FBA Shipment Management

Shipment planning, prep requirements, carrier coordination, and receiving reconciliation

Mercantile Commerce manages the FBA inbound process for brands: how much to send, how it has to be prepared, how it gets to Amazon, and what happens when Amazon receives less than was shipped. We plan the shipment, build it in Seller Central, specify the prep and labeling requirements, book the carrier and pickup, and pursue the discrepancy cases afterward.

Shipment Planning and Quantities

Shipment quantity is a forecasting decision with fee, storage, and stockout consequences on both sides of the right answer.

  • Replenishment quantities recommended from sales velocity, seasonality, and lead time

  • Restock limits and capacity constraints accounted for before a shipment is built

  • Shipment cadence set to balance storage cost against stockout risk

  • New-product initial quantities sized against launch expectations

  • Coordination with your production and inbound schedule

Prep, Labeling, and Packaging Requirements

Prep requirements vary by product, category, and destination, and Amazon updates them. Getting them wrong results in chargeable prep fees or unfulfillable units.

  • Prep category requirements identified per product

  • Poly bagging, suffocation warning, and bundling requirements specified

  • Product labeling requirements confirmed, including manufacturer barcode eligibility

  • Box and pallet label generation and distribution to whoever is packing

  • Ship in Own Container eligibility reviewed and requirements documented

  • Requirements verified before shipment rather than diagnosed after receipt

Shipment Creation and Carrier Coordination

The shipment is built in your account, and the logistics around it are arranged so the pickup actually happens on the day it needs to.

  • Shipments created and confirmed in Seller Central

  • Destination assignments handled, including split shipments

  • Carrier booked, whether through Amazon's Partnered Carrier program or your own freight

  • Pickup dates scheduled and confirmed with the shipping location

  • Appointment requirements handled for LTL and pallet shipments

  • Tracking monitored through to receipt

Receiving Reconciliation and Case Filing

Shipments are not finished when they arrive. Received quantities routinely differ from shipped quantities, and the gap is only recovered if someone pursues it inside Amazon's windows.

  • Received quantities reconciled against shipped quantities on every shipment

  • Discrepancies documented with the evidence Amazon requires

  • Cases filed for missing and mis-received units

  • Cases followed through appeal rather than abandoned at first response

  • Reimbursements tracked to confirmation

  • Recurring discrepancy patterns identified and addressed at the source