The Forty-Question Go/No-Go Test — Fillable Scored Workbook

Before you wire money for inventory, answer forty questions in writing.

This is the audit from Chapter 29 of Do Not Sell on Amazon Until You Read This, rebuilt as a working instrument instead of a list you skim. Type your documented answer beside each question, score it 0, 1 or 2, and the workbook does the rest — six section subtotals, a total out of 80, and a verdict that writes itself.

Seven of the forty questions are marked STOP. A zero on any one of them describes a way to lose the entire investment rather than part of it, so a zero there overrides your total no matter how high it is. You can score 70 out of 80 and still be one answer away from a dead account or a frozen balance. The workbook will tell you so.

What you get: an 8-page fillable PDF with 88 live fields. Fill it in, save it, keep a dated copy per product. A scored, dated audit is also evidence of diligence if you ever need to show your reasoning to a lender, an accountant, or Amazon.

Auto-totalling works in Adobe Acrobat Reader (free), Foxit and Apple Preview. In a browser viewer the fields still fill and save; you may need to add the totals yourself.

Written by James Armstrong, who has sold online since 1999 and has helped more than 1,000 Amazon sellers — including 300+ as managed accounts. A planning aid, not legal, tax or accounting advice.