Fulfillment by Amazon
With Fulfillment by Amazon, you store your products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products.
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Put Amazon's Fulfillment Technology to Work for You.
You sell it, we ship it. Amazon has created one of the most advanced fulfillment networks in the world, and your business can now benefit from our expertise. With Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) you store your products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products.
Enjoy these benefits when you partner with us.
Eligible for Super Saver Shipping & Amazon Prime
Customers love FREE Super Saver Shipping and Amazon Prime. FBA listings on Amazon.com feature the same delivery messaging we use for Amazon.com listings.
Competitive Price Sorting
Your FBA listings on Amazon.com get the same treatment that Amazon gets; we sort them on the item price without the cost of shipping, which also gives you an edge when competing for the Buy Box!
Trusted Customer Service and Returns
FBA listings are displayed with the "Fulfillment by Amazon" logo, so customers know that packing, delivery, customer service and returns are all handled by Amazon.
Fulfill Orders from other Channels
You can fulfill your orders from other channels using your inventory at Amazon. You maintain control over your inventory and can have it returned at any time.
Fulfillment by Amazon Makes Business Sense
Cost Effective
With Fulfillment by Amazon, you can offer the same proven shipping, service and support programs to buyers that Amazon does. Because FBA listings on Amazon.com are eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping and Amazon Prime, you can maximize your pricing and stay competitive.
Amazon's extensive fulfillment network maximizes efficiency making it possible to provide competitive pricing for Fulfillment by Amazon. When you include the cost of overhead you could be spending on warehouse space, packing supplies, postage and labor, the savings can really add up.
How does pricing work?
There are no additional set-up charges or subscription fees when you add Fulfillment by Amazon to your seller account. Fulfillment fees vary depending on the type of item (Media or non-media), its dimensions and weight, and the shipping method used. For example you can have us fulfill a 1 lb book for just $0.90 or a 2 lb electronics item for just $2.55.*
For detailed explanation of Fulfillment by Amazon fees, download the FBA Program Fees (PDF)
* Prices are based on non-oversized items and don't include sales commission and storage costs.
We'll stick with FBA... "Before FBA, there were only two ways we could compete and improve our sales on Amazon--prices and our feedback. Now we offer the same great things that Amazon does--FREE Super Saver Shipping and Prime, 24x7 customer service, and a fulfillment partner that buyers know and trust. The bottom line for us is, if we can get the same or better margins AND grow our sales volumes we'll stick with FBA."
Michael DuGally, CEO NorAm International
Step 1: You send your products to Amazon.
You send your new or used products to Amazon's fulfillment centers.
Upload your listings to Amazon's system.
Let Amazon fulfill all or part of your inventory.
Amazon provides PDF labels and shipping status.
Use Amazon's discounted shipping or select your own carrier.
Before listing products for Fulfillment by Amazon, it's important to know what is suitable for our fulfillment process and what is not. There are four criteria that can make products unsuitable for Fulfillment by Amazon:
Categories Requiring Approval
For some product categories, Amazon limits the addition of new sellers and closely monitors seller performance to ensure a high-quality experience for buyers. These measures are taken because of the types of products sold in the category, and often reflect concerns about consumer safety, product quality, branding, or import and export restrictions.
Certain products are not allowed on the Amazon.com website under any conditions. Some products may not be sold as a matter of compliance with legal or regulatory restrictions, for example, prescription drugs. Specific product content is prohibited as a matter of Amazon policy, for example, crime scene photos.
Please see our Restricted Products pages for more information about prohibited and permitted products. For additional information regarding prohibited content and copyright violations, please see our Seller Offenses & Prohibited Content page.
Hazardous Materials
In addition, materials that pose a health risk due to toxic chemicals or volatile substances are not permitted. For a complete list of products restricted in our fulfillment center, see our FBA Manual 2.5 Product Restrictions page.
Improper Packaging
Amazon has established packaging requirements that help provide a safe working environment in the fulfillment centers while enabling an efficient fulfillment process. Included with the packaging requirements are physical limitations on the products we will handle in our fulfillment centers. Large or heavy items can pose dangers to employees and interfere with the fulfillment process. See FBA Manual 5.8 Packaging Requirements.
Fulfillment by Amazon offers three channels for uploading your listings to accommodate the scale of your business.
Add a Product
If you have a small number of items you want Amazon to fulfill for you, you can list them one at a time. This online tool in your seller account enables you to select items in the Amazon.com catalog or add new ones if you have a Pro Merchant account. Once you have your inventory listed, you can simply convert it to be fulfilled by Amazon. For more information, go to Listing Your Item.
Flat File Feeds
If you have large volumes of inventory, you can list items by uploading a flat file through the Upload tool in your seller account. We provide an Excel spreadsheet template that you can use to build the file. This method enables you to directly list them for Fulfillment by Amazon and bypass the conversion process. For more information, go to FBA Manual 4.3 Flat File Feeds.
API Integration
If you have large volumes of inventory and development resources available to you, you can integrate your own website or inventory management software with Amazon's inventory catalog using Amazon's SOAP API. This method enables you to directly list them for Fulfillment by Amazon and bypass the conversion process. For more information, go to Inbound API Reference.
Once your listings have been converted to Fulfillment by Amazon, the shipping workflow will walk you through the process of creating a shipment.
You enter item quantities and select your carrier. The workflow will identify inventory that needs to be labeled and provide item labels, packing slips and shipment labels that you can print. We'll also notify you of any errors and provide tips along the way to help you streamline the shipment process. Once your items are packed and your shipment is labeled, you can hand your shipment over to your carrier. If you have a large shipment, you can also arrange for less than truckload (LTL) or self-delivery.
Inventory you send to an Amazon fulfillment center is generally scanned and made available for sale within three business days of being received. You can track the status of your shipment in the Shipping Queue with the status cycling through In Transit, Delivered, Checked-In, Receiving and finally Closed. During the Receiving process, your item barcodes are individually scanned and entered into the tracking system, the dimensions (to the nearest 1/10") and weight (to the nearest 1/10 lb) are captured for storage and fulfillment purposes.
Our fulfillment centers off a secure, climate-controlled environment. We store inventory either in bulk or in individual "pickable" locations. Media products are stored on library-type shelving in vertical, spine out positions with loose stacking to avoid "shelf wear." Specialty items like food or high-value goods may be placed in specific secure or climate-controlled areas of the fulfillment center as appropriate. If inventory is damaged or misplace while in Amazon's control (in the fulfillment center, during delivery to or from a customer or inbound to Amazon if using an Amazon Partnered Carrier), we will purchase the inventory from you.
The unit dimensions are measured to the nearest 1/10" and the accumulated cubic feet of all your inventory is recorded each night for the total volume of your stored inventory. You pay for the average daily volume you have in storage during the month; this means you only pay storage for what is in our fulfillment centers while it is there.
Once your products are listed through Fulfillment by Amazon, your customers will be able to take advantage of offers such as FREE Super Saver Shipping, Amazon Prime shipping discounts, 24x7 Amazon customer service, and One Day Shipping with Fast Track Messaging just to name a few. If you sell books, music, or videos, you can make your products eligible for international sales using FBA Export. When customers see "Fulfilled by Amazon" beneath your product listings, they know their orders will be fulfilled securely and on time.
With Multi-Channel Fulfillment, you can use Fulfillment by Amazon to fulfill orders from any sales channel. Once inventory is in our fulfillment centers, you can choose to sell it on Amazon.com or not. When an order comes in, tell us where and how to ship it, and we'll do the rest.
You can submit orders from your seller account, by uploading a flat-file feed or by integrating with Amazon's SOAP API. You can select between Standard Delivery (1-day processing and 3-5 business days shipping), Two-day Delivery, or Next-day Delivery. Your packing slips will contain your business name and can include a customized message to the customer.
On Multi-Channel Fulfillment orders, you can work directly with your customers to handle customer service issues.
With the exception of Multi-Channel Fulfillment orders, all Selling on Amazon fees will apply to purchases made on Amazon.com. Unlike merchant fulfilled orders, you won't receive a shipping credit.
All Fulfillment by Amazon orders are shipped in Amazon branded boxes. The packing slip displays the Amazon brand and the name of the merchant. For Multi-Channel Fulfillment, you also have the option of adding a brief personalized message on the packing slip.
One of the advantages of Fulfillment by Amazon is the use of Amazon's customer service to handle customer inquiries, refunds and returns. For orders from the Amazon.com website that Amazon fulfills, we will manage all customer service associated with fulfillment of your products in the program. Our online returns center provides customers with help pages and details about how to contact us. If the customer wants to return a product, we direct the customer to our online Returns Center.
Simplify the fulfillment process by letting Amazon store, pick, pack, and ship your items. Merchants are taking advantage of this powerful tool to help their businesses succeed. Sign up today and see how Fulfillment by Amazon can increase your sales
"I could have gone with as many as four different vendors. One to process orders, one to handle credit card transactions, one for shipping and one for customer service. On top of being more expensive, I'd have the heartache of juggling four different accounts and vendor interactions. The process flow could be a nightmare." - Brad LaTour, JumpSnap
"Many of our customers want their replacement parts yesterday. With a Prime membership, they can upgrade their method of delivery at no additional cost. It's a great sales tool." - Anna Pontikis Draganfly Innovations Inc.
"FBA has allowed us to increase sales tremendously without adding any employees or warehouse space. We can now take off when we want, and we also have 'hurricane proofed' our business. Amazon is always open and can handle any sudden increase in orders that our company, by itself, could not." Barry Treebeard, Treebeard Books
"It wasn't until I ran the numbers that I realized FBA could work for me. When I added up all my own fulfillment expenses-packaging, labor, shipment, storage, customer service -it became obvious that I could actually save money with FBA." - Art Clem, Art's Game Store
"It just makes sense. It's a lot easier to send one box of 50 items to Amazon than 50 boxes to individual buyers." - Beth Terry, Iron Chick's Toys
Find answers to frequently asked questions addressing Fulfillment by Amazon
guidelines, policies, and processes. Be sure to review the FBA Manual for complete information.
The Fulfillment by Amazon Manual is designed to walk you through the process of
using FBA from beginning to end. Learn more about Pricing, Product
Restrictions, Packaging Requirements, and many more.
Plan for a Successful Holiday Season with Fulfillment by Amazon Learn how to leverage one of the most advanced fulfillment networks in the world while getting your business Holiday-ready. You sell it, we ship it and provide customer service support. In this webinar you will hear from Fulfillment by Amazon experts on:
Leveraging Fulfillment by Amazon for Holiday Peak - Lear How to Scale Your Business During Holiday Peak without Fixed Costs in Warehouse or Customer Service.
Reports and Inventory Alerts: Learn What Reports are Available to Help You Manage Your Orders and Inventory through the Holiday Peak.
Amazon has created one of the most advanced fulfillment networks in the world. In this webinar learn how your business can now benefit from Amazon's 10 years of expertise in shipping millions of orders to millions of customers.
