June 13, 2025
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Entrepreneur Charles Chakkalo (pictured) has a variety of business ventures, but Amazon is the “bread and butter” of the operation. While running his own warehouse and using no 3PLs (third-party logistics) is a decidedly hands-on approach, the 29-year-old Brooklyn resident would not have it any other way.
Through his Just a Seller Newsletter, Chakkalo shares ideas with other business owners, frequently extolling the virtues of printing labels and touching the inventory. The Prosper Show newsletter sat down with Chakkalo to learn more about his philosophy, as well as the benefits of his direct approach to running the business.
Prosper Show: How did you get started in online selling?
Chakkalo: We started our Amazon venture in 2016 or so. We were walking into stores buying things for a dollar and selling them for two. I’m partners with my brothers and I like to work and learn from others.
Prosper Show: How were you able to save money and expand the business?
Chakkalo: Instead of using money to outsource to a 3PL, we hired our first employee in-house and trained him on what an FNSKU [fulfillment network stock keeping unit] is, and how to label certain products—and it just grew from there. We’ve been warehouse operators ever since. Instead of channeling the money to a 3PL, we invested it in space. We’ve been running our own operation ever since.
Prosper Show: What concerns you about 3PLs?
Chakkalo: I’ve heard horror stories about 3PLs where owners of the company had to rent a U-Haul themselves, take their merchandise, and leave—just because they could not get an answer from a 3PL. The idea of not being able to touch your merchandise is frightening. Now we have the capacity to operate in a legitimate warehouse that can receive trailers. And when it comes to our catalog, it’s expanded beyond just whatever branded goods are out there. We launched our own brand and used the experience we had in resale to get that off the ground.
Prosper Show: What would you say to sellers who are hesitant to rent or buy their own warehouse space?
Chakkalo: I totally understand that people don’t want to deal with warehouse workers clocking in, clocking out, taking breaks, calling in sick, paid family leave, and so on. To me, it’s not a stress. Being able to touch my merchandise is worth it. At the end of the day I know that I’m an employer. I know that paying a 3PL is more expensive—maybe less stressful, but not as stressful as not being able to touch your merchandise.
Prosper Show: What’s another advantage of investing in a warehouse?
Chakkalo: At the end of the day, you have a real estate investment. If you do it the right way, the property will appreciate. If you develop it, the property will appreciate further. Once you’re done with it, you can either keep it functioning or borrow against it for a bigger operation.
Prosper Show: Do you use FBA [fulfillment by Amazon]?
Chakkalo: I’m definitely not against FBA. We embrace it wholeheartedly and we use FBA extensively. However, the function of our warehouse is really as preparation centers for FBA. We prefer to receive and prep the merchandise ourselves.
Prosper Show: Why do you attend the Prosper Show?
Chakkalo: There’s so many perspectives out there in this age of information overload. We have to inform ourselves on a variety of perspectives, and the answers usually lie somewhere in the middle. We decided to go to our first proper show in 2022. I brought a brother of mine so we were able to attend two different tracks.
In 2022 we looked at the agenda and we said, ‘It’s not what we’re looking for’ and we did not go. However, I looked at it this year and I thought, ‘It’s better.’ I actually got my ticket sponsored because of the content I create about things in the Amazon field. It was a no-brainer so I went this year, and I definitely don’t regret it.
Charles Chakkalo is a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based entrepreneur (www.CharlesTheSeller.com) who runs several businesses, in addition to his Just a Seller Newsletter.
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