How to send your inventory to Amazon Fulfillment Centers

To start using Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) – a 3PL service that enables businesses like yours to leverage Amazon’s fulfillment network and expertise to fulfill your orders from off-Amazon sales channels – you will need to ensure you have inventory in Amazon Fulfillment Centers to satisfy demand from those channels.

If you’re an Amazon seller and already have inventory in Amazon Fulfillment Centers, you’re ready to start using MCF and you can go ahead and place an order here.

If you’re new to Amazon, you’ll need to set up a catalog by creating product listings and then follow the instructions in this article to send your inventory to Amazon Fulfillment Centers so that you can place an MCF order.

It’s important to note that the process for inbounding inventory for MCF is the same as the process for inbounding inventory for Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). In fact, the inventory that you ship to Amazon Fulfillment Centers is consolidated into a single pool, which can be used for both your MCF and FBA orders. Many merchants have found that this consolidated inventory approach can bring significant business benefits.

In this article, we’ll provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to prepare, label, and ship your inventory to Amazon Fulfillment Centers – so that it can be used for your MCF or FBA orders.

Step 1 - Choose inventory to send

To choose inventory to send to Amazon Fulfillment Centers:

1. To begin the Send to Amazon workflow, click the menu icon on the Seller Central homepage, hover over “Inventory” and select “Manage FBA Shipments.” Click “Send to Amazon” at the top of the “Shipping Queue” page. You can also begin the workflow by navigating to “Inventory”, clicking “Manage all inventory”, selecting the products you wish to send to Amazon, and selecting “Send/replenish inventory” from the action button.
2. Get started by clicking “Start New” at the bottom of the Send to Amazon page.
3. First, input the address that you wish to ship from and the marketplace destination. This information may also automatically be populated by Seller Central.
4. Next, decide how you would like to pack your shipping boxes. Based on this, there are two options for adding inventory to send to Amazon:
   
   1. Case-pack templates: Add inventory as shipping boxes that will contain units with the same SKU.
   2. Individual units: Add inventory as individual units and provide box content information.
5. If you wish to add inventory as case-pack templates:
   
   1. Create a reusable case-pack template with the box content information, box weight, box dimensions, and prep and labelling information. The template can be used for future shipments to avoid having to re-enter information.
   2. To replenish your case-pack SKUs, choose the template you wish to adjust from the packing details drop-down list. Amazon will generate a recommended quantity for the quantity to send.
   3. Click the “Print SKU labels” link and apply SKU labels.
   4. If you have remaining individual units that don’t fit into your current case-pack template, click “More inputs” and select “Add packing line.” Enter the number of boxes you wish to send.
   5. Click “Ready to send.”
6. If you wish to add inventory as individual units (including if you plan to send mixed SKU boxes):
   
   1. Select “Individual units” under “Packing details.”
   2. Enter information about the prep and labeling of each unit.
      
      1. To change the prep category: Select the units you wish to edit, and click “Set prep category.” Using the “Prep for each unit” drop-down menu, select a category. Click save and close the pop-up and the change will be applied.
      2. To change the prep and label owner: Select the units you wish to edit, and click “Set prep and label owner.” Choose to apply the changes to the chosen packing templates or all packing templates. Select an owner from either the “Who preps units?” drop-down menu, the “Who labels units?” drop-down menu or both. Click save and close the pop-up and the change will be applied.
      3. Enter the number of sellable units and click “Ready to pack.” You can print all SKU labels by clicking the “Print all SKU labels” button.
7. Once you have added all inventory you wish to send, click “Confirm and continue.”

Watch this video for a recap of the instructions for Step 1 – Choose inventory to send.

If you are shipping individual units, continue to Step 1b – Pack individual units. If you are shipping inventory only as case-pack templates, skip to Step 2 – Confirm shipping.

Step 1b – Pack individual units

To provide box content information and pack individual units:

1. Once you confirm the quantity of individual units you are sending, we will determine which SKUs can be packed together, based on the products’ weight, dimensions, and whether they need special handling.
2. Once your pack groups are determined, you will need to provide box content information for the SKUs in each pack group.
   
   1. If all units in a pack group fit into one box: Select “Everything will fit into one box” and click “Confirm.” Enter the box weight and dimensions and click “Confirm packing information.”
   2. If the units in a pack group will be packed in more than one box: Choose “Multiple boxes will be needed” and click “Confirm.” Next, enter the packing information for your multiple boxes. There are three ways to do this:
      
      1. Enter through a web form: This option lets you enter box content information individually using a web form.
      2. Upload an Excel file: This option lets you efficiently upload box content information in bulk.
      3. Amazon manually processes box contents: This option lets you choose to outsource this step to Amazon and have us provide this service for a fee.
3. If you chose the web form or Excel file option, enter the packing information:
   
   1. Through a web form: Enter the estimated number of boxes and click “Open web form”. Enter the units boxed, box weight, and box dimensions. Then, click “Confirm packing information.”
   2. By uploading an Excel file: Enter the estimated number of boxes that the SKUs in a pack group will fit into and click “Generate Excel file.” Download the template and open the file in Excel. For each box, enter the number of units of each SKU that will be packed in that box, along with the box weight and dimensions. Once complete, save the file and upload it by clicking “Upload and validate file.”
4. After you provide box content information for all pack groups, click “Confirm and continue” to proceed to the next step.

Watch this video for a recap of the instructions for Step 1b – Pack individual units.

Once you have completed Step 1b, continue to Step 2 – Confirm shipping.

Step 2 – Confirm shipping

To confirm your shipping:

1. Click “View contents” to review your shipments. The shipment cards represent the shipments sent to different fulfillment centers in order to get your products to your customers faster.
2. Locate the “Ship date” field and enter the date you plan to hand off your inventory to your carrier. If you’re unsure, enter an estimate and update the field later. It’s important to provide an accurate date to avoid any unnecessary delays.
3. Next, choose your shipping mode. Choose one or both of the options below:
   
   1. Small parcel delivery (SPD): Ship inventory as individual boxes.
      
      1. If you choose this option, select the carrier that you want to ship your products. Select an Amazon-partnered carrier for discounted rates, or select a non-Amazon-partnered carrier from the drop-down list. Choose “Other” if you don’t know or are using more than one. Then, review the estimated shipping charges and click “Accept and confirm.”
   2. Less-than truckload (LTL): Ship inventory as pallets.
      
      1. If you choose this option, review the estimated pallet configurations based on the box content information you provided, which helps determine the estimated cost.
4. After finalizing the shipping mode, review the shipments and click “Confirm shipping.” Your shipments will be created and an ID will be generated for each shipment.

Watch this video for a recap of the instructions for Step 2 – Confirm shipping.

Once you have completed Step 2, continue to Step 3 – Print box labels.

Step 3 - Print box labels

To print box labels:

1. First, select the box and shipping label size from the drop-down menu. Click “Print” to generate a PDF with labels for each box in your shipment.
   
   1. Small parcel delivery (SPD): Apply one shipping label per box as well as FBA box ID labels.
      
      1. If you’re using an Amazon-partnered carrier: A shipping label will be generated for each box in addition to the FBA box ID label.
      2. If you’re using a non-partnered carrier: Work with them to create the carrier shipping labels for your boxes. Ensure you also apply an FBA box ID label.
   2. Less-than truckload (LTL): Apply one shipping label per pallet, which will become available in a later step.
2. Take an additional action depending on the shipping mode and carrier you are using:
   
   1. Small parcel delivery (SPD): This is the last step for sending products to Amazon. You can skip Steps 4 and 5.
      
      1. Amazon-partnered carrier: They will pick up the boxes and automatically provide you with tracking information. Click “View tracking details” and you’ll be directed to the final stage, “Tracking details.”
      2. Non-partnered carrier: Hand off your boxes to a non-partnered carrier and click “Proceed to enter tracking details.” Enter the shipment tracking ID in the “Tracking ID” field. Click “Save” to change your shipment’s status to “Shipped.”
   2. Less-than truckload (LTL): Click “Continue to carrier and pallet information” to continue.
      

Watch this video for a recap of the instructions for Step 3 – Print box labels.

If you are using the small parcel delivery (SPD) shipping mode, you are finished sending products to Amazon. If you are using the less-than truckload (LTL) shipping mode, continue to Step 4 – Confirm carrier and pallet information.

Step 4 – Confirm carrier and pallet information

This step is only required if you are shipping pallets. To confirm carrier and pallet information, follow the steps below – which differ depending which type of carrier you are using.

If you are using an Amazon-partnered carrier:

1. Select the Amazon-partnered carrier tab to purchase shipping labels, schedule a pickup, and leverage discounted shipping rates.
2. Enter freight ready date (when your shipments will be ready for pickup).
3. Choose your contact information.
   
   1. If this is your first shipment: Enter the contact information for the person at the pickup location to coordinate with the carrier.
   2. If this is not your first shipment: Select an existing contact.
4. Palletize your boxes, if you haven’t already, and provide pallet information for each shipment. This information should populate from Step 1. Verify if it is correct, edit if necessary, and click “Confirm” to receive carrier charge estimates.
5. Accept your carrier charges by clicking “Confirm carrier and pallet information.”

If you are using a non-partnered carrier:

1. Select the Non-partnered carrier tab and confirm the number of pallets in each shipment. Click “Print” to print four copies of the FBA pallet ID labels for each of your pallets. Place one label squarely on each of the four sides of the pallet.
2. Select the carrier that you’ll be using to ship to Amazon. If your carrier isn’t on the list, select “Other.” Click “Proceed to enter tracking details.”
3. Enter your PRO/Freight bill number provided by your carrier. If you also have a bill of lading (or BOL) number, you may enter it in addition to the PRO/Freight bill number.
4. Finish by clicking “Save” to change your shipment status to “Shipped. Ensure you provide shipment tracking information in Seller Central to verify the arrival and contents of your shipment.

Watch this video for a recap of the instructions for Step 4 – Confirm carrier and pallet information.

If you are using a non-partnered carrier, you are finished sending products to Amazon. If you are using an Amazon-partnered carrier, continue to Step 5 – Print pallet labels.

Step 5 – Print pallet labels

This step is only required if you are shipping pallets with an Amazon-partnered carrier. To print pallet labels:

1. Print your pallet labels by selecting your print format from the pallet labels drop-down menu and clicking “Print pallet labels.” This generates four copies of the FBA pallet ID and shipping label for each pallet in your shipment.
2. Place one label squarely on each of the four sides of the pallet. You can also print the bill of lading (or BOL), if you click “View tracking details.”
3. For each pallet shipment, you must provide a valid BOL to the carrier so they can schedule a delivery appointment. During pickup, ensure you provide your assigned partnered carrier both the BOL and the Amazon reference number, or ARN.
4. Track each shipment by clicking the “Track shipment” links at the bottom of the page.

Watch this video for a recap of the instructions for Step 5 – Print pallet labels.

After completing Step 5, you are finished sending products to Amazon.

Support

Need further assistance? Contact seller support here.

Next steps

Once you send your inventory to Amazon, it will be distributed and stored in our network of Fulfillment Centers until shoppers order your products on Amazon.com or one of your off-Amazon sales channels such as your brand website, another ecommerce marketplace, or a social media store. Once you receive an order from one of these off-Amazon channels, you can go ahead and place your first MCF order. Amazon will pick, pack, and ship your products and deliver them to your customer’s doorstep, with shipping speeds as fast as one day. You can also automate your fulfillment process with MCF by using one of our 100+ integrations.