Smart FBA was an Amazon automation service that that offered to build a managed FBA store. However, the company collapsed, leaving investors with massive losses and deactivated stores.
Notice
Managed FBA stores (like Smart FBA) are often a huge scam. If you’re looking to get into FBA, you can absolutely do it yourself:
1). Find a Niche
2). Source your Product
3). Lanch it on Amazon
The Fallout: Clients Left in the Dark
By early 2025, SmartFBA had shut down operations entirely. Employees were abruptly fired, the customer portal was taken offline, and CEO Scott Hunt began deflecting blame onto former business partners. Meanwhile, hundreds of investors found themselves out tens of thousands—if not hundreds of thousands—of dollars with no recourse and no way to retrieve their investments.
Reddit forums quickly filled with accounts of devastated investors:
- “I’m out over $60K and would definitely join a class action suit.” – Reddit User: Pendragon037
- “I talked to my lawyer this past week. He is referring me to a law office in Oregon.” – Reddit User: Loose-Pianist8326
- “SmartFBA ran this like a shell game, and now Amazon has flagged my store for investigation.” – Reddit User: exaudi_vocem_meam
- “Scott Hunt is a conman. He ran the company into the ground in six months.” – Reddit User: Rude_Replacement9509
The overarching sentiment? Betrayal. Many customers had been assured their stores were being managed professionally, only to discover their inventory consisted of overpriced junk or, in some cases, counterfeit items that got their Amazon accounts suspended.
Legal Action: The Fight for Compensation
With losses ranging from $10,000 to over $100,000 per person, many affected clients have banded together in an attempt to recover funds. Lawyers like Dennis Shaffer, himself a SmartFBA client, have stepped in to coordinate legal action. Multiple investors are pushing for an involuntary bankruptcy filing, which could force SmartFBA to disclose financial records and distribute any remaining assets.
Shaffer has been actively working to help affected clients file complaints and lawsuits, urging those impacted to reach out to him at (410) 752-9752.
But the likelihood of recovering funds is slim. Scott Hunt has claimed he inherited a failing company riddled with hidden debt, yet evidence suggests he continued onboarding new clients while knowing the company was on the brink of collapse. Some suspect SmartFBA was operating as a Ponzi scheme, using new investors’ funds to pay off previous ones while siphoning money into personal accounts.
Take Control: How to Build a Profitable Amazon Business Yourself
Instead of relying on a managed service, creating your own FBA business is easier than it seems:
- Product Research – Use product research tools like Helium 10 or Jungle Scout to find profitable products.
- Sourcing – Work directly with manufacturers to create your own private label product.
- Branding & Compliance – Set up your brand registry and ensure compliance with Amazon’s guidelines.
- Listing Optimization – Use proper keywords, images, and compelling descriptions.
- PPC & Marketing – Run Amazon ads and external traffic strategies to increase sales.
By managing your own store, you retain full control over your profits, inventory, and long-term business success.
Class Action Lawsuits
Many former SmartFBA clients are now pursuing class-action lawsuits against the company. Several Reddit users have confirmed that they are working with lawyers to take legal action:
- “We need to form a class action suit. My attorney says that we have an excellent case.” – Reddit User: PotatoNew3349
- “Dennis Shaffer is working on getting SmartFBA into bankruptcy court. Contact him if you want to join the lawsuit.” – Reddit User: Live-Particular-3924
- “I have spoken with about seven or eight people so far. We need twenty signatures to file against SmartFBA. Reach out ASAP.” – Reddit User: DShafferCounsel
While the odds of recovering funds are uncertain, the legal action aims to expose the company’s financial dealings and hold those responsible accountable. Investors are advised to document all transactions, reach out to attorneys, and report SmartFBA to the FTC and Better Business Bureau.
If you were affected by SmartFBA, legal experts recommend:
- Document everything (emails, invoices, transactions, agreements)
- File complaints with the FTC and BBB
- Join class-action efforts if applicable
- Avoid further financial losses by cutting ties completely
The SmartFBA saga isn’t just a business failure—it’s a full-fledged financial disaster for its clients. Let this serve as a warning: when something sounds too good to be true in e-commerce, it usually is.
There is also another company called Elite Automation https://elite-automation.com run by Katie Melissa https://www.katie-melissa.com who is part of this scam as her company is a partner company to SmartFBA
Thanks for exposing them as well!
It wasn’t a scam in the beginning.
Along the way, 2 of the partners got greedy
and started siphoning money,
hiding income,
and overpaying their buddies through the warehouse division, Smart Wholesale.
In the middle of 2024, the one good partner, Scott,
bought out the other 2,
hoping to save it for the sake of the customers,
and the employees too.
Unfortunately, it was too late, and he was left holding the bag.
They had already caused tremendous damage,
and then sabotaged it on their way out,
having the sales director steer clients away, among other things.
(Yes, conspiracy. Just like the conspiracy of trying to get the warehouse manager to break in and steal things after Scott had closed the doors.)
Obviously, the income dried up, and Scott was left with no choice but to close the doors.
He gave it a valiant effort.
He had a list of all the customers who were owed money,
and he was actively repaying as many of the customers as he could.
He paid back many hundreds of thousands of dollars to as many of the customers as he could, before the money dried up.
He didn’t even take an income for himself for the entire last 12 months or so,
surviving only on small investments he made before starting Smart FBA.
He was genuinely making a concerted effort to get the ship righted.
He even died in his driveway from the stress,
and is only alive today,
because had been on the phone with his wife,
and she knew it was taking him too long to come inside.
There is much, much more to the story.
I could spend half a day detailing it all.
Eventually, it will all come out in a law suit against the other 2 partners.
In the mean time,
it wasn’t originally a scam,
and the man who is shouldering all the blame,
is the ONE who was actually trying to make it right.
Ok and how would you know all this?
The above comment is from one of Scotts friends who also worked for the company and was involved in this scam, worst decision of my life signing up with these con artists, he was Scotts right hand man, (more like pocket holder), he was based at the warehouse where all this supposed conspiracy was taking place, and he was involved in the sales process giving warehouse tours to interested parties. ‘Sales director steering clients away’ and working for the ‘other two’, you worked in sales and gave tours & tried to convince people to sign up, I had a virtual tour with Taylor, you are heavily involved in this scam and need to take some accountability rather than regurgitating everything that comes out of Scotts mouth.
Everything Written here by Taylor McCuiston is garbage, just wanted to let people know not to take his comment seriously. Everything seems to always someone elses fault with these two, they seem to have made up these far fetched stories because its easier than the truth, which is that they took over a business and ran it into the ground, lining their pockets in the process
This man is called Taylor McCuiston, he was Scott’s right hand man and was heavily involved in the sales process and the warehouse processes, giving warehouse tours to interested prospects, as well as sending out profit and loss sheets to clients which showed inflated and false profit.
He was heavily involved in Scott’s scams and the ultimate downfall of the company while running away with client funds. Everything in his post is a lie, they continuously have tried to misdirect blame to anyone but themselves while trying to portray themselves as the victims. It is easier for them to try and fabricate people to blame and put their heads in the sand than to actually take accountability.
Just a simple VA here from Cebu now living in Singapore trying to support my family here, but I worked for the company from 2021-2024. I saw this post about Smart and Scott and fought myself from replying, but felt I had to. PotatoNew3349 is Billy Summerfield the sales agent that belittled everyone and was working in the background for the previous partners backsliding them deals. Billy treated all of us VAs like crap. In fact, the day Scott found out, Billy was threatening him, and boom, the screenshots he was posting matched exactly the Reddit posts word for word that Scott shared with us. PotatoNew3349 is Billy Summerfield the former sleaze ball sales agent.
Cohen created the Reddit Group, which was proven in his own words.
Scott provided over thirty pages of evidence and made it publicly available until he received some letter from their attorney.
I managed stores as well as the backend of warehouse operations, and the only person that cared about clients was Scott. Scott worked on clients stores all the time and would help us via Zoom our time. Anyone here criticizing him without any knowledge has a biased agenda and is simply trying to save their own face. Here is an example of what Scott faced. Inventory orders plummeted the very month he took over. Smart Wholesale prior for 5 years averaged over 200k in inventory monthly. I know this because I added the amounts to manifests. The month Scott took over orders fell to 20k. What happened? Well the previous partners created a competing business against the terms they signed. When he took over the company there was no inventory in the warehouse as well. You all are honestly pointing your finger at the wrong person. Oh you all probably did not see the text messages and group chats with warehouse employees and former partner about them stealing inventory. There conversation was made public regarding their plans. Scott is a good family man and extremely hardworking and he cared for everyone. There is so much you all do not know. Amazon also confiscated inventory from hundreds of thousands of FBA stores including Ecom Authority.
I wish i could attached documents here!