FBA provides a set of management standards for e-commerce warehouse distribution. In terms of operational details, FBA has strict requirements on product restrictions and stock preparation, and will charge additional fees for improper pre-processing or non-compliant operations. If there are problems with warehousing such as rejection, delayed listing, abandonment or return, it will even stop accepting. The specific management standards are as follows.
(1) Standardization of basic management. FBA charges are classified and charged according to the category, size and weight of the product. Dangerous goods with electrical charges will be charged separately. For this reason, FBA defines product specification segments and will record SKUs when entering the warehouse.
(2) Packaging points. Use materials and fillers that meet FBA requirements, and pay special attention to marking marks and labels on cartons or pallets, such as six-sided hard packaging boxes with complete lids. Each box and pallet should have a label on all four sides to prevent it from falling off during transportation. Non-small parcels should be loaded on standard pallets. Goods that exceed half the pallet volume need to be palletized and wrapped with stretch film. The weight of a single box should not exceed 501b (European limit is 15kg/box), otherwise “Team Lift” must be posted on the box, and those that exceed 1001b must be posted “Mech Lift” and palletized: Goods sold in sets should be marked with the “Suite” set label on the delivery container or packaging, and mixed goods on pallets should be marked with “Mixed SKU” on the outer box, etc. If the product packaging box information is not provided or the labeling is inappropriate, FBA will charge a labor handling fee. A small number of FCs have flow unloading equipment and can do without palletizing. Full container delivery usually requires palletizing.
(3) Warehouse delivery. The procedure for using international express to send directly to the FBA warehouse is the simplest. Among them, UPS is a major force in FBA’s first-leg delivery. It has the advantages of no need to pick up the goods, no need to make an appointment, and direct delivery to the US FBA warehouse. For air freight and delivery, you must use a company familiar with FBA International freight forwarders with customs clearance and truck resources are best able to provide services such as repackaging, sorting customs declaration materials, and labeling. If there is no appointment, early or delayed delivery, irregular loading of vehicles or pallets, unsafe unloading, or inability to unload mechanically at the dock, as well as damaged goods and incomplete delivery documents, the goods may be rejected by the warehouse. In addition, it is necessary to prepare the packing list, storage and delivery authorization letter, brand statement, delivery instructions, customs declaration documents and other accompanying materials. After the goods arrive at the FBA warehouse, they are usually put on the shelves within 14 working days. If the received quantity does not match the seller’s shipping quantity, the warehouse entry order will be displayed as “Receiving” until all are received and become “Closed”.
There are two modes of cross-border FBA distribution in Europe. One is the European unified distribution network (EFN), which is suitable for novices or sellers with concentrated sales markets. The goods are only sent to the FBA warehouse of one station, with shared inventory and centralized shipment. The first leg is cleared in only one country, which reduces restrictions on VAT, but the tax refund is less, and if the sales exceed the remote sales, VAT of other countries must be registered. The second is the Pan-Euro plan, where sellers expand their business in many European countries and have VAT in five stations, including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. After the inventory is sent to an FBA warehouse, the system automatically allocates it to the FBA of other stations in Europe. No matter which warehouse the product is shipped from, the seller only bears the local delivery fee, which is relatively favorable, and the seller does not have to bear the European cross-border logistics fee.