"I'm feeling indecisive about whether to choose Amazon FBA or FBM."
"After reading and reviewing comments on the Amazon forum, I've noticed that many sellers using Amazon FBM (Fulfillment By Merchant) have faced suspensions. This has made me hesitant about pursuing Amazon FBM. If I opt for Amazon FBA (Fulfillment By Amazon) instead, I would like to know how much it costs monthly. Any advice or insights you can provide on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you."
14 replies
Seller_AXC06kcsKI1qG
FBM means you ship the items to the customer when an order is placed.
FBA means you ship your items to an Amazon warehouse and if an order comes in it gets shipped from their warehouse.
This has nothing to do with suspensions. FBA sellers are just as likely to get suspended if they do not follow Amazon sourcing guidelines.
The difference is if you get suspended while FBM you still have all your items in your possession.
If you get suspended while FBA, Amazon has all your items and you may or may NOT get them back. So you could be out of all your inventory too.
Seller_z3XfkorVSmnEY
It depends. Do you have experience shipping product to customers?
Use the revenue calculator to get an idea of the costs. You can also have 2 SKUs for each ASIN -- one FBA and one FBM. We do this for several of our items.
https://sellercentral.amazon.com/fba/profitabilitycalculator/index?lang=en_US
Seller_nRFmxiQg4EGrw
If there are more FBM sellers getting suspended, it is probably because they are dropshipping, which is impossible to do FBA.
As long as you follow policy, you should be find either way. It comes down to your situation (can you even handle FBM? Or are you doing this only part time?) and the economics. You can often charge more for FBA, and have a better chance of winning the Buy Box; but FBA costs more in fees, and if your items don't sell as expected, then you will be faced with large storage and eventually removal costs.
If you can do FBM, and are new to Amazon, or selling a new product, I would suggest sticking with FBM until you know for sure that your product will sell. Once you know that, consider switching to FBA if it makes sense for you.
KJ_Amazon
Hello @Seller_7z9OS5hmiQYUt. Thanks for joining us in the Seller Forums and for that great question.
Other sellers have given you feedback based on their experiences. They also asked some questions that could help offer more detailed suggestions. I'll add a few help pages below.
Get started with Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) fees
Self-Fulfillment Basics 1.1 - What is Seller Self-Fulfillment (MFN)?
Seller_QRVQSYda7Bi85
I've spent the last 5 years as FBM. I'm finally switching alot of my stuff FBA. It'll help with increased volume because as an individual, I can get 25 or so orders out a day, with finding the correct sized box, boxing and double checking everything, and needing to make it to the post office or ups before 5:00.
With FBA, there is no constraint on volume because they they have hundreds of people to box and ship my stuff. Therefore I can sell as much as I want and not have to worry about it.
Seller_ov7tPznFfbE6R
And don't forget to caclulate your inbound shipping fees. Sending a pallet into Amazon can be very expensive. I'm in Wisconsin, and my next inbound pallet is mandated to the state of Washington....over $900. That alone is a killer for my hopes in continuing to use FBA.
"I'm feeling indecisive about whether to choose Amazon FBA or FBM."
"After reading and reviewing comments on the Amazon forum, I've noticed that many sellers using Amazon FBM (Fulfillment By Merchant) have faced suspensions. This has made me hesitant about pursuing Amazon FBM. If I opt for Amazon FBA (Fulfillment By Amazon) instead, I would like to know how much it costs monthly. Any advice or insights you can provide on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you."
"I'm feeling indecisive about whether to choose Amazon FBA or FBM."
"After reading and reviewing comments on the Amazon forum, I've noticed that many sellers using Amazon FBM (Fulfillment By Merchant) have faced suspensions. This has made me hesitant about pursuing Amazon FBM. If I opt for Amazon FBA (Fulfillment By Amazon) instead, I would like to know how much it costs monthly. Any advice or insights you can provide on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you."
14 replies
14 replies
Seller_AXC06kcsKI1qG
FBM means you ship the items to the customer when an order is placed.
FBA means you ship your items to an Amazon warehouse and if an order comes in it gets shipped from their warehouse.
This has nothing to do with suspensions. FBA sellers are just as likely to get suspended if they do not follow Amazon sourcing guidelines.
The difference is if you get suspended while FBM you still have all your items in your possession.
If you get suspended while FBA, Amazon has all your items and you may or may NOT get them back. So you could be out of all your inventory too.
Seller_z3XfkorVSmnEY
It depends. Do you have experience shipping product to customers?
Use the revenue calculator to get an idea of the costs. You can also have 2 SKUs for each ASIN -- one FBA and one FBM. We do this for several of our items.
https://sellercentral.amazon.com/fba/profitabilitycalculator/index?lang=en_US
Seller_nRFmxiQg4EGrw
If there are more FBM sellers getting suspended, it is probably because they are dropshipping, which is impossible to do FBA.
As long as you follow policy, you should be find either way. It comes down to your situation (can you even handle FBM? Or are you doing this only part time?) and the economics. You can often charge more for FBA, and have a better chance of winning the Buy Box; but FBA costs more in fees, and if your items don't sell as expected, then you will be faced with large storage and eventually removal costs.
If you can do FBM, and are new to Amazon, or selling a new product, I would suggest sticking with FBM until you know for sure that your product will sell. Once you know that, consider switching to FBA if it makes sense for you.
KJ_Amazon
Hello @Seller_7z9OS5hmiQYUt. Thanks for joining us in the Seller Forums and for that great question.
Other sellers have given you feedback based on their experiences. They also asked some questions that could help offer more detailed suggestions. I'll add a few help pages below.
Get started with Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) fees
Self-Fulfillment Basics 1.1 - What is Seller Self-Fulfillment (MFN)?
Seller_QRVQSYda7Bi85
I've spent the last 5 years as FBM. I'm finally switching alot of my stuff FBA. It'll help with increased volume because as an individual, I can get 25 or so orders out a day, with finding the correct sized box, boxing and double checking everything, and needing to make it to the post office or ups before 5:00.
With FBA, there is no constraint on volume because they they have hundreds of people to box and ship my stuff. Therefore I can sell as much as I want and not have to worry about it.
Seller_ov7tPznFfbE6R
And don't forget to caclulate your inbound shipping fees. Sending a pallet into Amazon can be very expensive. I'm in Wisconsin, and my next inbound pallet is mandated to the state of Washington....over $900. That alone is a killer for my hopes in continuing to use FBA.
Seller_AXC06kcsKI1qG
FBM means you ship the items to the customer when an order is placed.
FBA means you ship your items to an Amazon warehouse and if an order comes in it gets shipped from their warehouse.
This has nothing to do with suspensions. FBA sellers are just as likely to get suspended if they do not follow Amazon sourcing guidelines.
The difference is if you get suspended while FBM you still have all your items in your possession.
If you get suspended while FBA, Amazon has all your items and you may or may NOT get them back. So you could be out of all your inventory too.
Seller_AXC06kcsKI1qG
FBM means you ship the items to the customer when an order is placed.
FBA means you ship your items to an Amazon warehouse and if an order comes in it gets shipped from their warehouse.
This has nothing to do with suspensions. FBA sellers are just as likely to get suspended if they do not follow Amazon sourcing guidelines.
The difference is if you get suspended while FBM you still have all your items in your possession.
If you get suspended while FBA, Amazon has all your items and you may or may NOT get them back. So you could be out of all your inventory too.
Seller_z3XfkorVSmnEY
It depends. Do you have experience shipping product to customers?
Use the revenue calculator to get an idea of the costs. You can also have 2 SKUs for each ASIN -- one FBA and one FBM. We do this for several of our items.
https://sellercentral.amazon.com/fba/profitabilitycalculator/index?lang=en_US
Seller_z3XfkorVSmnEY
It depends. Do you have experience shipping product to customers?
Use the revenue calculator to get an idea of the costs. You can also have 2 SKUs for each ASIN -- one FBA and one FBM. We do this for several of our items.
https://sellercentral.amazon.com/fba/profitabilitycalculator/index?lang=en_US
Seller_nRFmxiQg4EGrw
If there are more FBM sellers getting suspended, it is probably because they are dropshipping, which is impossible to do FBA.
As long as you follow policy, you should be find either way. It comes down to your situation (can you even handle FBM? Or are you doing this only part time?) and the economics. You can often charge more for FBA, and have a better chance of winning the Buy Box; but FBA costs more in fees, and if your items don't sell as expected, then you will be faced with large storage and eventually removal costs.
If you can do FBM, and are new to Amazon, or selling a new product, I would suggest sticking with FBM until you know for sure that your product will sell. Once you know that, consider switching to FBA if it makes sense for you.
Seller_nRFmxiQg4EGrw
If there are more FBM sellers getting suspended, it is probably because they are dropshipping, which is impossible to do FBA.
As long as you follow policy, you should be find either way. It comes down to your situation (can you even handle FBM? Or are you doing this only part time?) and the economics. You can often charge more for FBA, and have a better chance of winning the Buy Box; but FBA costs more in fees, and if your items don't sell as expected, then you will be faced with large storage and eventually removal costs.
If you can do FBM, and are new to Amazon, or selling a new product, I would suggest sticking with FBM until you know for sure that your product will sell. Once you know that, consider switching to FBA if it makes sense for you.
KJ_Amazon
Hello @Seller_7z9OS5hmiQYUt. Thanks for joining us in the Seller Forums and for that great question.
Other sellers have given you feedback based on their experiences. They also asked some questions that could help offer more detailed suggestions. I'll add a few help pages below.
Get started with Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) fees
Self-Fulfillment Basics 1.1 - What is Seller Self-Fulfillment (MFN)?
KJ_Amazon
Hello @Seller_7z9OS5hmiQYUt. Thanks for joining us in the Seller Forums and for that great question.
Other sellers have given you feedback based on their experiences. They also asked some questions that could help offer more detailed suggestions. I'll add a few help pages below.
Get started with Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) fees
Self-Fulfillment Basics 1.1 - What is Seller Self-Fulfillment (MFN)?
Seller_QRVQSYda7Bi85
I've spent the last 5 years as FBM. I'm finally switching alot of my stuff FBA. It'll help with increased volume because as an individual, I can get 25 or so orders out a day, with finding the correct sized box, boxing and double checking everything, and needing to make it to the post office or ups before 5:00.
With FBA, there is no constraint on volume because they they have hundreds of people to box and ship my stuff. Therefore I can sell as much as I want and not have to worry about it.
Seller_QRVQSYda7Bi85
I've spent the last 5 years as FBM. I'm finally switching alot of my stuff FBA. It'll help with increased volume because as an individual, I can get 25 or so orders out a day, with finding the correct sized box, boxing and double checking everything, and needing to make it to the post office or ups before 5:00.
With FBA, there is no constraint on volume because they they have hundreds of people to box and ship my stuff. Therefore I can sell as much as I want and not have to worry about it.
Seller_ov7tPznFfbE6R
And don't forget to caclulate your inbound shipping fees. Sending a pallet into Amazon can be very expensive. I'm in Wisconsin, and my next inbound pallet is mandated to the state of Washington....over $900. That alone is a killer for my hopes in continuing to use FBA.
Seller_ov7tPznFfbE6R
And don't forget to caclulate your inbound shipping fees. Sending a pallet into Amazon can be very expensive. I'm in Wisconsin, and my next inbound pallet is mandated to the state of Washington....over $900. That alone is a killer for my hopes in continuing to use FBA.
