In this blog, you will learn about all the types of box labels involved in Amazon FBA at first, and then know further about the specifications and requirements of two of them.
At the very beginning, we briefly introduce the sub-topics of this article for those who expect to skip-reading:
- Our blog is going to start from an overview of all the box labels in FBA by introducing every FBA box labels.
- In the body sections, we will focus on the most two important labels and do deep research into their specifications and requirements.
- For the next two sections, we prepare some practical tips that help you understand labeling.
Let’s start studying.
An Overview of the Amazon FBA Box Labels
You can go through the content table to get key information in this section:
| Shipping Process | Label Types | ||
| Consigner | Consignee | Shipment Label | Carrier Label |
| Supplier factory | Gathering warehouse | / | ✔ |
| Gathering warehouse (China) | Sorting warehouse (USA) | / | ✔ |
| Sorting warehouse | The 3rd-party warehouse | ✔ | ✔ |
| The 3rd-party warehouse | FBA fulfillment center | ✔ | ✔ |
| Note:The 3rd party warehouse is an optional loading place | |||
As shown in the chart, in general, there are 6 different labels during Amazon FBA, which are:
- A carrier label from your supplier’s factory to your freight forwarder’s gathering warehouse
- A carrier label from your freight forwarder’s gathering warehouse to their sorting warehouse at your country
- A carrier label from your freight forwarder’s sorting warehouse to the 3rd-party warehouse (if you have)
- A box ID label for the third-party warehouse (if you have)
- A carrier label from the former warehouse to the FBA warehouse
- FBA shipment/ID label for the entry to Amazon FBA fulfillment centers
Let’s see how each labels work:
- The first and the second carrier label are used by the freight forwarder to receive and ship your boxes. The greatest difference between the two carrier labels is the second label contains more information than the first one because it participates in international transportation.
- The third carrier label is usually used by short distance courier because the 3rd-party warehouse won’t be very far away from your freight forwarder’s. Differently, the fifth carrier label is often created by FedEx or UPS, which is preferred by Amazon warehouse.
- The FBA Shipment label is essential if you ship to Amazon warehouse. This label includes a barcode required by Amazon, acting as a shipment ID for inventory management. Of course, if you ship to the 3rd-party warehouse at first, you need another box ID label for this designated warehouse as well.
That’s all the 6 box labels during FBA process. But do you have to care about them all?
No. As a seller, you simply focus on two of them and that’ll be enough.
Let’s move to the next part.
Why Does Amazon FBA Shipment Label Matter So Much?
FBA shipment label is one of the most important labels on shipping box if you sell on Amazon. Why?
On one hand, accurate Amazon FBA shipment labels ensure proper identification and tracking of products throughout the fulfillment process, avoiding the risk of misplacement or delivery errors.
On the other hand, failing to attach shipment labels correctly results in delays, misrouting, or even loss of products, or worse, penalties, account suspensions.
Therefore, let’s pay attention to making your shipment label right.
Specifications Of FBA Shipment Label And 3 Details To Check Before Shipping
At first, let’s figure out what information the Amazon FBA shipment label includes.
Amazon Shipment Label Example: Get Acquainted With Its Contents
- Box Number
Usually, there is the number of box on the top, like ‘Box 1 of 2’. Alongside with it, there’s the weight of this box. And there’s ‘FBA’ or ‘Amazon’ on the very left.
- Ship From
Right under the box number is where to put the seller’s name and the address of your supplier’s warehouse.
- Ship To
You should put the Amazon warehouse address here, which is generated by Amazon in the shipping plan. It’s left to the ‘ship from’.
- Amazon Shipping Barcode
Amazon fulfillment center uses this unique shipping barcode to scan your boxes. There is an according serial number as well. And the date of this shipment ID created is written above.
- Quick Response Code
On the right side of the Amazon shipping barcode, there exists a QR code that contains the same shipment information as that of the barcode.
- Quantity of products.
It tells how many units of your products are in the box.
- Single/Mixed SKUs.
This mark signals your box contains same or multiple SKUs.
- Prep Required.
For example, you can indicate ‘FC Prep Required – LABELING’ to Amazon fulfillment center.
- Handling Information.
At the bottom of the FBA shipment label(or on top), there will be a notification that says ‘please leave this label uncovered’.
Check These Three Details Before Shipping
When you create the FBA shipment label, you should check the correctness of these 3 details:
- Product’s name and data
- Seller’s name and address
- Amazon Shipment Barcode
When you make sure these crucial information is correct, you are good to go.
FBA Shipment Label Requirements
Now you have known what is FBA shipment label, so let’s look into the requirements of Amazon for this label.
Printing Labels for FBA Boxes: All the Requirements You Should Be Aware of
- Amazon FBA Label Printer
Please try to use a thermal printer or a laser printer to print your labels instead of using an ink jet printer that may cause the labels too blurry to read or scan.
- Paper Material
The paper should be white and not able to reflect. Thermal labels are the popular choice, but transfer paper is better if your products are in long distance transportation.
- Adhesive
Just use removable adhesive so that Amazon can easily rip off the labels without leaving residuals after the delivery.
- Resolution
Better to set the resolution over 300 DPI and the scaling to 100% to ensure readability.
- Duration
The quality should be good enough to remain scannable for up to two years.
- Size
The original sizes for the Amazon shipping labels are 3 1/3×4 inches (8.4 x 10.2 cm) or 4 x 6 inches (10.2 x 15.2 cm) and the largest one A4. Choose one based on your box size.
- Color
Strictly print the label contents in black on a white background. Colored inks do not perform well under various climate and transit conditions.
- Font
Amazon recommends the normal font weight and 8 point as the font size. Ensure they are not bold. But using the default option is a better way.
Amazon Labeling Requirements of Placement
There are two kinds of requirements regarding the locations to attach labels:
- Label on a new box
Always remember to place the label in a flat side, and keep it away from the box seams at least 0.3 inch, and in an uncovered space for easier scanning. You can label it on the top of the box or on the sides.
- Label on a used Box
If you are using a used box for shipping to Amazon, make sure the new label has covered the old label fully. This way, Amazon will not be confused by the extra label.
So here we understand the FBA shipment label(a.k.a. FBA box label), now let’s continue to understand the next important labels in FBA process.
Another Important Label You Should Care About: Amazon FBA Carrier Label
Besides FBA shipment label, the carrier label plays an important role in the FBA process. Why is that said?
Firstly, sellers have to upload the carrier label back to Amazon after shipping plan created for tracking and updating.
Moreover, the carrier label offers vital product information for the carrier such as the product’s value, HS code and quantity for customs clearance.
At last, wrongly use of the carrier labels may result in failure to deliver products to Amazon’s warehouses.
Ok, let’s do some deep research into it.
Specifications of FBA Carrier Label And Its 2 Checking-points
Since most carrier labels contain similar items and don’t require a fixed template like the shipment label does, let’s take UPS as an example.
FBA Carrier Label Example: Probe Into What Is On The Label
- The shipper’s name and address
You need to put the shipper’s name and address on the top of the carrier label for outstanding notice.
- The recepient’s name and address
You can offer the destination to your freight forwarder and put it in this section. And don’t forget to fill in the information yourself if you ship by express.
- Weight and number of the box
Usually there is the gross weight of the box like ‘LBS’ or ‘KG’ as well as the box number like ‘X of XX’.
- Code of Destination
What is in the middle of ths label is a code of your destination. It comes with an barcode for custom clearance. The QR code near it is also there to help carrier sort the packages.
- Urgency
The carrier renders options for service classes ranging from urgent delivery to normal delivery. Put it on labels so that the courier knows the urgency of your order.
- Barcode for tracking
On any carrier labels, there is a tracking barcode and serial number. After the carrier scans this barcode and updates the logistic traits online, you can track your orders and upload it on Amazon.
2 Checking-points of FBA Carrier Labels
It is imperative to check following items before goods are shipped off:
- Shipper’s name and address
- Receiver’s name and address
Please make sure everything is bug-free for successful delivery.
Amazon FBA Carrier Label Requirements
Here in this section, let’s go learning how to comply with the requirements of the carrier label.
Printing Requirements for Amazon FBA Shipping Labels: Take UPS for An Example
- Printer
It’s always good to use a thermal printer. But other types are also available if you have many printing equipments.
- Sizes
Usually, the larger the label, the higher the cost. Moreover, you also need to consider your box size and the printer capacity. There are several common sizes for carrier labels:
Compact Parcel Labels whose size is 4×4.25inches.
These labels are very small and only suitable for boxes containing small products.
Most popular size: Standard 4×6 inches
This size is so common that carriers in the US, Asia, and most EU use it most often. With this size of carrier labels, you are able to print carrier-required text, barcode, serial number and things like that on it.
Slightly bigger : 4x8inches
Because this size is slightly bigger than standard size, it has the capacity to place more information that you need, like logos or images.
A4
It doesn’t have to be exactly as big as A4, maybe a bit smaller. But whatever the size is, remember the premise is fit to the box.
- Color
Print the label content in black on white without colorful lettering, same as that of FBA box label.
- Paper Material
Common thermal paper or laser paper can fit well on corrugated boxes. But pay attention to the adhesive because it needs to be durable enough.
Location to Put The Carrier Label On FBA Box: One Simple Rule
It’s always better to attach the carrier labels alongside the FBA shipment label for quicker check-in and scanning. Just make sure the carrier label is not in the middle of the slip.
Now both of the most important labels in FBA have been introduced. You might begin to think how to get them labeled. In the next section, the question will be answered.
How to Label Your Amazon FBA Boxes: 3 Different Methods With Pros&Cons
As for how to label the boxes, here are 3 ways to get it done:
Work with Your Freight Forwarder
The first way to label your Amazon FBA shipping box is to work with a freight forwarder.
- Pros: They are professional in the FBA process, so they can free you off all the issues throughout the whole transportation.
- Cons: There are a lot of freight forwarders, but not all of them have a good service. So it might take some time to cooperate well.
Resort to Your Product Supplier
There are also many Amazon sellers asking their suppliers to label boxes.
- Pros:If you are a fresh seller whose inventory is in small quantity, using your supplier can be cost-effective.
- Cons:Few suppliers are professional about the requirements in logistic. So there’s possibility that they make mistakes on labeling.
Do It Yourself: Labeling In the Warehouse
The last option is suitable for Amazon sellers who own a warehouse where they can do labeling.
- Pros:For example, if your products need some custom labeling service, you can do it in your own warehouse after the products are sent in.
- Cons:You might not know well about the rules of Amazon’s shipment label. So you have to do some works to check your labels. Also, you might need to get a qualified printer.
A brief summarization:
| Ways | Advantages | Disadvantages | ||
| Use Freight Forwarder | Smooth FBA process | Risk of poor service | ||
| Use Product Supplier | Cost-effective and simple | Risk of labeling mistakes | ||
| Do it by yourself | Flexible inventory management | Extra fee for labeling | ||
3 Beginner Tips about Amazon FBA Box Labels That You Better Know
In this section, 3 practical tips are provided to help you understand more about labeling Amazon boxes.
Tips 1:How to Print Your Shipping Labels for Amazon FBA?
Basically, there are 5 steps:
- Log in to your Amazon Seller Central account and click the Inventory option.
- Check the shipment details or click Edit option.
- Choose the shipping method.
- Set up the box specifications.
- Download the label file and print the labels.
Tips 2: How to Choose A Printer for Shipping Labels FBA?
Printers like Zebra are popular among Amazon sellers, while Amazon itself doesn’t have requirements. So you can choose a printer on the basis of your budget as well as qualified for the printing requirements:
- It supports printing 4×6 inches label;
- It supports connecting with the computer or able to directly download from the Amazon;
- It supports running at a high speed.
Tips 3:How to Label Multiple Boxes With Mixed SKUs Correctly?
2 ways to help you accommodate labeling multiple packs with different SKUs.
The first way:
- Step 1: Number each of your boxes at first. Make sure the all SKUs in the boxes are listed right.
- Step 2: Create a shipping plan and then print the shipping labels.
- Step 3: Label the boxes according to the packing list.
The second way:
- Step 1:Go to create a shipping plan where the total quantity of products is clear.
- Step 2:After the shipping plan is created, download the packing list and pass to your supplier.
- Step 3:Your supplier packs the products and label them with the list.
Conclusion
Finally, you have come to the end of this blog post. We wish you could gain help from our contents.
Now let’s conclude what is provided about FBA box labels in this article:
- You now understand what box labels are and how they work from the point of view of international transportation.
- You now understand what FBA shipment labels and carrier labels are and how to comply with their requirements.
- Furthermore, you now understand how to label your boxes more efficiently.
For more helpful information, please go to the other blogs that we published in the content hub.