For people in online retail, Amazon FBA has a strong appeal. This is because selling with Fulfillment by Amazon makes managing an e-commerce business much more manageable. Amazon takes care of the tedious logistics for its sellers as opposed to other e-commerce sites where they have to do everything all by themselves.

Amazon FBA has revolutionized the online retail business over the past years. Instead of shipping the items manually to every buyer, all sellers have to do is send their inventory to Amazon FBA warehouses. They will handle things from there. The concept here is to have let Amazon manage the complicated part of doing product business on the seller’s behalf –

  • Packaging
  • Shipping
  • Delivering
  • Processing returns
  • Providing customer service

However, the mentioned services come at a price, often called Amazon FBA Fee. The marketplace does everything effortlessly that the merchants hardly feel the need to distress themselves with the details of the operation. With the responsibilities resting on Amazon’s shoulders, sellers can concentrate on improving and growing their online business.

Amazon has set up multiple Amazon FBA warehouses across different parts of the country. This allows them to fulfill the delivery requirements of the consumers seamlessly.

If you have a product that you want to sell on Amazon and want to know how to send it to Amazon FBA warehouses, then you have landed on the right page.

This post will walk you through the steps of how to send a shipment to Amazon FBA and get started selling your products.

Shipping to FBA – the ultimate guide

Shipping to Amazon FBA is relatively easy; however, it does take some of your time. You will need to make several decisions, and needless to mention, certain product categories require additional measures to be considered.

Amazon FBA warehouses work under strict guidelines because to the huge numbers of inventory they receive from all across the nation. It is Amazon’s responsibility to properly ship, label, and prepare for the safety of the products along with the employees handling them. Hence, as an Amazon seller, you need to stay in compliance with the rules and regulations set by Amazon or risk facing penalties.

How much does Amazon FBA cost?

You need to review Amazon’s fulfillment and monthly storage charges carefully. Understanding all the potential and applicable charges beforehand will make sure that you are not caught by surprise later on.

Fulfillment Fees – per unit

Weight Fees
Standard Size Small (10-16 oz) $2.41-$2.48
Large (10-21 lb) $3.19-$5.26
Oversize Small (71 lb) $8.26
Medium (151 lb) $9.79
Large (151+ lb) $75.78
Special $137.32

Monthly Inventory Storage Fees – per cubic foot

Months Fees
Standard Size January-September $0.69/cubic foot
October-December $2.40/cubic foot
Oversize January-September $0.48/cubic foot
October-December $1.20/cubic foot

As you can see from the above table, Amazon FBA service have two separate costs depending on-

  1. The volume of the stock
  2. Length of the time the stock is held

The fulfillment fee is the fee that is charged per unit or item. It differs from product to product including the product type, weight, and dimensions.

The monthly storage fee tells the physical storage of the seller’s product on the shelves and is charged by daily average volume.

Hence, you need to review the storage costs based on your product so that you can plan your inventory accordingly.
Now that you have understood the Amazon FBA process and charges let’s dive into our main topic. Below is the ultimate 7-step guide towards sending your inventory to Amazon FBA warehouse.

#1 Create a Shipping Plan

The first step towards shipping your products into FBA warehouse is to create a shipping plan. Creating a shipping plan will help you determine:

  • The items you are sending to Amazon
  • The quantity
  • The shipping method
  • Who will process product preparation including product labeling (Amazon or you)

If you are a Private Label seller, you will require creating a listing for the items before creating a shipping order. Creating a listing will help you in creating a shipping plan. To create a listing and a shipping plan, log into your Seller Central account and follow the procedures:

  • Go to Inventory > Manage Inventory
  • Next, click Add a Product. Add your private label product and fill out the necessary details about the product
  • Once your listing is complete, go to Manage Inventory > click-open the Action on Selected drop-down menu > select Send/Replenish Inventory to create a shipping plan

Once you have followed the steps, you need to verify your ship-from address. You need to provide an address from where you are shipping the products. So it may be your supplier, business, or home’s address.

After verifying the ship-from address, you need to confirm the packaging type. The case-packed products are indistinguishable items in the same condition, whereas individual products are single products of different conditions and qualities. As a private label seller, you are advised to create a case-packed shipping plan. Individual product shipping plans are usually created by arbitrage sellers. This is because an arbitrage seller may have different items in one box.

Lastly, you need to click on Continue to Shipping Plan.

#2 Set the Quantity you want to Ship

After creating a shipping plan, you need to set the quantity of the products you are shipping into Amazon FBA warehouse. During the process, you need to acknowledge the alerts and notifications that Amazon will send you. You may receive any of the following notifications from Amazon:

  • Excess Inventory– there is a set limit of inventory you can send into Amazon FBA warehouse. If it exceeds the recommended number, Amazon will not ship your stock. The recommended number varies from product to product depending on the product type, size, and weight.
  • Action Recommended– if Amazon identifies your product as slow-moving, it will recommend you to remove it from the shipping plan
  • Removal Required– when you get this notification from Amazon, it means Amazon wants your product removed from the shipping plan
  • Information Required– if your product is lacking some critical information, Amazon will send you this notification

You need to comply with the product preparation requirements suggested by Amazon in order to quickly send your inventory into FBA. Failing to meet the requirements may lead to a return, disposal, or refusal of the inventory/product. This may also result in non-compliance, additional charge for additional preparation, or blocking of future shipments.

#3 Preparing the Products

You will need to take measures for safely shipping your items into FBA warehouse. The final preparation of the products will be performed by Amazon that includes labeling as well. However, you need to ensure that your products reach the warehouse without any damage.

preparing products amazon FBA

Hence, you will need to spend on some extra money on packing materials to prepare your product for the shipment. You need to prepare the products according to the FBA standards; else, it will not be accepted. You may require using any of the following packaging materials.

  • Tape
  • Opaque bags
  • Bubble wraps
  • Poly bags

When you are packing the products, it is crucial to place barcodes in them, as it will help Amazon identify and track products.
You can visit the Prepare Products page on Seller Central to gain knowledge on how to pack products.

#4 Labeling the Products

As we mentioned above, Amazon uses a barcode system to track products sent to the warehouses. Hence, it is the seller’s responsibility to correctly label his/her FBA items according to Amazon standards. However, it will not be necessary if your products qualify for commingled, stickerless inventory. The following are your labeling options for shipping your inventory to Amazon FBA warehouse:

  • Have Amazon apply barcodes for you by availing FBA Label Service
  • Adding Amazon barcode directly to the packaging or product
  • Using an existing EAN or UPC barcode for qualified products

You can visit the Labeling Required tab in the Seller Central to determine whether your product requires labeling or not. If you want Amazon to apply barcodes for you, visit the Who Labels column and avail Amazon FBA Label Service.

It is extremely important that you follow the FBA product barcode requirements to the detail. Once the information is set, you can create your barcodes. To print the labels, click on Print Labels for This Page tab and make your selections. The file will be saved as a PDF.

After saving the labels, you need to print them out. Now, you will require a high-quality paper stock and the right printer to do this job. In case, if you are selling products manufactured by another party, then you will not have to go through all the hassle of creating a label. The manufacturer will have the labels printed directly onto the product or packaging. However, there is a catch. The manufacturer still needs to abide by the FBA labeling and printing guidelines.

#5 Reviewing the Shipment

Next, you need to approve your shipment before sending it to the FBA warehouse; you need to review it carefully. You are advised to pay extra attention to the location you have mentioned along with the destination fulfillment center code and your shipment ID. This is because your shipment plan may require multiple shipments to different FBA warehouses.

Amazon will provide you with a shipment name to your shipment, though it can be changed. However, remember one thing, any changes you make will affect the packing lists. Moreover, you will also see the number of MSKUs (Merchant Stock Keeping Units), which are unique product identifiers along with the quantity of each MSKU in the shipment.

When everything is placed correctly, the View Shipments page will appear. You can give it a final look before submitting it. Hit the Work on Shipment button to proceed and send your shipment plan to the designated Amazon FBA center.

#6 Preparing the Shipment

Go to the Prepare Shipment page and perform the following:

  • Choose your shipping method and carrier
  • Identify the total number of boxes required for shipping
  • Schedule and pay for a shipment
  • Print box labels

You can still make minor modifications to your shipping to a certain extent. However, if you think that more changes are required, it is better to delete/cancel the shipment and recreate a new one.

You can choose from the following shipping categories:

  • Small Parcel Delivery (SPD) if your products are packed in individual packets
  • Less Than Truckload (LTL) if your products are stacked on pallets
  • Full Truckload (FTL) if your inventory is large. FTL directly ships to the FBA center without stopping for other deliveries

It is vital that you know under which category you fall into to make your shipment hassle-free.

#7 Summary

That’s it! All you have to do it wait till your shipment reaches Amazon FBA warehouse. You can check the Summary page to track your shipment. There are monitoring tools available that can help you track your shipment. Moreover, you will also get your shipment plan’s receivement status once it is delivered to the Amazon fulfillment center.

Once your shipment is in received status, Amazon will make the products live on your listing and available for purchase. Amazon’s FBA team will take care of your order fulfillment.

Benefits of using Amazon FBA Warehouses
There are numerous benefits of availing the FBA program. Although there are specific charges and costs related to FBA, the features it offers are well worth it.

  • Amazon will take care of any customer queries and processing all returns that may arise during the buying process
  • FBA sellers get to list their products with an exclusive Amazon Prime badge. This helps them rank their products better in the search results
  • The shipping prices are highly competitive for FBA sellers allowing them to save a significant amount
  • FBA sellers save a great deal of time as all they have to make sure is sending the product to the fulfillment centers. From packaging and delivering, etc. is managed by Amazon

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