Amazon is among one of the largest, if not the largest, e-commerce hubs in the entire world. From home appliances and toys to industrial goods and tools, there’s nothing you can’t buy or sell though them. As such, there are a number of useful benefits to choosing to sell your business’s products through Amazon’s FBA services. Some of these include subsidized shipping fees, access to Amazon Prime customers, standardization of the shipping process, and having the Amazon name associated with their products. These features are incredibly helpful for those looking to make a name for themselves in the market and grow not only their customer base, but their reputation as well. Just remember, though, working with Amazon requires you to adopt their shipping practices and adhere to their strict quality guidelines. These are the basics of shipping with Amazon and the poly bag requirements for all Amazon sellers to follow.
The Basics of Amazon Packaging
In order to begin shipping your products with Amazon, it helps to first know what kind of shipping services they offer—and what they mean for you. To begin, Fulfillment By Amazon, or FBA, is a service that provides assistance to sellers throughout the entire shipping process. Whether it involves the packaging and storage of certain goods or shipping them, becoming one of their sellers means that you gain their facilities and experts as resources. Basically, you get the luxury of simply sending your merchandise to any nearby Amazon fulfillment center and having them take care of the rest.
However, as helpful as Amazon can be with this process, it’s important to remember that you have your own end of the deal to abide by. When shipping your inventory to the fulfillment centers, you must ensure, in addition to packaging products in relation to their category, products are labeled with FNSKU and tracking labels. FNSKU, or fulfillment network stock keeping units, are designed to help identify one specific product among a multitude of stock from a certain seller. As such, FNSKUs must be unique to the product and, if variations of the same product are being sold, their distinguishing features must be indicated on the label. Be sure that you’re also including the proper tracking information of each shipment on an exterior tracking label. Otherwise, you risk Amazon refusing, returning, or repackaging your products.
Amazon’s Poly Bag Requirements
Amazon has even stricter guidelines for those packaging their products using poly bag materials as they can potentially pose a safety risk to those receiving them. Because of this, failing to meet their expectations can prevent your orders from being shipped on time—and even cause you to pay fines. So when you’re choosing what types of bags you want to package your product with, you might want to stick to these poly bag requirements for Amazon sellers to avoid hefty fees.
For starters, bags with an opening larger than five inches across must have a clear suffocation warning printed either on the bag or on a label applied to the plastic. This is the best way to ensure that customers are aware of the dangers and that they should be keeping the plastic products away from their children. Failure to adhere to this regulation could result in your product needing to be rebagged at your expense. Fortunately, many poly bag suppliers make it a point to offer products with suffocation warnings already printed on the bag, making the process simpler for you to follow.
Another thing you should keep in mind when choosing your shipping poly bags is the thickness of the plastic. Amazon’s guidelines dictate that each bag needs to be at least 1.5 mil thick. Any thinner and it could not only fail to hold up in shipping, but it’s also easier for a young child or infant to choke on. Make sure as well that your bags are transparent, sealed properly, and the products have a barcode that can be scanned through the material.
Additional Amazon Packaging Tips
While we’ve covered the fundamentals of shipping your products with Amazon, there are a few more common courtesy guidelines that you should follow. Otherwise, there’s a chance that your products could be repackaged anyway. These are some of the things you should keep in mind.
Package Based on Category Requirements
It’s only natural that different types of product orders require varying levels of care while being prepared and shipped. This is why many shipping companies, Amazon included, set specific categories for these varying orders so that they know how each should be managed. For instance, loose products need to be marked with a label indicating whether a package’s contents are sold together and shouldn’t be separated. Boxed units need to be sturdy, sealed in a way that keeps them from opening, and doesn’t require any other specification.
Wrap Products Individually
If you’re selling multiple items with one order, it’s crucial that each individual item is contained within its own wrapping. This helps prevent contamination between the products and provides extra amounts of support in between them to cut back on the possibility of damage. In fact, in addition to this, it’s recommended that you also pack at least two inches of soft material around each product to further reduce the likelihood of damage.
Perishable Packages Require Expiration Dates
Anytime you’re shipping perishable foods or products that are effective only before a certain amount of time has elapsed, you must include expiration dates on the packaging. This way, your shipping professionals know to handle the products with care and can plan out the most effective ways to deliver it. Depending on how far it needs to ship, these packages might need to be transported in a refrigerated truck or stored in a cooled unit. When writing out the expiration dates, also make sure that it’s in clear numerical format so that there’s no confusion.
When you’re trying to find the right bag to both serve your customers and adhere to Amazon’s shipping services, look no further than Royal Bag, Inc. Our stock of poly bags for wholesale come in a series of different shapes, sizes, and thickness dimensions to suit a plethora of unique products. We can ensure that your specific products are properly packaged and will remain secure throughout the rest of the shipping process.
