Yesterday, we called out Darren Campbell for making misleading claims about Empire Builder, a white-labeled platform he tries to pass off as "exclusive." To make things worse, he’s also known for giving unethical advice, like encouraging people to falsify their income on AMEX card applications. Sadly, this isn’t an isolated issue—it’s part of a bigger, worrying trend we’ve seen in Darren’s FBA Brand Builder program. Time after time, it overpromises, underdelivers, and offers questionable guidance that could seriously hurt the businesses it’s supposed to help.
Today, we’re diving into Darren’s approach to supplier negotiations—a crucial skill for anyone in the Amazon FBA world. But, as with much of his program, what’s being sold as expertise isn’t worth the £6,500 price tag. Instead, clients are stuck with outdated advice, manipulative tactics, and overly broad generalizations that can strain, or even ruin, relationships with suppliers.
Let’s take a closer look at what Darren teaches, why it’s so problematic, and how it highlights the deeper flaws in his program.
Cringe-Worthy Negotiation Tricks That Could Ruin Your Deals
Darren’s supplier negotiation strategies include role-playing tactics that feel more like a bad prank than professional advice. In one video from his program, he details how to stage conversations to pressure suppliers, saying:
"You can maybe get a friend, you can get somebody you want to do, they can bring them into the WhatsApp group, and you can pretend that the person could be an investor in the company."
He even goes a step further by suggesting participants play specific roles to manipulate the situation:
"You'll be the good cop. And then the person who comes into the conversation becomes the bad cop, becomes really aggressive. And you need to become passive aggressive."
While Darren pitches this as a clever tactic, it’s far from what modern business standards consider effective. Building strong supplier relationships—especially in Amazon FBA—requires transparency, trust, and mutual respect. Using such contrived tactics risks alienating your suppliers, hurting your credibility, and losing out on better deals in the long run.
Shocking Stereotypes That Could Destroy Supplier Relationships
Darren’s advice is riddled with harmful stereotypes, particularly about Chinese suppliers—key partners for many Amazon sellers. His comments show a clear lack of cultural awareness and promote damaging generalizations:
"Them Chinese people, them Chinese factories, them Chinese workers need you. We don't need them. There's thousands and thousands of other factories we can go to."
"The Chinese are really, really nice, but they're also very, very manipulative. They’re very, very cute at what they do. So they do dirty tactics for sure."
These kinds of remarks completely overlook the importance of understanding cultural nuances in global business. Instead of helping clients build strong, lasting relationships, they leave them unprepared for the realities of working with international suppliers. It's worth remembering that stereotyping suppliers doesn’t just harm your reputation—it can also sabotage your chances of negotiating successful, mutually beneficial deals.
Overhyped Promises That Fail to Deliver
Darren often boasts that his methods are groundbreaking, but the reality of his advice paints a very different picture. Take this comment, for example:
"I made that up, I done that, that was because of the way I operate it, because I'm so aggressive whenever I do it... I templated that."
This kind of self-congratulation falls flat when the tactics in question—like staged conversations or vague claims of being "aggressive"—are neither innovative nor particularly useful. In fact, most of what he offers could easily be found for free with a quick online search. For a £6,500 price tag, clients should be getting expert-level insights, not basic strategies with little to no proven results.
The True Price of Bad Advice
The fallout from following Darren’s advice isn’t just frustrating—it can lead to serious financial and reputational setbacks:
- Lost Opportunities: Suppliers who feel disrespected or manipulated may cut ties, forcing you to start over with less favorable terms or lower-quality products.
- Higher Costs: Ineffective negotiation tactics can result in inflated manufacturing and shipping expenses, eating directly into your profits.
- Reputational Damage: Using manipulative strategies or perpetuating stereotypes can tarnish your reputation, making it harder to build strong partnerships in the business community.
Advice from True Professionals
Unlike Darren’s outdated and manipulative tactics, reputable Amazon FBA mentors focus on professionalism and collaboration when it comes to supplier negotiations. Here’s what truly effective strategies look like:
- Building Trust: Suppliers appreciate transparency about order sizes, deadlines, and expectations. Open, honest communication builds mutual respect and leads to stronger partnerships.
- Leveraging Data: Instead of resorting to manipulation, compare quotes from multiple suppliers to find the best mix of quality and price.
- Respecting Cultural Differences: Understanding and appreciating cultural nuances can help foster long-term, successful supplier relationships.
The best part? These strategies are easy to find through free or affordable resources, which makes Darren’s high-priced, low-value advice look even worse in comparison.
Disturbing Trends That Reveal the Truth About This Program
Darren Campbell’s advice on supplier negotiations is just one of many ways the FBA Brand Builder program falls short of its promises. This issue fits into a larger, disturbing pattern we’ve highlighted before: guidance that not only lacks professionalism but actively risks harming clients’ businesses.
In our November 20th article, Editing Supplier Quotes? The FBA Brand Builder’s Latest Advice Sparks Ethical Concerns, we exposed another instance of questionable mentorship. During a call, mentor Kayley Hutchison encouraged clients to falsify supplier quotes using Canva, advising them to manipulate pricing as a negotiation tactic:
"One thing I find really useful is Canva. You can use it to adjust the numbers on supplier quotes. Say they quote you £4.50, and you want to test their flexibility, you can change it to £3.50 and send it back. See if they come down to meet you."
Much like Darren’s role-playing strategies, this advice crosses ethical lines. Altering supplier quotes isn’t just deceitful—it could irreparably damage relationships, destroy credibility, and even expose clients to legal risks under contract law. It leaves us asking the same question about Darren’s program: where’s the expertise?
Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated case. Other examples of harmful advice and practices within the program include:
- Misleading Claims About Empire Builder: Marketing a white-labeled product as exclusive while charging clients triple its actual cost.
- Unethical Financial Guidance: Encouraging clients to falsify income on AMEX card applications, putting them at risk of legal and financial fallout.
- Hidden Costs and Upsells: Requiring mandatory subscriptions and costly in-house services without clearly communicating the program’s full financial burden.
Taken together, these practices paint a picture of a program more focused on boosting Darren’s profits than providing real value. For the £6,500 price tag, clients deserve ethical, expert-level mentorship—not advice that puts their businesses and finances in jeopardy.
These repeated missteps don’t just harm the program’s reputation—they actively threaten the success and well-being of the very people it claims to support.
Better Options That Actually Work for Aspiring Sellers
If you’re an aspiring Amazon seller, there are far better ways to learn supplier negotiation and grow your business:
- Leverage Free Resources: Platforms like YouTube and industry-specific forums are packed with detailed tutorials on supplier negotiations, all at no cost.
- Utilize Trusted Tools: Services like Alibaba’s Trade Assurance and Verified Supplier programs offer built-in protections and transparency to help you navigate supplier relationships confidently.
- Find Reputable Mentors: Choose programs with a solid track record, transparent pricing, and advice you can actually put into practice.
Yet Another Red Flag You Can’t Ignore
Darren Campbell’s supplier negotiation advice is just another glaring example of his program’s inability to deliver on its lofty promises. For £6,500, clients deserve top-tier guidance—not shallow, outdated tactics that could undermine their success.
As more problems with the FBA Brand Builder program surface, one question lingers: is this the kind of mentorship Amazon sellers truly need, or just an overpriced detour on their path to success?