Considering using commingling instead of labeling for your FBA items? Here's our pros and cons.
Stickerless Commingling VS FNSKU
November 24, 2021
The standard method of shipping with an Amazon fulfillment center is to apply an FNSKU to your product. This Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit tag allows Amazon fulfillment centers to keep your product separate from any other FBA inventory with the same UPC code being sold by another amazon seller account.
An alternative method in inventory management is to use the Stickerless Commingling option offered by Amazon seller central. In this method, your product is added to the stock of others using the same UPC. If a customer purchases an item from your shop that uses this method, you get credit for the FBAseller's sale and payment is issued to you. However, the customer is shipped any one of the items in stock. This could be one of your items, or it could be an item from a competitor. When Amazon has your item in stock near the customer, they can ensure faster delivery than if they had to ship your specific and FBA Shipment ID label FNSKU-labeled product. This also eliminates any labeling issues on your end.
Ideally, the items will all be identical, and the customer will be satisfied. Unfortunately, there are other store owners out there who may not be as concerned about customer satisfaction as you are. This is the potential downside to Stickerless Commingling shipping labels. If the product actually shipped is not what the customer was promised, any negative reviews or complaints would then be your responsibility. The product could be a counterfeit, simply in bad condition, or otherwise fraudulent.
Pros Of Choosing Stickerless Commingling
- You don’t have to worry about labeling. This saves you on labor, time, and saves you the hassle of dealing with incorrectly labeled products.
- Your product gets to the customer faster. Commingled products are sent directly to the customer from whatever fulfillment center warehouse is closest to them. This means that it doesn’t have to go through all the usual channels - and generally means you have a happier customer.
Cons of Choosing Stickerless Commingling
- You can’t verify the quality of the product your competitor is offering. Theoretically, the product should be the same. But you don’t know where competitors are cutting corners. Will it be damaged, or have a minor difference from your pictures? This can result in negative reviews for your business.
- Since the product won’t have your branding on it, it’s harder to develop a relationship with your customer or stand out as a memorable brand.
- Due to the aforementioned problems, commingled products may negatively affect your reviews, account health, and how much customers trust your brand.
Conclusion
The choice is up to you, but be aware of the potential pitfalls before you engage in Stickerless Commingling of your products. If you want to know if your product is a good choice for this feature, get in touch with one of our professional coaches or private label sellers. We can tell you which label is an option for your items between both the carrier labels and advise you where to go from here.
Julia Grant
Julia Grant is a copywriter specializing in e-commerce and small business, helping businesses expand their reach with copy that clearly communicates their message and converts. She is a certified translator and interpreter and prides herself on providing culturally relevant content in both English and Spanish.
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