Great article covering the basics and some more advanced tips.
26 Comments (page 1)
Awesome write up even for those who already ship direct. Really puts everything in perspective and some good nuggets to learn.
Great information. Can you give some names of distribution centres in CA please. Prep centre fees are killing me.
I use BGI Worldwide Logistics. However I have successful colleagues that swear by Flexport.
Awesome and well done article! It really helped me understand the process a lot more.
Informative share, Anthony! Excellent and comprehensive information. Great value for new businesses.
Hi Anthony, Excellent article. Can't thank you enough for the tonne of information provided for Amazon FBA sellers. I had products manufactured in China and got them shipped to Singapore, where I live. I want to ship them now to Amazon facility from Singapore. What is the best way of doing it: direct from Singapore to Amazon, or ship to distribution centre and then to Amazon. This is my first time shipping to Amazon FBA. Thanks.
Since your goods are with you in Singapore, you can save money by prepping them yourself and sending them directly to AMZ. The main reason people use prep centers and distribution centers is to automate processes and make them hands-off. But since you already have the goods in hand, you can gain some firsthand knowledge on how to prep everything.
I can't thank you enough for your very well informed and easy to read guide, especially the check lists. My product is in mass production right now and I am nervous about the shipments. Your article is so helpful!
Great article Anthony ! Thanks Have you ever shipped a full 20ft or 40 ft container directly to Amazon’s warehouses? My freight fowarding company says that many warehouses rejects containers and that the pallets need to be transloaded into a truck (which is a more costly option). Is this true ? Or they are just trying to make more money with me ? Thanks a lot !
My understanding is you cannot deliver a FCL on pallets. It MUST be floor loaded. Also, floor loaded containers will not be accepted if they are oversized. I hope that helps!
Hello Anthony, Thank you for the great pointers! Can you tell me if there is a way I can guarantee that my supplier is shipping my order by air express which is stated in the contract? I have some doubts because there have been 2 separate delays one of which they claim is due to customs clearance in which they are waiting on documents that will take several days to receive. Thank you
The only and best way to guarantee your goods were shipped in any way is with a Tracking/Waybill number. If you have a Waybill number and the courier, you can track any parcel. If you look up the Waybill/Tracking number with the courier and don't see any info, this doesn't mean it WASN'T sent, but it isn't a good sign. But, with that number you can also call the courier and get them to track it for you.
Hi I’m based in Australia. If my Chinese supplier sends products by airfreight direct from China to Amazon FBA warehouse how can I ensure any import tax is paid prior to being received at amazon? Will the Chinese supplier prepay the tax or would I need to call the carrier DHL, UPS etc to bill me any charges?
It all depends on how they set it up with the carrier. If you pay DDP then customs tarrifs are paid up front. However, air express typically doesn't offer this. Usually you'll be called by the carrier and instructed on how to pay the tarrif after the fact. But see what you can work out with whoever you hire to do the shipping.
Thanks for your articles As per I know if I want to export anything to USA first I need PI. How can I get this from Amazon. And If I send the shipment via sea who will clear it. Thanks Advance from Bangladesh.
Love the article and thanks Anthony. I will be following. 1 - China to FBA sea with FF 2 - When setting up the LTL "other" in Amazon, I printed the box labels for my China factory. 3 - The system asks for pallet info, which I don't have. My FF told me that this is not necessary. I am imagining that they will be making the appt with Amazon and giving them this info? Does this make sense? Hopefully and thanks ahead of time.
Great article Anthony, thanks a lot. I still have one question about the contract. How do you handle the contract with the supplier in China? I think it is important to have written down the time the suppleir has to manufacture parts and send them aborad?Otherwise the supplier maybe will prioritise other customers first so you have to wait long time for your goods or he will supply bad quality.
Hello , I need help. I have hired inspection service in China to go to manufactory and look products before shipment. Can I send after this straight that in amazon fba or should I hire again inspection service when products come to USA? Or after products come to sea port I need freight forwarder to forwarding my products to FBA? Thanks a lot :(
Customs clearance sometimes delays shipping, especially during peak seasons. Since you didn't say the specific situation, let me explain the rough process to you. For example, FBA shipping from China to FBA in usa will provide the UPS waybill number (if the UPS delivery is used) before the goods leave China, but this number can not see the latest status of the goods. After the goods arrive USA and finish the customs clearance job, you can use the waybill number to check the last status of the goods than, The delivery from China to USA will be by sea freight or by air freight. These are the customers' choices and the cost is difference. Sea freight takes about 30 days, and air freight is about 10 days. If the customs clearance delays, you can contact with your FBA forwarder to try to push it.
Hi Neil, From China to FBA in Australia support the Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) shipping already. The shipping company will using the air freight send to Australia, then after they finish the import clearance job, local ups etc., would finish the delivery job to your FBA address. In fact most FBA shipping companies can do that, include us.
Hi Vicky, If the guys you hired in China do have enough experience for the FBA business, don't worry you can send these goods straight that in amazon FBA.
Most of the items I want to send direct from China to FBA USA are considered oversize. For this reason, we do not like to use Inventory Placement Service and would prefer to use Distributed Inventory Placement (default setting). Using this placement setting, we are required to create a shipping plan for the quantity of units we want to send. This almost always splits our shipments into 2-4 delivery locations. If that's the case, how can we manage FCL shipments? Do I have to use Inventory Placement Service if we want to make an FCL shipment from the factory in China to FBA US? We would ship directly to FBA. Conversely, do I have to "create shipping plans" before I can tell the factory what to ship? This is, once again, due to Amazon splitting up my shipments under the Distributed Inventory Placement setting. I have control over that. Or do I? Please let me know. Thank you so much!
Hi Anthony Lee, this is Gobinda from Bangladesh. what is the shipping process from Bangladesh supplier to Amazon - USA. Please advise.
Great Article- Has saved me a lot of headache already. So I’ve got a supplier who has agreed a Door to Door sea shipment straight for me from China to a Fulfillment centre in the U.K - they will do the labelling for me- I’m aware of the quality issue risks, so I’m hiring a 3rd party inspection done before the products are shipped. ( I know it’s still a gamble)- but I’m only ordering 700 units and wish to test the product first. With their door to door shipment- does that mean I don’t have to bother with a freight forwarder and they can get my good delivered to the Fulfillment centres?
Is it worth it to do polybagging and labeling yourself as opposed to having Amazon do it? I know the fees just doubled on June 1, 2021 if you don't do it yourself. What do you guys think of third-party labeling software like 2D Transit? Seems like it might really cut down on the error rate and the time involved, although you'd need to meet a certain volume threshold for it to make financial sense.