Amazon FBA fulfillment glossary
26 terms every amazon fba brand should know.
- Aged inventory surcharge
- An FBA fee charged on units stored beyond a set number of days, in addition to the monthly storage fee. It increases in tiers the longer inventory sits.
- Amazon Partnered Carrier
- Amazon's program that lets sellers ship inbound freight to FBA using carriers Amazon has negotiated with, with labels created in Seller Central. Availability and terms vary by shipment type.
- ASIN
- Amazon Standard Identification Number, the 10-character identifier for a product listing in Amazon's catalog. Multiple sellers can sell the same ASIN, each with their own FNSKU.
- AWD
- Amazon Warehousing and Distribution, Amazon's upstream bulk storage service that holds inventory and replenishes FBA automatically. It is an alternative or complement to using a 3PL buffer.
- Box content information
- Data declaring which SKUs and quantities are in each carton of an FBA shipment. Accurate box content speeds receiving and supports reconciliation.
- Capacity limits
- Amazon's monthly limits on how much inventory volume a seller can ship into and store in FBA, set by storage type. They are based on factors including sales history and forecast demand.
- Case-pack
- Cartons that each contain the same SKU in the same quantity. Case-packed inventory is simpler to declare and receive than mixed-SKU cartons.
- Commingling
- Storing units from multiple sellers of the same product together and shipping whichever is closest. It happens when sellers use manufacturer barcodes instead of FNSKUs.
- Dangerous goods (hazmat) review
- Amazon's classification process for products that may be regulated as dangerous goods, such as items with lithium batteries, aerosols or flammable liquids. Sellers may need to provide safety data sheets or exemption sheets.
- Days of cover
- How many days current inventory will last at the current sales rate. It is the core metric for sizing FBA replenishment shipments.
- FEFO
- First expired, first out, an inventory rule that ships the lots closest to expiration first. It is essential for supplements, food, cosmetics and other dated products sent to FBA.
- FNSKU
- Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit, Amazon's barcode that ties a unit in FBA to a specific seller account. Labeling with FNSKUs prevents your inventory from being commingled with other sellers' units.
- Inbound placement fee
- A per-unit fee Amazon charges based on the inbound placement option chosen. Options that send inventory to fewer locations generally carry higher fees than options that split it across more fulfillment centers.
- Low-inventory-level fee
- An FBA fee applied when a seller's inventory is consistently low relative to demand, measured in days of supply. Certain products and sellers are exempt under Amazon's rules.
- LTL
- Less-than-truckload freight, which moves palletized shipments that do not fill a full trailer. It is a common mode for larger FBA replenishment shipments.
- MCF
- Multi-Channel Fulfillment, an Amazon service that ships orders from other sales channels using FBA inventory. Some channels restrict or discourage Amazon-branded packaging or delivery.
- Polybag suffocation warning
- A required warning printed on or affixed to polybags with openings of a certain size, as specified in Amazon's prep requirements. It protects children from suffocation hazards.
- Prep spec
- A written document defining how each SKU must be labeled, packaged and packed for FBA. It keeps prep consistent across batches, staff and providers.
- Problem receive
- The status of inbound inventory Amazon cannot receive normally, often due to labeling, packaging or quantity issues. Units in problem receive are delayed before becoming available for sale.
- Removal order
- A request to have inventory returned from FBA to an address you specify, or disposed of. Sellers use removals for unfulfillable, aged or excess stock.
- Seller SKU
- The stock keeping unit code a seller assigns to a product in their own account. It links the seller's internal catalog to the ASIN and FNSKU.
- Send to Amazon
- Amazon's Seller Central workflow for creating inbound shipments to FBA. It covers selecting inventory, entering packing information, choosing placement options and printing labels.
- Size tier
- Amazon's classification of a product as standard-size, large bulky or another tier, based on dimensions and weight. Size tier determines fulfillment fees, storage rates and some capacity treatment.
- Storage utilization ratio
- Amazon's measure comparing a seller's average daily inventory volume in FBA with average daily shipped volume. A high ratio can trigger the storage utilization surcharge.
- Transparency codes
- Unique serialized codes from Amazon's Transparency program, applied to each unit to help authenticate products and deter counterfeits. Enrolled brands must apply them as the program requires.
- Unfulfillable inventory
- FBA units Amazon will not ship to customers, such as damaged, expired or customer-damaged returns. They remain in your account until removed or disposed of.