Amazon FBA For Beginners: How To Start Selling In 5 Steps
Amazon may be a behemoth, but it’s helped birth many small businesses, learn how to start selling with this Amazon FBA for beginners guide.
FBA, a short for Fulfillment by Amazon, is a service that Amazon offers to cater to the needs of several entrepreneurs and ecommerce businesses. If you’re new to Amazon FBA, this could be a big opportunity as a small business owner to get your products stored at the nearest Amazon fulfillment center, from where Amazon packs and ships the goods as per your plan preferences.
Why is this a benefit to you?
FBA eliminates the hassle of dealing with packaging and shipping allowing business owners to focus on marketing and bringing more products.
More importantly, Amazon FBA opens up a massive sales channel that can drive revenue like many small businesses have never seen.
But, as appealing as the program may seem, it’s not always easy to navigate. A beginner can easily get confused between the variety of planning options as well as technical terms. So, here is a comprehensive guide to the Amazon FBA for Beginners.
Understanding ASIN & Other Terms
Before we head on to the real deal, let’s have a look at these fundamental terms. Without knowledge of this, you might not be able to process basic data.
ASIN refers to the Amazon Standard Identification Numbers, which are 10-digit alphanumeric identifiers. All of your FBA products will receive a separate ASIN number upon getting listed. And this value is usually visible along with the URL.
Along the same lines, SKU is another important identifier that helps business owners track the status of their products. FNSKU, as the combination of your SKU and ASIN identifier, creates your Amazon-oriented barcode.
Getting Started
Let’s begin the Amazon FBA shipping process from the very first step, i.e., getting your things in place. Before anything, you must have a product ready that you want to sell. Next, as Amazon will be storing the products, it will demand the following information:
- Quantity
- Size and weight
- Items per product
Moreover, the product must have a UPC barcode, or else Amazon won’t accept it. Lastly, you must be aware of the entity that will deliver the goods to Amazon and their location. It is better to collect all this data beforehand so that you can complete the Amazon FBA shipping process smoothly.
Step 1: Craft Your Own Plan
Initially, you should design a plan that addresses the Amazon requirements. When setting up the shipping plan, Amazon will ask you about the products, their quantity, people responsible for packaging, and whatnot. So, it is better to analyze the data at hand and decide how you will inform the platform about it. Next, check whether you have a product listing ready. If your product has a private label or is not sold by Amazon yet, then create a product listing.
Step 2: Set Up a Catalogue & Input Values
Once your product listings are ready, go to Inventory, and select Manage Inventory. Then select the products that you want to ship to Amazon FBA. Next, click on Actions on the selected menu, and select the Replenish/Send Inventory.
Now, Amazon will demand your address from where you will be shipping so that it can connect you to the nearest facility. You may also have to provide the packaging details. Once done, click on Continue to Shipping.
The above-stated steps guided you regarding setting up the catalog. After this, you must input the quantity of the goods you will ship. Please ensure immense accuracy at this stage, or else Amazon will refuse your plan.
Step 3: Comply with Packaging Requirements
For successful FBA shipping, Amazon has dedicated requirements for packaging only. You must ensure whether your product packaging meets the criteria or not. Amazon also allows the option where you can simply send the products, and Amazon will ensure the fulfillment of the requirements. However, it is a paid service.
Step 4: Label Them Right
Correct labeling is an important aspect of product packaging. As mentioned above, you can pay Amazon to handle the product packaging themselves.
Say, you want to ship a huge lot of computer monitors – a popular and essential component of home offices these days then visit the Amazon product barcode guidelines section and check about different labeling requirements for different products.
In some cases, you may find the barcodes that you can download, print, and attach to the products. Or, you can also attach the existing UPC codes.
Step 5: Recheck Everything
While this may appear like an unnecessary step, it is super important. Once approved, Amazon won’t allow you to change or alter the provided data easily. And, in case you fail to fulfill the shipping, it will have an adverse effect on your seller profile.
Moreover, Amazon is a well-reputable platform that utilizes advanced surveying methods to ensure accuracy. Slightest of errors in the provided data can lead to plan rejection. Hence, check everything thrice and ensure accuracy before sending for approval.
As a final check, you may want to visit this post to perfect your FBA process:
Final Destination: Prep for Amazon FBA Shipment
On the final stage, you will have to confirm the shipment method, company, quantity of boxes, and date of dispatch. Then, Amazon will ask you to choose a delivery method depending on the size of the shipment. These include, Small Parcel Delivery, Less Than Truckload, and Full Truckload.
Once you select the method, you’ll have to confirm some more details regarding the stock, such as the ASIN number. Lastly, Amazon will provide FBA freight quotes or shipment charges. Upon acceptance, dispatch the products, and relax. Now, Amazon will handle everything from selling to deliveries!
Now that you’ve got your products ready to ship to Amazon, work on perfecting your sales strategy to ensure your products move quickly. Check out these tips and tricks and Good luck!
