FBA · Intermediate · 3 min read · 7 steps
How to create an FBA shipment with Send to Amazon
Send to Amazon is a short workflow with long consequences. The boxes you describe in Step 1 are the boxes the fulfillment center expects to open, so the real work happens before you click anything.
Prep first, then the five screens, then the two traps sellers hit most.
Part 01
Step by step
7 steps, in the order Seller Central asks for them.
- 01Convert the SKUs to FBA
Only SKUs already converted to FBA show up in the workflow. New to FBA? Register first from Settings, Account info, Register for FBA.
Sources: Seller Central Help, Create shipments with Send to Amazon, Sell on Amazon, Fulfillment by Amazon
- 02Prep and label every unit
Each unit needs a scannable barcode: a GTIN such as a UPC, or an FBA label. Amazon can label for you for a fee. Cover any old barcode so the scanner reads the right one.
Source: Sell on Amazon, How to pack, ship and fulfill orders
- 03Step 1: Choose inventory to send
Select the ship-from address, the marketplace and the SKUs. If a SKU always ships in the same single-SKU box, save a case pack template with units per box, box size, weight and prep details.
Sources: Seller Central Help, Create shipments with Send to Amazon, Sell on Amazon, Send to Amazon shipment creation
- 04Step 1b: Pack individual units
Shipping mixed-SKU boxes? The workflow tells you which SKUs can be packed together, and you choose one box or several.
Sources: Seller Central Help, Create shipments with Send to Amazon, Sell on Amazon, Send to Amazon shipment creation
- 05Step 2: Confirm shipping
Enter the ship date and choose small parcel or pallets. Compare the estimated costs, including Amazon's partnered carrier with its discounted rates.
- 06Step 3: Print box labels
Review the box details and print a label for every box. Small parcel with Amazon's partnered carrier is now done.
- 07Steps 4 to 6: pallets and tracking
Pallet shipments confirm carrier and pallet information, and print pallet labels when using a partnered carrier. Any small parcel or pallet shipment not using Amazon's partnered carrier ends by entering tracking details.
Source: Seller Central Help, Create shipments with Send to Amazon
Part 02 Checklist
Tick it off: Before you click Send to Amazon
Your ticks stay in this browser, so you can work through it box by box.
Part 03
The picture
The same facts, drawn. Each chart links to the Amazon page it comes from.
Partnered small parcel ends at box labels. Pallets and your-own-carrier shipments keep going.
Source: Seller Central Help, Create shipments with Send to Amazon
Data desk by XENA IntelligenceAmazon's new seller FBA benefits for Professional sellers. Check eligibility on the page before you plan around them.
Source: Sell on Amazon, Fulfillment by Amazon
Data desk by XENA IntelligencePart 04
Tricks the help page buries
The lines in Amazon's own documentation that most sellers scroll past.
- 1Thirty workflows at once
You can keep up to 30 active Send to Amazon workflows and switch between them. Name them by supplier or date and you'll find the right one later.
Source: Seller Central Help, Create shipments with Send to Amazon
- 2No walk-in deliveries
Fulfillment centers don't take general public deliveries. Only professional carriers book delivery appointments, through Carrier Central.
Source: Seller Central Help, Create shipments with Send to Amazon
- 3Mind the 181-day line
Amazon charges an aged inventory surcharge on items stored more than 181 days. Send what sells in that window, not what's cheapest to ship in bulk.
- 4Templates are for boring boxes
Case pack templates save the most time on single-SKU boxes that never change. Mixed boxes go through Step 1b each time.
Source: Seller Central Help, Create shipments with Send to Amazon
Part 05
Questions sellers ask
Tap a question to open it.
Why can't I find my product in Send to Amazon?
Usually because it isn't an FBA SKU yet. Only SKUs already converted to FBA appear in Step 1, Choose inventory to send. Convert the offer to Fulfilled by Amazon first, then reopen Send to Amazon from the Shipping Queue.
Source: Seller Central Help, Create shipments with Send to Amazon
Do I have to use Amazon's partnered carrier for FBA?
No, you can use your own carrier. The partnered carrier gives discounted rates, and new Professional sellers get $100 off inbound shipments through it. With your own carrier, you add tracking details at the end of the workflow.
Sources: Sell on Amazon, Send to Amazon shipment creation, Sell on Amazon, Fulfillment by Amazon, Seller Central Help, Create shipments with Send to Amazon
What is a case pack template in Send to Amazon?
A saved packing setup for a single-SKU box: units per box, box dimensions, box weight, and prep and labeling details. Ship the same box for that SKU again and the template fills it in for you.
Source: Seller Central Help, Create shipments with Send to Amazon
Can I book a fulfillment center appointment myself?
No. Amazon doesn't accept general public deliveries at fulfillment centers. Delivery appointments are booked by professional carriers through Carrier Central, so the carrier you choose handles it.
Source: Seller Central Help, Create shipments with Send to Amazon
Sources
Every fact above comes from these Amazon pages, opened on . Amazon updates them; if a step looks different in your account, trust Seller Central.