Shipment Label Requirements

Help ensure your products arrive safely and quickly at an Amazon fulfillment center by following these important requirements for shipment labels and packaging your inventory.

After you decide what you'll be shipping to Amazon and determine the appropriate shipping method and carrier to use, it's time for labeling and packaging.

Small parcel deliveries (SPDs) are for items packed in individual boxes, and the shipping boxes individually labeled for delivery. These are normally smaller shipments that are sent through DHL, UPS, FedEx, or local postal services. For more information, see Small parcel delivery to Amazon.
Less Than Truckload/Full Truckload (LTL/FTL) shipment combines individual boxes on pallets for delivery. For more information, see Truckload delivery to Amazon.

Each box and pallet you ship to an Amazon fulfillment center, including one or more units sent in a manufacturer box, must be properly identified with a unique box ID (see Example: FBA Box ID label) and pallet label. Follow these guidelines for labeling your boxes:

Print the full set of labels. Because each label is unique, don't photocopy, reuse, or modify labels for use on additional boxes.
Labels support a measurement of 3 1/3 x 4 inches. If you have a thermal printer, you now have the option to print directly on a 4 x 6 inches format by selecting thermal printing paper in the box and pallet label printing options.
Don't place labels on a seam or opening on the box because they will be damaged when the box is opened.
Place both the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) box ID label and the carrier label (UPS, FedEx, or other SPD carrier) on a flat surface of the box so the barcodes don’t fold over the edges or corners.
Both labels must remain uncovered so they are scannable and readable.
Each box in the shipment must have its own FBA box ID label printed from your Shipping Queue.
Each pallet you send needs four pallet labels, one on the top center of each side.
If you’re shipping multiple case packs in a master carton (a single box containing smaller case packed boxes), apply the FBA box ID label to the master carton. You don’t need to apply FBA box ID labels to the case packs inside the master carton.

Example: FBA Box ID label

For more information on how to print box labels, see Prepare shipment to Amazon. If you’ve already created your shipment, you can access it from the Shipping Queue.

Important: Failure to label your cartons with the required FBA box ID label may lead to blocking of future shipments.

Making sure that your labels can be scanned quickly and easily when your shipment arrives at the fulfillment center helps to prevent delays in receiving your inventory.

Tip: The tools in your seller account are optimized for thermal printers. You can also use laser printers. Avoid using ink jet printers. If your printer attempts to scale the PDF print area when you print your labels, make sure the printer scaling is set to None or 100%. We also recommend that you periodically test your barcodes by scanning them.

Box content information

When you provide box content information during the shipment creation workflow, each FBA box ID label will contain the information for a specific box. To avoid delays in receiving your inventory at the fulfillment center, make sure to put the correct label on the correct box. We recommend you verify that the SKU and number of units in each box match the SKU and number of units in the box content information you provided in the shipment creation workflow. To learn more, see Box content information for FBA shipments to Amazon.

Important: Failure to provide accurate box content information may lead to blocking of future shipments, and a manual processing fee will be applied.

Also, 2D barcodes do not replace Amazon FBA box ID labels. If you use 2D barcodes to provide box content information, Amazon FBA box ID labels are still required. For more information, see Provide 2D barcodes for box content information.

Amazon-Partnered Carrier

In the shipment creation workflow, you'll have the option to take advantage of Amazon's discounted shipping rates.

In the Select Carrier screen of the workflow, select Small Parcel Delivery as your shipping method and Amazon-Partnered Carrier as the SPD carrier.

After you click Save & Continue, enter the number of packages and the weight of each package.
Note: Accurate carton weight and dimensions are required for all shipments, even if you opt to not provide box content information in Seller Central. For more information see Shipping and routing requirements.

The workflow will provide an estimate for the shipment. If you accept the charges, your account will be billed for the cost of shipping. If you decline the charges, you’ll be returned to the Select Carrier screen so you can choose another carrier option.

You can cancel charges for the shipment and use another carrier by clicking Void charges at the Shipping charges step, provided you cancel within 24 hours of accepting the charges. For more information, see Amazon Partnered Carrier options.

Important: Canceling the shipment does not cancel the inbound transportation charge for the Amazon-Partnered Carrier. You must follow the steps above to void the charge. If 24 hours have passed since you approved the charge, you won't be able to cancel it or get a refund.