Getting Shipments Right Matters
Every mistake in your FBA shipment process costs money — whether through incorrect fees, rejected inventory, delays that cause stockouts, or penalty charges for non-compliance. Learning the common mistakes and avoiding them saves hundreds or thousands of pounds over the life of your business.
Wrong Product Dimensions
If the dimensions in your product listing are incorrect, Amazon charges fees based on what they measure at the warehouse rather than what you declared. Products measured as larger than expected incur higher fulfilment and storage fees. Check your product dimensions are accurate and dispute any measurement errors through Seller Central — Amazon's automated measurements are not always correct.
Labelling Errors
Products sent to FBA need correct FNSKU labels that match the listing. Wrong barcodes, damaged labels, or labels placed where they cannot be scanned result in inventory being stranded, mislabelled, or even attributed to the wrong seller's account. Use high-quality labels, apply them on a flat scannable surface, and double-check every label before boxing up your shipment.
Sending to Wrong Fulfilment Centres
Amazon assigns specific fulfilment centres for each shipment. Sending boxes to the wrong location results in delays and potential charges. Always verify the shipping addresses match your shipment plan before dispatching. If Amazon splits your shipment across multiple fulfilment centres, follow the plan exactly — consolidating into fewer shipments when Amazon has split them will cause problems.
Poor Packaging
Products that arrive damaged at the fulfilment centre are marked as unfulfillable and will not be sold. Worse, you may be charged for disposal if Amazon deems them unsellable. Pack products to withstand rough handling during transit — assume your boxes will be dropped, stacked, and jostled. Use appropriate void fill and box sizes that prevent products from moving during shipping.
Shipment Plan Errors
Declaring incorrect quantities, wrong product identifiers, or inaccurate box contents creates discrepancies when Amazon receives your shipment. These discrepancies can result in inventory being placed on hold while Amazon investigates, causing delays that lead to stockouts. Take time to create accurate shipment plans and double-check quantities before sealing boxes.
The extra ten minutes spent checking everything before sending a shipment can save days of delay and significant money in penalty fees, lost sales, and disposal charges.