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Chapter 27: Send to Amazon

What you'll learn: how to build your first inbound shipment, choose a placement option, pack and label the boxes, pick a carrier, and follow the stock until Amazon has checked it in.

Before you start​

  • Each product must already be in your inventory as Fulfilled by Amazon. If it still says Fulfilled by Merchant, convert it (or add it as FBA) so it shows up in the workflow.
  • Units labeled and prepped (Chapter 26).
  • Boxes, a scale and a tape measure within reach.
  • Your purchase log open, so you can add the shipment ID when you finish (Chapter 25).

Step through Send to Amazon​

Open Seller Central, go to the Shipping Queue, then start Send to Amazon.

  1. Choose the products and quantities you're sending, and the address you're shipping from.
  2. Confirm prep and labeling. The workflow shows any prep Amazon expects for each product. You've already done it yourself (or your prep center has).
  3. Pack the boxes. Say how the units are packed:
    • Individual units: mixed products in a box, each unit labeled.
    • Case-packed: one SKU per box, the same quantity in every box of that product, as packed by the manufacturer. Cover any barcodes on the outer case so only the units inside are scanned.
  4. Enter each box's weight and dimensions in pounds and inches. Be accurate: wrong figures can lead to extra fees, an inbound defect fee or a refused delivery.
  5. Provide box content information where you can. It helps Amazon receive your stock faster and avoids a manual processing fee. Each box must hold inventory from only one shipment ID.
  6. Choose a placement option. Amazon shows the options it can offer, with the inbound placement fee and the number of destinations for each (Chapter 5.2):
    • Amazon-optimized split: your boxes go to several fulfillment centers, with no placement fee. It's only offered when you're sending enough identical cartons, so mixed arbitrage shipments rarely see it.
    • Minimal split: usually one destination, with a placement fee per unit. This is the option most small arbitrage shipments use, which is why the fee belongs in your numbers.
    • Compare the placement fee and the shipping cost for each option; the cheapest total is the one to pick.
  7. Choose how to ship it:
    • Amazon Partnered Carrier (small parcel): Amazon shows the estimated cost before you confirm and charges it to your seller account. You print the box labels, with the carrier labels, from the workflow. It is the simplest place to start.
    • Your own carrier: book the pickup or drop-off yourself, then enter the tracking numbers in Seller Central.
  8. Print the Amazon box ID labels and put one on each box where it can be scanned. Don't cover it with tape or another label, and don't put it on a seam.
  9. Confirm shipping and arrange pickup or drop-off.

If a placement option sends your boxes to more than one destination, the workflow tells you which boxes go where. Pack and label each box for the shipment it belongs to.

Screenshot coming soon

the Send to Amazon workflow in a US Seller Central account, on the placement step, showing an Amazon-optimized split and a minimal split with their placement fees and shipping costs.

Video coming soon

"Send to Amazon (US)": creating a small-parcel shipment, entering box contents, comparing placement options, choosing the Amazon Partnered Carrier and printing labels.

Follow it in the Shipping Queue​

Watch progress in the Shipping Queue. Common statuses:

StatusWhat it means
WorkingYou're still building the shipment
Ready to ship / ShippedLabels are done and the carrier has it (or you've marked it shipped)
In transitOn its way to the fulfillment center
DeliveredArrived at Amazon
Checked inAmazon has started receiving it
ReceivingUnits are being added to your available inventory
ClosedReceiving is finished

Products usually become available to buy as they're received, not only when the whole shipment closes. Compare what you sent with what Amazon received. If units are missing or damaged, open a case for reimbursement with your shipment ID and packing records.

A simple first run​

  1. Prep and label every unit the day the stock arrives (Chapter 26).
  2. Create one small Send to Amazon workflow: a few SKUs, one or two boxes.
  3. Weigh and measure each box yourself.
  4. Use the Amazon Partnered Carrier for the first run, so labels and tracking stay in Seller Central.
  5. When the shipment shows Receiving or Closed, add the shipment ID to your purchase log (Chapter 25).
  6. Finish or cancel any workflow you've abandoned, so your queue stays tidy.

Read Amazon's guides: Shipping and routing requirements, Packaging and prep requirements and Inbound placement fee.

Checklist​

  • Every product is listed as FBA before I start Send to Amazon
  • I've entered accurate box weights, dimensions and contents
  • I've compared placement fees and shipping costs before choosing an option
  • Each box has its Amazon box ID label
  • Boxes are within 36 × 25 × 25 in and 50 lb
  • I know where to track the shipment and how to compare what was received