Let’s talk about Free Guides for Amazon FBA Beginners.

Many companies use Amazon for their distribution and sales services. The company has one of the most renowned and efficient distribution networks in the world. Companies who sell through Amazon, have the option to purchase a complete logistical solution to their delivery and returns problems, by using Amazon fulfilment package, or Amazon FBA, which stands for a fulfilled by Amazon. It simply means that your stock will be looked after and handled by Amazon.

Your customer will notice no difference in the service they are getting. The seller is simply using Amazon’s services which are tried and tested, and paying for the privilege. As a seller you don’t have to handle large numbers of items and you get the peace of mind of knowing that Amazon are handling distribution, and the customer gets the reassurance and benefits of Amazon’s huge distribution network and slick distribution system.

Many companies may not be aware of this service and there is quite a long process involved., so we will aim to offer a description of Amazon FBA for Beginners: A Complete Guide. It is worth reading through all the steps and following them closely, as the fulfilment service that Amazon offers is worth having, but it is quite complex and there are lots of areas where you can go wrong. It is important to be precise in all your actions and the steps need to be followed exactly to avoid your packages being rejected and your distribution times escalating.

How to start using Amazing FBA – a summary

Amazon FBA can add value to many companies that wish to improve their distribution systems and save time and money. However, there are a number of steps that a company needs to take in order to take advantage of Amazon FBA. This will ensure that your current and future listings will be fulfilled by Amazon, leaving you time to concentrate on growing your business.

Step 1
Firstly to begin your Amazon FBA process, you need to login to your seller’s account, and find the Manage Inventory page. From this page you then simply highlight any listings that you wish to convert to Amazon FBA. Then you need to click on the Actions button, and then select the Convert to Amazon Fulfilment option. That’s your first step completed.

Step 2
After you have done that you need to select the items you want to ship using Amazon FBA and click the Send/Replenish inventory option. You can choose to send individual items or multiple packed items. Amazon find it easier to process goods that are sent in a packed box so it might be worth waiting until you have a larger number of products to distribute to make the process faster and smoother.

Step 3
Look through the shipping workflow menu on your company’s profile page with Amazon.

Step 4
You need to then label, pack and prepare your goods for shipping. You will need to decide from two labelling options and ensure that you have packed and prepared your items exactly as required by Amazon.

Labelling options
Initially you will be asked to select your labelling preferences. There are two options, firstly a comingled or stickerless option or a labelling option.

Stickerless or comingled
The stickerless or comingled option means you don’t have to add stickers or labels to the products you send to be fulfilled by Amazon. They will be comingled with other similar items at the fulfilment centre. The benefits of the stickerless option are that they are quicker for you to pack up and quicker for the fulfilment centre to process.

There are some items that do not fulfil the requirements for the comingled option.These include:

• Anything used or refurbished
• Jewellery
• Clothes
• Watches
• Shoes
• DVDs
• Software
• Music
• Books
• Videogames

Labelled option

The labelled option means you need to label each item you send to Amazon for fulfilment. This means each item will be labelled to identify you as the seller and will not be placed with items of the same kind in the fulfilment centre. If you choose this option, you can trace your items more easily with Amazon.

Amazon can add labels to your packages for a small fee. Whichever option you chose, each item needs to be instantly recognisable as the product itself and to identify you as the seller.

Amazon FBA for Beginners: A complete guide – more detailed instructions

When you send your first shipment to Amazon to be fulfilled, you will need to comply to certain criteria. You need to make clear how many parts make up each item and where you are sending them from. Then you select the shipping method and carrier for the shipment. Amazon has favoured partners for carrying services which offer competitive rates.

Amazon will inform you about where to send your fulfilled shipment. Once they arrive, they will then become available to UK Amazon buyers. If you are shipping from other countries, there are corresponding fulfilment services in other countries which you can take advantage of.

You can select a Multi Country Inventory if you ship products to different countries. Amazon will send your most popular items to the country where they sell the most, but also send the same items to Fulfilment Centres in the countries where they are to be shipped from.

Amazon may require you to supply the dimensions of your packages if you are new to Amazon Fulfilment, so make sure you have these available.
You will need to tell Amazon exactly how many packages you are sending to the fulfilment centre. It will delay processing your order if you enter incorrect amounts on the Send/Replenish Inventory page.

You will need to prepare your packages for distribution, and again, in put this information on to your company page on Amazon. You have a list of packaging options to select from a drop down menu, so highlight the appropriate packaging details.

You will then be taken to a page where you can print appropriate labels for each of your boxes or individual items, according to your preferences.

You will have a carrier tracking number, you enter this onto your account, and mark the item as shipped and you are ready to send the items.

If there are any inconsistencies in the process, you can select the Reconcile tab and use the Shipment Reconciliation Tool.

Extra Options

Marketplace Web Services
Amazon’s marketplace web services or MWS allows companies to integrate their Amazon FBA transactions within their own management systems.
This is achieved through various interfaces which allow you to perform various FBA functions within your own system. These functions include sending shipment inventories to the FBA centres. Even orders generated from non-Amazon sales can be stored on this inventory system. MWS can also store records of your inventory at their fulfilment centres.
It costs nothing to take advantage of the MWS system. It is all included in your fees for using the Amazon FBA service.

What actually happens to your goods?

So, once you have shipped your goods to the fulfilment centre with a carrier, what actually happens? We can look at the step by step process until your goods are dispatched.
Firstly, the items are received and scanned by receiving staff at the FC. You can check the status of your order by looking on your company page within your Amazon account. The stages The fulfilment centre aims to process your shipments within three days, and if this is not the case, you can contact the Seller Support Centre.
The items that you have sent to the FC are then put on shelves within the FC until they are picked for distribution to clients.

Pallet Deliveries

If you are sending your goods to Amazon using a pallet, you need to be aware of certain requirements. For instance, the pallet cannot be higher than 1.7m if it is single stacked, or 1.5m high if it is double stacked, and this includes the height of the pallet.

The actual pallet needs to conform to the measurements of 1200mm by 1000mm or it will not be accepted. The pallets also have to be securely wrapped in stretch clear plastic or tape and marked with a “do not break down”  sticker. You should also mark any items that are heavier than 15kg as a heavy load.

When the pallets are delivered to the Fulfilment Centre, the staff need to be able to access the goods using their own Power Pallet Truck, so the lorry that delivers the goods needs to be 7.5 tons or heavier. It also needs to be able to reverse to the door of the FC loading bay.

Any carriers have to request a delivery appointment. You should fill out your booking form and give it to the carrier so he can inform the FC by email.

Common problems

You want your goods to be shipped to the fulfilment centre safely and quickly. You can help this process to run more smoothly. Delays can occur in shipments being received if you do not follow the procedural instructions carefully.

• Make sure your items are packed correctly
• Make sure your labels are attached securely and easy to read
• Make sure you have put the correct item in the correct package

There are different customs requirement for different countries, so you will have to make sure that the goods you are sending comply with the country you are sending them to and their regulations. You can use a customs broker to help you with this side of the distribution if you find it too daunting. You will then have the reassurance of knowing that these complex issues have been handled by a professional.

Starting a business using Amazon FBA

An established business which is already importing or manufacturing products will find it a logical step to enrol with Amazon FBA. However, if you are starting a business, you can plan to use Amazon’s fulfilment services when you are preparing your business plan.

Once you have sourced your products and arranged for them to be manufactured, they can be sent straight to the Amazon Fulfillment Centre, and cut you out of the equation completely. Obviously you will still be at the heat of the business, and process your inventory and keep track of orders and sales. But in terms of storing products, and arranging for them to be distributed, Amazon FBA will take care of all those headaches for you. Even with the costs you need to pay to Amazon for distribution, you will still be making a healthy profit on your goods if you have priced them realistically. You will need to set up an Amazon professional account as you will be a business seller rather than an individual seller, and aim to sell items in bulk rather than one at a time.

As an Amazon business customer you can benefit from other perks as well. When you start selling on Amazon you are an unknown quantity to the buyer. It is beneficial to have reviews and star ratings to give the buyer confidence. Amazon can arrange all this for you using an algorithm. They can rate your selling profile by balancing it with sales and reviews. So, when you start out, get all your friends and family to buy and / or review your products. This gives you a start and a foot up on the ladder of being an Amazon recommended seller.

Learn Amazon FBA

If you want to make your living as an Amazon seller, and wish to take advantage of FBA, you can enrol on a course to learn the basics of how to get started. Courses provide a blueprint of how to use Amazon FBA if you are a new starter or even an existing seller.

Summary

It is obvious of the benefits to a business of using the Amazon Fulfilment Service. Your business will run more smoothly and you will save time and cut costs in your own workplace.
Your customers will be impressed as they will have the Amazon customer service and delivery options available to them when they buy your products
This means you will generate more sales and improve your customer satisfaction.