A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Send Products to Amazon FBA

This guide breaks down the essential steps to successfully sending inventory to Amazon FBA. We cover mandatory compliance checks, navigate the four core stages of the “Send to Amazon” workflow, detail shipping finalization, and provide expert tips on avoiding the most common profit-eating shipping mistakes.

Before you even log into Seller Central to begin the workflow of how to send products to Amazon FBA, foundational groundwork is required to ensure your products are eligible and ready for the fulfillment network. Every single unit you plan to ship must adhere to specific Amazon standards before it leaves your warehouse or supplier.

Is your product eligible for FBA?

Not every item you source is automatically eligible for FBA, and confirming eligibility is the first vital step. Amazon maintains strict guidelines on restricted products, which include certain hazardous materials, items requiring special certifications, or size/weight restrictions. Failing this check results in your listing being blocked from FBA until compliance is met.

A practical example is lithium-ion batteries, which require sellers to upload Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) before any FBA shipment can be created. You must proactively check the “Hazmat Review” status for all SKUs you intend to ship. Even standard products can be flagged if Amazon’s internal system incorrectly assigns a hazardous classification.

How to convert your listing to FBA?

If a listing is currently set as FBM, it must be converted to FBA to allow you to create a compliant shipping plan for that ASIN. This conversion informs Amazon’s system that your inventory will be stored and shipped from their fulfillment centers. This process must be completed before you attempt to add the SKU to any FBA shipment.

You can perform this conversion in the “Manage Inventory” section of Amazon Seller Central by selecting the listing and choosing the “Change to Fulfilled by Amazon” action from the drop-down menu. Failing to do this will result in the SKU not appearing in your available inventory when you initiate the shipping plan creation.

What are the mandatory product prep requirements?

Product preparation, or “Prep,” is where many new sellers accrue unplanned service fees due to non-compliance. Each product category has explicit prep requirements designed to protect the item during warehouse handling and customer transit. These rules mandate specific packaging materials and labeling.

For example, all apparel items and most flexible goods must be placed in poly bags with a suffocation warning printed on the exterior. Sharp items, like cutlery sets, must have their blades fully protected with covers. If a product has an expiration date, it must be printed in a 36-point font or larger on the unit and clearly readable by the warehouse staff. 

How to ensure your products have the correct Amazon FNSKU barcode labels?

The FNSKU is Amazon’s proprietary barcode that uniquely identifies your specific product and links it to your seller account. Unlike a standard UPC, the FNSKU prevents inventory commingling and is mandatory for nearly all FBA shipments. The label must be placed on the outside of the product packaging, covering any original manufacturer UPC barcode.

If the FNSKU is not applied or is placed incorrectly (e.g., wrapped around a corner or covered by tape), Amazon will charge a manual labeling fee per unit, significantly impacting your profitability. You must download and print these labels directly from Seller Central, ensuring they are legible and securely affixed to the package.

How Can You Create a Shipping Plan Using the “Send to Amazon” Workflow?

Once your products are prepared and labeled, you transition into the core logistical process of how to send products to Amazon FBA. This is the core phase, where you use the Seller Central tool to tell Amazon exactly what you are sending and how.

Step 1. Choose Inventory

You select the prepared SKUs you intend to send and specify the quantity for each. This initial input allows Amazon to perform preliminary capacity and restriction checks. 

Simultaneously, you must confirm the “Ship From” address, which is the physical location where the carrier will collect the boxes.

This address must be exact and consistent, especially if you are coordinating pickup directly from a third-party logistics provider (3PL) or a supplier overseas. If the ship-from address in the plan does not match the actual pickup location, the carrier will be unable to generate the necessary labels, leading to delays and potential penalties.

>>> Read more: Amazon Inventory Management: Ultimate Guide & Top Tools

Step 2. Define Packing

Defining your packing strategy is critical for warehouse efficiency and cost control. You must choose between two primary methods: individual units or case-packed products. Individual units means each box contains a mix of different SKUs in varying quantities, while Case-packed products means every box contains the same quantity of a single SKU.

For high-volume, uniform products like a batch of 100 scented candles (all the same SKU), using the case-packed option is mandatory and streamlines receiving at the fulfillment center.

Amazon offers packing templates to save time, allowing you to preset the dimensions and weight for standard cartons you use frequently. This speeds up the workflow considerably for repeat shipments.

Step 3: Confirm Quantities and Prep

In this step, you verify the quantity going into each specific box and declare who is responsible for the labeling and preparation. You can choose to have Amazon apply the FNSKU label for a fee (currently $0.55 per unit), or you can confirm that you, the Merchant, have already applied the FNSKU label as required.

For example, if you are shipping 50 units of SKU A and 50 units of SKU B, you input those exact figures into the plan. If a box contains 24 units of a case-packed item, that figure must be precise. 

Any discrepancy between the declared quantity and the physical quantity received can result in shipment reconciliation issues, where Amazon locks the inventory until the problem is resolved.

Step 4: Box Content Details

This is arguably the most detail-oriented step and requires high accuracy, as this data is used for carrier rate calculation and warehouse handling. For every carton, you must provide the exact weight, the outer dimensions (L x W x H), and the FNSKU quantity inside. This is usually done either via a direct web form input or by uploading a spreadsheet.

Amazon provides two specific tools for this: the Web Form (best for small shipments with few boxes) and the 2D Barcode (Box Content File) (best for large shipments with many boxes). 

Using the 2D Barcode method allows you to print a single, scannable code for the box exterior that contains all weight and content information. This dramatically speeds up the receiving process at the warehouse and is strongly recommended for experienced sellers. 

How to Finalize and Ship the FBA Shipment to the Fulfillment Center?

With the planning phase complete and your boxes sealed and labeled, you move into the final stage of how to ship products to Amazon FBA: choosing your carrier and managing costs. This final phase focuses on carrier selection, fee management, and labeling to ensure a smooth journey to the warehouse.

Carrier Comparison

The Amazon Partnered Carrier Program (PCP) is the most common and often the cheapest method for small parcel delivery (SPD). Amazon negotiates highly competitive, bulk rates with major carriers like UPS and FedEx. The primary advantage is that the cost is billed directly to your Seller Central account, simplifying accounting and invoicing.

The key drawback is that you have less direct control over the specific carrier’s service level or scheduling. If you have a separate established, highly favorable contract with a non-partnered carrier, you may use that option, but this generally means managing your own tracking and claims process. For 90% of sellers, the PCP provides the best balance of cost and reliability.

Shipment Mode

The choice between SPD and Less Than Truckload (LTL) is based purely on the size and weight of your total shipment. SPD is used for smaller shipments (typically up to 15 boxes) that are shipped individually by standard courier. LTL is used for larger shipments that are shrink-wrapped onto pallets and require a freight carrier.

Feature	SPD	LTL
Transit Time	Fast	Slow
Cost	High	Low
Packaging	Goods packed individually & labeled	Goods packed, arranged, and loaded onto full pallets
Shipment Volume	Low-volume shipments	High volume shipments
Booking Requirement	No booking required	Booking required

The threshold often occurs around 200 pounds or more than 15 large boxes. While LTL requires more preparation (e.g., securing pallets and ensuring proper pallet labeling), it becomes significantly cheaper per pound than SPD once you cross that volume threshold. Miscalculating this can result in paying premium courier rates for freight that should have been palletized.

Inbound Placement Fee

Amazon introduced the Inbound Placement Fee to cover the cost of distributing your inventory across their network. Sellers are now given a choice: either accept the fee for a guaranteed “minimal split” (sending to one or two centers) or opt for the “Amazon-optimized” split, which often waives or significantly reduces the fee but requires you to ship to more fulfillment centers.

For a new seller sending a small test batch, accepting the minimal split fee may be worth the simplicity of sending to a single location. However, for established sellers, optimizing this fee is a major cost-saving strategy. You must weigh the reduced fee against the extra labor and freight cost of preparing and booking multiple shipments to different states. 

How to print and apply the final carrier and box ID labels correctly?

The final, physical action is applying the transportation labels. For both SPD and LTL, you will download two types of labels: the Carrier Label (e.g., the UPS shipping label) and the Amazon Box ID Label (which identifies the specific box contents). 

Both labels must be printed clearly and applied to flat surfaces on the outside of the box, ensuring the barcodes are not obstructed, folded, or wrapped around edges.

If using LTL, an additional Pallet Label is required on all four sides of each pallet. The most common error here is accidentally covering the Amazon Box ID Label with the Carrier Label, or printing labels on non-adhesive paper and securing them with excessive, opaque tape. This non-compliance will lead to carrier rejection or delays at the fulfillment center dock.

What Are the Most Common FBA Shipping Mistakes Sellers Make and Tips to Optimize?

Even experienced sellers can fall victim to small errors that snowball into significant financial penalties and logistical headaches. When you’re searching for how to send products to Amazon FBA, you should also know how to avoid these errors.

Labeling Errors

A prevalent mistake is applying the wrong FNSKU to a product, resulting in a misshipped unit or the inability for Amazon to receive the inventory. This frequently occurs when a seller has two similar products and accidentally switches the FNSKU files during the printing stage.

Furthermore, using a lot of clear shipping tape directly over the main carrier barcode (UPS/FedEx) can cause scanner reflectivity problems, leading to a manual check-in process and potential carrier delays.

The best practice is to use high-quality thermal printers and ensure the FNSKU label is the only readable barcode on the product unit, completely covering the UPC. The shipping labels should be placed on one side of the box, free of any seams, edges, or excessive tape.

Mismatched Data

This is a subtle yet extremely costly error in the Step 4 Box Content Details. Many sellers mistakenly enter the individual unit weight (e.g., 1.5 lbs for one bottle) into the field asking for the carton weight (e.g., 30 lbs for the box containing 20 bottles). Amazon’s system calculates freight charges and allocates truck space based on the carton details.

If you provide inaccurate carton weight or dimensions, you risk two outcomes: either the carrier rejects the pickup due to undeclared weight, or Amazon charges a massive correction fee upon receipt. That’s why you always double-check that you are using the precise outer carton measurements and the total weight of the sealed box. 

Capacity Limits

Amazon assigns every seller a specific IPI and a corresponding storage volume limit, especially during peak seasons. When you create a shipping plan in the “Send to Amazon” workflow, that plan reserves a portion of your capacity, even if you never actually ship the boxes.

An optimization tip is to diligently review and delete all old or canceled shipping plans that you do not intend to execute. Leaving dozens of dormant plans can prematurely cap your available storage, preventing you from creating new, necessary shipments. This capacity management is a strategic necessity for scaling.

Box Non-Compliance

Amazon enforces rigid limits to protect warehouse staff and ensure automation compatibility. No single carton shipped via SPD can exceed 50 pounds, with the exception of single, oversized units over 50 pounds that must be labeled “Team Lift.” Additionally, most boxes must not exceed 25 inches on any side.

Violating these limits guarantees a non-compliance charge and can result in the entire shipment being returned to you at your expense. If your product requires a heavy box, you must split the inventory across two lighter cartons. This is a non-negotiable rule when learning how to send products to Amazon FBA.

Shipping to the Wrong Center

Amazon dynamically assigns fulfillment centers (FCs) based on inventory needs and your origin location. The FC address provided on the Amazon Box ID Label is the only valid destination. A common mistake is using a previous FC address from an old plan, or manually overriding the destination based on perceived closeness or convenience.

The carrier label generated via the Partnered Carrier Program is automatically linked to the correct FC. If you are using a non-partnered carrier, you must instruct them to use the precise, current address displayed in the final shipment plan summary to prevent shipping to the wrong FC, resulting in immediate rejection and massive rerouting fees. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About How to Send Products to Amazon FBA