Our membership fee covers the fees of all basic FBA prep procedures – kitting, poly bagging, creating bundles (no limits on bundling quantity), and preparing the packages for being sent to Amazon.
Applying ASIN, expiration, or suffocation labels to the ordered products is an additional service that costs $0.20 per label.
Placing an order
Once you decide to place an FBA order with us, you should start the process by adding the products to your cart and proceeding to the checkout page.
On the checkout page, please select the “FBA” option under “Shipping Methods”. This method is marked as a free shipping method as we do not generate shipping labels for such orders – All FBA orders are shipped using labels that our members generate from their Amazon Seller Central.
Processing the order
After you submit the order, we ask that you reach out to us and provide us with the instructions for how you wish to have the ordered products packed.
If your products need to have ASIN, expiration, or suffocation labels applied to them, our customers have to provide us with those as soon as possible.
After we receive this information, we will process your FBA order according to your instructions and provide you with box dimensions, weights, and product expiration dates.
Shipping out the order
When the order is fully processed, we will follow up with you with order dimensions, weights, and product expiration dates that you can use to generate shipping labels. Your order will then be shipped out as soon as we receive the labels from you if the item is available at our warehouse if not it will take up to 2 weeks to ship it. We will try to expedite it as much as we can.
Please Note: You will need to provide us with UPS shipping labels for FBA orders. The shipping labels need to be formatted as 4×6 labels. For certain items, we can also receive labels in 8.5×5.5.
Once the order is completed with the email it will be mentioned how we need the labels.
Important things you MUST know when placing an FBA order
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) can be quite lucrative but it is also a highly structured process. When placing an FBA order, it is your responsibility to clearly communicate how you want the shipment to be prepared. Any changes in orders will most certainly cause delays.
What you must know before placing an order?
It is important that you’re aware of the nature of the product you are shipping to Amazon’s fulfillment center. Certain products are restricted from FBA and if you have to cancel an order because of restrictions a restocking fee will apply.
We also carry certain brands and specific items which are not directly shipped to amazon fulfillment centers. We can ship them directly to your address provided or any other fulfillment centers. You will find a specific notation for those which are restricted.
Shelf Life
The most common restriction would be expiration dates. Amazon’s policy states:
“At the time of check-in at the fulfillment center, all products must have a remaining shelf life that allows sufficient time for the product to be consumed in full plus an additional 90 days. For example, a bottle of supplements with 240 daily servings must have a remaining shelf life of 240 days plus an additional 90 days at the time of check-in at the fulfillment center.”
Certain products such as chips have an inherently short shelf life that could leave you little to no time to sell after it is checked in.
Meltable
Frozen and Refrigerated products are strictly prohibited from FBA and, if canceled, are subject to a restocking fee. It is your responsibility to know whether the product you are ordering is meltable.
Other meltable such as chocolates are restricted during a certain time of the year. See Amazon’s policy on Meltable for more information.
More information can be found on Amazon’s site at FBA Product Restrictions
Category Restrictions
Your Amazon account may be restricted from selling in certain categories. To avoid a restocking fee, it is important that you test to make sure you can sell from a specific category.
Brand Restrictions
You may be restricted from selling certain brands. Check to make sure you can sell the brand before placing an FBA order.
TIP: It’s a good practice to make a draft of your FBA plan to test whether you can sell the products you intend to order with us. You should test for quantity limits, product restrictions, and expiration dates. While drafting your plan you will see guidance as to how products must be packed and this will help communicate your FBA prep order.
After You Place Your Order
After you place your order, it is important to stay in regular communication with our customer service team. Our agents communicate your instructions to our warehouse supervisors and communicate back to you if any issues exist with the order.
Instructions
After you place your order, you are expected to email [email protected] with your FBA prep instructions. The instructions must be clear and once the order is being prepared, no exceptions can be made in changing the instructions you originally provided. Cancellations are subject to a restocking fee and your membership is non-refundable pursuant to our terms and conditions.
If we do not receive timely instructions from you, one of our agents will contact you for instructions.
Note: you must provide us with instructions within 5 calendar days of placing the order to avoid cancellation and restocking fees.
Instructions should include the number of multi-packs each SKU must be split up into or bundled with along with prep requirements.
* Bundles require “Sold as Set, do not Separate” labels.
FNSKU Labels
Once the order is prepared, we will provide you with expiration dates and shipping origin for each SKU. Moreover, we will request that you provide us with FNSKU labels. The number of FNSKU labels. The quantity of FNSKU labels must be formatted in an American-style format with 30 labels per sheet. In the event we receive misformatted labels, our customer service agents will place your order on hold. Note: you will have 5 calendar days from the date the order is placed on hold to provide the correct formatted labels before the order is canceled.
Box Labels
After FNSKU Labels and all other applicable labels are applied, our agents will notify you of the size and weight of each box in lbs. and the content of each box for
Our agents will request box labels in 4″ x 6″ format. Note: providing any other format may result in significant delays. The file you must send must conform to this format and be sent in readable PDF format. If the format is unreadable, the labels don’t conform to the format or the number of labels does not match the number of boxes, our agents will place the order on hold. Note: you will have 5 calendar days from the date the order is placed on hold to provide the correct formatted labels before the order is canceled.
* Boxes weighing 50 or more pounds require a “Team Lift” label.
Pallet Labels (where applicable)
If your order is eligible for LTL Shipping, our agents will also communicate the number of pallets along with other relevant information and request pallet labels. For example, the communication will be:
- Pallet #1 – Height 56″
- Pallet #2 – Height: 60″
- Total Weight (lbs.): 2000
Freight Class: 55. The freight class is determined by package density and calculated with a freight class calculator. The freight class “is what it is” We cannot change the freight class any more than we can change the fact that 2+2 = 4. If you input an incorrect freight class into your Amazon plan, you are doing so at your own risk.
LTL shipments v. UPS
Depending on the size of the order, you should be able to estimate if this is going as an LTL. As a general rule, if the sum of the product weighs > 150 lbs., it will ship LTL as long as it is shipped as one shipment. This is subject to change if Amazon splits the shipment into multiple facilities. If your intention is to save on the unit cost by shipping LTL you should plan accordingly
Post-Prep Instructions
After your order is FBA prepped, we will request UPS labels from you. We recommend using Amazon’s partnered carriers to streamline efficiency. If your shipment is eligible for LTL, we will request a bill of lading (BOL). It is important that you provide us with a BOL right away.
UPS Shipments
Once we have the UPS labels, we will apply them to the package and submit them for pick-up. Nothing further needs to be done on your part.
LTL Shipments
As mentioned, it is important that we get the BOL right away. We cannot release any shipments without a BOL and no carrier will be willing to pick them up. Amazon should alert you when the BOL is ready. Once a BOL is ready, the shipments can be picked up as early as the same day or, depending on the backlog, it could take multiple days or even weeks. It is good practice to follow up with the carrier to get an estimated pick-up date.
We will use our best efforts to coordinate a pick-up. However, it is ultimately your responsibility to make sure the carrier picks up your shipment. LTL shipments not picked up within 30 days with no arrangements for pick-up are deemed abandoned and no refunds are provided.
Invoicing
Soon after the shipment is prepared, we will invoice you. The fee schedule is as follows:
*In the event, the charge is declined, your account will be limited from placing additional orders. You must make payment arrangements to maintain your account in good standing.