Amazon To Only Accept Shipments of Household Stapes, Medical Supplies, Priority Items
Amazon Sellers worldwide reacted with panic and disbelief on Tuesday, March 17, as they were awakened to the news that they could no longer ship their products into Amazon Fulfillment (FBA, Fulfilled by Amazon) warehouses effective immediately.
As the outbreak of the Corona Virus COVID-19 pandemic sweeps across the globe, Amazon warehouses have been overwhelmed with a surge of orders and products.
We are seeing increased online shopping and as a result some products such as household staples and medical supplies are out of stock. With this in mind, we are temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so that we can more quickly receive, restock, and ship these products to customers.
For products other than these, we have temporarily disabled shipment creation. We are taking a similar approach with retail vendors.
This will be in effect today through April 5, 2020, and we will let you know once we resume regular operations. Shipments created before today will be received at fulfillment centers.
Amazon Seller Support Help
As of 6:00 AM EST, there was widespread reports of sellers having the inability to create inbound shipments or even get into the settings as Amazon’s Seller platform was overwhelmed by sellers trying to see if this was true.
Some sellers have reported the ability to create shipments but having some of the items in their shipments removed with an error that the item was not a priority item and “had been removed from their shipping plan”.
What products am I able to ship to FBA?
Amazon’s Help Center answers this question as follows:
We are prioritizing household staples, medical supplies, and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so that we can more quickly receive, restock, and deliver these products to customers. Most of the products we are accepting at this time are in the below categories.
- Baby Products
- Health & Household
- Beauty & Personal Care (including personal care appliances)
- Grocery
- Industrial & Scientific
- Pet Supplies
Listing products in an inaccurate category is a violation of our listing policies and may result in account suspension.
Options for Sellers of Non-Priority Items
First, shipments to Amazon that were created prior to March 17 will still be processed. If you are selling items that are not part of the priority categories listed, you have a few choices:
- Continue to sell with “Merchant Fulfilled” settings, meaning the Seller has the inventory on hand and will ship directly to the customer. This is the way Sellers operated for many years prior to the creation of Amazon’s FBA “Fulfilled by Amazon” program.
- Utilize a 3PL (3rd Party Logistics) partner. Many logistics partners are able to distribute your products across numerous warehouses in the country, giving you the ability to ship ground to any location within 2 business days. This allows you the ability to utilize Amazon’s “Seller Fulfilled Prime” program.
The Good News
The good news is that for now, this restriction is scheduled to only operate through April 5, 2020. That’s only a few weeks and although a few weeks of lost revenue can cripple any business, it could be far worse.
It feels as if these are unprecedented times and the radical changes being implemented in our nation are overwhelming. Take courage, try to keep your head up, and stay positive. Show an extra layer of love and compassion to those around you.
As always, we are here to lead and consult you in your e-commerce business. If you need assistance forming a merchant-fulfilled shipping strategy or finding a 3PL provider, contact us.
We are all in this together.
