Amazon FBA Labelling & Packaging Requirements

Amazon FBA Labelling and Packaging Guide for 2023

Digital revolution and technical drifts have catapulted our lifestyles and standard of living into great shape. Virtual stores now allow people to shop from the coziness of their homes without the pressure of a salesperson and online marketplaces provide an innovation. Also a more expedient venue for the exchange of virtually all types of products and services. Both businesses and customers have embraced online buying as an economical and more convenient way to shop.

In this era where we have countless degrees of online shops and stores to help people with their purchase temptations here. So we will be looking at some interesting dimensions of the world's largest American E-commerce company, Yes..!! You guessed it right, it's “Amazon”.

Amazon has built up a customer service, inventory, and shipping empire that enables the site to offer whole kits and caboodles from clothing to furniture to home appliances inspection. It retails digital content like movies, music, and apps. Its Amazon Web Services section is a multibillion-dollar provider of cloud-based services for millions of business customers around the world, including institutes, organizations, and universities.

To become a successful Amazon seller you are required to have a thorough understating of the entire Amazon FBA labeling and packaging requirement.

Amazon FBA Packaging guidelines for 2023

It is no secret that Amazon is one of the most successful online retailers in the world. In 2022, the company reported a revenue of approximately 514 billion dollars. A large part of Amazon's success is due to its vast network of Amazon sellers. However, it is not enough for Amazon simply to rely on its sellers. It also has Amazon FBA packaging guidelines outlining the Amazon FBA packaging requirements.

In order to ensure that your products are properly stored and shipped, you'll need to follow these Amazon quality control guidelines.

Failure to do so could result in your products being damaged or lost in transit, which could lead to customer complaints and negative reviews.

Here are some of the key packaging requirements for Amazon FBA:

• All products must be securely packed in order to prevent damage during shipping.

• The product must be labelled with the accurate information (i.e Amazon ID number) in accordance with Amazon FBA label requirements.

• All necessary documents should be in order

• Packages must be strong and durable, with no sharp edges or corners that could cause damage.

• All packaging materials must be new and clean, free of dirt and dust.

• You must use proper shipping labels that meet Amazon's specifications.

AMAZON FBA LABELLING REQUIREMENT:

Let's look at all the labeling requirement criteria one by one:

• FNSKU Labelling

FNSKU is the way that Amazon recognizes a product as unique to the seller that has sent it to the Amazon fulfilment center.

Amazon has 11 different kinds of FNSKU label specifications available on their menu. Whereby, the seller can choose one of the labels for their product. These different types of labels allow you to identify the type of product being sold. The most used label for Amazon products is “40-up labels 52.5 mm x 29.7 mm on A4”.

Below you can find all the options for printing out the FNSKU labels.

Guide to download FNSKU Labels:

To download the FNSKU label from Amazon, you can use the following procedure.

• Login to website https://sellercentral.amazon.com

 

• Go to inventory On the Top Menu Bar

• Tap on the small button next to the edit

  

• Choose print item labels

 

• Choose the number of labels required to be printed

 

• Then select labels size as per your product and Print

 

• Sold as set Labels:

The units that are supposed to be sold in sets must not be separated and sold individually. Such products are required to be marked & labeled as a set on their outer package. It is to let Amazon know that these products will be sold as one complete unit and not be treated as a single entity.

• Suffocation Labels:

Suffocation warning: “To avoid any danger of suffocation, you must keep all plastic bags away from babies and children. Do not use these bags in cribs, beds, carriages, or playpens. These bags are not toys for kids to play with”.

Products that are being protected by polythene bags must meet the following criteria:

1. Suffocation warnings labels are mandatory for poly bags with 5 inches opening or more.

 

1. Warning labels must be placed in a legible font and on the prominent face of the product. You can use the following table to decide the font size of the warning labels.

  

• Shipment Labels:

Shipment labels are labels that are required to be placed on the outermost packaging/cartons of the product to let Amazon know about shipment details. These shipment labels can be generated in the seller's system in a new shipping plan.

Guide to create a new shipment plan for Amazon FBA:

• Login to website https://sellercentral.amazon.com

 

• Go to inventory

• Tap on the small button next to the edit

 

• then select send/replenish inventory

 

• select shipping plan

 

• choose packaging type, fill in address information & click “continue”

 

• Select “quantity”

 

• Prepare products

 

• Label the products

• Review shipment

• View shipment

 

• Prepare shipment

Once you are done with entering all the relevant details of the shipment, the next stage is to finalize the shipment details.

Firstly, you will need to select the shipping service that you want to use for the shipment. For this, you will have 2 options to choose from:

• Small Parcel Delivery (SPD)

The SPD is used for small units that are packed in individual boxes and are marked individually on the boxes.

• Less Than Truckload/Full Truckload (LTL)

This type of shipment will load your shipment along with products from other vendors too. Also, the entire shipment might have multiple dropping points on the way before dropping off your shipment.

• Select Shipment Service

 

• Shipment Packaging

Once you are done with the shipment preparation, you will need to select the shipment packing method. You can either have everything in one box. Also, you can have multiple boxes for the shipment depending on the size of the box, weight of the shipment and other specifications, etc.

• Printing Shipping Label

After that, you will have to print the shipping labels to stick on the packaging box.

• Give your Shipment a Tracking Number

Finally, you should give your shipment a tracking number for ready reference and easy tracking.

Amazon FBA PACKAGING REQUIREMENT:

Being Amazon FBA sellers, we are required to fulfil the set criteria for the packaging to minimize or elude any chances of cancellation or re-packaging. In case one fails to fulfil the prerequisites, this may end up leading them to pay an additional cost for the packaging.

• Loose Products

Each product must be contained in one complete security package and each package will have a unique FNSKU. Amazon refuses to accept products that require Amazon's help to assemble before dispatch.

• Sold as Set:

All the products that are required to be sold as a set must be marked as “do not separate”, “sold as a set” or “this is a set”. These types of products will be received and dispatched as a set.

• Poly Bagged Units

Suffocation warning: “To avoid any danger of suffocation, you must keep all plastic bags away from babies and children. Do not use these bags in cribs, beds, carriages, or playpens. These bags are not toys for kids to play with”.

Products that are being protected by polythene bags must meet the following criteria:

• Suffocation warnings labels are mandatory for poly bags with 5 inches opening or more.
• Warning labels must be placed in a legible font and on the prominent face of the product. Also, you can use this figure to determine the print size of the warning labels.
•  

• The thickness of the polybag must be 1.5mils
• The bag must be clear
• Bag must have a barcode (UPC, EAN, etc.) or X-00 label which can be scanned through the bag.
• The bag must be sealed completely.
• Polybag must not protrude more than 3″ past the product's dimensions.
• Scented products must be sealed to avoid fragrance absorption into other products.

Amazon FBA Prep requirements

In order to be eligible for FBA, your products must meet Amazon's FBA prep requirements. Each unit must have a scannable barcode (ISBN, UPC, EAN, or JAN) that is not obstructed in any way. Additionally, the unit must be new, used, collectible, or refurbished. The product must also be classified as either media or non-media. Once you have confirmed that your products meet these qualifications, you can begin the process of preparing them for FBA. This includes packaging and labeling the products according to Amazon's guidelines. 

By following these guidelines, you can help ensure that your products arrive at Amazon's fulfillment centers in the best possible condition.

 

Conclusion

Summing up, we are sure that after reading this you will have a better idea about the Amazon packaging requirements. Also, we recommend you follow these instructions meticulously to avoid having any rejections or call-backs of damaged products because of improper labeling. In case you need any help on this please feel free to contact Tetra Inspections for this.

Conclusion

Tetra Inspection offers comprehensive pre-shipment inspection services to help protect your supply chain and ensure product quality.

Ensure your products meet quality standards with Tetra Inspection's during production inspection — our inspectors provide detailed reports within 24 hours.

Learn more about quality inspection best practices in our AQL calculator and sampling guide.

Frequently Asked Questions About Amazon FBA Labelling

What is an FNSKU label and why is it important?

FNSKU (Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit) is Amazon's unique barcode that identifies your product as distinct from the same product sold by other sellers. Every unit sent to FBA must have an FNSKU label. Without it, your inventory may be commingled with other sellers' stock, leading to potential quality issues and customer complaints that affect your seller metrics.

Can I use manufacturer barcodes instead of FNSKU labels?

Amazon allows the use of manufacturer barcodes (UPC/EAN) through their commingled inventory program, but this is not recommended. Commingled inventory means your products may be mixed with units from other sellers. If another seller sends counterfeit or defective products with the same barcode, you could receive negative reviews and A-to-Z claims. Always use FNSKU labels for full control over your inventory.

What are the packaging requirements for Amazon FBA prep?

Amazon requires that all products are properly packaged to prevent damage during fulfillment. Products must be scannable, securely packaged, and appropriately labeled. Poly bags must include suffocation warnings if the opening exceeds 5 inches. Glass and fragile items need bubble wrap and "Fragile" labels. Liquids require double-sealed packaging. Failure to meet these requirements results in FBA rejection or additional prep fees charged by Amazon.

How should I label cartons for Amazon FBA shipment?

Each shipping carton must have Amazon's FBA shipping labels (printed from Seller Central), your FNSKU labels on individual units inside, and a packing list. Cartons must not exceed 50 pounds and should be standard sizes (no irregularly shaped boxes). Use 2x3 inch labels printed on thermal or laser printers at 300 DPI minimum for scannability.