FBA Quick Start Guide Getting Started with Fulfillment by Amazon

Transcription

1 Getting Started with Fulfillment by Amazon Quick-Start Guide

2 Copyright 2013, Amazon Services LLC. All Rights Reserved. An Amazon Company

3 The information contained in this document is a summary and is not all-inclusive of requirements for sending a shipment to FBA. For additional prep requirements and more information, visit the FBA Help section in your Seller Central account. Contents Setting Up Your Account for FBA... 1 Assigning Inventory to FBA... 1 Creating an FBA Shipment in your Seller Account... 2 Package and Prepare Your Products... 3 Review Label Requirements... 3 Print Product Labels... 3 Label Your Products... 4 Check Eligibility for Stickerless, Commingled Inventory... 5 Prepare Your Shipment... 6 Label Your Shipment... 6 Sending Your Shipment to Amazon... 7 Inventory Storage and Delivery... 8 Getting Paid... 8 Appendix 1: Prep Matrix... 9 Appendix 2: Shipping Matrix - LTL & FTL Appendix 2: Shipping Matrix - Small Parcel Appendix 3: Shipment Checklist IMPORTANT: Failure to comply with FBA product preparation requirements, safety requirements, and product restrictions may result in the immediate refusal of inventory at the Amazon fulfillment center, return or disposal of inventory, blocking future shipments to the fulfillment center, or charging for unplanned services at the fulfillment center. Expires December 31, 2013

4 Copyright 2013, Amazon Services LLC. All Rights Reserved. An Amazon Company

5 Setting Up Your Account for FBA You can add Fulfillment by Amazon to your Selling on Amazon account quickly and easily following these simple steps: 1. Register your account for FBA by going to and clicking Get Started. 2. Select Add FBA to your account if you already have a Selling on Amazon account. 1 2 Assigning Inventory to FBA 1. Once you ve registered, log in to your Seller Central account and go to Inventory > Manage Inventory 2. Select products you would like to include as FBA listings by checking the box next to them in the far left column. 3. From the Actions pull-down menu, select Change to Fulfilled by Amazon. 4. On the next page, click the Convert button. Once you ve converted your listings, follow the directions below for creating your first shipment. 2 3 Expires December 31,

6 Creating an FBA Shipment in your Seller Account Note: Before you begin, take time to review the FBA Help page for Hazardous Materials, Dangerous Units, and FBA Prohibited Products as well as the products that are prohibited for sale on Amazon.com. Certain products can be sold on the Amazon.com website, but cannot be shipped or stored by Fulfillment by Amazon. 1. Go to Inventory > Manage Inventory. 2. Select the boxes next to the SKUs you would like to ship to Amazon. 3. From the Actions pull-down menu select Send/ Replenish Inventory. 4. Provide your Ship From Address and indicate whether you will be shipping individual or case-packed items. At this point, you will enter the shipment creation workflow. 2 3 Listing Review: If we notice a potential issue with one or more of your listings, we may notify you before you send your inventory to Amazon and provide instructions for making needed adjustments. Potential issues might require that you enter additional information, such as package dimensions or relist your product to align with the correct ASIN. 2 Expires December 31, 2013

7 Package and Prepare Your Products When your products arrive at our fulfillment center ready to be fulfilled, they are received and ready to go within 72 hours. If any products require additional prep upon receipt at the Amazon fulfillment center, they will experience a delay in receiving and may be subject to charging for any unplanned services. You can also take advantage of FBA Prep Services to handle your eligible products. Learn more about FBA Prep Services. The FBA Prep Matrix, found at the end of this guide, can be used as a quick reference while packaging your units for FBA. Review Label Requirements Amazon s receiving systems and catalogs are barcode-driven. Each unit you send to Amazon for fulfillment needs a physical, scannable bar code (either a UPC, EAN, etc. or an Amazon product that you can print from Seller Central) to enable storage at a fulfillment center. You can also use the FBA Label Service to your eligible products. Learn more about the FBA Label Service. Print Product Labels Print product s from the shipping workflow within the individual shipment for which you are sending your units (from the step titled Label Units). Amazon product s are printed with the Fulfillment Network Stock- Keeping Unit (FNSKU). For Labeled Inventory, the FNSKU begins with X00- and is unique to both your seller account and the Amazon ASIN. 1. Enter the number of units you are shipping for each product and click Print Item s. The shipping workflow creates a PDF file that you can open with Adobe Acrobat Reader for printing or save as a file for later use. 2. The product s should be printed on a white stock with a removable adhesive, so that they can be easily scanned by Amazon s associates and cleanly removed by the customer. 3. If your product needs prep, make sure that the barcode on the product is scannable without opening or unwrapping the product (or place the product on the outside of the prepped product). Expires December 31,

8 Label Your Products Place the product over the original barcode, or on the outside of any prep (bagging or bubble wrapping, etc.), if applicable. 1. If the original barcode is on the curve or corner of the product, place the product perpendicularly over the original barcode, along a smooth flat surface of the package. 2. If there are multiple barcodes present, make sure to cover those as well. The only scannable barcode should be the product. 3. If possible, make sure that the product can be scanned using an RF scanner. This FBA seller places the Amazon product over the product's original barcode. 4. If your units are case-packed by the manufacturer, make sure that each unit has a product, and remove any barcodes from the case-pack carton. See Labeled Inventory for more information about barcode types, supported sizes, printing recommendations, and instructions for printing your own barcodes through MWS. If you don t want to apply s yourself, and have eligible products, you can sign up for the FBA Label Service. 4 Expires December 31, 2013

9 Check Eligibility for Stickerless, Commingled Inventory The stickerless, commingled preference enables you to list and ship stickerless products for FBA if they meet certain qualifications. This eliminates the need to all the units you send to our fulfillment centers, since our associates will scan the product s physical barcode in order to receive it into inventory. 1. Inspect your product to ensure that it has a physical barcode (UPC, EAN, ISBN, JAN, etc.). If the product does not have a physical barcode, you must it. You can print product s from the Inventory Amazon Fulfills page of your account. Select the products you need s for, then select Print Item Labels from the drop-down menu. Product s have a barcode and an FNSKU, which is the same as the Amazon ASIN for commingled inventory. If the product does have a physical barcode, check your listing to verify that the physical UPC/EAN/ ISBN/JAN number corresponds to the ASIN you have listed on your shipment. If the physical barcode number does not correspond to the ASIN listed on your shipment, contact Seller Support for assistance. 2. If no physical barcode is present, print and place a product in an easily accessible location by following the steps in Label Your Products. See Stickerless, Commingled Inventory for more information about eligibility requirements for commingled units, and how to set up your account for commingled inventory if you choose. This product (shown from all sides) does not have a physical, scannable barcode and would require ing before arriving at the fulfillment center. Expires December 31,

10 Prepare Your Shipment Shipping and routing requirements for all shipments For quick access to the shipping and routing requirements while you are physically packing your shipment, use the FBA Shipping Matrix found at the end of this guide. Visit Small Parcel Delivery to Amazon for requirements specific to Small Parcel deliveries, or LTL or Truck Load Delivery to Amazon for requirements specific to Less than Truckload (LTL) or Full Truckload (FTL) deliveries. When you create your first shipment, by default your shipments will be strategically sent to multiple fulfillment centers using Distributed Inventory Placement, to better enable product availability at the customer s preferred shipping speed. By distributing to multiple fulfillment centers, delivery cut-off times for Amazon Prime and expedited shipping can be extended by as much as three hours between east and west coast fulfillment centers. Learn more abut FBA Inventory Placement Options. Label Your Shipment Each box and pallet that you ship to Amazon must be properly identified with a shipment. 1. Print shipment s within the shipment creation workflow. If you have already created your shipment, you can access the shipping workflow from the Shipping Queue. 2. Follow these guidelines for ing your boxes: Don t place s on corners or edges, or on a seam of the box where the will get cut by a box cutter. Each box you include in the shipment must have its own printed from your Shipping Queue. Each pallet you send needs four s, one in the top center of each side. For more information, visit the Shipment Labels FBA help section in your Seller Central account. 6 Expires December 31, 2013

11 Sending Your Shipment to Amazon 1. Mark your shipment as shipped in your Shipment Summary. Marking a shipment as shipped allows for easier management and tracking of progress of your Amazon-bound inventory. 2. Track your shipment in your Shipping Queue. For shipments with status Shipped or In Transit : Small Parcel: Check your tracking numbers Less than truckload (LTL) or full truckload (FTL): Contact your carrier 3. For shipments with a Delivered status, allow 24 hours for the status to be updated before contacting your carrier to confirm the delivery location and receipt of signature. 4. When a shipment s status changes to Checked-in it means at least a portion of the shipment arrived at the fulfillment center but no Units from the shipment have been received. Once the fulfillment center begins scanning barcodes and receiving the inventory, the status will change to Receiving. 5. Allow 3-5 days from when your shipment is delivered to the fulfillment center for your properly packaged and prepped inventory to be received. Expires December 31,

12 Inventory Storage and Delivery Amazon catalogs and stores your products in our ready-to-ship inventory. Amazon receives and scans your inventory. We record Unit dimensions for storage. When customers order your FBA products, we pick your products from inventory and pack them for delivery. Getting Paid You can review the status of orders placed on Amazon.com using the Manage Orders page in your Seller Central account. There are two indicators for the status of each order customers place for your products on the Amazon.com website. An order can be Pending or Payment Complete. Orders can be in Pending status for a variety of reasons. See FBA Order Status for more information. Payment Complete indicates that the product has been paid for by the customer. You can determine whether you have been paid or not by going to Reports > Payments and searching for the order transaction. For additional questions, contact Seller Support through the link at the bottom of any page in your Seller Central account. 8 Expires December 31, 2013

13 Quick Reference Guide Appendix 1: Prep Matrix Category Is the Product... Examples Materials Prep Guidance Fragile/Glass glass or otherwise fragile? Glass, china, picture frames, clocks, mirrors Bubble wrap Over box Place or wrap the Unit in protective bubble wrap or a protective over box. The Unit must be able to pass a drop test on a hard surface without breaking. Make sure the barcode is scannable without opening or unwrapping the Unit. Liquids (For liquids in glass see Fragile/Glass above) a liquid without a double seal? Soap, spray bottles, lotion Bags (for liquids without double seal) Tighten the lid, then place the Unit in a transparent bag with a suffocation warning to protect from leakage (or apply other appropriate second seal) and seal the bag. Make sure the barcode is scannable without opening or unwrapping the Unit. Perforated Packaging... in packaging with perforated opening? Chocolate boxes, candy displays Bag If the unit does not pass a drop test, place the unit in a transparent bag with a suffocation warning and seal the bag. Make sure the barcode is scannable without opening or unwrapping the unit. Apparel, Fabric, Plush, and Textiles made of cloth or fabric which can be damaged by dirt, dust, moisture or liquid? Bag Place the Unit in a transparent bag with a suffocation warning and seal the bag to protect it from damage or dust. Make sure the barcode is scannable without opening or unwrapping the Unit. Purses, towels, clothing, plush toys Toys and Baby Products for a child three years old or younger? Does the packaging have cutouts greater than 1 inch square? Teething rings, bibs, exposed toys (cutouts) Bag Place the Unit in a transparent bag with a suffocation warning and seal the bag to protect it from damage or dust. Make sure the barcode is scannable without opening or unwrapping the Unit. Powders, Pellets, and Granular... made of or containing powders, pellets or granular materials? Facial powder, sugar, powdered detergents Bag If the unit does not pass a drop test, place the unit in a transparent bag with a suffocation warning and seal the bag. Make sure the barcode is scannable without opening or unwrapping the unit. Matrix continues on other side. Note: The information contained in this document is a summary, and is not all-inclusive of the prep required for specific products types. For additional prep requirements and more information, visit the FBA Help Manual section on Packaging and Prep Requirements. Important: Failure to comply with FBA product preparation requirements, safety requirements, and product restrictions may result in the immediate refusal of inventory at the Amazon fulfillment center, disposal or return of inventory, blocking of future shipments to the fulfillment center, or charging for any unplanned services. 2013, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Expires December 31, 2013

14 Quick Reference Guide Appendix 1: Prep Matrix Matrix continued from other side. Category Is the Product... Examples Materials Prep Guidance Sold as Set a set that will be sold as a single sellable Unit? Encyclopedia set, multi-packs of food Sold as Set or Ready to Ship sticker Affix a Sold as Set or Ready to Ship to the set that is sealed (shrinkwrapped, bagged or boxed) to keep set from being separated. Make sure the barcode is scannable without opening or unwrapping the Unit. Sharp a product with a sharp or pointed edge that, when exposed, presents a safety hazard? Scissors, tools, metal raw materials Bubble wrap and over box (if bubble wrap is not suffi cient) Place or wrap the Unit in protective bubble wrap or a protective over box, so that the packaging completely covers any exposed edges. Make sure the barcode is scannable without opening or unwrapping the Unit. Small small, where the longest side is less than 2-1/8 inches (the width of a credit card)? Jewelry, key chains, flash drives Bag Place the Unit in a transparent bag with a suffocation warning and seal the bag. Make sure the barcode is scannable without opening or unwrapping the Unit. Adult potentially offensive or does it contain material such as profanity or nudity? Products that contain pictures of live, nude models. Packaging that lists obscene/profane messaging. See Packaging Adult Products for examples. Black shrink-wrap or bags Place the Unit in a black or opaque bag with a suffocation warning and seal the bag. Make sure the barcode is scannable without opening or unwrapping the Unit. Bags and Suffocation Warnings Examples Requirements Prep Guidance Suffocation warning Scannable Product Label Self-adhesive, if possible Ready to ship For products that are placed in plastic bags with openings greater than 5 inches, use bags that have a suffocation warning printed on them. Make sure the barcode is scannable without opening or unwrapping the Unit. Note: The information contained in this document is a summary, and is not all-inclusive of the prep required for specific products types. For additional prep requirements and more information, visit the FBA Help Manual section on Packaging and Prep Requirements. Important: Failure to comply with FBA product preparation requirements, safety requirements, and product restrictions may result in the immediate refusal of inventory at the Amazon fulfillment center, disposal or return of inventory, blocking of future shipments to the fulfillment center, or charging for any unplanned services. 2013, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Expires December 31, 2013

15 Quick Reference Guide Appendix 2: Shipping Matrix: - LTL & FTL Containers Box dimensions Box contents Box weight Dunnage Shipment s Pallet requirements Pallet weight Pallet height Case-packed boxes Less than Truckload (LTL) and Full Truckload (FTL) Shipments Regular slotted carton (RSC) B flute ECT lb./sq. inch (burst strength) Boxes should not be bundled together using bagging, taping, elastic, or extra straps. Boxes containing multiple Standard-Size units must not exceed 25 inches on any side One shipment ID Check for matching: Merchant SKU FNSKU Condition Quantity Packing option (individual or case) Less than or equal to 50 lb., unless containing a single unit that exceeds 50 lb. Jewelry/Watches: Less than or equal to 40 lb. A box containing a single Oversize Unit greater than 50 lb. requires Team Lift s on the top and sides. A box containing a single Oversize Unit greater than 100 lb. requires Mech. Lift s on the top and sides. Foam Air pillows Full sheets of paper Labels must contain: Shipment ID Scannable barcode Ship-from address Ship-to address Wooden, 40 inches x 48 inches, 4-way across GMA Standard Grade B or higher One shipment ID per pallet Less than or equal to 1,500 lb. Less than or equal to 72 inches Four s per pallet Place s centered on each side Do not overhang pallet by more than 1 inch Use clear stretch-wrap Shipment s on all 4 sides All units in a box will have matching Merchant SKU and condition and will have been previously packaged together by the manufacturer. All boxes with the same product will contain equal quantities of the product in each box. Any scannable barcodes on the case must be removed or covered. Only the units in the case can have scannable barcodes. A manufacturer or distributor may package more than one case-pack into a larger box called a master carton. Master cartons do not qualify as a case-pack and must be split at the appropriate case-pack level. Note: The information contained in this document is a summary and is not all-inclusive of requirements for specifi c shipments. For additional requirements and more information, visit the FBA Help Manual section on Shipping and Routing Requirements. Important: Failure to comply with FBA product preparation requirements, safety requirements, and product restrictions may result in the immediate refusal of inventory at the Amazon fulfi llment center, disposal or return of inventory, blocking of future shipments to the fulfi llment center, or charging for any unplanned services. 2013, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Expires December 31, 2013

16 Quick Reference Guide Appendix 2: Shipping Matrix: - Small Parcel Containers Box dimensions Box contents Box weight Dunnage Shipment s Case-packed boxes Regular slotted carton (RSC) B flute ECT-32 Small Parcel Shipment Requirements 200 lb./sq. inch (burst strength) Boxes should not be bundled together using bagging, taping, elastic, or extra straps. Boxes containing multiple Standard-Size units must not exceed 25 inches on any side One shipment ID Check for matching: Merchant SKU FNSKU Condition Quantity Packing option (individual or case) Less than or equal to 50 lb., unless containing a single unit that exceeds 50 lb. Jewelry/Watches: Less than or equal to 40 lb. A box containing a single Oversize Unit greater than 50 lb. requires Team Lift s on the top and sides. A box containing a single Oversize Unit greater than 100 lb. requires Mech. Lift s on the top and sides. Foam Air pillows Full sheets of paper One per box Place s: 1.25 inches from the edge On the side of the box On a flat surface of the box (not over a seam, edge, or corner) Labels must contain: Shipment ID Scannable barcode Ship-from address Ship-to address All units in a box will have matching Merchant SKU and condition and will have been previously packaged together by the manufacturer. All boxes with the same product will contain equal quantities of the product in each box. Any scannable barcodes on the case must be removed or covered. Only the units in the case can have scannable barcodes. A manufacturer or distributor may package more than one case-pack into a larger box called a master carton. Master cartons do not qualify as a case-pack and must be split at the appropriate case-pack level. Note: The information contained in this document is a summary and is not all-inclusive of requirements for specifi c shipments. For additional requirements and more information, visit the FBA Help Manual section on Shipping and Routing Requirements. Important: Failure to comply with FBA product preparation requirements, safety requirements, and product restrictions may result in the immediate refusal of inventory at the Amazon fulfi llment center, disposal or return of inventory, blocking of future shipments to the fulfi llment center, or charging for any unplanned services. 2013, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Expires December 31, 2013

17 Quick Reference Guide Appendix 3: Shipment Checklist After creating your online shipment for FBA, use this checklist to make sure that you have completed the inventory requirements for shipping your units to FBA. Recommended materials: Product and shipment prep workstation Printer (Amazon uses Zebra GX430t model printers with a direct thermal setting) Scale for weighing boxes Measuring tape to measure boxes Printed copies of the Prep Matrix and Shipping Matrix Product s (printed from your account, if applicable) Paper for packing slips Tape Dunnage (packing materials) Boxes Poly bags Opaque bags (adult products only) Bubble wrap "Sold as Set" or "Ready to Ship" s Products Prepped Use the recommended materials above to prep your units. Any products that require additional prep or ing upon receipt at the Amazon fulfillment center will experience a delay in receiving and may be subject to charging for any unplanned services. Review the Prep Matrix to see if your products require specific prep. Products Labeled Products for Labeled Inventory require a product printed from Seller Central. Products for FBA Label Service and Stickerless, Commingled Inventory require a physical barcode (UPC, EAN, JAN, GTIN). If not present, you must them yourself using s printed from Seller Central. Shipping Boxes Packed Box Dimensions: Boxes containing multiple standard-size units must not exceed 25" on any side. Box Weight: Boxes must not exceed the standard weight limit of 50 lb., unless they contain one single shippable Unit that exceeds 50 lb. Boxes containing a single unit more than 50 lb. must be ed "Team Lift." Dunnage (packing materials): Large pieces of Foam, Air pillows, Bubble wrap, or Full sheets of paper. Shipping Boxes Labeled One shipment per box. Place the carrier shipping and the FBA Shipment Label flat on the box and not over a seam where the barcodes could get cut by a box cutter. Pallets Stacked (Not applicable to Small Parcel Shipments) Quality: Use 40" x 48", 4-way access, wooden pallets that are in good condition. Boxes: Must contain Units for only one shipment ID per pallet. Do not let boxes overhang the pallet by more than 1. Weight: Less than 1,500 lb. Height: Less than 72", including the height of the pallet. Wrapped: Clear, plastic stretch-wrap, with a "do not break stretch wrap" or "do not break down" notification to the carrier. Shipment Labels: Four s per pallet, one in the top center of each side. 2013, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Expires December 31, 2013