon business that lets him quit punching clocks. Sound familiar?

Jordan reached out after he launched his very first product: a bamboo bath caddy. Good product, solid supplier, slick photos. But two weeks in?

Zero. Sales.

He sounded panicked, frustrated, a little defeated. “Andy, I used AI to write the whole listing. ChatGPT knocked it out in five minutes. It looked professional. So why the crickets?”

📖 Let’s peel back what happened.

Jordan asked AI to write his title, bullets, and description—no keyword research, no competitor snooping, no buyer psychology. Just prompt-and-post.

Here’s a slice of what his bullets said:

“Durable bamboo construction.”
“Convenient soap holder.”
“Universal fit for most tubs.”

Now compare that to what his top competitor wrote:

“Relax like royalty with this luxury bamboo bath caddy—your spa night just leveled up.”
“Holds wine, candles, a book, and your phone—everything you need to unwind.”
“Expands to fit any tub—no tools, no stress.”

See the difference?

Jordan’s version read like a spec sheet. The competitor’s sounded like a dream.

🔍 AI Isn’t the Problem—It’s How You Use It

AI didn’t fail Jordan. It just did exactly what it was told: spit out a safe, generic listing. Problem is… safe doesn’t sell. And generic gets buried faster than a private label garlic press in 2017.

Jordan had the right tool. He just forgot one thing…

🧠 AI is a tool, not a strategy.

It can write the words, but only you can breathe life into them. You still need to:

  • Understand your customer’s pain points

  • Do real keyword research (hello, Helium10 and Data Dive)

  • Use emotional language that converts browsers into buyers

🛠️ So what’s the smart way to use AI? Here’s how I do it:

Step 1: Gather real inputs

  • Use Helium10 or Amazon’s autocomplete to pull keyword data

  • Check the top 3 competitors' bullets and titles

  • Browse 1-star reviews to see what buyers hate

  • Browse 5-star reviews to see what they love

Step 2: Prompt with precision

Instead of just saying “Write me a bullet,” I ask:

“Write a benefit-driven bullet point for a bamboo bath caddy that solves the problem of bathtime clutter. Speak to busy moms and stressed-out professionals. Use the keywords ‘bathtub tray’ and ‘spa gift.’”

Step 3: Edit like a boss

Use AI’s draft as a starting point. Then:

  • Punch up the benefits

  • Add emotional phrases

  • Insert strong keywords

  • Read it out loud (if it sounds robotic, it is)

🎯 Big Takeaway: AI can write. But it can’t feel. That’s your job.

Jordan went back to the drawing board. He kept the AI-generated skeleton but added real keywords, rewrote the bullets with emotion, and positioned it as a gift item—just in time for Mother’s Day.

Within three days? Three sales. Then ten. Then Amazon gave him a small bump in ranking. Momentum started building.

That’s the difference between hype and help.

💬 Repeatable Proverb: “AI can write your words, but only you can tell your story.”

✅ Lesson Recap:

  • AI is great for speeding up drafts, not replacing your strategy

  • Use real keyword data and real customer insights

  • Speak to emotion, not just features

  • Always polish before you publish

🤔 Still unsure if your listing’s up to snuff?

Here's my challenge: Read your product bullets out loud. If they sound like a robot wrote them, your customer’s eyes will glaze over—and they’ll scroll right past you.

But if they sound like you’re reading their mind?

💸 That’s when the magic happens.

—

To success without shortcuts (well, the right ones 😉),


Andy Splichal
Founder & Managing Partner of True Online Presence & Author of the Make Each Click Count Book Series