Packaging your shipment correctly is crucial to making sure your inventory reaches us safely and that it is optimised for entry into our fulfilment centres.
The following requirements apply to all boxes shipped to Amazon fulfilment centres whether by small-parcel delivery, less than truckload shipment (LTL), or full truckload (FTL) shipping.
Some shipments have additional requirements:
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Providing box content information improves the management of your inventory within Amazon and helps your products become available for sale more quickly. For more information, refer to Provide box content information.
If you select Skip providing box contents, make sure that:
Following these instructions helps ensure shipments arrive undamaged and ready for intake to our fulfilment centres:
Avoiding the following also helps ensure shipments arrive ready for intake to Amazon fulfilment centres:
Picking the right-sized box for what you are shipping is important. If the container is too large, you will need to fill it up with enough packaging material so that the box will not collapse if heavier boxes are stacked on top during shipping.
Use a minimum of 5 cm of appropriate packing material around each item and the same amount in between your products and the walls of the box. If your items are being shipped in the manufacturer's case pack, the 5 cm of packing material is not necessary.
Boxes containing multiple standard-size items must not exceed 150 cm on any side. Boxes that are excessively large relative to the oversize units may be subject to restriction of shipping privileges, additional fees or refusal at a fulfilment centre.
If you are using an Amazon-partnered carrier, weigh and measure boxes and pallets accurately and ensure that the correct values are supplied for every shipment. In addition:
Using appropriate packing material ensures your shipment quickly moves through the fulfilment centre receiving process and protects our associates from potential safety issues.
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Bubble Wrap or small cell bubble sheeting provides surface protection as well as shock absorption. It can also be wrapped around almost any product, regardless of shape or size.
Paper, specifically kraft paper intended for packing applications, can be used to fill empty space in your shipping box. For best results, use kraft paper with a minimum basis weight of 27 kg to ensure that it is thick enough to provide protection.
Inflatable air pillows use air pressure to secure and hold products in place inside the shipping container and provide an air barrier of cushioning. They generally come in a strip of air pillows that you can easily use as lightweight dunnage to fill the empty space in your box.
Polyethylene foam sheeting is thin, soft, resilient and provides surface protection and cushioning properties. This type of packaging is good for protecting lightweight items.
All products require a scannable barcode. For more information, refer to FBA product barcode requirements.
Each box in a shipment requires an Amazon shipment label in addition to the carrier label. For more information, refer to Shipment label requirements.
Additional requirements apply based on the shipping method you use:
In addition, boxes and box contents must be packaged in such a way that the contents arrive safely and intact at the fulfilment centre. For more information, refer to Packaging and prep requirements.
Some common issues that may result in the refusal of inventory at the fulfilment centre include shipments that are larger than expected, damaged or sent to the wrong fulfilment centre. Such shipments may be rejected at the dock and returned to you at your expense. Merchant Damage refers to any inventory that is delivered to an Amazon fulfilment centre in an unsellable condition. Shipments considered Merchant Damage or Defective incur a return freight charge.
You cannot refuse or return shipments that are returned to you without first contacting Amazon. Shipments that you refuse or return without first contacting Amazon may be refused a second time and any costs incurred will be at your expense.
Make sure your distributor has the correct Amazon shipment labels for your shipment. You can grant limited access to your seller account to access labels. For more information, refer to Set user permissions.
In addition, your distributor must adhere to all Amazon shipment requirements.