Is shortwave radio profitable to sell on Amazon United States?

The niche generates $572K/yr across 37 tracked products. 5 of 8 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is -23.5%. Flapen's verdict: Skip it (49/100).

How competitive is the shortwave radio niche?

20 brands and 49 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 39% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 67% of demand.

What do buyers complain about in shortwave radio?

Top complaints mined from reviews: Quality-Overall, Signal Strength, Durability. The return rate is 3.9%.

When does demand for shortwave radio peak?

Demand peaks in Oct; the busiest month runs 1.5× the quietest.

What does it cost to enter the shortwave radio niche?

Listings span $9.90–$477.49; the average listing price is $114.81 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 1,433 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.

shortwave radio

Skip it

Weak search conversion (0.7%) — this niche doesn't clear our bar today.

Competition

Great39%

top-5 click share — an open shelf

Quality gap

Great4.3★

avg incumbent rating — lower means beatable quality

Avg price

Good$114.81

avg listing price — sweet spot $15–$100

Brand share

Good67%

top-5 brand share — brands hold most of the demand

Market size

Good$572K

$572K/yr · 692K searches

Review moat

Good1,433.19

avg incumbent reviews — the moat a new listing must climb

Returns

Okay3.9%

return rate — above 5% kills the launch gate

Price range

Bad$9.90–$477.49

cheapest to priciest tracked listing — scored on the share inside $15–$100

Growth

Bad-23.5%

90-day search growth — must beat 0% to launch

Conversion

Bad0.7%

search→purchase rate — share of searches ending in a sale

Signals High Price

According to Flapen's Amazon United States niche tracking, shortwave radio is a $572K/yr Amazon United States market (692K searches/yr). The top 5 brands hold 67% of demand. Demand peaks in Oct. Verdict: Skip it — 49/100.

Data updated Jul 22, 2026 · scored weekly · How we score niches

shortwave radio market data

Units sold / yr: 4K–5K; avg 100–250/product
Revenue / yr: $459K–$574K; units × avg price
Conversion rate: 0.7%
Avg BSR: #62
Page quality: 0%
Prime: 95%
Sponsored: 78%
Out of stock: 4.6%
Avg brand age: 51 months
Avg seller age: 165 days

Competition & brand share

Clicks spread well past the top 5 (39% combined) — an open shelf where new products get seen.

Brands

20 falling

Sellers

Top-5 brand share

67%

Top 20: 100%

Top-5 click share

39%

Top 20: 78%

Open market

28%

TECSUN34%
XHDATA10%
Emgykit9%
Eton8%
Raddy7%
Kaito5%

Demand & seasonality

Weekly Amazon search volume, last 104 weeks — -23.5% search growth over the last 90 days.

Peak months: Oct · busiest ÷ quietest = 1.5×

Open Trend

Top shortwave radio search terms

shortwave radio215K/yr -27.2%0.4% conv.
portable shortwave radios56K/yr -13.7%0.3% conv.
shortwave radio receiver67K/yr -26.2%0.3% conv.
short wave radio57K/yr -15.1%0.7% conv.
short wave radios all world band49K/yr -44.1%0.4% conv.
shortwave radios with best reception28K/yr -15.0%0.7% conv.
tecsun26K/yr -3.9%0.4% conv.
sw radio25K/yr -21.4%0.3% conv.
tecsun pl-33018K/yr -1.3%2.2% conv.
grundig radio23K/yr -19.4%0.1% conv.

All search terms

Top shortwave radio products on Amazon

Each bubble is one product — market share against review moat; bubble size tracks estimated sales, color grades how beatable the incumbent looks.

Beatable (≤4.3★) Contested Strong incumbent (>4.7★)1 product missing review or click data not plotted

All 24 tracked products in this niche — three views at once, no toggling.

Top sellers

by 90-day click share

Tecsun Digital PL330 AM/FM/LW/SW Worldband Radio with Single Side Band Receiver

TECSUN$82.714.4★1,000 rev

Portable Shortwave Radios with NOAA/SW/AM/FM for Camping & Home

Emgykit$37.734.4★1,038 rev

Tecsun PL880 Portable Digital PLL Dual Conversion AM/FM Longwave Shortwave Radio with SSB (Single Side Band) Reception

TECSUN$177.484.4★1,496 rev

DreamSky AM FM Radio Portable - Shortwave Radio Battery Powered or Plug in Wall for Home Outdoor Strong Reception Large Dial Easy to Use Digital Time Display Transistor Antenna Seniors Small Gift

DreamSky$26.574.4★3,393 rev

Eton Elite Field Radio with AM/FM Shortwave RDS Bluetooth Digital Tuning Treble/Bass Control 50 Memory Stations External Antenna Rich LCD Display Retro Tabletop Design

Eton$134.933.9★743 rev

Newest

by launch date

Tecsun S-2200 AM/FM/LW Shortwave SSB VHF Airband DSP World Band Radio Receiver North American Edition

TECSUN$477.490 rev

3w ago

Upgraded ATS MINI V4B Radios with Exquisite Metal Shell SI4732 Pocket Shortwave Radio Portable AM/FM/LSB/USB Full Band Receiver with Built-in Headphone Amplifier Speaker and Hi-Z

SZSEVSIOT$62.9328 rev

5mo ago

XHDATA D109 Portable Radio AM/FM/SW/LW Shortwave Radio Receiver Battery Operated Radio with Good Reception Great Sound Wireless BT Mp3 Speaker Alarm Clock Sleep Function

XHDATA$43.4216 rev

7mo ago

ZHIWHIS Shortwave Radio Multi-Band Wooden Box Bluetooth 5.2 Dual Speakers Extra Antenna Signal Repeater APP Control FM/AM/SW/WB/AIR/V-UHF TF Card Player Bass Control Sleep Timer ZWS-802

ZHIWHIS$120.977 rev

11mo ago

Bluetooth AM FM Shortwave Radio with NOAA Weather Alert 1250mAh Rechargeable Portable Pocket Radio with Best Reception 5W Big Speaker Digital Tuner and Earphone Support SD Card and USB MP3 Player

Jazmm$27.65594 rev

1y ago

What buyers say about shortwave radio

What buyers praise and complain about, mined from review topics.

What buyers love

Audio Quality15%

“Excellent sound”

Signal Strength12%

“excellent signal reception”

Value For Money10%

“Great Value”

Quality-Overall8%

“Good Quality”

Advertised Vs Actual Product7%

“Exactly as advertised”

Charging5%

“Fast charging when plugged in”

Portability5%

“easy to carry around”

Ease Of Use5%

“Very handy”

Size-Overall4%

“I like the size”

Battery Life3%

“Battery life is amazing”

What buyers complain about

Quality-Overall11%

“Absolute Garbage”

Signal Strength10%

“Can't get any stations”

Durability9%

“Broke within week”

Charging8%

“Doesnt hold charge”

Functionality-Overall7%

“Didn't work”

Size-Overall6%

“Smaller than expected”

Audio Quality5%

“It had no sound”

Battery Life3%

“Battery did not last very long”

Audio Volume3%

“low volume isn't low enough”

Noise Level3%

“Thing is very loud”

Top return reasons

Size-Overall16%

Functionality-Overall12%

Audio Quality11%

Charging9%

Signal Strength9%

Advertised Vs Actual Product7%

Quality-Overall4%

Audio Volume4%

Defective Material/Parts3%

Value For Money3%

Common questions

Is shortwave radio profitable to sell on Amazon United States?: The niche generates $572K/yr across 37 tracked products. 5 of 8 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is -23.5%. Flapen's verdict: Skip it (49/100).
How competitive is the shortwave radio niche?: 20 brands and 49 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 39% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 67% of demand.
What do buyers complain about in shortwave radio?: Top complaints mined from reviews: Quality-Overall, Signal Strength, Durability. The return rate is 3.9%.
When does demand for shortwave radio peak?: Demand peaks in Oct; the busiest month runs 1.5× the quietest.
What does it cost to enter the shortwave radio niche?: Listings span $9.90–$477.49; the average listing price is $114.81 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 1,433 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.