Amazon Seller Support

You sell it, we ship it: use Fulfillment by Amazon this holiday season

Want to reduce your holiday stress this year? Let Amazon pick, pack and ship your items to buyers - sign up with Fulfillment by Amazon!

Here's how it works:

Step 1: You send your products to Amazon.
You send your new or used products to Amazon's fulfillment centers.

Step 2: Amazon stores your products.
Amazon catalogs and stores your products in our ready-to-ship inventory.

Step 3: Customers order your products.
Amazon fulfills orders placed directly on Amazon.com or fulfillment requests you submit for sales not on Amazon.

Step 4: Amazon picks and packs your products
Fulfillment by Amazon picks your products from inventory and packages them.

Step 5: Amazon ships your products.
Amazon ships the products to your customers from our network of fulfillment centers.

Learn more about Fulfillment by Amazon.

Using Amazon to Grow Your Ecommerce Business; 6 Tools

In Practicalecommerce's article "Using Amazon to Grow Your Ecommerce Business; 6 Tools" read about different ways you can use Amazon services (Selling on Amazon, Product Ads, Display Ads, Webstore, Fulfillment, Payments and Amazon Web Services) to grow your business.

-Michelle

 

Sending Successful Shipments to FBA

Carefully preparing your shipments for Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) can significantly reduce receiving time by eliminating problems that cause delays.
 
There are a number of ways you can increase the chances your shipments will be received and processed quickly and without problems. Including the following in your shipment checklist can make a real difference:

Are the exact items in the shipment?
Make sure the items you ship match the items you listed. There can often be a number of similar items in our catalog, so when you add a listing make sure you match the exact listing based on the UPC of the product you have in front of you. Don’t go only by the name. When we receive shipments, we scan the item UPCs. Also, if an item has multiple components, they should be bagged or boxed so all components are sent as a single unit with a single UPC or sticker.

Did all items on the PO make it into the box?
The number of items sent to Amazon should be the same as the number on the PO. Substituting other items, adding additional items, or not including all items can increase receiving time. In some cases, if the additional items cannot be shipped to customers from the FC (Fulfillment Center) that received them, substantial delays can result because we have to ship the items to a different FC. If a manufacturer ships your items directly to Amazon, make sure the manufacturer sends the entire shipment, or adjust your PO to include only items the manufacturer is actually shipping.

Are only the actual products scannable?
When you package your items, make sure only the actual products have UPCs on them. Manufacturers sometimes put a UPC on a box containing the individual items, and this can lead to the box being scanned instead of the individual items. Make sure to cover all scannable barcodes on any boxes that are not part of the actual product packaging.

Are unit labels scannable?
Make sure all units have a legible UPC or sticker that can be scanned, and not multiple codes that could cause them to be incorrectly received. Common problems that can prevent stickered items from being scannable are ink smudges and low ink or toner levels.

Is the shipment free of hazardous items?
FBA cannot ship items that are classified as hazardous. This means we are not even able to ship hazardous items back to you; we must destroy them. Please search seller Help on "hazardous item restrictions" so you can review the restrictions and confirm you are not shipping hazardous items to us.

Getting Paid - How It Works

The item has been received, the buyer is totally happy and the only thing left is to get paid! How does this work?

Have you entered the information for a valid U.S. bank checking account into your seller account?

Amazon transfers funds from your sales directly to the bank account you specify in your seller account. If you enter your checking account information too late (less than 24 hours before your first scheduled disbursement) it can delay getting your funds for another 14 days. We suggest entering it in when you first set up your account, or before you list your first item.

How and when do I get paid?

After you first register to sell on Amazon, we let the funds from your sales accumulate for the first 14 days. At the end of this time, we settle your account – i.e., subtract our fees and shuffle the rest of the funds off to you via an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transfer to your checking account. This is your first disbursement. After this, disbursements will occur automatically every 14 days.

Disbursements usually appear in your checking account within 3-5 business days. Note that for a disbursement to take place, you must have a positive balance. Amazon fees and customer refunds, if any, can affect your balance.

How do I know I have been paid?

Your settlements can viewed in the Payments account section of your seller account at any time.

Why didn't I get paid?

There are several reasons why you might not have been paid:

• You recently began selling on Amazon.com and your first 14-day settlement period has not concluded.
• Your first settlement period has concluded but you do not have a positive account balance.
• You have not yet entered your bank account information.
• The bank account information you entered is incorrect. Contact your bank to confirm the checking account number and ACH (Automated Clearinghouse) routing number.
• You entered debit card information instead of checking account information. A checking account with an ACH routing number is required for seller disbursements.
• Your bank does not accept ACH transfers. Contact your bank to confirm that they accept ACH transfers. If they don't, provide a checking account from a bank that accepts ACH transfers.
• Your bank is outside the United States. A checking account in a US-based bank is required for seller disbursements.
• The bank account is now closed. Contact your bank to obtain the checking account number and ACH routing number for your new bank account.

Manage your inventory proactively

Managing your inventory proactively is one of the smartest things you can do during the holidays.

• Determine which of your products may be most popular during the holidays and make sure you have enough stock available.
• Match your items by ISBN/UPC to the correct product detail pages. For example, if you list a book, your copy must be listed against the ASIN for the product with the exact same title, author, binding, edition, year of publication, publisher, and ISBN. Mis-matched listings can result in poor customer experiences which can lower your Customer Metrics.
• Keep your listing details up to date. When you need to, use the tools in your Seller Account to edit the item description, item price, or the shipping methods you offer. Up-to-date listing details mean fewer potential order problems.
• If you use inventory uploads, remember that all items in a feed must be processed before any of the changes appear on Amazon.com. If you have time-sensitive changes, upload those first in a separate feed, and upload changes that are not time-sensitive in a later feed.

Learn more about managing and relisting your items.

Consider Using Fulfillment by Amazon

The holiday season is a busy time for sellers - and a good time to consider using Fulfillment by Amazon. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is an Amazon service that enables sellers to store inventory and fulfill orders from an Amazon.com fulfillment center. Reduce your stress this year - let Amazon pick, pack and ship your items to buyers.

Learn more about Fulfillment by Amazon.

The holiday season is just around the corner and it is time to get ready!

For many Amazon WebStore sellers, holiday sales can mean the difference between a successful or unsuccessful year.

Follow these 10 steps to online retail success during this busy time:

1. Make sure your catalog is in tip-top shape and have your inventory ready to go. This is always important but even more so during the holidays when the competition is especially fierce. Providing customers with rich product information (descriptions, swatches and multiple alternate product images) makes their purchasing decisions easier.

2. Ramp up your fulfillment and customer service teams. Meeting your delivery promises is always important, but especially during the holidays. Customers will remember a great customer experience, and the holidays are a chance to impress new customers and create repeat buyers. Consider using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) for high volume, fast moving items.

3. Think through your holiday calendar. When are you going to send your Black Friday promotion? When are your shipping cut-off dates? Work back from your shipping vendor’s dates and think about your shipping backlog. Don’t forget to factor in gift wrapping time!

4. List your products where customers can find them. The holidays are a great time to sell on Amazon and on comparison shopping engines.

5. Get the word out! Reach out to your social networks and e-mail list; start generating buzz about your holiday offerings.

6. Offer free shipping. This is another item that is always important but is absolutely required to compete for gift shoppers.

7. Update your merchandising. Provide gift guides and promote them across your site. Make it easy for shoppers to navigate and find holiday specials, sale items, top sellers, and items in their price range. Make sure your shipping and return policies are easy to find throughout your site (not just on your home page) and include cutoff dates for holiday delivery. Remove empty categories and provide options (like top sellers) on the empty search results page.

8. Millions of shoppers create and share wish lists on Amazon. Add the Universal Wish List button to your product pages to get more eyes on your product and motivated shoppers to your site.

9. Get ready to promote! Shoppers always want a deal and your competition will be offering discounts and other special offers. You need to compete.

10. Get your servers tuned and ready for more traffic?!? Don’t worry, we have that covered for you!

The Amazon WebStore Team