In 2022, Amazon implemented a mandatory change to the FBA shipment process. They call it Send to Amazon, and claim it makes the FBA shipment process easier.
Well, according to many, it isn’t easy — At All. It is Soooo Confusing!
The truth is, it is a change, and change isn’t always accepted, embraced, or loved. It always results in some level of dis-location.
As a Change Management Consultant in a past life, I helped companies work through simple or massive changes to the operational environment.
To manage a change, we first worked with those affected to get their pre-implementation approval to proceed.
Then, we taught the new proceses to those affected. In this phase we have hands-on exercises to touch all of the changes.
Finally, we develop an SOP (Stnadard Operating Process or Procedure) to document the Changed Processes Steps, distribute it, and go live.
In Amazon’s case, it is hard to get the teaching and practice steps completed. Too Many Students! They do have Seller University videos on the new Send to Amazon process works.
But, some people just love a step-by-step description for their learning style.
Following is my process.
As you work through it on your own, take notes of what you did, what you should have done, and what you didn’t find that you needed to know. Then, compile this and your notes to make your own SOP for the future.
My Send to Amazon workflow works like this:
In Seller Central, Inventory, Manage Inventory, select all the items you want to Send to Amazon by ticking the check-box. You will only be able to send items already marked as FBA items.
Alternatively, you can go directly to the Send to Amazon page and select your items from your full list. You can also add additional items from that list to the already selected ones from Manage Inventory.
When you have selected all you are planning to send, Up at the top Left is an “Action on X Selections” menu. Drop it down and choose the Send/Replenish Inventory. Amazon will ask you to confirm you want to send these items. You say yes.
The Send to Amazon page will now have all the items you selected listed and ready for you to enter quantities. You might need to edit the Prep and Labeling options for each, but these settings will remain for the next time you send it. You can also create one or more Case-Pack settings for any items.
Once you’ve entered all your quantities and clicked the Ready to Pack buttons, you can then designate how many boxes you will be sending. If more than 1 you don’t need to know the number of boxes untill you are finished actually loading and measuring your boxes.
Select the number of boxes, enter the number of each ASIN packed in each box, and the weights and dimensions. Then confirm you are ready to label and ship. You will confirm the cost, then enter the Ship Date, and label type.
Print and apply the labels.
This is how I do it. I also have a supplemental page I use to track what and how many to ship, and which boxes they got packed into.
Give it a test-drive. Let me know what I missed, and what needs more explanation.
Sell a Ton!
John L