Overview

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) inventory management is one of the most critical aspects of running a successful Amazon selling business. This Seller Central reference page covers the essential tools and processes sellers use to list products, create shipping plans, send inventory to fulfillment centers, monitor shipments, and remove stock when needed. Understanding these workflows is fundamental for any seller using FBA to fulfill customer orders.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Inventory listing tools — Seller Central provides built-in tools for listing products that will be fulfilled by Amazon, allowing sellers to convert existing merchant-fulfilled listings or create new FBA offers directly from their account dashboard.
• Shipping plan creation — Before sending inventory to Amazon, sellers must create a shipping plan that specifies which products are being sent, their quantities, and packaging details so Amazon can route them to the appropriate fulfillment centers.
• Shipment tracking — Once inventory is in transit, sellers can monitor the status of their shipments through Seller Central, tracking items from the point of dispatch through to receiving and stowing at fulfillment centers.
• Inventory removal — Sellers have the ability to request removal of inventory from Amazon's fulfillment centers, whether for return to their own facility or disposal, which is important for managing storage fees and clearing out slow-moving stock.
• International fulfillment requirements — Sellers listing products across North America stores (Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and Amazon.com.mx) must send their inventory to fulfillment centers located in the respective country where the product is listed for sale.

How FBA Inventory Management Works

The FBA inventory workflow begins with listing a product and designating it for fulfillment by Amazon. From there, sellers create a shipping plan through the Send to Amazon workflow in Seller Central, which guides them through specifying product quantities, packaging configurations, and shipping methods. Amazon's system then assigns fulfillment center destinations based on factors like demand forecasting and warehouse capacity. Sellers pack their inventory according to Amazon's preparation and labeling requirements, then ship it to the designated facilities. Once received, items are scanned, stowed, and made available for customer purchase.