Sending stock to Amazon FBA for the first time can feel complicated. Shipment plans, FNSKU labels, carton requirements and delivery bookings all need to be right, or your inventory can be delayed, refused or charged extra fees. This step-by-step guide walks UK sellers through the whole process, from preparing your products to tracking your shipment into Amazon’s fulfilment centres.
Before You Start: What You Need
- An active Amazon Seller Central account with FBA enabled
- Your product listings created and set to be fulfilled by Amazon
- Your products, ready to be labelled and packed
- A label printer and labels, or a prep centre to handle labelling for you
- Suitable shipping cartons and packing materials
Step 1: Convert Your Listings to FBA
In Seller Central, make sure each product you want to send is set to Fulfilled by Amazon. Amazon will then ask whether you are using the manufacturer barcode or Amazon barcodes (FNSKU) to track your inventory.
Step 2: Create Your Shipment in “Send to Amazon”
Use Amazon’s Send to Amazon workflow in Seller Central to choose the products and quantities you want to ship. Amazon will tell you whether any items need prep, such as polybagging or bubble wrap, and who is responsible for it.
Step 3: Prepare Your Products
Amazon has specific prep requirements depending on the product type. Common tasks include:
- Polybagging loose items, clothing and textiles, with a suffocation warning on bags above a certain size
- Bubble wrapping fragile items such as glass
- Bundling multi-packs and labelling them “sold as set”
- Covering sharp edges or liquids that could leak
Always check the current prep guidance in Seller Central for your product category, as Amazon updates its requirements from time to time.
Step 4: Label Every Unit
If you use Amazon barcodes, print the FNSKU labels from your shipment and apply one to each unit. Place the label flat on the packaging and cover any other scannable barcodes so only the FNSKU can be scanned. Our guide to FNSKU labelling explains this in more detail.
Step 5: Pack Your Cartons
Pack your units into strong boxes with enough padding to stop them moving in transit. Amazon sets maximum size and weight limits for cartons, and heavier boxes need extra labelling, so check the current limits in Seller Central before you pack. Do not overfill or underfill boxes, and avoid packing items from different shipments in the same carton.
Step 6: Confirm Box Contents and Print Carton Labels
Tell Amazon what is in each box in the Send to Amazon workflow, then print the carton ID labels and stick one on each box. Place labels on a flat side where they will not be folded over the box seam.
Step 7: Choose Your Shipping Method
Decide whether to ship using small parcel delivery (individual boxes) or pallet / LTL delivery. You can use Amazon’s partnered carrier where available, or your own carrier. Pallet shipments need to be booked into an Amazon delivery slot.
Step 8: Ship and Track Your Inventory
Once your stock is collected, keep an eye on the shipment status in Seller Central. When Amazon receives and checks in your units, they become available to sell. If quantities do not match, you can investigate the shipment through Seller Central.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Leaving manufacturer barcodes visible next to FNSKU labels
- Using damaged or weak boxes
- Going over Amazon’s carton size or weight limits
- Mixing products from different shipments in one carton
- Skipping required prep such as polybagging or suffocation warnings
- Sending stock straight from a supplier without checking quality or quantities first
Make It Easier with a Prep Centre
If you would rather not handle labelling, packing and shipping yourself, a prep centre can do it for you. Your supplier delivers to the prep centre, the team checks and prepares your stock, and it is shipped to Amazon correctly packed and labelled.
Prep Centers is a London-based Amazon FBA prep centre. We handle quality checks, FNSKU labelling, polybagging, bundling and shipping to Amazon UK, so your stock arrives ready to sell.
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