Sending your first shipment of wholesale products to an Amazon USA fulfilment centre is one of the most important practical milestones in launching your FBA business on Amazon.com. Getting the inbound shipping process right from the very first shipment — labelling every unit correctly packing every box to Amazon’s specifications creating an accurate shipment plan in Seller Central and choosing the right carrier — protects your inventory from rejection delays and unplanned service fees that can significantly erode the margin on your first order. The inbound shipping process for Amazon USA FBA follows a clear sequence of steps and while it involves several precise requirements around labelling packaging and box dimensions every requirement is entirely learnable and consistently repeatable once you have completed your first shipment correctly.

We are Brandhunterz Ltd — a UK registered wholesale sourcing company (Company No: 15342697) — and in this complete inbound shipping guide we walk through every step of the process of sending stock to Amazon USA FBA — from preparing your listings and printing FNSKU labels through to packing boxes correctly creating your shipment plan in Seller Central booking your carrier and tracking your inbound shipment through to inventory going live and available for sale in the Buy Box.

Before You Ship — FBA Prep Requirements Overview

Amazon USA has specific preparation requirements for every product sent to a US fulfilment centre. These requirements exist to ensure that every unit can be received sorted and stored accurately within Amazon’s automated fulfilment systems. Sending product that does not meet these requirements results in rejected deliveries unplanned service fees and delays that can leave your listings out of stock while Amazon processes the issue. The key requirements to understand before preparing your first shipment are:

Prep Requirement	Detail
FNSKU labelling	Every unit must have an FNSKU barcode label applied — one per unit — covering or placed directly over the existing UPC or EAN barcode on the product packaging
Box weight limit	Each shipping box must weigh under 50 lbs — approximately 22.7 kg — standard FBA box requirement for Amazon USA
Box dimensions	No single side of the box may exceed 25 inches unless the shipment contains an item that itself is longer than 25 inches — standard boxes are typically 18x18x18 or 20x20x20 inches
Box sealing	All boxes must be sealed with H-tape — clear or brown packing tape applied in an H-pattern along all four seams on both the top and bottom of the box
Single-ASIN or mixed-ASIN boxes	Boxes may contain a single ASIN or multiple different ASINs — if sending mixed-ASIN boxes you must accurately record each ASIN and its quantity in the shipment plan for each box
Amazon box label	Each box must display the Amazon-generated FBA shipment label — printed from Seller Central and applied to the outside of the box — one label per box — covering any other carrier labels from incoming deliveries

Step 1 — List Your Products in Seller Central

Before you can create a shipment plan your products must be listed in Seller Central as FBA listings. If the product already exists on Amazon USA you add your offer to the existing listing — you do not create a new listing. Here is how to add your offer and set up the listing correctly for FBA:

Step 2 — Label and Pack Your Products

With your FNSKU labels printed you are ready to prepare your units for FBA. This step involves applying labels to every unit packing them into shipping boxes and sealing boxes correctly before creating your shipment plan:

Prep Action	Requirement
Apply FNSKU labels	One FNSKU label per unit — applied flat without wrinkles — fully covering the existing barcode — no part of the FNSKU barcode extending beyond the label edge — test scan every fifth label to confirm scannability
Inspect each unit	Check every unit for damage before packing — damaged or open packaging units should be set aside and not sent to FBA — Amazon checks condition on receipt and may reject damaged units
Pack into shipping boxes	Use clean undamaged brown cardboard shipping boxes — pack units with appropriate void fill to prevent movement — boxes must not rattle or flex when closed — units must not touch the inner walls of the box without padding
Keep boxes under 50 lbs	Weigh each box before sealing — if over 50 lbs redistribute units between boxes — boxes over 50 lbs require a Team Lift warning label — boxes over 100 lbs require a Mechanical Lift label
Seal with H-tape	Apply clear or brown packing tape in an H-pattern — one strip along the centre seam and one perpendicular strip at each end — on both the top and bottom of every box — do not use string rope or rubber bands to seal boxes
Record box dimensions and weights	Measure and weigh every box after packing and sealing — you will need exact dimensions and weights for the shipment plan in Seller Central — inaccurate box dimensions can result in carrier rate adjustments

Step 3 — Create Your FBA Shipment Plan in Seller Central

Once your products are labelled and packed go to Inventory — Send to Amazon in Seller Central to create your shipment plan. This is the process that tells Amazon which products you are sending how many units of each and how many boxes your shipment contains:

Step 4 — Book Your Carrier and Ship Your Boxes

Once your boxes are packed labelled and your shipment plan is confirmed you are ready to book your carrier and dispatch your boxes to Amazon’s US fulfilment centre. For sellers shipping domestically within the United States Amazon’s Partnered Carrier programme with UPS is the most cost-effective option. For international sellers shipping from outside the USA the process differs:

Shipping Origin	Recommended Carrier Option	Key Considerations
Domestic USA — shipping within the USA	Amazon Partnered Carrier — UPS — booked directly through Seller Central at discounted rates	Most cost-effective option for US-based sellers — rates are significantly lower than booking UPS directly — charges are deducted from your account balance
International — shipping from outside the USA	Use a US prep centre to receive your international shipment and reship to Amazon FBA domestically — or ship directly to Amazon via a freight forwarder with experience in Amazon FBA inbound requirements	International shipments must clear US customs — work with a freight forwarder familiar with Amazon FBA requirements — using a US prep centre simplifies this significantly for sellers outside the USA

Using Amazon’s Partnered Carrier — UPS — for Domestic USA Shipments

For sellers shipping from within the United States the Partnered Carrier programme is the standard and most economical way to get boxes from your location to Amazon’s fulfilment centres. Here is how to book it:

Step 5 — Track Your Shipment and Confirm Receipt

Once your boxes are dispatched track your inbound shipment through Seller Central until your inventory is received and made available for sale. Here are the shipment statuses you will see and what each means:

Shipment Status	What It Means	Action Required
Working	Shipment plan created but boxes not yet picked up by carrier	Confirm UPS collection is booked — boxes ready for collection
Shipped	Carrier has collected boxes and shipment is in transit to Amazon’s fulfilment centre	Monitor UPS tracking — no action required during transit
Receiving	Boxes have arrived at the Amazon fulfilment centre and are being processed — units are being scanned checked and added to inventory	Monitor units received in Seller Central — check for any discrepancies as units are checked in
Closed	All units received and added to FBA inventory — shipment processing complete — units are now available for sale in the Buy Box	Verify units received match units shipped — investigate any discrepancies immediately using the Reconcile option in Seller Central

Common Inbound Shipping Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake	Consequence	How to Avoid
FNSKU label not covering existing barcode	Amazon scans the wrong barcode — unit mislabelled or rejected — unplanned service fee applied	Apply FNSKU label directly over and completely covering the existing UPC or EAN barcode
Box weight over 50 lbs	Rejected at the receiving dock — boxes returned or held — shipment delayed	Weigh every box before sealing — redistribute units if over 50 lbs
Inaccurate box contents in shipment plan	Receiving discrepancies — units misassigned — manual reconciliation required and significant delay	Record contents of each box as you pack — enter exactly in the shipment plan before shipping
Old carrier labels not removed from boxes	Amazon scanner reads the wrong label — box misrouted within the fulfilment centre	Remove or completely cover all previous carrier labels before applying Amazon box labels
Sending to wrong fulfilment centre	Boxes rejected at the door — must be reshipped to the correct centre at seller’s cost	Always ship to the fulfilment centre address shown on the Amazon-generated box label — never guess or reuse a previous shipment address

Your FBA Inbound Shipment Checklist

FBA Inbound Shipment Step	Done
Products listed in Seller Central as FBA — selling price set at Buy Box rate	☐
FNSKU labels printed — one per unit — on 30-per-sheet label sheets	☐
All units inspected — no damaged or open packaging units included	☐
FNSKU label applied to every unit — existing barcode fully covered — sample scanned and confirmed	☐
Units packed into boxes with void fill — all boxes under 50 lbs — dimensions measured and recorded	☐
All boxes sealed with H-tape top and bottom — no loose flaps or open seams	☐
Shipment plan created in Seller Central — box contents dimensions and weights entered accurately	☐
Amazon box labels and UPS carrier labels printed and applied — old labels removed or covered	☐
UPS collection booked or boxes dropped at UPS Access Point — shipment status showing Shipped	☐
Shipment tracked to Receiving — units checked in monitored — discrepancies investigated	☐
Shipment status Closed — all units received — inventory live and available in Buy Box	✅ Live

Conclusion — A Correct First Shipment Makes Every Subsequent Shipment Easier

The inbound shipping process for Amazon USA FBA is one of the most procedural parts of running a wholesale FBA business — but it becomes fast and routine after your first correctly completed shipment. Every requirement exists for a clear operational reason within Amazon’s fulfilment system and following them precisely eliminates the fees delays and inventory problems that consistently affect sellers who cut corners in their prep. Label every unit correctly pack every box to specification create your shipment plan accurately and ship to the assigned fulfilment centre — and your inventory will arrive checked in and live in the Buy Box ready to generate sales within days of collection.

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