Sending your first wholesale stock into Amazon FBA is one of the most significant milestones in your selling journey — and also one of the moments where new sellers make the most costly and avoidable mistakes. Amazon has strict requirements for how products must be labelled how shipment plans must be created how boxes must be packed and how pallets must be built if applicable. A shipment that does not meet these requirements gets rejected at the fulfilment centre — costing you time additional courier fees and in some cases disposal fees on unacceptable stock. Getting the process right the first time protects your capital and gets your products live on Amazon earning sales as quickly as possible.

We are Brandhunterz Ltd — a UK registered wholesale sourcing company (Company No: 15342697) — and in this complete step by step guide we walk you through every stage of preparing and sending your first Amazon FBA shipment — from receiving stock from your wholesale supplier through to creating your shipment plan in Seller Central labelling every unit packing your boxes and booking your courier.

What You Need Before You Start

Before you begin preparing your first FBA shipment make sure you have all of the following in place. Missing any single item will stop you at a specific stage of the process and delay your stock going live:

Item Required	What It Is	Ready
Amazon Seller Central account	Active Professional selling account — Individual plan cannot create FBA shipments	☐
Stock received from supplier	Your wholesale order delivered and counted — units match invoice quantity	☐
FNSKU labels printed	Amazon-generated barcode labels for each product — printed on 30-up A4 label sheets	☐
Double-wall cardboard boxes	New or good condition boxes — maximum 50kg gross weight — maximum 63.5cm any one side	☐
Packing materials	Bubble wrap or packing paper — void fill — heavy-duty packing tape	☐
Label printer or laser printer	Thermal label printer recommended — standard laser printer with label sheets also works	☐
Courier account or booking method	Amazon Partnered Carrier or independent courier — UPS DHL or Evri for small shipments	☐

Step 1 — Receive and Check Your Stock From the Supplier

When your wholesale stock arrives from the supplier do not send it straight to Amazon. First count every unit against your purchase order and supplier invoice. Check for damaged packaging missing items or incorrect products. Any discrepancy must be reported to your supplier immediately — once stock arrives at an Amazon fulfilment centre it is impossible to return to the supplier through Amazon’s system and any shortfall becomes a dispute that is significantly harder to resolve after the fact.

Stock Receiving Check	What to Do If Problem Found
Unit count does not match invoice	Contact supplier immediately — photograph discrepancy — do not sign delivery acceptance until counted
Damaged packaging on units	Photograph every damaged unit — set aside — report to supplier — do not send damaged stock to FBA
Wrong product received	Do not label or process — contact supplier for return authorisation and correct replacement
Expiry date too close — food or supplements	Amazon rejects stock with less than 90 days to expiry — check all units before labelling

Step 2 — Create Your Shipment Plan in Seller Central

Before you label a single unit you must create your shipment plan in Amazon Seller Central. The shipment plan tells Amazon what products you are sending how many units of each and where you are shipping from. Amazon uses this information to assign your stock to specific fulfilment centres — you cannot send stock to an FBA warehouse without a confirmed shipment plan linked to that stock.

Step 3 — Apply FNSKU Labels to Every Unit

The FNSKU label is what connects your physical product to your Seller Central account when it arrives at the Amazon fulfilment centre. Without an FNSKU label Amazon cannot identify who sent the product and cannot add it to your inventory. Applying labels correctly is one of the most critical physical steps in the entire FBA preparation process.

FNSKU Labelling Rule	Why It Matters
Apply label over any existing barcode	Amazon scanners must read FNSKU only — not the manufacturer barcode — cover all other barcodes completely
Apply label flat — no wrinkles or air bubbles	Wrinkled or bubbled labels scan unreliably — warehouse rejects units that cannot be scanned
Apply label to flat surface only	Labels on curved or textured surfaces peel off — apply to the flattest available surface on the product
One FNSKU label per unit — no duplicates	Multiple barcodes on one unit causes scan confusion — use exactly one FNSKU per unit
Label must be scannable at 15cm distance	Amazon tests scannability during receiving — low-quality print or small label size causes rejection
Do not label inside poly bags or shrink wrap	FNSKU must be on the outermost surface of the unit as it arrives at the warehouse — never underneath packaging

Step 4 — Pack Your Boxes to Amazon’s Requirements

Amazon has specific requirements for how FBA shipment boxes must be packed. Meeting these requirements protects your stock from damage in transit and ensures your shipment is accepted without delay at the fulfilment centre. Here are the key packing rules for standard FBA shipments:

Amazon Box Packing Requirement	Specification
Maximum box weight	50kg gross including packaging
Maximum box dimensions — any single side	63.5cm maximum per side
Box condition	New or structurally sound — no damage or holes
Box type required	Double-wall corrugated cardboard recommended
Sealing tape	Heavy-duty packing tape — H-tape method on all seams
Void fill requirement	No movement of contents when box is shaken — fill all gaps
Old labels on reused boxes	Remove or fully cover all old barcodes and shipping labels
Mixed products per box	Allowed for individual products packing type — one ASIN or multiple ASINs per box

Step 5 — Enter Box Contents and Print Box Labels in Seller Central

Once your boxes are packed return to your Seller Central shipment plan and enter the box contents. For each box you are sending you need to tell Amazon exactly which ASINs are inside and how many units of each. This box content information is critical — Amazon uses it to locate your specific units in the warehouse without having to scan every product individually at receiving.

Step 6 — Book Your Courier and Dispatch Your Shipment

With all boxes packed labelled and box content information entered you are ready to book your courier and dispatch your first FBA shipment. You have two main options for shipping small parcel FBA shipments in the UK:

Shipping Option	How It Works	Best For
Amazon Partnered Carrier — UPS	Book directly in Seller Central — UPS collects from your address — cost deducted from seller account balance	Most first shipments — competitive rates — tracking integrated into Seller Central
Independent courier — DHL Evri Parcelforce	Book independently — enter carrier name and tracking number into Seller Central manually	Heavier shipments where independent rates are lower — specific delivery requirements

Step 7 — Confirm Shipment and Track Receiving in Seller Central

Once your courier has collected your boxes return to Seller Central and confirm that the shipment has been dispatched. This marks your shipment as In Transit in Amazon’s system and begins the receiving process timeline. After your boxes arrive at the fulfilment centre Amazon typically takes 1 to 5 business days to process and receive your stock — after which your units become available for sale and appear in your FBA inventory.

Shipment Status in Seller Central	What It Means	Action Required
Working	Shipment plan created — not yet sent	Complete box content and courier booking
Shipped	Confirmed as dispatched — courier collected	Monitor tracking — no action needed
In Transit	Boxes en route to Amazon fulfilment centre	Monitor tracking — no action needed
Delivered	Boxes received at fulfilment centre — being processed	Wait 1 to 5 business days for receiving to complete
Receiving	Amazon scanning and processing your units	Check received quantity matches sent quantity
Closed	All units received and live in FBA inventory	Confirm received quantity — investigate any discrepancy

Common First Shipment Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake	Consequence	Prevention
No FNSKU label or label not covering original barcode	Units rejected — returned or disposed of by Amazon at your cost	Check every unit before boxing — scan each label to confirm it reads correctly
Sending to wrong fulfilment centre	Amazon redirects at your cost or rejects the shipment entirely	Always send to the fulfilment centre Amazon assigns in your shipment plan — never change the destination
Box weight over 50kg	Warehouse refuses to handle the box — returned or left unprocessed	Weigh every box before sealing — split into two boxes if over the limit
Box content information not entered	Amazon charges a box content compliance fee for every unit it has to manually scan	Always complete box content entry in Seller Central before confirming shipment
Quantity mismatch between plan and actual units sent	Receiving discrepancy raised — investigation required — units may be inaccessible temporarily	Count stock twice before entering quantities — match plan exactly to what is in the box

Conclusion — Get the Process Right Once and It Becomes Routine

Your first FBA shipment takes longer than subsequent ones because every step is new. By your third or fourth shipment the process becomes routine — most sellers can prepare pack and book a small FBA shipment in under two hours once they know the sequence. The key is following every step in order without skipping anything — particularly the labelling check and the box content entry — which are the two most common sources of receiving problems for new sellers.

Find your next wholesale brand to stock through our Brands Directory. Research every product with Keepa. Calculate every margin with AMZScout. And send every confirmed product into FBA following the seven steps in this guide.