One of the biggest questions I get from handmade sellers wanting to start selling on FBA (fulfillment by Amazon) is about packaging.
How should you package your items?
What are Amazon’s rules for packaging?
Let's cover absolutely everything you need to know about packaging your items for FBA. I'll also be sharing a resource list on where you can find some great packaging supplies!
How should you package your items for FBA?
This is a loaded question because it depends entirely on your items and your category.
A few helpful tips for packaging for the Amazon warehouses:
Make sure your items are packaged WELL. I can't stress this one enough! If you can use boxes, that is a best-case scenario because it will help make sure your items are protected. When planning your packaging for your FBA inventory, ask yourself these questions:
- If my items were packaged in a box with a bowling ball or a heavy cast-iron skillet, would my items not be crushed and protected?
- If my items were dropped 6 feet, would they survive?
If your items are glass, make sure you use all the bubble wrap you possibly can to keep your items safe while at the warehouse and in transit to the customer.
One other thing to keep in mind with your packaging, though - FBA fees are based on the weight and the size of your items. If your packaging is too large, it could put your items into a different size bracket when it comes to fees. That could end up costing your profit margin a lot more!
When it comes to packaging, your items need to be packaged and ready. When a customer places an order, an Amazon employee needs to be able to quickly pull your item from the shelves and ship it to the customer.
What are Amazon’s rules for packaging?
Before sending, planning, or preparing to send inventory to the warehouse, make sure you have reviewed and read Amazon’s packaging guidelines. Seriously, so important, and there are always additional guidelines depending on your item. Way too many to actually cover in a blog post, and that is where the most up-to-date guidelines will be.
Every item needs to have an outer scannable barcode label. For Handmade, this is the FNSKU label that Amazon provides you when you are creating a shipping plan. Those labels need to be placed on the outside of your packaging, and they are how Amazon warehouses keep track and control over your inventory.
If your items are packaged in a plastic poly bag, it must have a suffocation warning label if the bag opening is 5 inches or larger. The warning can be printed on the bag already, or you can use a warning label.
Where to Buy Amazon FBA Packaging and Supplies
You might not have needed some extra packaging supplies before when you were only shipping customer orders directly. Here is a resource list of places where you can find some extra packaging supplies:
- Uline - boxes, poly bags, labels, bubble wrap
- Paper Mart - cotton bags, specialized packaging and boxes
- Packaging Supplies - boxes, poly bags, bubble wrap
- Noble Pack - jewelry boxes, tissue paper
- Bags & Bows - bags, jewelry boxes, tissue paper
