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Amazon FBA has redefined the way online retailers and third-party sellers sell products on Amazon. 

From packing and storing to packaging and shipping, Amazon handles all aspects of product business and order fulfillment. 

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Merchants selling on Amazon will only have to send their inventory to an Amazon FBA warehouse and let them handle the rest. 

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With Fulfillment by Amazon, you can focus your time and energy on managing and growing other aspects of your business. 

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But how do you ship your products to an Amazon FBA warehouse? 

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In this article, you will learn what an Amazon FBA warehouse is, how it works, and the shipping mistakes you need to avoid to maximize sales and grow revenue with Amazon. 

What is an Amazon FBA Warehouse? 

An Amazon FBA warehouse also known as an Amazon fulfillment center is a facility that allows sellers to store inventory. It is an efficient logistics structure that manages and ships inventory to customers. 

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Amazon FBA warehouses are distributed in different parts of the country. When a customer places an order, the nearest fulfillment center delivers the product to the customer. This is provided the FBA warehouse has the product. 

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As an Amazon FBA seller, you can sign up for inventory placement. With this, you won't need to send your inventory to multiple FBA warehouses. You can ship your inventory to one FBA warehouse and have it distributed through different shipments to multiple warehouses. However, you will need to pay a fee per item on each shipment. 

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How do you send inventory to an Amazon FBA warehouse? 

Here's a simple step by step guide on how to get your inventory to an FBA warehouse: 

Step 1: Prepare your listings in your Seller Central account 

The first step to sending your inventory to Amazon FBA warehouses is to prepare your listings. Simply go to your Seller Central account, prepare your listings and select the products that you want Amazon to fulfill.

Step 2: Create a shipping plan 

In creating your shipping plan, you need to set up product quantity, labeling information, and shipping details. 

• Product quantity: To set up product quantity, type in the number of each item that you want to ship. Include the product name, ASIN and MSKU as you add the products. 
• Labeling information: Every product you ship to the Amazon warehouse needs to have a scannable barcode for proper tracking throughout the process. 
• Shipping information: On your Manage Inventory page, you can then create shipments from options including “send to Amazon”, “replenish inventory”, shipping plan file upload tool, and amazon marketplace web service. According to your shipment plan, Amazon will designate a location to ship your items to. 

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Step 3: Pack your products 

After creating your shipping plan, the next step is to pack your products following Amazon standards. It is important to know the requirements before sending your products to FBA warehouses. If your products are non-compliant, Amazon will return or refuse your product. 

Here are some general guidelines sellers must meet before sending inventory to Amazon FBA warehouses:

• Every unit of inventory must contain a scannable barcode, label, or readable numbers. 
• Every unit of inventory and assortment type must contain a unique FNSKU 
• Units that come as a set must come with a label as SETS and must come with their unique ASIN.
• Loose products should be within a single packaging or securely bagged with removable tape. 
• Expired products should have an expiry date on the carton. Perishable goods are prohibited. 

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Step 4: Label your products 

After packing your products following Amazon's requirements, the next step is to label your products. Print your barcodes and ensure each item has the correct barcode. Ensure the codes are outside the preparation materials and that no labels are on the curve or edge of the package. 

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Once your products are well packaged and labeled according to Amazon's requirements, you can send your shipping labels to suppliers and have UPS pick up your products for shipping. 

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Inventory Placement Service 

With the Inventory Placement Service, you can request that all units of a single product be sent to one fulfillment center. This comes with a lot of benefits. Customers who order your product in bulk can receive them in one shipment instead of separate shipments. It will also help you reduce the likelihood of making mistakes using the wrong shipping labels or sending your inventory to the wrong fulfillment center. 

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Freight forwarders

Freight forwarders offer shipment services to help you transport your product from your supplier to multiple Amazon warehouses. It is important to note that Amazon will not be responsible for any unexpected events, so you want to make sure you talk to your supplier and ensure everything moves smoothly. 

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Freight forwarders can store and ship your goods on our behalf. They also offer other services like tracking inland transportation, negotiating freight charges, and preparing the relevant documents. 

Benefits of using the Amazon FBA warehouse 

Despite the fees that come with using the Amazon FBA, the program comes with multiple benefits. 

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As we mentioned earlier, you don't have to worry about packing, handling, and shipping - Amazon does all that for you. You can focus on other areas and figure out how to generate more income for your business. Here are a few key benefits that come with using the Amazon FBA warehouse: 

• Amazon Prime eligibility: As an Amazon FBA seller, you are automatically eligible to sell to millions of Prime users. You can list products selling on Amazon FBA with the Amazon Prime badge. This means you can deliver products to customers straight from the FBA warehouse and fulfill orders with a two-day delivery time. 
• Fast and efficient: With Fulfillment by Amazon, the packing, storing, shipping, and customer service are all done by Amazon. This means you don't have to worry about the complexities of order fulfillment. You can get more time to build your business, sell more products and grow revenue with Amazon. 
• Deals with customer service: Amazon FBA gives you access to a world-class customer service team responsible for handling all customer complaints and queries, refunds, and returns. This comes at no additional costs and saves you a lot of stress and frustration. It also helps you channel your time and energy to other aspects of your business. 
• Unlimited storage spaces: As a Professional seller selling on Amazon FBA, you can get access to unlimited storage space that lets you sell products anywhere in the world. Amazon will handle your orders 24/7 while you handle other aspects of your business like marketing and branding. 

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8 mistakes to avoid while shipping products to Amazon FBA warehouses 

If you are new to Amazon FBA, the whole process could get a little tricky. Here's a list of some common mistakes you need to avoid while shipping your products to Amazon FBA warehouses: 

• Incorrect labeling: When preparing your product listing, it is important to check that your products are labeled correctly. Your products have a high chance of being rejected by Amazon if they are mislabeled. 
• No labeling: When you prepare your products it is important to do a thorough check to ensure they all come with a label. 
• Unreadable barcode: Barcodes make it easy for Amazon to track your products. You want to make sure they are readable. If they are not, it may be rejected by the staff at Amazon. 
• Not checking your shipping label: Your shipping label should contain important details like the name of the seller, the address of the seller, Amazon reference ID and shipment ID, shipping reference number, and so on. This information will be required by Amazon before collecting your shipment. You want to make sure the information is clearly seen on the label. 
• Improper packing: The responsibility of packing your inventory is on you. You don't want to have damaged goods by the time they arrive at Amazon warehouses. Use materials like custom boxes and air pillows to protect your goods. 
• Poor inventory management: It is important to keep an eye on your inventory to know when and how much you need to order or which warehouse needs a restock. 
• Shipping to the wrong warehouse: You want to ensure you keep track of your products and ensure they get to the right fulfillment center or warehouse. 
• Not complying with Amazon's rules: Amazon has specific FBA guidelines or requirements for packing, labeling, and shipping. It is important to consistently comply with all of them to prevent rejection of your inventory or more adverse repercussions like deleting your listing or removing your FBA connection. 

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Conclusion 

The Amazon FBA warehouse is the central point of the FBA service. Sellers can send their products to the warehouse for storage and shipping to customers using their Seller Central account. By storing your products in Amazon FBA warehouses, Amazon can easily process your orders, pack, and ship products to customers. 

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