Amazon Seller Question - Not Kindle

If you're asking about Fulfilment by Amazon, check this link out.

There should be another link further down with pricing info, but be careful because I saw elsewhere on the site that FBA charges (also covering so-called "return orders", where you can return or dispose of stale inventory) are going through an overhaul early in the new year.

That's a very good question.

But I thought these days most authors use print on demand for physical books, no? No need for inventory or stocking.

Hello Kurt,

Yes, you can simply put in a "Removal Order" and Amazon charges you a flat $0.50 per unit to have it returned. This is one of the great things I love about FBA that helps you limit your downside when sourcing items through retail stores.

For example, suppose you purchase 100 units on clearance or at a discount retail store. You ship in those 100 units, sell 20 and then Amazon or another seller comes in undercuts you. If you don't want to wait them out, you can simply pay 50 cents per unit to have the unsold units returned and then return them to the store! The money you made from selling the first 20 will more than cover the 50 cents you lose on the unsold.

Of course you need to be sure to keep your receipts (which you should be anyway for accounting purposes) and ensure the returns are in the allowable window which can be 30 days, 90 days, or even longer.

But the short answer is: Yes, it's 50 cents to have any standard-sized item returned to you. Oversized items are 60 cents.

Hope this helps!

Alternatively, you can leave the inventory on Amazon but list it on multiple sites such as eBay, Buy.com, Sears.com, Rakuten, etc. and then fulfill it through Amazon. This is called Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF). Amazon's rates are very reasonable as you get to use Amazon's super-discounted shipping rates and there is no final value fee, just a flat fee to ship based on weight.

You can find Amazon's MCF fees at the link below:
Amazon.com Help: Fulfillment Fees for Multi-Channel Fulfillment Orders

I've done this with items that either weren't moving on Amazon or just because I wanted to sell in multiple channels without to deal with my inventory being spread across several locations. This way everything is being stored at Amazon, fulfilled using their state-of-the-art system, and shipped using their discounted rates. I've found it a pretty good deal on the few items I've handled this way.