Selling your products through Amazon? You’ll need Amazon-compliant shipping supplies to get products from your stockrooms to Amazon’s fulfillment center.
As e-commerce becomes a key component of many retail businesses, a primary challenge business owners face is determining how best to deliver products to a broader customer base (without breaking the bank). Finding warehouse space, processing orders and returns, and shipping to consumers can be time-consuming and costly — not to mention that any hiccups in the process can impede a business’s ability to scale up and meet demand.
Luckily, Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon service lets business owners focus on selling while Amazon handles the rest. We’ve outlined the ins and outs of FBA’s shipping policies so that you can take full advantage of the benefits of this service.
What Exactly is Fulfillment by Amazon?
Business owners who sign up for Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) can take advantage of Amazon’s warehousing, shipping, and customer service infrastructure. Sellers package and ship their inventory to an Amazon fulfillment center, and Amazon handles picking, packing, and shipping of the product, along with providing customer service to the buyer.
There’s no minimum on the number of units sellers can ship through Amazon FBA. Sellers can pay as they go, and are charged only for the orders that Amazon actually fulfills (as well as a fee for storage space). Leaving the order fulfillment and shipping processes to Amazon frees up valuable time and resources for small businesses to focus their efforts on marketing and selling their products.
What are the Benefits of FBA?
Amazon is an e-commerce giant, and one of the most trusted brands in the business. Sellers who ship products through FBA are able to take advantage of Amazon’s infrastructure, make products available for Prime shipping, and broaden access to customers throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. All orders can be managed through an easy-to-use online interface for seamless communication.
How do you Ship through FBA?
In order to do business through FBA, sellers must comply with Amazon’s packaging standards when shipping products to the company’s fulfillment centers. For example, sellers will need to use the proper shipping and labeling supplies before sending their products along.
Items that are sold as sets (books, shampoos, and conditioners, toys, etc.) need to be marked as such on their packaging with a label that reads “Sold as Set” or “Do Not Separate.” Labels need to be clear and legible so that warehouse workers can easily pick products without confusion.
Paper Mart has a variety of custom label options that can be used for exactly this purpose. Sellers will also need to label any perishable items with the expiration date on the carton, as well as the item itself. When shipping glass items, such as jars or bottles, it’s always helpful to include a fragile label as well.
When it comes time to box up items, everything must be contained within a single, secure package. Boxes should be securely closed, with openings or lids firmly sealed — we recommend tuck top boxes for added security. Glue or tape may also be used to keep boxes closed. Boxes must not collapse when pressure is applied to any of the sides, so sellers may want to consider using heavy duty corrugated boxes for safer shipments.
Ready to launch your shipping program? Visit our website to find boxes, tape, labels, and more for all your shipping and packaging needs.
Nice article. Packaging is a big thing when sourcing products on China.