Shipping from Turkey to Amazon FBA can be confusing, especially if you are new to Amazon. Even experienced FBA sellers tend to be overwhelmed by the various options and regulations. Regardless of how intimidating this challenge becomes, it’s a necessary one.
This is even more relevant for importers, as they also have to handle the shipping part of it, clearances, procedures, etc. No matter how difficult it looks, this is an essential and mandatory process.
Every business operator has the same objective, get the best product, get it shipped to FBA warehouses in good conditions, and do this in the most cost-effective way possible.
We will evaluate every option based on the following criteria:
AIR FREIGHT FROM THE MANUFACTURER TO FBA
The fastest solution to get your product to the market.
However, air freight is way more expensive than sea freight.
Additionally, to compensate these costs it’s essential to pay Amazon to transfer all goods to a single location. ( additional $0.30 per unit …).
You can gain more control by adding inspection in Turkey at the beginning of the process, even though there are still some risks of damages.
However, you don’t need to label or inspect yourself your parcel, enabling you to save time, and thus money.
Most of first time importers use this option to transport their goods, mainly for its fast transit times.
This option gives you the possibility to inspect yourself your parcel. You have a control on the quality of the shipment to make sure it is in full compliance with FBA requirements.
You will have to handle the storage part at your facility, control the parcel and arrange labeling, pick-up/delivery.
In case you’re wondering:
How can I ship my goods internationally and make sure my parcel is packed and labeled in full compliance to FBA standards?
The solution: Air Freight to a Prep Center
This is a prompt shipping solution. The main con when using a prep center is the price, obviously.
FBA inspection centers are expensive for two main reasons:
Sea Freight: The slowest solution to ship goods from Turkey to Amazon FBA.
This might be a slow option, but this is also the cheapest way to transport your goods.
LCL (less than container load) is the cheapest option, as you share a container with other customers. This is the perfect solution if you don’t have enough goods to fill an entire container.
You have to use a freight forwarder’s services to benefit from this solution, for assistance in customs clearance and consolidation before departure of the shipment.
As mentioned before, you will lose control on quality if you ship directly to FBA.
Pros of choosing Sea Freight:
Contrary to FBA inspection centers, distribution centers are quite inexpensive.
They make money through warehousing and delivery services, especially by working with large companies, even though labor costs still have to be taken into consideration.
This kind of centers take care of:
As an example, if your activity is based in America, but you import the goods fromTurkey, a center based in California comes with a 16-day transit time, as opposed to 30-40 days when shipping to New York.
Make sure you don’t forget anything important when transporting your goods to Amazon FBA.
In this way, you can use the two following checklists made both for the seller and the supplier.
Do you recall that one of the task mentioned on the checklist was to download the FNSKU labels?
Your supplier can ship your goods to another one, in charge of the assembling, or bundling your goods for you.
If you are not satisfied with the packaging of your supplier, you have the opportunity to order another one from another supplier and let them pack your goods.
By doing so, shipments are shipped directly to FBA, or are ready for Amazon partnered carrier once it reaches a warehouse distribution center or staging warehouse.
Using “air express” straight to FBA is an easier way to arrange your FBA shipment.
First, you should consider setting up an “inventory placement”.
Shipping two or three boxes individually to different facilities will likely be more expensive than just paying $0.30 a unit.
This enables you to provide your supplier with the proper labelling of the box.
When setting up the shipment on the website, make sure you select SPD (small parcel delivery) and OTHER.
Turkey Cargo Advice : You cannot select Amazon partnered carrier, as UPS just accounts for the local country. If you are based outside of the country, this is not a solution for you.
Turkey Cargo Advice : When you select OTHER, keep in mind you have to work with a main freight courier that appears on Amazon’s list: UPS , DHL , FedEx and TNT are some of the biggest carriers.
Once the shipment is ready, this will make you avoid creating the file with the shipping labels and ship them to your supplier to do so.
Answer : Once the shipping plan is done you will receive a designated FBA address.
If you have a small volume to ship by air freight through your own name not so often, there is no need to set up your own shipping account.
You can ship it through your factory’s shipping account. Many suppliers in Turkey already set up a DHL account.
Thanks to the volume they ship on a regular basis, they can provide pretty interesting rates.
You have to choose between palletizing your goods yourself or have your factory do it. There are pros and cons in any case.
Turkey Cargo Advice : Choosing to work with the distribution center for the palletization process may be more expensive, but you will be sure of the full compliance of your pallets. No matter which company you choose for the pallets, they will also have to store , shrink wrap and ensure proper labelling, in compliance with Amazon’s guidelines.
Here are a few common rules as regards pallets:
First, handle this palletization process, and once you are sure about the number of pallets you have, their volume and weight, you are able to set up your shipment and provide labelling to the preppers.
If you use the services of distribution centers, you’ll have to select one that provides at the same time freight forwarding and customs services , as your goods will need to go through customs once arrived at the destination country.
When you set up your shipment, you will need to schedule a pickup date for Amazon’s partnered carrier.
A few days prior to the pickup, you must provide the distribution center with a Bill of Lading.
Let’s be clear: when choosing freight, there are still various parties involved in the process. Nevertheless, by creating a system that mitigates delays and confusion, you won’t have to face any unexpected delay.
Shipping by sea from the manufacturer to Amazon FBA varies depending on the characteristics of your shipment (LCL or FCL).
Option 1: Palletization done outside of the country
First of all, you must keep in mind that you won’t be working with Amazon partnered carriers if you transport your goods directly from Turkey to FBA.
Answer: Floor load shipment means that the way boxes are stacked up in a container still enable workforce to go inside on foot, lift the parcel and unload it.
Amazon FBA allows this kind of shipments, but only if the products are palletized, or at least stacked properly.
If the warehouse cannot provide any palletization service, request it from your supplier.
Option 2: Work with a forwarder that provides consolidation for a “direct to FBA”.
In any case, you have to work with a forwarder that provides logistics services and customs assistance, but they can also take care of the consolidation before departure.
In other words, thanks to their strong network of FBA sellers, they are capable of ensuring regular LCL shipments with several sellers sharing the same containers.
Even though the goods that are shipped on the container are not the same, it will be full when shipped to FBA warehouses.
The whole container is yours, make sure you stack it decently. Then arrange a direct FBA shipment to a location where it can be floor-loaded.
Your freight forwarder will handle the freight from your factory to the country of your choice, handle customs clearance when arrived, and will hire the services of a trucking or rail company to transport the goods to the agreed Amazon FBA warehouse.
When arranging things up like this, you’ll set up your shipment selecting “Less than truckload (LTL)” and then “Other carrier.”
Your factory has to make sure the container is loaded decently in order to guarantee that the floor-loaded container will be accepted by the FBA center. You’ll find all the requirements in Amazon.com help documents. Find below the most important ones:
Ultimately, you have to determine what is the best option for you and your business. Choosing which product, you should sell and that it is challenging enough.
When selling a physical product, supply chain management and logistics play a key role in the success of your business.
If you adopted a customer-based strategy, putting the emphasis on customer experience, you will be able to obtain great Amazon reviews and grow your business quite quickly.
At first, you may want to choose the easiest solution, but once you gain more experience, you will need to create more efficient and cost-effective systems.
Always remember some of the most important aspects when shipping this way:
Once you truly put these principles into practice, your supply chain is optimized and you end up saving time, money, and stress.
If you are looking for a professional to accompany you in shipping your products to Amazon FBA or elsewhere, you can contact us, we have a large professional network throughout Turkey.
There are three main methods to deliver your goods from Turkey to USA / UK. These are: express shipping, sea freight and air freight. Transport time, cost and complexity are completely different depending on the method you choose. We will detail each of these methods so that you can choose the one that suits you best.
1) The goods are shipped directly from your suppliers in Turkey to Amazon FBA. 2) The goods will first be sent to your home and then transported to the Amazon warehouse. 3) The goods are shipped from Turkey to a third party company who will ship them to Amazon FBA. They will check the goods for you and then transport them to the Amazon warehouse
When sending your products to an Amazon distribution center, you have three options: 1) Ship to Amazon FBA with a freight forwarder. 2) Ask your supplier to ship your products directly to Amazon 3) Select to ship with Amazon’s partners via the Partner Program (only for small package deliveries and to Amazon European markets)
Once Amazon has received and scanned your products, they store them in the order processing center and your product will generally be available for sale on Amazon within three business days. In your Amazon Seller account, you can review, monitor and track (if applicable) your shipment.
For your shipment to go smoothly, it is important that you prepare and label your products according to Amazon’s guidelines. Otherwise, Amazon may refuse to receive your shipment as soon as it arrives at its distribution centers.