How does the Fulfilment by Amazon programme work?
The following steps illustrate the FBA process:
You send your new products to Amazon's fulfilment centre.
Amazon catalogues and stores your products in its ready-to-ship inventory.
Amazon fulfils orders placed to you on Amazon.in and provides you customer service for the orders that are fulfilled by Amazon.
Fulfilment by Amazon picks your products from your inventory and packs them for delivery.
Amazon ships the products to your customers from its network of fulfilment centres.
Fulfilment by Amazon is possible for most categories available on Seller Central and is available to any seller who wants to try it. Whether you are selling on Amazon.in or not, you can test FBA by sending a few products or a whole truck load. There are no set-up fees or recurring subscriptions fees; you only pay for the services that you use and when you make a sale.
To enrol in Fulfilment by Amazon programme, click here.
The latest version of the user agreement for FBA is always in Seller Central Help.
You can view the details by clicking on this link.
No. You need to create at least one active listing before converting your account to Seller Central.
Identify products that you would like to register in Seller Central. For Amazon Fulfilment units, you may identify your applicable Amazon.in website product listing. (FBA Manual, section Convert Listings to Fulfilled by Amazon)
Yes. You may sell some product units using Fulfilment by Amazon while fulfilling others yourself. For product units that you do not register for Fulfilment by Amazon, you will be able to continue receiving orders through the Amazon.in website, and you will continue to be responsible for fulfilling those orders.
The Amazon Services India Business Solutions Agreement sets forth products that are excluded from the programme. Some products excluded from Fulfilment by Amazon may still be eligible for sale on the Amazon website. You will, however need to handle fulfilment for these products yourself. (FBA Manual Product Restrictions)
In addition to the information requirements in the Amazon Services Business India Solutions Agreement, you must also provide us with any other information that we request about any of your products, or the fulfilment of your products, in a format and upon intervals that we request. This product information may include all information regarding all available product categorisation and sub-categorisations, item and packaging dimensions, weight and barcode data and product condition for all of your products if this information is not already in our catalogue.
Fulfilment by Amazon has no minimum number of items required. You can send one test item or many items. (See FBA Manual section Shipping and Routing Requirements for large shipment notification details).
All products must be packaged to sell as single units (including multiple volume sets). Packaging must meet safety requirements to protect both the products and the workers handling the products. FBA Manual Packaging Requirements provides detailed instructions for packing the following types of products:
All products sold on Amazon must comply with the Participation Agreement. In addition, products stored and fulfiled from an Amazon fulfilment centre must meet the conditions set forth in FBA Manual Product Restrictions.
Each unit must be labelled so that the correct item can be picked from the inventory in Amazon's fulfilment centre and shipped to your customer. Labels also help us track the product units you have in inventory at Amazon's fulfilment centres. Shipments that are received without proper labelling may be returned to you. You can print labels from Seller Central.
Labelling is the process of attaching a unique product identifier (such as a seller SKU) with its barcode onto the product. The label needs to be attached to each unit or to the outside packaging of the unit so that the entire label is visible. You need to ensure that each unit that is shipped to us has a label on its packaging that complies with these rules, including a scannable bar code containing the correct Amazon identifier. If any unit is shrink-wrapped or in a protective case, you will need to ensure that the barcode is scannable without removing the shrink wrap or the protective case. The label must also cover the original barcode. (FBA Manual section Print Product Labels)
A label has a product identifier specific to Amazon Fulfilment, including the item description, the item condition and a barcode of the product identifier. (FBA Manual section Print Product Labels)
Every unit must be labelled with the labels provided by Seller Central (FBA Manual section Print Product Labels).
After we provide the information needed for the labels, you can print labels for the registered products using Seller Central or using third-party software designated by Amazon. Labels will contain the product description to help you match the label to the correct product. (FBA Manual Print Product Labels)
No. We do not currently offer labelling services.
Once you register a product type, you will enter the number of units of the product type that you want to send to us using Seller Central or using third-party software designated by Amazon. Then you will create a shipment in Seller Central. Once you have shipped the product units, you will set the shipment to "Mark as Shipped." (FBA Manual section Shipping Inventory to Amazon.in)
You can monitor your inventory levels online using Seller Central or using third-party software designated by Amazon. If you want to send additional product units to increase your inventory levels, you will need to inform us of additional product unit shipments that you want to send to Amazon's fulfilment centre. See below for more information related to customer returns and inventory returns. (FBA Manual section Managing Amazon Fulfiled Inventory in Seller Central)
Collect your packaged and labelled product units and pack them in boxes to ship to Amazon fulfilment centres. Print shipping labels for your packages. Using Seller Central you can print the list of products and quantities that you intend to send to us. You can use this list as a reference when collecting the products from your storage facility. (FBA Manual section Print Labels: Ship with FBA or Ship Yourself)
Pack your product units in as few boxes as possible. Protect your products from damage during shipping by adding cushioning material like polystyrene foam or bubble-wrap to the box. Check the sealed box to ensure that the contents in the box will not shift during shipping and that the box is strong enough for shipping. Repack the box if necessary. (FBA Manual section Shipping Best Practices)
You can ship to us using any carrier and any shipping speed. When using your own carrier, you will be asked in Seller Central to enter the tracking numbers that you receive from your carrier when you ship your boxes.
Print a shipping label for each box using Seller Central or using third-party software tools designated by Amazon. Attach a shipping label to the exterior of each box. The shipping label provides the destination address and the return address. Labels printed for shipments using our carrier accounts will also include the tracking number. You will ensure that:
The label size currently supported is 99.1 x 139 mm (A4) on plain paper. (FBA Manual section Print Labels: Ship with Amazon or Ship Yourself)
Your name does not appear on the item labels or on the shipping label that the buyer receives. Your name appears on the packing slip included in the box as the seller of record.
All of Amazon's fulfilment items are shipped using a First Class or a higher priority shipping method.
Yes. We can receive inventory that originates in other countries. Sellers with shipments that originate in other countries will need to arrange the import and customs clearance of the shipment and then arrange the delivery of the shipment to Amazon's fulfilment centres. If you are arranging delivery using full containers, trucks or LTL (Less Than Truckload) deliveries, then review the FBA Manual section Shipping and Routing Requirements for instructions on arranging a dock delivery appointment.
We do not perform quality checks when your shipment is processed unless the item clearly appears to have been destroyed or damaged during inbound shipping. If you label an item as "new" and we see any indications of damage (cracks, chips, tears, etc.) then we will mark the item as unsellable.
Seller Central's Manage FBA Shipments tool will show you the status of your shipments. After you mark a shipment as sent, Seller Central will show that the shipment is in transit. When we receive your shipment, we scan the items and the shipment is moved to the Shipment Archive.
Inventory that is sent to an Amazon fulfilment centre is generally scanned and made available for sale within three business days of delivery except during the busy holiday season when the processing time is five business days.
If you are using a carrier that provides tracking information and you see that your shipment has arrived at Amazon fulfilment centre, but that it has not been processed after more than five business days from the time of delivery, then please file a support case by going to Contact Us.
In the form, include your tracking numbers and any other relevant information related to the shipment.
The primary causes of delayed shipment processing are:
Existing FBA sellers can check the following Seller Central help article for further assistance: Shipment Preparation and Routing Requirements.
No. For products that you offer for sale through the Amazon website, your listings will not appear available for purchase by customers until we process the inventory.
If any unit is lost or damaged due to Amazon’s fault, then we reimburse the Fair Market Value of the unit and will pay you either:
OR
You may not specify a replacement value that is greater than the lowest selling price at which you list such unit or similar products for sale through any sales channel, and we may elect to use any such listed price as an additional basis for determining the replacement value. To make a claim or learn more about this process, use the contact us form to send us the specific Shipment ID and the claim reason.
Yes. Amazon will require you to provide either the carrier tracking number or the postal service delivery confirmation number on all claims of lost shipments or undelivered shipments.
The All Inventory View page allows you to manage your listings, whether they are fulfilled by Amazon or fulfilled by the merchant. This page allows you to list and edit items for sale (price, condition, quantity, etc.).
The Inventory Amazon Fulfils page allows you to manage your inventory that is fulfilled by Amazon. This page lists all the relationships between listings and inventory items (FNSKUs) even if the listing no longer exists or the listing is now currently related to a different listing. This enables you to review existing inventory in the Amazon fulfilment centre, to set up new shipments to replenish your inventory, to move listings back to the Merchant Fulfilled section.
There are several different issues that can prevent your inventory from listing on Amazon. The most common issue occurs when your items appear in the Inventory Amazon Fulfils page but no listing exists on the All Inventory View page. This happens when the listing is deleted for the item using a feed or the All Inventory View page. If you have more inventory of the product that you would like to sell, then you will need to list the item again using the same merchant SKU, ASIN and condition. You can use feeds or the add a product button on the All Inventory View page to do this. If you do not match the SKU, ASIN and condition, then a second product will be added to your Inventory Amazon Fulfils page that will not be associated with the existing inventory.
This can also result from delays in the inventory systems. Generally, inventory updates show up on the Amazon website within a few minutes. If the inventory has not shown up for sale on the Amazon website after an hour and you have verified that the correct Amazon-fulfilled listing exists, then contact customer support, Contact us.
This can also occur when the inventory is associated with a merchant-fulfilled listing, especially if you have not specified a merchant-fulfilled quantity (please see the following FAQ).
If you received an error on the Inventory Amazon Fulfils page relating to this issue, then please verify that the web page data has been updated recently (a timestamp is displayed below the search bar on the right hand side of the page) and that your item is not presently available for sale on Amazon before reporting a problem. You can select the Show ASIN/FNSKU checkbox and then click the item's ASIN to visit the corresponding Amazon.in listing page.
No. An AFN listing is required for you to sell inventory fulfilled from Amazon's fulfilment centres. If your listings are MFN, then none of your inventory available for fulfilment from Amazon fulfilment centres will be available for sale. This usually occurs when you can see a quantity available in the Inventory Amazon Fulfils page in Seller Central, a listing in the All Inventory View page, but no listing on the Offer Listing Page on Amazon. On the All Inventory View page, please select the items to be fulfilled by Amazon and choose Convert to Fulfilled by Amazon from the drop-down menu to move them to the AFN inventory.
You can only have one active inventory item for each listing (identified by a merchant SKU); otherwise the Amazon fulfilment systems would be unable to determine which inventory item to ship for your listing.
For example, if you register a listing with a merchant SKU of "my-SKU-1" for a specific ASIN and condition (creating an inventory item identified by an AFN SKU (FNSKU) "my-FNSKU-a"), then redefine that listing with the same merchant SKU, "my-SKU-1", for a different ASIN or even condition, the previous inventory (my-FNSKU-a) item will no longer be actively associated with "my-SKU-1". A new inventory item will be created (identified by FNSKU "my-FNSKU-b") and associated with "my-SKU-1". Any inventory associated with inventory item "my-FNSKU-a" will no longer be sellable. If the merchant wants to sell the inventory for "my-FNSKU-a", then the merchant must relist the listing using the original values (merchant SKU, ASIN and condition) that were associated with that inventory item.
If you would like to sell the inventory for the affected inventory item, then you must relist or edit the listing using the original values (merchant SKU, ASIN and condition) that were associated with that inventory item. If you are an individual merchant, then you will need to contact us to correct this problem because you cannot create or edit merchant SKUs.
At this time you cannot remove the original item.
You might see additional rows if you delete a listing from the All Inventory View page for an item that you no longer plan on fulfilling using FBA or when you create a new listing (or modify an existing listing) for a product that you have already converted to AFN. Changing a listing's condition or correcting errors in your specified ASINs or merchant SKUs can cause these unwanted rows. You can prevent this from happening in the future by using the same merchant SKU, ASIN and condition as the original item when relisting items.
The presence of the previous inventory item is benign as long as it does not have inventory. In the future, we will be adding functionality to remove these items, but for now they will remain on the Inventory Amazon Fulfils page.
You can request that your unfulfillable inventory be returned to you. You have to contact us to arrange a distributor return / seller pick-up for the inventory that you no longer want to have Amazon fulfil, including unfulfillable inventory.
Here are the most common reasons that items remain reserved for long periods of time:
The most common cause for this scenario occurs when a merchant lists an existing item that has an ASIN as a new item, thus generating a new ASIN. This will create two products for the same item. To correct this, Amazon.in will assign the item with the merchant's new ASIN to the original ASIN. If this occurs, then the inventory will need to be relabelled by the Amazon fulfilment centres so that it will be associated with the original ASIN. You will need to contact us for assistance. You can prevent this by verifying that a product does not already exist before creating a listing for a new product ASIN.
Most often items are listed as "Unsellable" on your Current Inventory Report when they are damaged or do not match the condition that you assigned to them in the item listings. Items can also be identified as "Unsellable" when they are returned by customers and the condition has changed since leaving the fulfilment centre.
Once an item is identified as "Unsellable", it is set aside for 30 days. During that time, you can request that we return your unsellable items to you at your expense. Until the items are returned to you or disposed of, you will continue to pay for the storage of the unsellable items.
We have also enabled the option of Seller Pick-up. Through this facility, you can create a removal order and request for your consignment to be picked and packed. Once done, you will get an intimation from the team and you can schedule an appointment to pick the items up yourself from Amazon's fulfilment centre.
To have your unsellable inventory returned to you, contact us and provide the merchant SKU, the Fulfilment Centre ID and the quantity of the unsellable inventory.
All Amazon fulfilment centres are modern, secure facilities with a highly automated pick, pack and ship process to facilitate the safe and timely processing of seller orders. Features include the following:
See this for calculation of the storage fees.
Refer to FBA overview help page in order to understand the fulfilment centre capabilities.
Boxes must not exceed standard weight limit of 30 kg. All boxes exceeding 15 kg must be clearly marked with 'heavy weight' viewable from both the top and sides.
Fulfilment by Amazon orders have a 1 kilogram minimum.
Promised Ship Dates are calculated according to the shipping method chosen. If a customer has selected "Ship When Order Complete", then this will delay the ship date.
All Amazon sellers are assessed Sales Charges for the advantages of selling their products on Amazon.in. The Sales Charges consist of three fees:
All Sales Charges are deducted at the time of the sale from the total amount that the buyer pays for the item. The remaining balance is added to your Payments Account and can eventually be deposited in your bank account.
Sample credits and charges for a book sale on Amazon.in (note: these fees are subject to change)
INR 400.00 book:
Buyer Costs | |
---|---|
Book | INR 400.00 |
Delivery (Standard shipping) | INR 0.00 |
Seller Credits | |
---|---|
Item credit if sold | INR 10.00 |
Standard Shipping credit* | INR 3.99 |
*Paid only to sellers who are fulfilling orders themselves; if using Fulfilment by Amazon, then the seller will not receive this credit.
Total credit using Fulfilment by Seller: INR 13.99 (note: the seller is responsible for shipping the item to the buyer)
Total credit using Fulfilment by Amazon: INR 10.00
Seller Fees | |
---|---|
Referral Fee | INR 1.50 |
No, if you are using Fulfilment by Amazon, then you will not receive additional shipping or fulfilment credit at the time of a sale. Since Amazon is handling the fulfilment for you, the buyer pays shipping costs directly to Amazon and you pay the associated fulfilment fee as per the FBA pricing schedule: Quick Reference: Calculating Your FBA Programme Fees.
All Amazon sellers are assessed Sales Charges for the advantages of selling their products on Amazon.in. The Sales Charges consist of:
All Sales Charges are deducted from your Payments Account after the Purchase Price paid by the customer is deposited in the account.
The Referral Fee varies depending on the Product Category under which your item is listed. To determine the Referral Fee on a product ordered through Amazon.in, you will need to know the Product Category and the Purchase Price.
Referral Fee = Purchase Price x Referral Rate
Example: A customer purchases a camera for INR 5,000 (Purchase Price). The Referral Rate for cameras (Product Category) is 8 percent. The Referral Fee would be INR 400 (INR 5,000 x 0.08 = INR 400).
Please refer to the following page for up-to-date pricing information: FBA Fulfilment Fees
For orders made on the Amazon.in website that we fulfil, we will manage all customer service associated with the fulfilment of your FBA products. Our online Returns Centre provides customers with help pages and details about how to contact us. If the customer wants to return a product, then we will direct the customer to our online Returns Centre.
For products sold by you on the Amazon website, we will process customer refunds for product returns in accordance with our returns policy, the FBA Service Terms and the Selling on Amazon Service Terms. Your Selling on Amazon settlement report will show these customer refunds. (FBA Manual section Settlement Report Page.
If the unit was sold through the Amazon website, and if we determine the returned product is still sellable in the same condition as previously listed, then we will automatically place the unit back into your inventory and designated "Fulfillable". Amazon credits your Seller Account for all or part of the Referral Fee.*
If we determine that the unit is damaged or no longer sellable in the same condition as previously listed and Amazon takes responsibility for the damage to the unit as set forth in the FBA Service Terms, then the unit is not added to your inventory and Amazon credits your Seller Account for the product sales price plus applicable taxes AND all or part of the Referral Fee.*
* The amount of the Referral Fee to be credited to your account will be calculated in accordance with the terms of your Selling Agreement.
Learn more about Customer Returns and Refund Request.
You can request to have your inventory returned to you by completing the Create Removal Order form. From the Inventory Amazon Fulfils page:
For more information about creating removal orders, go to FBA Manual Create Removal Orders
You must provide an IN domestic address for inventory returns.
If you would like your inventory returned to an address outside India, then you can use a freight forwarder or a customs broker.
You pay the removal charges as per the Removal fees schedule. See Removal Fee Schedule for complete details.
Your account will show the date on which we shipped your products to you. Tracking numbers will be provided upon request.
Buyers can leave feedback for the seller on orders that are fulfilled by Amazon.
If the entire feedback is related to the service provided by Amazon to you, including fulfilment and customer service, then you can request to have the feedback rating crossed out, provided other removal criteria are met.
If any portion of the comment applies to any service that you provide to the customer, then the rating will remain.
You can request to have feedback reviewed using the Contact Us form.
You may close your Fulfilment by Amazon account in Seller Central. We will remove all of your products from our inventory and return them to the "Ship To" location that you designate. You are responsible for our return fees and return shipping costs.
We offer support through phone and e-mail. Contact an Amazon technical account manager for any questions that you might have through Contact Us.
Check Seller Central for the status of your shipments that are in transit to an Amazon fulfilment centre. The boxes will be listed by the carrier tracking number.
If the tracking number indicates that the boxes are in transit and delayed, then contact the carrier. If you cannot trace your shipment, then Contact Us. A technical account manager will assist you.
If the tracking number indicates that the boxes are in transit and are delayed, then contact the carrier. If you cannot track your shipment, then contact us by using the Seller Central Contact Us. A technical account manager will help you.
4
Most carriers assume limited liability for damage or loss in transit depending on the cause. If your units are damaged, then we recommend filing a damage claim with your carrier. We are not responsible for damage during shipment to us.
If any unit is lost or damaged in circumstances for which Amazon takes responsibility under the Amazon Services Business Solutions Agreement, then we treat the unit as if it had been purchased and will pay you either:
An amount no less than the replacement value that you specify to us minus a referral fee and applicable fulfilment fees.
OR
At our option, an amount equal to the applicable replacement value set forth in the Replacement Value Schedule based on the product unit minus a Referral Fee and applicable fulfilment fees. You may not specify a replacement value that is greater than the lowest selling price at which you list the product or similar products for sale through any sales channel, and we may elect to use any such listed price as an additional basis for determining the replacement value.
To make a claim or learn more about this process, use the Contact Us form to send us the specific Shipment ID and the claim reason.
If we realise that you have mislabelled products sent to Amazon's fulfilment centres, then we will either relabel the product units with the correct label to make them available for sale or return them to you. We may charge you an administrative fee for this service. (FBA Manual section Shipping Best Practices)
There are a few damage standards that sellers need to consider while making Accept/Reject decisions during a six-sided check. To know more about the FBA damage inventory standards for books and media (CD, DVD, Blue Ray Disc/Playstaton, XBox), refer to the document.