Every time we place a product shipping order as Amazon FBA sellers, it’s clearly obvious we need to ship our inventory from Point A to Point B. This needs to be done as efficiently and cost effective as possible. But which Amazon shipping order method we choose, is far from an obvious choice. It�s rare that any two orders are the same.�

If it isn�t the fact that you may have different unit order quantities, it will be a different set of outcomes and delivery requirements that will need alternative shipping each time. With so many variables to Amazon shipping orders, I want to delve into some of the different scenarios to be aware of, hopefully with the aim of helping anyone who is looking at saving dollars shipping their next product orders.

Once you know your order quantities, it is important to understand what that actual order will look like in a number of different Amazon shipping order scenarios. To maximise your paid shipping space, you should always be willing to alter your order quantities up or down slightly, to really make your dollars go further. Meaning, before you send your next purchase order (PO) to your suppliers, have a plan of what your shipping objectives and inventory outcomes will look like. Decide on this to help with quantity amounts.
I always say� �Ship order quantities by master carton quantities and not by product quantities�.

What do I mean by that?

Let’s get into it…

The Big Debate…Pallets vs Loose Master Carton Loading?

First things first. Let�s look at the possible objectives for you placing your Amazon shipping order. Most likely you will want one of� two things to happen:

– send your inventory straight into Amazon FBA to replenish stock numbers�.or
– send your inventory to a 3PL, then forward some stock into Amazon, leaving some inventory in your 3PL warehouse in storage.

Both scenarios require different planning. Here�s the breakdown.
When shipping from your suppliers, you need to know from the outset where and what will happen to your inventory once it arrives at its destination. Let�s use the example of shipping from China to the US here, just to keep my example easy to understand. With Amazon fulfilment centres forever tightening available storage space for sellers, using 3PL warehousing is now becoming more of a necessity. Especially through the �essential products� domination during COVID in 2020, sellers with non essential products found huge fluctuations in their available space. Which leads to me asking you to select your inventory destination numbers with more care.
Yes, creating inbound Amazon shipping order plans for your stock in China or elsewhere is totally fine, but what we�re seeing now is sellers not being able to send their total order quantities into FBA centres. Hence the push to use 3PL warehousing.

Getting it right for 3PL�

By now you can probably see where I�m heading with all of this. Getting your inventory to a 3PL is becoming the new normal. So how do you optimise your Amazon shipping orders, save costs, send the order quantities you need, all ready for the use of a 3PL warehouse, you ask?

Get prices on palletised freight and prices for the same freight as loose loaded master cartons. This way you can keep costs down as much as possible. The same freight palletised and non-palletised will be vastly different in cost. Know your breakpoints for filling your own container as well. Compare these prices and know when it�s the right time to fill and hold your own container. Dead space in shipping is expensive.

Master Carton Creation for all occasions�

At ShipSavy, when using our Master Carton Optimiser, we have the end in mind from the start. This means for the life of your product, you will have peace of mind that in any shipping or storage situation for Amazon or 3PL, your optimization has the best opportunity to save you money. We design your Master Carton with every Amazon shipping threshold accounted for. You don�t have to worry. We also create it for the most optimised unit configuration per pallet.�

Amazon has so many pallet restrictions you need to consider and adhere to. ShipSavy takes care of all that for you, maximising the amount of product you can fit into the Amazon pallet build restrictions every time.
What does all this mean?
It means that whether you send loose loaded Master Cartons or palletised freight in your next shipping container, rest assured, you are maximising every bit of space.

Loose Loaded Master Cartons�

Prior to your US bound loose loaded freight arriving at your 3PL provider, make sure you have sent your ShipSavy pallet configuration well ahead of time so the warehouse knows exactly how you need your loose loaded master cartons stacked and palletised. Sending your ShipSavy container load report is vital as well. This gives the 3PL staff the exact breakdown of how many master cartons are loose loaded in your container and how many pallets they will make up. ShipSavy has all that data for you.�

The ShipSavy Master Carton Optimizer gives you the benefit of your product being optimised to fit the maximum amount of products per pallet. Having more products per pallet and more space being utilised, means less pallets. Less pallets equals lower storage fees for your Amazon shipping order and equals more money in your pocket.

Palletised Freight�

We now have the palletised freight scenario. If you ship on pallets, we can help you get more product into your Amazon FBA shipping pallet build. The ShipSavy Master Carton Optimizer gives you the confidence to know that once you have entered your product dimensions, the program creates your Master Carton for you in seconds and gives you a detailed 3D visual representation of both your Master Carton and your Optimized Pallet Build to explore with your results. Shipping from China (or anywhere) on pallets has never been easier and more optimized.�

A reminder again, to send your 3PL provider, your load reports and stuffing reports well ahead of time, so they know what is heading their way. It�s all there�

So you can see there are many different aspects to shipping and where your inventory needs to end up. When you have the right tools on your Amazon FBA and ecommerce business belt like ShipSavy, you�ll soon become a Ninja Warrior when it comes time to creating shipping orders and getting the biggest bang for your buck�..

Check out our other blog posts for more hints and tips to help your Amazon FBA business succeed.

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