How Long Does It Take For Amazing to Process Inventory?

So you’ve got your product FBA ready and sent it off to your Amazon Fulfillment Center. Now how long do you need to wait until it’s ready to go? 

Luckily, the FBA processing time isn’t lengthy the majority of the time, and will generally be complete within 2-6 days of Amazon receiving your inventory. This time frame can change based upon…

• Errors within the packaging process
• Holiday/seasonal delays
• Staffing problems at the fulfillment center
• Unforeseen delays or missing shipments
  

To ensure fast processing time and stay up to date on the process of your inventory, here’s a  few tips.

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Check Your Inventory Status

There is an easy way to view the progress of your inventory at your fulfillment center. Within your Seller Central Account, find the “Manage FBA Shipments” page. There, you will see a list of your shipments. 

There are 3 different categories your shipments may be listed under. 

• Delivered
• Checked In
• Receiving
  

If your package has been delivered but you’re not seeing it live on your storefront, you need to wait until it has been checked in and received. Once your product is listed as “receiving,” you should be good to go.

Again, this whole process should take up to a week after Amazon receives your packages (assuming there are no delays). If it’s been over a week and your inventory hasn’t been received, contact Seller Support.

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Make Sure Your Product Is Properly Prepped

One way to ensure that your product is received and processed in a timely manner is by preparing your inventory according to Amazon guidelines. You can either do this yourself or have a third party handle it for you. And you should always reduce excess inventory because you don't want poor inventory management. Additionally, Amazon does have an option for them to handle preparation and labeling - though it incurs additional costs per item.

We have a full article on this here, but here are some of the basics you need to know when it comes to preparing your product.

• Barcode: Every one of your products must be labeled individually, and the label must be in clear sight so that Amazon can scan and process your items efficiently. 
• Packaging varies by category: There are different packaging requirements for the various shipping categories Amazon has. This category (as well as the size and weight of your product) will determine what materials you need to prep your inventory.
• Amazon can do it for you: Select the “FBA Prep Service” and “FBA Label Service” to simplify your preparation process. 

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Ship Seasonal Inventory Well In Advance

Even with the best inventory management software, processing times tend to increase during the holidays. If you want to avoid these processing delays, your best bet is to prep and ship out all your holiday store inventory well before November arrives. You don’t want to be stuck waiting for Amazon to process your product while you miss out on eager seasonal shoppers ready to stock their carts with gifts for under the tree. Get ahead of the game. A good rule of thumb? Be sure you’re prepared for December by the start of October.

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Conclusion

Getting your inventory processed once you ship it to Amazon’s fulfillment centers and its storage facility shouldn’t take long. Within a week, you should see your products (or at least a portion of them) live on your listings! If a week has passed and you haven’t seen any progress, reach out to Seller Support for an update. You might have questions regarding how much inventory you should send so you don't encounter stranded inventory if there's a stranded inventory tool or even storage fees. To decrease the chance of encountering delays and good inventory management, be sure you pack everything properly and send seasonal shipments early to stay within optimal inventory levels. 

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