Amazon Fragile Inventory Guide 2024
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As an Amazon seller, you know how important it is to protect your products during shipping. Fragile items are particularly susceptible to damage, which can result in negative reviews, returns, and lost sales.
That's why it's essential to understand Amazon's policies and procedures for handling fragile inventory.
In this post, we'll cover everything you need to know about shipping fragile items through Amazon FBA, including packaging requirements, and tips for minimizing damage. Our guide will help protect your fragile inventory and keep your customers happy.
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What Is Amazon Fragile Inventory?
Amazon fragile inventory refers to items that require special handling during storage and shipping due to their delicate nature. These items may include glassware, ceramics, electronics, jewelry, and other fragile products.
These items require special care and attention throughout the fulfillment process to ensure they reach customers in perfect condition. Therefore, fragile items have specific Amazon FBA shipping requirements. They involve using additional cushioning materials, six solid-sided boxes, and proper labeling.
All of that means extra Amazon FBA fees for these additional packing materials.
If your fragile products are not prepped according to Amazon’s guidelines, they may be rejected at the Amazon fulfillment center. Furthermore, your inventory may be disposed of or returned. You may also be additionally charged for Amazon FBA prep services or noncompliance at the fulfillment center.
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Examples of Amazon Fragile Inventory
Fragile inventory includes breakable items like glasses or TVs. However, it's not just the obviously breakable materials that make an item fragile.
Delicate items made from easily crushed or damaged materials may be also regarded as fragile. For example, easily broken toys must be properly packaged like fragile items.
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Examples of fragile items
Glassware
Wine glasses, drinking glasses, vases, decorative bowls, kitchen jars.
Ceramics
Plates, mugs, figurines, planters, pottery bowls, tea sets.
Electronics
Laptops, tablets, smartphones, cameras, TVs, gaming consoles.
Artwork
Paintings, prints, sculptures, framed photographs, mirrors.
Musical instruments
Guitars, violins, flutes, drums, cymbals, delicate instruments.
Furniture
Glass-topped tables, picture frames, decorative furniture pieces, and fragile chairs.
Beauty products
Glass perfume bottles, fragile cosmetic compacts, glass nail polish bottles.
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Collectibles
Figurines, action figures, model cars, limited edition pieces.
Lighting
Glass lampshades, chandeliers, delicate light fixtures, sconces.
Décor
Glass ornaments, vases, delicate figurines, candlesticks.
Kitchenware
Porcelain dishes, tea sets, thin glassware, ceramic baking dishes.
Jewelry
Delicate necklaces, bracelets, earrings with gemstones, pearls, or fragile settings.
Books
Rare or antique books with delicate pages, pop-up books, and books with intricate bindings.
Food and beverages
Glass bottles of wine, olive oil, honey, or other fragile containers.
Medical supplies
Glass vials, pipettes, fragile medical equipment, laboratory glassware.
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Note. Products containing plexiglass or packaged in plexiglass require a label clearly stating the presence of plexiglass. This label must be at least two inches by three inches in size. It is needed for Amazon to distinguish plexiglass products from glass products, as they require different handling and packaging procedures.
How to Prep Fragile Units for Amazon?
It is important to package fragile units in a way that ensures they do not break. That is necessary to deliver them in good condition and prevent any safety hazards during storage, shipment preparation, or shipment to the customer. This can be done by using a six-solid-sided box or completely securing the unit in bubble wrap to ensure that it is not exposed in any way.
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Guidelines to package fragile items
Amazon has specific requirements on how to prep fragile items. Here’s what you should and shouldn’t do when packaging fragile items.
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Do
- Wrap fragile products in bubble wrap or six solid-sided boxes. Ensure everything is covered;
- If you put several units in the box, individually wrap all units so that they will not break each other;
- If using a box, put in the infill to fill empty space to prevent loose products from moving inside;
- Put a scannable Amazon barcode on the box or bubble wrap so that it can be easily scanned;
- Use cushioning materials (dunnage, air pillows, bubble wrap, foam sheets, and paper);
- Place a «Fragile» label outside the box or packaging. If a product has an expiration date, it must be visible on the outside;
- Make sure your packaging can pass a three-foot drop test and the item remains unbroken;
- Ensure your packaging can pass an FMVS (Four Minutes of Vigorous Shaking) test and the item remains unbroken.
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Don’t
- Send incorrectly prepped fragile items to Amazon fulfillment centers.
- Send items partly covered with bubble wrap or a box.
- Leave an empty space in the box for the units to move inside.
- Use shredded paper, packing peanuts, or grass as an infill.
- Send to Amazon units that didn’t pass the three-foot drop and FMVS tests.
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What packaging materials to use for fragile?
Amazon has guidelines for what materials you can use to package fragile products. They include six solid-sided boxes and cushioning materials like dunnage, air pillows, bubble wrap, foam sheets, and paper.
It is not recommended to use shredded paper, packing peanuts, or grass as infills.
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What are the tests for fragile units?
To pass Amazon's quality control in the fulfillment center, the product must be able to go through two tests: the three-foot drop test and the Four Minutes of Vigorous Shaking (FMVS) test.
Three-foot drop test
To do the three-foot drop test, you must drop a fully packaged product from a height of three feet (approximately 91 centimeters) onto a concrete surface. The test is repeated from six different angles: flat on its base, flat on its top, flat on its longest side, flat on its shortest side, and on both corners.
To pass the test, the product must not get any damage that would affect its functionality, safety, or appearance.
FMVS test
To withstand the Four Minutes of Vigorous Shaking (FMVS) test, the product is hardly tossed by hand for 4 minutes. If the product remains unbroken and functional, it has passed the test.
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How to Quickly Check Products for Fragile?
It is essential to make sure that a product is fragile before you purchase it because additional packaging means extra costs. That will reduce your profit margin. It’s not always easy to see if the product has fragile parts, especially if you research many products.
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However, there is a way to do it quickly. Seller Assistant App allows you to determine whether a product is fragile directly on the Amazon product and search pages. If a product is fragile or easily breaks, Seller Assistant App will give you a fragile product alert. If you see the red glass icon on your Amazon product or search page, that means the product is fragile.
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FAQ
How do I pack fragile items on Amazon?
Pack your fragile items in six solid-sided boxes with additional cushioning materials. Securely wrap each individual item and fill any empty space to prevent shifting. Apply "Fragile" labels on the packaging outside and consider double-boxing for extra protection.
How do I remove unsellable inventory from Amazon?
Amazon sellers must create a removal order in Seller Central for unsellable FBA items. Choose disposal or return, pay fees, and confirm within 30 days to avoid Amazon disposing of it.
How do you pack multiple fragile items for shipping?
To avoid any damage to multiple fragile items, such as sets of wine glasses, ceramic bowls, etc., it is important to individually wrap or box each item. Additionally, ensure that there is no empty space in the package and that the items can pass a rigorous shake test without any damage. That will ensure the items reach their destination safely and in good condition.
What are examples of fragile items?
Fragile items can include things like glassware, ceramics, electronics, antiques, artwork, and other delicate or breakable items. These items require careful handling and packaging to ensure they don't become damaged or broken during transport.
Does it cost extra to ship fragile items?
Yes, it can cost extra to ship fragile items due to the additional packaging and handling required to ensure that the items arrive safely. Fragile items require special care during the shipping process, and this may involve using additional packaging materials, such as six solid-sided boxes, bubble wrap, or foam inserts. As a result, shipping fragile items may cost more than shipping non-fragile items.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, understanding how to properly manage and ship fragile inventory on Amazon can save you a lot of headaches, returns, and negative customer feedback.
By leveraging Amazon seller tools like the Seller Assistant App, you can quickly detect fragile products and avoid unnecessary costs if you don’t want to sell them. Seller Assistant App is a comprehensive product sourcing solution for Amazon FBA sellers that provides you with everything you need to find profitable products directly on Amazon search and product pages.
With its FBM&FBA Profit Calculator, Quick View, Stock Checker, Restrictions Checker, and other ultimate product research functionalities, you can get insights into product alerts, demand, competition, and profitability to make informed decisions about which products to sell.
