Shipping directly from China to FBA

12 years ago

I am interested in this answer too. From what I have researched by reading Amazon's docs and calling there customer support is that they need labels and UPC's on everything that wouldn't be possible to do by directly importing from China.

Thanks
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SailorRob 12 years ago

That's still possible Roland. My supplier is able to put UPC stickers on my product for no extra charge. Simply ask yours, they may do the same.

Still wondering if anyone has any experience shipping directly to FBA.
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Auctiondebteliminator

12 years ago

You'll have to register a UPC code, though.

You can do it with a company called GS1.(Home | GS1 - The global language of business) When I did it, it was about 750 buck one time fee, and about 150 dollars a year to maintain. You do need to register this, though - especially if you're importing.

HIGHLY recommend this though - especially if you're going to sell on Amazon.

So there is your common denominator. If you're getting a product from China, register your UPC code - then you won't have an issue.

I've taught this for quite a while and this is a very profitable avenue - even if you're to branch out into eBay.

ESPECIALLY eBay.

Thanks
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iTechSolutions

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Auctiondebteliminator

You'll have to register a UPC code, though.

You can do it with a company called GS1.(Home | GS1 - The global language of business) When I did it, it was about 750 buck one time fee, and about 150 dollars a year to maintain. You do need to register this, though - especially if you're importing.

HIGHLY recommend this though - especially if you're going to sell on Amazon.

So there is your common denominator. If you're getting a product from China, register your UPC code - then you won't have an issue.

I've taught this for quite a while and this is a very profitable avenue - even if you're to branch out into eBay.

ESPECIALLY eBay.

You can register single UPC code for $10 and in bulk less than 10 cents each
Buy UPC Codes Instantly for Amazon or In Stores - InstantUPCCodes.com

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1 reply

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thedog 11 years ago

Originally Posted by iTechSolutions

You can register single UPC code for $10 and in bulk less than 10 cents each
Buy UPC Codes Instantly for Amazon or In Stores - InstantUPCCodes.com

That's a lot better than the $750 service mentioned earlier, thanks!

I'm looking into FBA, like Ebay, you need to understand all the fees involved.

I would go with air freight initially, as long as it's not too heavy, 100 - 150kg or so. You're talking around $1,000 to ship.

I'm a little unsure what happens when your package gets to the US, you hire an agent to take care of the import duty and red tape?

Does anyone know a service that can handle the whole thing? I think the less moving parts the better, so, pick up in China, ship to US, handle all the paperwork and ship to Amazon's warehouse.

I had no idea either that they only tell you what fulfilment center it needs to go to when it arrives in the States.
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Silas Hart

12 years ago

I do it for items that are eligible, which mostly means that the item isn't being FBA'ed by many other sellers (SEE HERE) Where the actual item itself has enough profit margin to pay Amazons fee's. The process itself is actually pretty simple. If Amazon cost less fees than I would be paying my employees and other overhead to ship out items for me, Amazon would have a lot more of my business. I'm not saying that in a "screw amazon!" tone, FBA works out well for a lot of people but because I focused more on eBay I built up my business around "high volume/low profit" items which doesn't always work out so well when selling on Amazon with FBA.

Thanks

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eshannon

12 years ago

The issue you'll have is the 30 day time limit on the shipment. When you create a shipment in FBA, the goods have to get to Amazon within 30 days or it gets voided out.

You won't know what warehouse Amazon wants you to ship to until you create the shipment.

So it's hard to arrange the shipment if it takes longer than 30 days for the goods to leave China and arrive at the port, because you won't be able to give a destination address to the freight company.

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Eric Shannon

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Hampton44

12 years ago

Can anyone explain to me what the Amazon fulfillment service exactly is? I see my shopping cart offers this as an option. Amazon stores your product and ships it?

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Silas Hart

12 years ago

Yes, you ship your items to an Amazon Fulfillment center, Amazon ships it out for you, and then send you the money after they take their fees. A lot of customers love this option because of the 2 day shipping for free.

A big mistake people make is that their profit doesn't actually cover the fee's , and then when they are undercut below their profit range it's a real hassle to get the items back. Another huge issue is that people don't fully understand the monthly costs of having their items warehoused by Amazon so they send out a huge box of misc items, and none of it sells, and then they end up owing Amazon accumulated fees that is worth more than the items were worth.

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AJD101 12 years ago

Silly question but can you not just ship your products from China supplier to Amazon FBA centre in China, then get them to look after it from there.
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NewParadigm

12 years ago

I'd be concerned in hooking my overseas supplier directly up w/ my distribution/sales network.

Thanks

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malia

12 years ago

I have had items shipped directly from China to FBA. Initially they will tell you that you have to go through this process with their import department and a bunch of paperwork and possibly a customs bond (I don't remember) because they don't want to be liable for your shipments, but this was a lightweight package of lightweight items so I just had it shipped via UPS.

I'd be concerned in hooking my overseas supplier directly up w/ my distribution/sales network.

I wish, really wish, that Amazon had different labels and papers for their FBA because I would love a blind inbound shipment process. FBA recently offered blind outbound shipping, where you can pay a little extra to have the amazon branding removed from your outbound shipping. I'd love for them to do that on inbound shipping as well so I wouldn't have to worry about alerting a supplier to the potential of selling on Amazon.

But I digress.

Regarding the UPC codes-- in some categories you can apply for a UPC exemption which they will grant. There was no way in heck I was buying UPC codes for every product I was offering (most of which is clothing, so between sizes and colors, one style can have many, many unique UPCs). It is a hassle getting a UPC exemption (and there are restrictions for applying for one), but you can do it.

I think the problem you will have with large items is that you may not be able to go under the radar. The items I imported are small and lightweight so it's a small package, thus easy to get through the UPS system. Which means I was able to circumvent Amazon's formal import process without incident.

Thanks

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Ryan David

12 years ago

I import products from China and sell thru FBA. I wouldn't do it for a few reasons:

1) The reason Eric mentioned.
2) I don't trust the people in China to label things properly. I at least want to inspect things prior to shipping them out.
3) Amazon usually tells me to ship to 3 different fulfillment centers (PA, TN, and AZ) so that would further complicate the issue.

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redlegrich

11 years ago

The obvious reason for using FBA is to take advantage of Amazon Prime shipping. While there are other reasons, this seems to me to be the only real tangible one. There are TONS of logistics firms that can do just what FBA does, and it will be cheaper. Many can offer the whole package of bringing your product in from China, warehousing it and shipping it. Many offer CC processing, customer service, returns and so on. I am surprised none of these folks lurk here on the WF. Do some research, they tend to be clustered around ports of entry as well.

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thedog

11 years ago

I think starting out FBA is easier the FBM. It's hard enough dealing with Chinese suppliers, shipping, import duty etc... getting another entity involved... there's a lot of plate spinning with this.

That said, after you've got your feet wet, it could be a good option.

Originally Posted by redlegrich

The obvious reason for using FBA is to take advantage of Amazon Prime shipping. While there are other reasons, this seems to me to be the only real tangible one. There are TONS of logistics firms that can do just what FBA does, and it will be cheaper. Many can offer the whole package of bringing your product in from China, warehousing it and shipping it. Many offer CC processing, customer service, returns and so on. I am surprised none of these folks lurk here on the WF. Do some research, they tend to be clustered around ports of entry as well.

Thanks

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telewarrior

11 years ago

Originally Posted by redlegrich

.... There are TONS of logistics firms that can do just what FBA does, and it will be cheaper. Many can offer the whole package of bringing your product in from China, warehousing it and shipping it. Many offer CC processing, customer service, returns and so on....

The return process is where the fall down is for the couple that I have uncovered. FBA only covers one part of the supply chain and backstopping the upstream source to FBA for both domestic suppliers and importers requires some stock management that your post indicates is available.

Any chance you would post some of those companies that do the whole process turnkey redlegrich? Swapping out FBM for FBA might be worth it for better control and additional flexibility.

Thanks in advance

Thanks

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queldorei

9 years ago

Originally Posted by redlegrich

The obvious reason for using FBA is to take advantage of Amazon Prime shipping. While there are other reasons, this seems to me to be the only real tangible one. There are TONS of logistics firms that can do just what FBA does, and it will be cheaper. Many can offer the whole package of bringing your product in from China, warehousing it and shipping it. Many offer CC processing, customer service, returns and so on. I am surprised none of these folks lurk here on the WF. Do some research, they tend to be clustered around ports of entry as well.

Can you post some links of few logistics firms?

Thanks

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Daniel J

11 years ago

I currently have all of my products from Chinese suppliers shipped straight to FBA. However, I started with having them shipped to me. This gave me a feel for the process so I can explain it in detail to the suppliers. I also have them take pictures of everything to verify that everything is labeled and packaged correctly.
Also, you can pay a fee to have all items put in the same shipment. Considering the amount I save on shipping and the profit margin in my products, it is worth paying this fee. I've never had a supplier compete with me on Amazon. I think it is simply not their business model.

Thanks
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thedog

11 years ago

Hey Daniel. How do you ship to FBA?

Do you use 1 company to ship direct? Or, ship to The States then use a courier to FBA?

How much do you pay for the inspection? This is something that I think is a no brainer.

Can you recommend a shipping company... also, who handles all the red tape once it gets to the States?

Cheers

Originally Posted by Daniel J

I currently have all of my products from Chinese suppliers shipped straight to FBA. However, I started with having them shipped to me. This gave me a feel for the process so I can explain it in detail to the suppliers. I also have them take pictures of everything to verify that everything is labeled and packaged correctly.
Also, you can pay a fee to have all items put in the same shipment. Considering the amount I save on shipping and the profit margin in my products, it is worth paying this fee. I've never had a supplier compete with me on Amazon. I think it is simply not their business model.

Thanks

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jumbo1

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Daniel J

I currently have all of my products from Chinese suppliers shipped straight to FBA. However, I started with having them shipped to me. This gave me a feel for the process so I can explain it in detail to the suppliers. I also have them take pictures of everything to verify that everything is labeled and packaged correctly.
Also, you can pay a fee to have all items put in the same shipment. Considering the amount I save on shipping and the profit margin in my products, it is worth paying this fee. I've never had a supplier compete with me on Amazon. I think it is simply not their business model.

What about the shipping time? does it fit into the 30-day window that Amazon gives you?

Thanks

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ladeebug 10 years ago

How were you able to find the suppliers from China? Is it hard to find good suppliers from China? Or do you belong to a membership site?
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bittergigu

11 years ago

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ShanghaiSEOExpert

10 years ago

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luke1213

10 years ago

Originally Posted by ShanghaiSEOExpert

Why can't we import from China to FBA? Amazon needs labels and UPCs on everything, something that isn't really possible when importing directly from China.

--FBAready Getting Your Products Ready for FBA.

How does this differentiate from sending my china products without a upc from my house to fba? I send my products that I import from China without a upc and amazon puts the upc on it for a small fee. Why can't this be done directly from China to an FBA center? What's the difference if I send them without a upc or if my China supplier sends them without a upc?

Thanks

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DWaters

10 years ago

The obvious reason for using FBA is to take advantage of Amazon Prime shipping.

Making use of Amazon Prime can be extremely valuable and this should be reason enough to use FBA. Most serious Amazon shoppers are Prime and many often search only for Prime products. If you are FBA you will be in those product listings but if you are mercahnt fulfilled those shoppers will not see you product.

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jumbo1

10 years ago

I think the OP is not reading this thread anymore. It's been almost 2 years he opened it

Thanks

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kjamesnv

10 years ago

Anyone who has their foreign suppliers ship directly to FBA is asking for trouble. Its extremely naive to assume that your supplier will never attempt to make more money. They are business people too and once they learn how to ship to Amazon you become unnecessary.

I understand there are many merchants who have done this without problems. However that doesn't mean its a good idea. Its not.

Thanks
2 replies

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Importexport

10 years ago

Originally Posted by kjamesnv

Anyone who has their foreign suppliers ship directly to FBA is asking for trouble. Its extremely naive to assume that your supplier will never attempt to make more money. They are business people too and once they learn how to ship to Amazon you become unnecessary.

I understand there are many merchants who have done this without problems. However that doesn't mean its a good idea. Its not.

I have had experience in dealing with Chinese businesses since 1978 as an exporter and 1987 as an importer.

I know many cases in which Chinese suppliers have appointed agents in Western countries and once the sales do well they ditch the agent and set up a branch operation.

If they will do that, it means that those who discover how easy it is to sell through FBA will also be tempted to ditch their customers who are only paying wholesale or ex factory prices, and sell direct at retail

I would never ship direct from China to FBA. I would use an FBA prepping service if I wanted to use FBA. If Prime was not important, I would use a fulfillment service other than FBA.

[ 1 ] Thanks

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ladeebug

10 years ago

Originally Posted by kjamesnv

Anyone who has their foreign suppliers ship directly to FBA is asking for trouble. Its extremely naive to assume that your supplier will never attempt to make more money. They are business people too and once they learn how to ship to Amazon you become unnecessary.

I understand there are many merchants who have done this without problems. However that doesn't mean its a good idea. Its not.

I agree with you. I'm still having problems finding good merchandise that I can earn a decent margin on. When I do, I don't want competition from those who are selling to me. I am concern about this all the time.
Although, I do understand saving on shipping? I'm sure the cost to ship from China is expensive.

Thanks
1 reply

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Importexport

10 years ago

Originally Posted by ladeebug

How were you able to find the suppliers from China? Is it hard to find good suppliers from China? Or do you belong to a membership site?

Originally Posted by ladeebug

I agree with you. I'm still having problems finding good merchandise that I can earn a decent margin on. When I do, I don't want competition from those who are selling to me. I am concern about this all the time.
Although, I do understand saving on shipping? I'm sure the cost to ship from China is expensive.

It is easy to find suppliers from China. I have taught hundreds of people how to safely source small or large quantities direct from manufacturers in China.

Shipping costs will vary depending on the method chosen, the type of product, and the weight and size. When operating my importing business from 1987 onwards, I always used the most expensive freight options.

I and my franchisees (I franchised my importing business in 4 countries) were able to absorb the high cost of door to door air courier freight and still sell at a minimum of landed cost including freight x 250%. Margins were often much higher than that.

I teach how to buy at the right price, and that provides such big margins that you can afford the courier cost.

Importing can be very easy and you don't need to learn all the rules and regulations, but you do need to learn safe sourcing practice. Most newbies treat buying overseas the same as if it is buying locally. It is no surprise that many of them get burnt.

Thanks

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DanyB

10 years ago

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Importexport

10 years ago

Thank you @DanyB for highlighting just a couple of the points that I deal with very thoroughly in my 133 page book.

You say that after buying my book the new importer "may still get nowhere afterwards." I can tell you, and I have emails from very happy book buyers to prove it, that I have taught hundreds of people in 36 countries how to safely source, and how to easily import products from China, and other countries.

It is definitely not necessary for a new importer to pay someone in China to do the work for them, because my book teaches them about the points you raised:

Quality control
Inspection services
Import procedures
How to tell if Certificates are genuine
How to avoid falling foul of Customs rules
And... in 33 chapters; much more.

All for a once only $97, not the larger cost that would have to be paid to a sourcing service every time they place an order. Those who put their trust in sourcing services when they don't know who they are dealing with can't be sure they are getting the best prices, and they can't even be sure whether the sourcing agent is getting a commission from the supplier as well as charging the buyer a fee.

I think DanyB, that you may have not done your homework. It might have paid you to get some background information on me before attacking my book.

I was exporting to China and other Asia Pacific countries from 1978 to 1987 before I started importing in 1987. I have lost count of the number of visits I have made to China, and I know the Chinese business scene very well.

I franchised my importing business in 4 countries, and absolutely none of my franchisees have ever been scammed because they followed my sourcing procedures. Having sold that business for health reasons I wrote my book and I now enjoy introducing new entrepreneurs safely to the high profit world of importing.

I know you have a service to sell, and it may be very good, but don't try to sell it by saying that what I teach is not sufficient. Hundreds have proven that it is.

Thanks
1 reply

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Use emotions and perceptions to build a great brand. Ask me about my book LabelsThatExploit. For safe sourcing and easy importing from 41 countries globally, see https://provenglobalsourcing.com

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Dante Galahad

9 years ago

Hi Importexport can you tell me the answer to the following:

1.Whats your thought on using middleman that handle the custom and brokering with china establish - universal cargo.com -*international freight forwarder and a US customs broker

2.Its "My Inventory Team" exactly the same as FBA Inspector where they source liquidation product from the manufacture and than they label and ship it for you?

3.Can you tell me which fulfillment prep that are willing to take on online arbitrage? i heard FBA inspection does not accept arbitrage only white label, private label and wholesale

Thanks
1 reply

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Importexport

9 years ago

Originally Posted by Dante Galahad

Hi Importexport can you tell me the answer to the following:

1.Whats your thought on using middleman that handle the custom and brokering with china establish - universal cargo.com -*international freight forwarder and a US customs broker

2.Its "My Inventory Team" exactly the same as FBA Inspector where they source liquidation product from the manufacture and than they label and ship it for you?

3.Can you tell me which fulfillment prep that are willing to take on online arbitrage? i heard FBA inspection does not accept arbitrage only white label, private label and wholesale

Hi Dante Galahad,

1. A freight forwarder such as UniversalCargo.com can be great help in taking all the worries out of shipping from any country to your destination where you will be selling your product. I wouldn't call them middlemen because they aren't buying and selling.

2. MyInventoryTeam and FBAInspector both handle prepping for your shipments from suppliers and send them on to AMAZON's FBA. The difference is that FBAInspector is strictly a prepping service but MyInventoryTeam are also suppliers of liquidation products.

3. I think that what you have heard is correct.

Walter Hay

If you think education is expensive - consider the cost of ignorance."

Thanks
1 reply

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Use emotions and perceptions to build a great brand. Ask me about my book LabelsThatExploit. For safe sourcing and easy importing from 41 countries globally, see https://provenglobalsourcing.com

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beneyben 9 years ago

Hi, thank you for the useful information.

Could someone kindly advise on a good forwarder or service in the USA that can:

Unload a container at their warehouse
Split & palletise the goods (being sent to 2 different FBA centres one on East & other west coast)
Label the master cartons accordingly

Any help or advice would be much appreciated. Many thanks
- Thanks
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Chownc

10 years ago

Also interested in whether to ship via an intermediary (in China/US) or direct from China to FBA

Thanks

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KFlash

9 years ago

Do you really need a UPC? Wouldn't it be possible to create a shipment to amazon (just create, do not finish the shipment), than create the labels as PDF. Send that label to your manufacturer and ask them to print this on the product packaging and let them send it into FBA.

After like 30days you than finalize the shipment to amazon. (Is it possible to create a shipment without the "send from XYZ address", just that amazon knows a shipment is comming but please amazon let me do the thing my way?

Thanks
1 reply

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AaronHeid

9 years ago

Originally Posted by KFlash

Do you really need a UPC? Wouldn't it be possible to create a shipment to amazon (just create, do not finish the shipment), than create the labels as PDF. Send that label to your manufacturer and ask them to print this on the product packaging and let them send it into FBA.

After like 30days you than finalize the shipment to amazon. (Is it possible to create a shipment without the "send from XYZ address", just that amazon knows a shipment is comming but please amazon let me do the thing my way?

If the product you are listing doesn't exist on Amazon yet, then you will need UPC or EAN codes, afaik there is no way around it. The question is though, what percentage does the UPC cost take in the entire calculation. Now to find out about this you have to make your mind up on which venues you are going to sell your product(s). The reason is some of the retailers want you to get your codes from GS1 (because of company prefix) whereas most of the retailers don't care if it is from a reseller as long as the codes are legit. If you are selling your products only over Amazon most probably you can go along with a reseller. But if you use Amazon EDI, you have to purchase your codes from GS1. But most of the sellers don't use EDI so most of them use resellers as their UPC/ EAN codes supplier to reduce their overheads.

i would advise all the importers or product inventors to take a minute and think about the possible selling venues to decide about where to get their UPC/EAN codes. If a reseller would do the job (and mostly it will do) then go for it. Reducing overheads is an important step. Here is a 10% voucher to help you reduce your overhead more - SAVE10 - just use it at the checkout step on https://www.ean-upc-codes.com

Thanks

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Shipping directly from China to FBA

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