Oversized, non barcoded product question
Hello all!
I have been through seller university and have rewatched some 2 or 3 times. Here are my questions if you don’t mind. Thank you for your patience and willingness to help a new guy.
Context:
-This is a new product that is not on Amazon.
-I am the “manufacturer”
-My products are considered oversize (3x3x32" per unit in tubes)
-My individual “Case” of same products comes in size 18x18x36" and weighs approx 47 pounds.
I have registered my products and variations on GS1. I added the GS1 number to “Add New Product” and it generated a unique number that is one and the same for ASIN and FNSKU. It starts with the letter “B” which means I’m manufacturer. WILL THIS NUMBER BE MY “BAR CODE/IDENTIFIER” I ATTACH TO EACH INDIVIDUAL UNIT SINCE MY PRODUCT HAS NO INDIVIDUAL BARCODE ALREADY PRINTED? If so, does that basically render Amazon labeling services useless since the products have no barcode to begin with and I need to add that? In short my ASIN/FNSKU number will be both manufacturer “barcode” and amazon “identifier” - one and the same… is this correct?
My tubes that protect product are canvas and have embroidery on it. However, the actual product inside the hard tube is completely protected. Is it necessary that I poly bag this item? Again, it will ship to Amazon in a case of 25 that are all the same.
I’m still unsure of the shipping requirements for this box size and weight. I know, for example, that I’ll have at least 3 of the same product in boxes of 25 that will likely go to 3 different fulfillment centers. When does a pallet come in to play? Can I simply drop these off at a UPS locale?
Thanks again everyone for your patience. Any help greatly appreciated. I wished I could just sit down for like 30 minutes with someone and get all of this straighten out!
Seller_lYLz1roOGTQRE
It is confusing at first, isn’t it?
Every item that arrives at an FBA warehouse must have a barcode on it. Amazon calls this the barcode identifier. Your barcode identifier can be either the UPC, ASIN, or FNSKU. If your items do not have one of these barcodes printed on it you will have to apply one. FNSKUs are the gold-standard of Amazon labels and Amazon makes it easy to print them from the Manage Inventory page.
You are correct - if your items have no bar code at all, Amazon labeling services cannot be used.
I would. If the embroidered cases are part of the product and are kept by the buyer (and it sounds like they are) then you should protect them in some way. If the embroidered cases get dirty in the warehouse your customers are likely to return them and give you bad feedback. It’s just my view, but I have always felt that if I did not value my products my customers wouldn’t either.
You do not have to buy special bespoke polybags - wrapping them in poly sheeting is the same as “bagging” them. Put the FNSKU label on the inside or outside of the plastic. You can also pay for Amazon Prep services and they will bag them.
Yes, you can ship your cases to Amazon using UPS or Fedex (I’ve found Fedex to be a bit cheaper, btw). Because your individual items are over-sized the normal 25 inch box size restriction does not apply. To avoid having Amazon split your cases make sure you specify case-packs when you create the shipment. Amazon will normally not split cases when you do that, although they may send each case to a different warehouse. You can also enroll in the Inventory Placement Service to insure all your items all go to the same warehouse, but with its extra fee for each individual item based on size and weight that can get pricey for over-sized objects.
Be careful. You say your case-pack is “approximately 47 lbs.” If it is actually over 50 lbs shipped (and Amazon is very strict on this) it must go on a pallet.
Hopefully this has been some help.
