Benefits of a 3PL
How Can the Benefits of a 3PL Grow Your FBA Business? The benefits of a 3PL includes saved time, money, and risk for newer sellers. Newer sellers have enough to worry about in growing their brand. This article explores the how the benefits of a 3PL can bring value to your e-commerce store. Basic Benefits…
3PL Prices – Warehousing Costs for Amazon Sellers
What are the 3PLs Price to FBA Sellers? Let’s get to brass tacks – what do 3PL prices look like? With so many services, it seems like a lot of pricing to keep track of. Does it get expensive? Does it get too expensive? This article tracks industry rates. It also compares those rates to…
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3PL Services Explained
In a most basic sense a third party logistics warehouse can receive, store and forward products. These 3PL services are the core of their business. 3PL’s can offer these services to any volume of product. For example, they help clients with Cartons, Pallets or 40’ft Shipping Containers. Let’s break that down to understand these five…
FBA Inventory Limits – A Q4 Guide of 2022
Who is Affected by Amazon’s Restock Limits in October 2022? If you are reading this – your FBA inventory limits were slashed in the last couple weeks. You are not alone. Amazon alleges the recent slate of restock limits only affected 6% of US Sellers. However, a deluge of feedback from sellers says otherwise. In…
Amazon Restock Limits in Q4 – October 2022
Where To Store Extra FBA Inventory? In October 2022, Amazon rolled out its seasonal restock limits for FBA Sellers. The holidays bring big traffic for e-commerce sellers. So when Amazon limits their ability to restock inventory – it’s a problem. Why does Amazon limit inventory & how do the limits work? This article discusses how…
Q4 FBA Tips for Inventory Management
How to Manage FBA Inventory in Q4 Managing your FBA inventory in Q4 is a balancing act for sellers. In fact, Amazon recently imposed restock limits in October 2022. This left many sellers scrambling for Q4 FBA tips to manage inventory. Even the best planned supply chain and forecasting can be turned upside down if…
3PL Order Fulfilment Services – Scaling Up
A 3rd Party Logistics Partner (3PL) offers order fulfilment services so e-commerce sellers can grow sales. This is a critical position your product’s supply chain. Often it’s referred to as last leg delivery. This is the finish line of your supply chain – so don’t trip now! This article explores a list of questions to…
3PL For E-Commerce Sellers
How Does a 3PL Help E-Commerce Sellers with Supply Chain? On the back end of the supply chain, your 3PL will be the primary partner who pushes products to the finish line via direct-to-consumer order fulfilment. Alternatively, they can also store inventory or ship inventory to fulfilment centers owned by Amazon, Walmart or Shopify. This…
3PL For Amazon Sellers
Choosing a 3PL for Amazon Sellers is bridge crossed, once you need to re-claim control of your supply chain. It marks a moment in your growth, where you need to optimize supply chain solutions, get costs down, and navigate new logistics partners. Let’s review how we get there and what to do when were ready…
Freight Forwarder vs 3PL
Both these brokers of 3rd parties offer access to shipping quotes, customs solutions, and overall supply chain solutions. Determining if a Freight forwarders vs 3PL is better can be alittle tricky though. Firstly, we’ll define a 3PL. Secondly, we’ll define a Freight Forwarder. Then we’ll compare who outsources supply chain services vs who keeps said…
Pros of In-House Order Fulfilment
Why would a seller consider the pros of In-House Order Fulfilment? They offer a high a upside if the sellers up for the challenge. Let’s look a short list of benefits to scaling up in-house operations. In-House Order Fulfilment – Managing Pick & Pack Considering the Pros of scaling up an in-house order fulfilment operation?…
Cons of In-House Order Fulfilment
Cons of In-House Order Fulfilment – That You Control Wasted Money One of the cons of in-house order fulfilment is wasted money. E-Commerce sellers become overwhelmed if the right supports are not in place. The right systems need installment to automate daily tasks. Otherwise, when a few orders spike to a couple hundred, you could…
Warehouse Space For Order Fulfilment
You want to rent warehouse space for order fulfilment growth. You want to scale your business out of your garage. Where is the best location to do so? Well first consider where you live. What does your current supply chain look like? If you live in California, you may consider getting close to a port…
In-House Order Fulfilment Costs
When E-Commerce Sellers enjoy success, they scale up. The term “scale up” can mean one of two options for the seller. They can continue to operate “in-house” or outsource warehousing and order fulfilment to a 3PL partner. This article explores the several costs related to in-house order fulfilment. What Is Your Time Worth? Literally, how…
E-Commerce Software To Scale My Business
This is a much larger question than it looks. Luckily, we simplified the software solutions for you. Software can optimize every aspect of your e-commerce business. It might not all be needed when you start to scale. So let’s see what might benefit you the most to start growing in house. E-Commerce Software for Warehouses…
CRM for Beginners
What is the Definition of CRM? A CRM secures data from every interaction between your business and clients or vendors. The software routes this data to the right silos in your business to leverage. Your team enjoys up to speed data on every lead, client, and 3rd party. Management can analyze the subsequent sales data…
Amazon Q4 Seller Tips
For FBA Sellers, Amazon Q4 is the most lucrative but most hectic quarter Amazon’s marketplace. However, with the right e-commerce strategies, you can outshine the competition, increase sales and conquer Amazon’s Q4. Did you know last year Amazon increased sales by 9% during Q4, boosting up towards $137. Billion in revenue? That’s one big pie.…
E-CRM – Electronic Customer Relationship Management
What is an E-CRM? Electronic customer relationship management software is a mouthful. We’ll stick to E-CRM here. How do you manage your database of client info? Surely you have names, numbers, orders, emails, purchase history etc…on your website or elsewhere. But, do you have it organized? How accessible is the data? Can you spot trends?…
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Warehouse Management System (WMS)
What Is a WMS? A warehouse management system optimizes warehouse storage, product distribution, a seller’s supply chain and order fulfillment. From the moment that goods arrive to the warehouse gates, the WMS optimally stows away inventory, prepping it for pick n pack on its way out. Often a WMS integrate with a technology stack of…
Order Management System (OMS)
Order management systems offer order fulfillment software and inventory tracking for the back-end of your business. An OMS integrates into a WMS and eCommerce platforms. As a result, it can capture data related to sales & marketing from different sales channels. This insight offers new supply chain and product procurement strategies. Today, online platforms for…
Long Term Storage, Oversize Storage & Dangerous Goods
FBA Long Term Storage Has your storage sat at Amazon for more than 365 days? If so, you are in trouble! Your regular storage fees still apply. Meanwhile, Amazon starts charging additional ‘long-term storage’ fees. Specifically, Amazon assesses long-term storage fees using an inventory snapshot on the 15th of each month. FBA calculates inventory age…
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FBA Dangerous Goods Program
What is Amazon’s Dangerous Goods Program? FBA Dangerous Goods program allows sellers to sell risky items. Note, amazon uses the word Hazmat Goods as well. What are they? Well, hazmat goods include flammables, corrosives, or pressurized units. In other words, hazmat could cause harm at any point in it’s lifecycle if subjected to manufacturing defect…
Amazon Storage Limits – How to Find & Push FBA Storage!
What Are My Amazon Storage Limits? All professional Seller Central accounts receive a minimum of 25 cubic feet for storage. How much is that? In terms of Amazon storage limits, that’s about 1/3 of a pallet. Not bad, right? Not a lot though. This amount might be fine for testing new inventory. However, if a…
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FBA Storage Costs – How to Find & Calculate Them!
Firstly – to access your FBA storage costs – log into Seller Central. Again, to follow this page’s instructions, login to Seller Central. Afterwards, click on this link. It will take you to a page that looks like this: Storage Costs in Amazon’s Seller Central Secondly, to find your FBA storage costs – click the…
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What Are FBA Storage Fees?
Amazon’s fulfillment centers charge for storage of FBA inventory. Amazon charges FBA storage fees to sellers through Seller Central. That’s because storage at Amazon’s fulfillment centers is finite. Moreover, Amazon does not value all products equally. When Does Amazon Charge Different Rates on Storage? Storage charges vary from product to product at Amazon. For example,…
Pre-Pull in Shipping
Pre-Pull Meaning A pre-pull is defined as when a trucker picks up your container from port and stores it at a trucker’s yard. It helps avoid Demurrage fees when a container can’t immediately be processed out of port to its final destination. A trucker shortage in 2021 caused alot of containers to miss their Last Free…
Delivery Order Form
First you need a Delivery Order form (permission to release to goods). The carrier provides this form to instruct the shipping line and the port operator to turn over the cargo to the original proprietor as the new consignee. In other words, a Delivery Order facilitates the handover of cargo from the carrier to the…
Detention Fees
What are Detention Fees? Detention fees are what a cargo consignee pays for the use of a container outside of the terminal or depot, beyond the free time period offered by a carrier. Difference Between Detention Fees Demurrage? Detention Fees Explained These are charged for the time a container spends occupied outside of the port,…
Next Steps After Your Ecommerce Product has been Sourced
You planned out your Brand strategy for months. You researched the best product and found a highly qualified supplier. You negotiated a great price with value being your cornerstone. Now what?? This guide will show you the next steps you will need to take to bring your product to market!
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Foreign Trade Zone
What is a Foreign Trade Zone? A Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) is a secure geographical area “in or adjacent” to a U.S. Port of Entry. However, this FTZ exists be outside of CBP territory. For example, merchandise avoids CBP procedures and duty payments until the goods leave the FTZ and enter the U.S. Note, the…
Types of Bonded Warehouse
Bonded Warehouse – 11 Types Classes of bonded warehouse vary widely based on the needs of companies. For example., E-commerce sellers need different warehouse facilities than fruit distributors. Alternatively, electronics manufacturers may need more services than cargo consolidators at a bonded warehouse. As such, there are 11 general types of bonded warehouses in the logistics…
Bonded Warehouse
What is a Bonded Warehouse? The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency defines a bonded warehouse as “a building or other secured area in which imported dutiable merchandise may be stored, manipulated, or undergo manufacturing operations without payment of duty for up to five years from the date of importation.” Additionally, CBP states, “upon…
Port Storage – A Complete Guide
When are Port Storage Fees Charged? While shipping carriers store & transport products, storage is not charged the entire time. Indeed, there exist certain spots in the supply chain, where products are subject to storage charges. Most frequently, these storage phases occur once products arrive at port. The port offers 3-7 free days of time…
E-Commerce Storage – The Complete Guide
This e-commerce storage guide provides a comprehensive read on all topics related to storage of products in your supply chain. Well established Amazon Sellers optimize their supply chain. That means avoiding storage charges where possible. Not leaving money on the table. Making sure goods do not languish in one spot for too long. Time spent…
Container Lashing
What is Container Lashing? Sea freight carriers secured containers to the ship’s structure and to the container placed below it. This container lashing. Carriers control container onboard by means of lashing rods, turnbuckles, twist-locks etc. This heavy duty equipment secures containers to the ship hull. In turn, that protects containers from falling off into the…
Last Free Day
What is the Last Free Day in Shipping? The Last Free Day is a the last day of free time offered by a logistics partner for using equipment or space. Each party offers a different set of free time to a cargo’s consignee. A port’s Last Free Day is a cargo consignee’s grace period to…
Demurrage
Why is Demurrage Charged? Demurrage fees are applied by a shipping carrier to incentivize the return of carrier equipment, i.e. shipping containers, once containers are off-loaded at port. Container availability has been scare since the 2020 pandemic. The longer a container languishes at port, the less money it produces for the carrier. Shippers receive on…
Container Stuffing
“Container Stuffing” is the common term for the loading of containers for transport by cargo ship. Container stuffing is the opposite of “container stripping” which is the unloading of cargo from a container. Loading containers for shipment is considerably more complicated than it sounds. Containers have to be stable with the weight of cargo evenly…
Container Freight Station – A Guide
A Container Freight Station (CFS) is a warehouse that specializes in the consolidation and deconsolidation of cargo for import or export. A shipping line or port terminal usually own a CFS. Less Than Container Loads (LCLs) primarily utilize CFS’s. Alternatively, full containers only unload at their final destination. As such, container freight stations create a…
FBA Prep Guide
An FBA Prep Guide for Amazon Sellers In this FBA Prep Guide you will learn basic and advanced production preparation for an Amazon store. Product prep requirements vary based on your Amazon store model. Online Arbitrage & Retail Arbitrage requires a high level of FBA prep. Note, wholesale sellers require the same product preparation as…
Product Inspection Guide for FBA Sellers
Product Inspection Services E-Commerce Supply Chain Basics – Know the Path of Your Products! Product inspection services offer enhanced quality control. Private Label products travel an international road to reach your client’s doorstep. In fact, they change hands nearly 13 times in your supply chain. In light of this, one wonders, does everyone handle your…
Private Label Prep for FBA Products
Private Label product preparation differs from Retail Arbitrage Prep. Most private label sellers complete their product prep with the factory. A factory can FNSKU, bundle, and label products before they arrive to America. In fact, we recommend this for sellers! The more work a factory can do equals less work we need to do. However,…
3PL Product Inspection Services
Generally, there are 14 points of change in your supply chain. It only takes one bad incident to damage a couple cases. So before you ship directly to Amazon, take a peak at them, using a 3PL product inspection service. What is a 3PL product inspection service? It is a solution to ensure product quality…
Marketing Inserts for Beginners
How Marketing Inserts Impact Branding A marketing insert is an additional paper popped into your product. It is a loose leaf insert. Customers will pick it up, hold it, and turn it around. In doing so, they judge your brand and its product. In other words, marketing inserts connect your client to your brand. So…
How to Get an EIN Outside the U.S.
What EIN means? EIN stands for Employee Identification Number. It is a 9-digit number that ID’s a business. In most cases, it provides a tax identity to a business. In the same way we use a SSN for tax ID, a business uses an employee ID number. Indeed, Every FBA seller needs an EIN. What…
FBA Storage – A Guide on Storing FBA Products
FBA Storage Fees What Are FBA Storage Fees? Amazon’s fulfillment centers charge for storage of FBA inventory. Amazon charges storage fees to sellers through Seller Central. After all, storage at Amazon’s fulfillment centers is finite. And Amazon does not value all products equally. For example, FBA Hazmat goods warrant higher storage rates. Similarly, long term…
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Product Inspection In China
Inspect your products in China! Catch any mistakes at the production source. This protects your product quality. In turn, that protects your brand. By Investing in an inspection service in China, you purchase an insurance policy on production. In fact, did you know there are three basic types of product inspection in China? This post…
Amazon Product Bundle Guide
Can You Bundle Products on Amazon? Yes! Let’s look at how Amazon product bundles work. Bundles vs Multipacks Product bundling is a popular prep service requested by Private Label sellers. It is a common way to deliver extra value to clients. These products typically come from two different factories. Together, as one unit, they provide…
Product Repackaging for Amazon Sellers
Why Product Packaging is Important Product Packaging Design Fundamentally, product packaging is designed to protect your goods. If you are reading this ‘product repackaging’ post, then your original packaging did not work. Now you need to repackage your products. Indeed, packaging decisions are a function of product material. For example, glass products require strong packaging.…
Bubble Wrap Guide For FBA
When prepping products for Retail Arbitrage, Amazon can request extra packaging on products. Specifically, they want products bubble wrapped. This post examines what products require bubble wrap. Additionally, we examine which bubble packaging to use. Lastly, we review how to package RA products for FBA. What Amazon Products Need Bubble Wrap Packaging First, Amazon requires…
Retail Arbitrage Prep (RA) Guide for FBA
How to Prep RA Products for FBA? Retail Arbitrage Prep demands a high level of attention and accuracy. Indeed, these same prep requirements apply to Amazon wholesale sellers as well. We recommend viewing a video tutorial to learn the basics of Seller Central & Retail Arbitrage. Retail Arbitrage Prep – Labels for FBA FNSKU Label…
Polybag Guide for FBA
Polybags for FBA Prep Amazon relies on polybags to package products. As such, sellers need to know polybag requirements for proper FBA prep. Typically, bundled products require a polybag. Sellers cannot tape or tie goods together. Instead, products require a polybag to ‘sell as a set’. Note, this mostly applies to retail arbitrage sellers. Private…
Amazon Expiration Date Guide
Why Product Expiration Date Labels? Expiration date label rules exist to protect consumers. In turn, this also protects Amazon. FBA expiration date labels prevent consumers from purchasing expired products. Which products qualify for an expiration date? What are the proper methods to label a product? This post explains requirements for an Amazon expiration date. What…
Sold As Set Label Guide
Why Use a Sold As Set Label? Amazon Pick and Packers rifle through a lot of products. When diving through bins they make quick decisions. They need a lot of help to act quickly. Products packaged together need a ‘sold as a set’ label. Otherwise, Amazon employees will unpack your products into individual units. How…
FNSKU Label Guide
What is an FNSKU Label? Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit (FNSKU) is an Amazon term to describe the barcodes used to connect products to sellers. This term is unique to Amazon. For more on FNSKU label purchasing, we recommend a visit to U-Line for 3 x 1 barcode labels. How does Amazon use FNSKU Labels?…
FBA Prep For Beginners
Check out how to best get your products to Amazon FBA — Save $50 OFF your first month’s pallet Today Only! Dominate Your Market! Join over 300 happy Amazon Sellers. FbaZoom delivers individualized service focused on streamlining your Amazon FBA supply chain. Along with a personal account manager focused on your success, your business will never…
FbaZoom – 101
FbaZoom offers a premium 3PL warehouse experience. We offer FBA Prep for sellers in any stage of their success. Its a new model with veteran experts, who prioritize service over price. Send us your parcels, pallets or containers. We’ll inspect, organize, and inventory products with industry leading professionalism. What’s more is we’ll store, pallet prep,…