How to Send Products to Amazon FBA

If you use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), Amazon stores and delivers your orders from their fulfillment centers to your customers. 

But how do you get your products to the Amazon warehouse? What steps do you need to take to ship products to Amazon FBA? Amazon has a specific workflow that helps you send inventory to their fulfillment centers; you just need to follow it.

This post tells you how to send products to Amazon FBA, what is Amazon shipping plan and how to create it step by step.

How to Send Inventory to Amazon FBA?

Before you can send products to Amazon, you must prepare and package your products according to Amazon's requirements. If that’s not done, Amazon may return the shipment or repackage your product and charge you for that. 

Though FBA is a great solution that relieves sellers from a big part of the fulfillment hassle, the services come with a cost. Therefore, in many cases, being compliant with Amazon’s guidelines helps avoid extra expenses.

To send your inventory to the Amazon warehouse, you must create a shipping plan and deliver it to the fulfillment center that Amazon specifies. The shipping plan is created in your Amazon Seller Central.

How Does Sending to Amazon FBA Work?

To send your products to Amazon FBA, after you’ve prepared your products, you must follow a shipment creation workflow. Amazon requires you to create a Shipping plan describing what and how you want to send, and whether you want Amazon to prep your shipment for a fee to comply with FBA requirement, select a shipping carrier, and send your products to the Amazon fulfillment center. There Amazon scans it, and it will be ready for sale. Amazon will then deliver your shipment to the fulfillment centers close to your customers.

Below you can find general steps involved in this process.

Steps to sending products to Amazon FBA

Step 1. Create a product listing

Before sending inventory, ensure your product is listed on Amazon. You can do this by either creating a new listing or adding your product offer to an existing one if the product already exists in Amazon’s catalog.

Step 2. Prepare your products

Amazon has specific guidelines on how to prep your products. This includes packaging, labeling, and ensuring that your items are ready for fulfillment. Use Amazon's Prep and Label Service if you prefer Amazon to handle this for you.

Label your products with unique barcodes (UPC, EAN, or FNSKU) as required by Amazon.

Step 3. Create a Shipping plan

• In Seller Central, go to "Inventory" and select "FBA Inventory."
• Choose the products you want to send and create a Shipping plan (we will discuss in detail how to do it below in this post).
• Specify the quantity of each product you are sending and select the packing type (individual products or case-packed products).

Step 4. Prepare shipment

Amazon will provide you with specific instructions on how to prepare your shipment, including packaging and shipping labels. Follow these instructions carefully to avoid delays or issues.

Print the provided labels and attach them to your packages.

Step 5. Ship your inventory

• You can choose your preferred carrier or use Amazon’s partnered carriers, which may offer discounted shipping rates.
• Ensure the shipment is sent to the correct Amazon fulfillment center as specified in your Shipping plan.

Step 6. Track your shipment

After shipping your inventory, monitor the shipment status within Seller Central on the Shipping Queue page to ensure it arrives at the fulfillment center without issues. Once received, Amazon will notify you, and your products will be available for sale.

What is the Shipping Plan?

With a shipping plan, you specify the products you want to send to Amazon fulfillment centers, their quantity, and how you deliver them to Amazon. 

A shipping plan is created following the Send to Amazon workflow or by uploading the list of products using an Excel spreadsheet for multiple products.

Send to Amazon is a simplified shipment creation workflow that saves you time replenishing inventory. It allows you to create your shipments by adding products from the Send to Amazon page. 

Things to include in the shipping plan

To complete a shipping plan, you need to add specific data as described below.

Specify products you want to send

Select the exact items you want to fulfill.

Add quantity to each product

Specify how many units of each product you will send, and the number of boxes.

Input shipping method and carrier details

Add the courier services you’ll use to deliver products to Amazon, e.g., FedEx, UPS, DHL.

Specify who will prepare and label your inventory

You can prep it yourself, outsource it to the Amazon prep center (the service is paid), or use the third-party prep center.

Benefits of Send to Amazon

Utilizing the Send to Amazon offers several advantages for sellers, streamlining the shipping process and reducing errors. This tool simplifies your workflow with a guided process and provides customizable templates that save time and effort.

Simplified workflow

Send to Amazon reduces the complexity of the shipping process by breaking it down into manageable steps. It helps sellers avoid mistakes by clearly specifying the required information and its correct format.

Case pack templates

If you frequently use boxes with the same dimensions for multiple products, you can benefit from generated case pack templates. These templates save you from repeatedly entering box weights, sizes, and other preparation details.

Flexible packing options

With "Send to Amazon," you can easily pack both single-SKU and mixed-SKU boxes. Additionally, you have the flexibility to adjust quantities before finalizing your shipments.

Shipping method selection

You can choose between shipping your items as individual boxes (small parcel delivery) or as pallets (less than truckload delivery). This flexibility ensures that you can select the most efficient method for your needs.

Carrier fee estimation

The tool allows you to estimate carrier fees, helping you decide whether to ship your products as separate boxes or pallets. This feature ensures cost-effectiveness by allowing you to choose the best shipping option for your budget.

How to Create a Shipping Plan With Send to Amazon?

It is essential to correctly create a Shipping plan to ensure your products are timely accepted at the fulfillment centers and properly processed by Amazon. You can do it with the Send to Amazon workflow. Below are the key steps of this workflow.

Steps to sending products to Amazon FBA

Step 1.  Prepare your products

Package your products according to Amazon's guidelines. Use Amazon’s checklist to ensure the products are properly prepped.

Step 2. Access your FBA inventory

Start by finding the product you want to ship to FBA. Go to "Inventory" > “FBA Inventory” section of Seller Central. 

Step 3. Select a product you want to send to FBA

Go to “Shipments” > “Send to Amazon.” Find the product you want to send to FBA, and choose the products you want to send by ticking the box against them.

Step 4. Enter packing details and create templatesome text

• Check your shipping address and change it if needed in the “Ship from” field.

• If the shipment is new, create a template for a shipment by choosing “Create a new packing template” from the drop-down. If it already exists, it will appear in the workflow. Make changes if needed.

• In the template, select template type (Case pack or Single SKU palette), specify who preps and labels the product (you or Amazon), and the prep category (Fragile, Apparel, Adult, etc.) 

• If you perp products yourself, carefully read and make sure you follow prep guidance for each product. Specify additional details if prompted by Amazon.

• Enter product packing details, such as units per box, dimensions, and weight. 

• In the Send to Amazon page, specify the number of units and boxes you intend to send. 

Step 5. Confirm shipping details

Review and confirm all shipping information, including the ship date, shipping mode (such as small parcel delivery or LTL), and confirm your shipping carrier and the associated charges. If everything is correct, click "Accept charges and confirm shipping."

Step 6. Print labels and ship your package

Print your shipping labels, ensuring both barcodes are visible on the box. Drop off the package at UPS or other carrier of your choice, and track the shipment from the Shipping Queue.

How Much Does It Cost to Ship to Amazon FBA?

Shipping costs to Amazon FBA can vary widely depending on several factors. Below are key points to consider that will help you understand the potential costs and how to minimize them.

Average cost per pound

Typically, sellers pay around $0.25 to $0.30 per pound to ship products to an Amazon FBA warehouse. However, the exact cost to ship to Amazon depends on the weight and size of your shipment, the location you’re shipping from, and the specific FBA warehouses receiving your inventory. The cost per unit tends to decrease as you ship more units in a single batch, making bulk shipping more cost-effective.

Inbound Placement Service Fees

Amazon’s Inbound placement service fee has been a significant factor in increasing shipping costs for many sellers. Therefore, it’s important to factor it in. To quickly calculate it alongside other FBA fees and expenses on the Amazon product pages or on the supplier website, you can use Seller Assistant’s FBM&FBA calculator. It shows Inbound placement service fee in the Plmt line. You can also choose the type of Inbound placement service fee in the calculator.

Cost mitigation through shipment splitting

You can potentially reduce or eliminate the inbound placement fee by splitting your shipment across multiple warehouses. When creating your shipment in Seller Central, you should have the option to select this, which might lower your overall shipping costs.

Choosing the cheapest shipping method

The most economical way to ship to Amazon FBA is by using Amazon-partnered carriers, such as UPS. When creating shipments in Seller Central, selecting Amazon’s partnered carriers usually offers the best rates, making it a cost-effective choice for sellers.

FAQ

How should I prepare my products before shipping to Amazon FBA?

Ensure your products are properly labeled, packaged, and meet Amazon's preparation requirements. You can also use Amazon’s Prep and Label Service if you prefer to have them handle these tasks.

What are the packaging options for shipping products to Amazon FBA?

You can pack your products as individual boxes (small parcel delivery) or on pallets (less than truckload delivery). Amazon provides flexibility in choosing the packaging method that best suits your shipment.

How can I reduce shipping costs to Amazon FBA?

To reduce costs, consider using Amazon-partnered carriers, which often offer the best rates. Additionally, shipping larger quantities at once can lower the cost per unit.

What happens after I ship my products to Amazon FBA?

After shipping, you can track your shipment in Seller Central to ensure it arrives at the fulfillment center. Once received, Amazon will notify you, and your products will be ready for sale on the platform.

Final Thoughts

When sending your products to Amazon FBA, you should follow their standards of sending inventory to fulfillment centers. That helps avoid customer delivery delays and extra costs. 

Also, don’t forget that FBA fulfillment costs money, and you must thoroughly calculate your expenses for your products to be profitable. Seller Assistant helps you quickly and conveniently account for all expenses while doing product sourcing. Seller Assistant is a popular product sourcing software that helps sellers quickly find high-margin deals and estimate product profitability. This all-in-one software incorporates all features vital for product research: Price List Analyzer, Seller Spy, Side Panel View, FBM&FBA Profit Calculator, Quick View, ASIN Grabber, UPC/EAN to ASIN converter, Stock Checker, IP Alert, and Restrictions Checker.