Best practices to set up for success with FBA?
We have products currently Merchant fulfilled. The plan is to shift to FBA for three of our products.
Currently, we are trying our own ads to generate sales with not much success. Any tips?
Planning on hiring a marketing consultant to do this properly.
The hope is that FBA will create more visibility and sales. Have read that the Vine program can be a nightmare, so we will likely not opt in for that.
Would love to hear success stories going from FBM to FBA and any best practices.
Thank you!
Best practices to set up for success with FBA?
We have products currently Merchant fulfilled. The plan is to shift to FBA for three of our products.
Currently, we are trying our own ads to generate sales with not much success. Any tips?
Planning on hiring a marketing consultant to do this properly.
The hope is that FBA will create more visibility and sales. Have read that the Vine program can be a nightmare, so we will likely not opt in for that.
Would love to hear success stories going from FBM to FBA and any best practices.
Thank you!
3 replies
Seller_xo4Akj7FBBnfC
@Seller_Gzbca5puFcZHP, perhaps others with more experience in the Snack Foods category can weigh in, but I don’t see your products as a great fit for FBA.
We sell mostly emergency-use DIY tools, and the ability of FBA warehouses to deliver quickly nationwide is a big selling point. I suspect this might also be true for higher-priced impulse buys like cosmetics and novelty gadgets.
However, along with higher fulfillment costs, with FBA we encountered a slew of new problems including:
- Items going missing on close to 15% of inbound shipments and then being reimbursed far below our net manufacturing cost
I bet that with a perishable product like snack foods, you’re going to have FBA headaches that I can’t begin to imagine.
Sofi_Amazon
Hi @Seller_Gzbca5puFcZHP! 👋
Great question, and the transition from FBM to FBA can absolutely be a game-changer when done right. The experience shared above is valid, but it's also pretty specific to a different product category, so let me add some context for snack foods.
For food products, FBA has a few extra requirements worth knowing upfront. Amazon requires that perishable items have at least 90 days of shelf life remaining when they arrive at the fulfillment center, and products need to be properly labeled with expiration dates. Prep requirements (like poly bagging or bubble wrap) may also apply depending on your packaging, so it's worth reviewing the FBA product prep guidelines before you ship your first batch.
On the advertising side, hiring a consultant is a smart move, especially if your current campaigns aren't converting. FBA does give you the Prime badge and buy box advantage, which can significantly improve ad performance since customers are more likely to convert on Prime-eligible listings.
As for Vine, it's not a nightmare for everyone! It works best for products with zero or very few reviews, and for food items it can help build early social proof. That said, it's completely optional and you can always revisit it later.
— Sofi 🌿
Seller_9z7K85RzAOGC9
The best practice to set up success for FBA is to remain FBM. You will see FBA Will lose your products at alarming rates and either reimburse you pennies on the dollar and more alarmingly nothing at all which seems to be becoming more frequent. You will lose control over your customer service and Amazon will just refund everyone asking for one. If there's ever any problem with your account you risk Amazon not only freezing or confiscating your payments due to you, but also confiscating your inventory as well. Not to mention all of the fees that cut into your actual profits. FBA could end up losing you a lot of money. Just read through the forums and take time reading all the negative posts about FBA before jumping into anything.
