Amazon is moving quickly to become the biggest retailer in the past years, the retailers sell a variety of products from shoes, and electronic products to toys in online stores. They formulate cargo from Chinese manufacturers and sell them on the Amazon platform.
However, the most common questions are how to deliver the cargo from China to Amazon FBA and what I pay attention to. We will share how to ship cargo to FBA smoothly in this article.
Direct or third-party shipping
There are two shipping options if you are going to ship to Amazon FBA includes direct or third-party shipping. I will introduce these two ways to help you choose the most suitable way.
Shipping Directly to Amazon FBA
It means that your supplier delivers the inventory from their factory to the FBA warehouse directly.
The advantage of shipping directly to Amazon FBA includes less transit time, they independently assume the responsibility of transportation, reducing a series of processes such as transporting goods to the middleman, it is great if you are in the time and want to save money.
The biggest pitfall of shipping to FBA by the supplier directly is that you are unable to run proper quality control. The supplier will ship directly, there will always be problems such as poor product quality and customer returns.
When to use it?
1. Build a good relationship with your supplier and trust them in terms of quality like your brother.
2. Saving the shipping price and shipping fast is your first choice.
Shipping to Amazon FBA by a third-party shipping
This proposal is using a third-party fulfillment company to help you with transportation. They are skilled in operating more checking work in the third-party warehouse, including repackaging and checking, the most important is that these services are free.
1. The main advantages of third-party shipping are that increased quality control and shipping smoothly. They have extra eyes checking your cargo before arrives at the FBA warehouse.
2. The biggest con of third-party is increased shipping time. The time increased is the middleman must receive your cargo, and prepare and deliver them. Adding steps that ship cargo to the middleman also means adding extra shipping time.
When to use it?
1. Your supplier has no experience in labeling and repackaging, it is the best choice.
2. If you want to inspect product quality and transport to Amazon.
The shipping methods to Amazon FBA
There are three methods when shipping from China to Amazon, include air freight, sea shipping, and express. Understanding the feature of each method is easy to make the right decision.
Air shipping
It just needs to take 1-3 days if ship cargo from China to Amazon by air. It is a wise choice for time-sensitive goods. But the air shipping cost is more expensive than other shipping methods.
1. Weight calculation
The final chargeable weight of the cargo is based on actual weight and dimensional weight. If the actual weight is greater than the volume weight, it will be billed according to the actual weight. Otherwise, charge according to volume weight
Air transport dimensional weight calculation method:
Dimensional weight (CBM)= length (cm) * width (cm) * height (cm) / 6000.
2. Cost calculate
The air price depends on the distance transported, the weight of the goods, and the treaty signed by the trade contract. Generally, the heavier the cargo, the price per kilogram is cheaper.
The price is unstable, and the specific price is based on the latest market conditions. Consulting ASL is the fastest and easiest way.
Sea Transportation
Sea shipping is the economic method of transportation from China to FBA. It is cheaper than air freight. The disadvantage of this choice is that long time and high risk of navigation. It will take 15-40 days arrived FBA warehouse. If you still have stock in the FBA warehouse, sea shipping can be the best choice.
Calculate FCL and LCL cost
FCL (full container load) means your cargo fill with whole one container. Under FCL, you can book the whole container with the shipping company and get a discount. The size of the container is divided into 20HP, 40HP, and 40GP, and the price of the container of 40HP and 40GP is more expensive than that of 20HP.
LCL (less than container load) means that your bulk cargo cannot fill with one container, so you will share a container with other suppliers. Under this mode, you just pay for the space you used. Bulk cargo is calculated by CBM, tell the freight forwarder about the details and information of the cargo, and they will give the latest LCL price for you.
Express Transportation
The advantage of the express is quick as air freight and you can track the logistics trace online. But the shipping cost is very expensive, only a small number of goods can be transported, and there are strict requirements for the transportation of sensitive cargo.
1. How to choose the right Express?
Compare with air shipping, the express is most suitable for general small cargo, because you will get a good price. There are four major international express companies such as DHL, UPS, FedEx, and TNT. They have unique strengths.
The advantage of DHL is fast, checking the information on the website to update quickly, and solve problems in a timely manner. But it has a low discount. The service UPS offer is the best but the price is more expensive. You can transport food, medicine, and other sensitive products to the Amazon warehouse by UPS. FedEx is most suitable for large cargo; their cost is $6-$7 per kg. The price of EMS is relatively friendly. But slower than another express
2. Weight calculate
The chargeable weight of express is the same as air freight. It is divided into actual weight and dimensional weight, the final cost depends on the bigger between them.
But the express dimensional weight calculates = length (cm) * width (cm) * height (cm) / 5000.
The process of shipping cargo from China to Amazon FBA
Getting the quote from the freight forwarder: Tell them about the detailed information (name, type, weight, number of pieces) of the goods.
1. Prepare customs declaration documents for customs declaration2. Load the goods onto the ship or plane, and transport the cargo to the port of destination. 3. Customs clearance at the destination. 4. Pick up the goods and send them to the Amazon warehouse 5. In fact, the process of shipping to Amazon is similar to the process of exporting; click here to know the specific international transportation operation process.
The certifications required when shipping from China to FBA
When shipping cargo from China to FBA, it is best to prepare the right export documents. If the supplier offers the wrong certification, it means that the product will sell on Amazon is unqualified and customs may fine, detain or destroy your product. So the cargo certification cannot be ignored. The basic documents you have to prepare to include:
1. Contract 2. Invoice 3. Packing list 4. Bill of lading
According to customs and Amazon requirements, dangerous or sensitive cargo needs to make the MSDS in advance. If the supplier will sell e-cigarettes on Amazon, you must prepare the UN38.3.
Different countries have different customs requirements. For example, when exporting to the UK and Canada, you need to prepare a certificate of origin. When exporting to the United States, you only need an invoice, packing list, and BOL.
After deciding on the items to sell and the countries to export to, you can consult us, and we will assist in handling relevant documents for fast customs clearance.
Tips for shipping to Amazon warehouses
Amazon FBA will not help solve the transportation from the factory to the Amazon warehouse. The seller needs to find reliable freight forwarding or a third-party company to help with transportation and customs clearance. If it is the first time to transport goods, you can consider a relatively large logistics company, such as DHL and Airsupply, etc., large international logistics companies have been established for a long time, and their professionalism is still credible.
The packaging of the goods needs to comply with Amazon’s regulations. Amazon has strict regulations on the packaging of its goods. Before entering the warehouse, if the outer packaging is damaged and the label is wrong, it cannot enter the Amazon warehouse.
The label of the goods must meet the requirements of Amazon: FBA requires the outer box to be affixed with the national standard; FBA label. If it is a live product, a battery label needs to be added.
ASL is the best freight forwarder that shipping cargo from China to FBA
We are ASL, a leading freight forwarder company in China. We have many years of experience in shipping from China to Amazon FBA all over the world. We can offer Amazon sellers smooth shipping and discounts. You won’t ever have to worry about quality control, FBA rejection, or late deliveries.
The FBA delivery service we offer
Why do many Amazon sellers find a freight forwarder to help them transport cargo? Let’s take a look at what services Amazon freight forwarders will provide.
1. Door-to-door pickup
Many logistics companies support door-to-door pickup. For Amazon sellers, choosing a good forwarder saves time and the cost of domestic transportation and simplifies their workflow.
2. Goods transportation and low cost
They have established a cooperative relationship with airlines and shipping companies and can find a reliable transportation company to ensure the normal transportation of goods and get member prices.
3. Customs clearance in China and import country
Freight forwarders generally have many years of customs clearance qualifications, understand the customs requirements of various export countries, and can quickly clear customs.
4. Value-added services
Amazon has strict packaging requirements for goods. If sellers need to re-label or repackage, they can help you do it according to the packaging requirements of Amazon FBA.
5. Final delivery
After the cargo arrives at the port of destination, there will be a courier or truck to deliver them to the Amazon warehouse.
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