Any shipment received at an Amazon fulfillment center without box content information is subject to fees that Amazon assesses. InventoryLab has built options to provide this information into your workflow to make your life easier!
This article details entering box content information and sending it to Amazon using feeds sent through their API.
Have a barcode scanner? Check out this article for steps on scanning items to assign them to boxes- Box Content Scanning
Transmitting Box Content to Amazon
- Complete Shipment in Stratify
- Complete Shipment in Seller Central
-
Transmitting Box Contents Feeds in Bulk
Turning on Box Content
When creating a new batch on the List>List & Prep page, set the Provide Box Content option to On- Using Feeds.
Assigning Items to Boxes
After you have created all your shipments on the Proposed FBA Shipping page, you will be brought to the Box Content page.
To begin, click the shipment you want to begin working on towards the top of the page. If the batch had multiple shipments, they will be listed individually.
This page has the following sortable columns:
Shipments Area
• Shipment Name
• Shipment ID
• Prep Type
• Destination
• Qty
• Total Boxes
Box Contents Area
• Title
• MSKU
• Condition
• Qty
• Box Information
We automatically create the first box for you, as is shown in the panel to the right side of the screen. If you need additional boxes, click the + New button to create a new box.
To assign an item to a box, locate it in the list and click the arrow next to Assign. Choose the box you’d like to put your items in, enter the quantity of units you’d like in the box, then click Assign.
A gray box means you have not assigned any quantities of that item to a box yet.
If you only assign a portion of the quantity of an item in your shipment to a box, you will notice the remaining quantity still has a gray Assign button next to it. This indicates that you have more of the item that has not yet been given a box designation.
You can see the total number of items left to assign in a shipment at the bottom left of the page.
A green box for all quantities means that the entire amount of that MSKU going to that fulfillment center has been successfully assigned to a box.
Estimated Box Weight
If you need to make sure you don’t overfill your boxes and want to monitor the weight of the box as you add items, you have that option!
Before you assign box content for a particular box, you can click the small i to the right of the box name in the Box Contents Information window. This expands the window, providing your box content information for that particular box.
Once expanded, you can see the items and quantity of units for each assigned to the box (either by MSKU or FNSKU) and the estimated total weight as you add to the box.
The weight is based on the item package weight of the items in the box, estimated to the nearest hundredth of a pound.
Dollar Value
Having the Display Dollar Value for Box Contents enabled in your settings makes it so the cost/unit and list price values of the items assigned to your boxes are visible on the Box Content page and packing lists.
To see the Dollar Values, click the small i to the right of the box name in the Box Contents Information window.
This setting can be managed anytime under Settings>List>Box Content Settings.
Action Items
When you click the action button next to a box, a dropdown menu will appear with the following options:
• Print Box Packing List – this action allows to print a packing list for your box
• Remove Box- this action will remove the box
• Copy Box – this action allows you to copy an already assigned box
• Show FNSKU/Show MSKU – this action toggles the view for all items in boxes to either show as FNSKUs or MSKUs
Print Box Packing List
If you need to print a packing list for a specific box, click the Action icon next to the box name and select Print Box Packing List.
Select if you would like the list to include images of the items in the box or not, then a new tab will open and your browser’s printing functions will take over.
For more information on packing lists, please see- Box Content - Print a Packing List
Removing a Box
If you need to remove a box, click the Action icon next to the box name and select Remove Box.
A pop-up will appear to make sure the box should be removed. To proceed with deleting the box, click Remove.
If the box contained any items, those items will need to be reassigned to a new box.
Note: Deleting boxes may cause the box numbers in Seller Central not to match up with the box numbers in Stratify for the shipment. For more information, please see Your Shipping Labels With Box Content
Create or Copy Boxes in Bulk
If you tend to have a large number of boxes per shipment, you can create them in bulk in a couple of different ways.
Bulk Creating New Boxes
You can bulk create new boxes by clicking on the blue + New button. A prompt will appear where you can enter the number of boxes you need and click OK.
Copying Existing Boxes
If you need to create multiple boxes with the same items, copying boxes may save you some time!
To copy a box, click the Action icon next to the box name and select Copy Box.
You will be asked how many copies of this box would you like to make.
Note: The default value will be the maximum number of exact boxes that can be copied, but you can change the value manually if needed. The value must be greater than 0. If you attempt to change the value to something higher than the maximum number of exact boxes that can be copied, you will see a warning message.
After clicking OK, you’ll see a message letting you know the boxes are being copied.
Toggling FNSKU/MSKU View
Generally, sellers have a preference on if they want to see MSKU or FNSKU when packing boxes.
To change this view, click the Action icon next to the box name and select Show FNSKU (or MSKU).
Note: If the current selection is Show FNSKU, you will see Show MSKU as the option to change the view. Alternatively, if the current selection is Show MSKU, you will see Show FNSKU as the option.
This action will toggle the view for ALL items in all boxes and the view will be remembered for future shipments.
Click the small i to the right of the box name to see the items assigned to the box listed by either FNSKU or MSKU depending on your selection.
Transmitting Box Content to Amazon
After completing the box content information for your shipments, you can purchase shipping and complete them without ever leaving Stratify, or you can choose to complete them in Seller Central.
Complete Shipment in Stratify
Note: Currently, purchasing shipping and completing a shipment in Stratify can only be done for SPD shipments.
To complete a shipment in Stratify, click Transmit Boxes next to a shipment towards the top of the page.
A window will appear asking if you'd like to Complete Shipment in Stratify or Complete Shipment in Seller Central. Click Complete shipment in Stratify.
Choose the Shipping Method, either SPD: Partnered Carrier or SPD: Non-Partnered Carrier.
SPD: Partnered Carrier
Note: When using this shipping method, the cost will be billed to your Amazon Seller account as an inbound transportation charge. For information on the Amazon Partnered Carrier program and how shipping costs are estimated, please refer to their documentation located here- Amazon Partnered Carrier options
Enter the weight and dimensions of your boxes. You can enter them for each box individually or all at once by using the "All Boxes" section.
Wait a few moments to make sure your feeds process without error.
Once accepted, you will see a green Success message, and the Feeds Processing button will change to the Next: Estimate Charges button to move forward.
If needed, you can click the Resend Feeds button to try processing the feeds again.
If Feed Error returns, it must be fixed before you can move to the next step.
Click Cancel to get back to the Box Content Information page where you can address the issue before resending the feeds. For information on this, please see- Editing Box Level Content Information
Once you receive the Success message and everything looks good, click Next: Estimate Charges to proceed.
The Estimated Charges window will appear and display the carrier information, number of boxes, total shipment weight, estimated shipping costs, and the ship from address.
If everything looks correct, click Accept Charges to proceed.
You will be asked to confirm that you'd like to proceed with purchasing shipping. Once done, you will not be able to make changes to the shipment without voiding the charges. (Charges can be voided within 24 hours of purchase.)
Click Yes to proceed. The cost will be billed to your Amazon Seller account as an inbound transportation charge.
The shipping labels and box labels will automatically download as a .PDF to your computer's downloads folder. These labels can be printed in 4 x 6 or 8.5 x 11 sizes.
Note: If your labels don't seem to be opening, try these steps- My 2D barcode labels or shipping labels aren't opening!
The shipment will change to "Ready for Carrier" status in the Working Shipments window in Stratify.
Note: Amazon marks shipments as "Shipped" with the first scan from the carrier. They will still show in the Working Shipments window in Stratify and as "Working" in Seller Central until that time.
Once the shipment is showing as "Shipped" in Seller Central, clicking the Sync Shipments button in Stratify will update the Working Shipments area and clear out the shipment.
That's it! Once you complete these steps for all the shipments in the batch, it will close automatically as this completes the workflow for it in Stratify.
SPD: Non-Partnered Carrier
Choose your Carrier from the dropdown menu. The options are:
- UPS (non-partnered)
- DHL
- FedEx
- USPS
- Other
Next, enter the Tracking ID for each box in the shipment.
Note: Amazon currently allows a maximum of 50 characters to be entered for tracking IDs.
Wait a few moments to make sure your feeds process without error.
Once accepted, you will see a green Success message, and the Feeds Processing button will change to the Submit All button to move forward.
If needed, you can click the Resend Feeds button to try processing the feeds again.
If Feed Error returns, it must be fixed before you can move to the next step.
Click Cancel to get back to the Box Content Information page where you can address the issue before resending the feeds. For information on this, please see- Editing Box Level Content Information
Once you receive the Success message and everything looks good, click Submit All to proceed.
The box labels will automatically download as a .PDF to your computer's downloads folder and can be printed in 4 x 6 or 8.5 x 11 sizes.
The shipment will change to "Ready for Carrier" status in the Working Shipments window in Stratify.
Note: Amazon marks shipments as "Shipped" with the first scan from the carrier. They will still show in the Working Shipments window in Stratify and as "Working" in Seller Central until that time.
Once the shipment is showing as "Shipped" in Seller Central, clicking the Sync Shipments button in Stratify will update the Working Shipments area and clear out the shipment.
We recommend waiting until the boxes have shipped and Amazon changes the shipment status to "Shipped" before interacting with it in Seller Central. At that time, the tracking IDs entered in Stratify will be available for reference in Seller Central.
That's it! Once you complete these steps for all the shipments in the batch, it will close automatically as this completes the workflow for it in Stratify.
Complete Shipment in Seller Central
Clicking Transmit Boxes next to an individual shipment towards the top of the page.
A window will appear asking if you'd like to Complete Shipment in Stratify or Complete Shipment in Seller Central. Click Complete shipment in Seller Central.
Next, enter the weight and dimensions of your boxes. By entering these details, they will be sent to Amazon along with your box content information.
You can enter them for each box individually or all at once by using the "All Boxes" section.
Once the weight/dimensions information has been entered for all the boxes, click Submit All to finish transmitting your box content information to Amazon.
If you're not ready to enter the weight/dimensions for the boxes yet, or if your shipment contains hazmat items, click Skip this Step to finish sending your box content information. (You can edit your Box Content later in Stratify to include them or enter them directly in Seller Central.)
For more information on entering weight/dimensions for boxes through Stratify, please see- Add Your Shipping Box Weight and Dimensions through InventoryLab
After transmitting the box content information for a shipment, wait a few minutes for a green Success message in Stratify.
Once it appears for a shipment, that specific box content information has been accepted by Amazon.
Once you've successfully transmitted the box content information for all of your shipments, the batch will close, as this step completes the batch process in Stratify. From here, you can move over to Seller Central to purchase shipping labels and complete your shipments.
Next Steps in Send to Amazon
Before navigating to Seller Central to finish up getting your boxes prepped, fully sealed, and packed, and generate shipping labels, make sure you see the Success message in Stratify and that the box content information is correct. Once you are on the shipment page with Send to Amazon in Seller Central, changes can no longer be made to the box content information through the API.
For help with these remaining steps, please see- Your Shipping Labels With Box Content
Transmitting Box Contents Feeds in Bulk
To transmit box content for all shipments at once, click the Transmit All Boxes to Seller Central button.
Transmit All Boxes to SC - Complete Shipment in Stratify
Note: Currently, purchasing shipping and completing a shipment in Stratify can only be done for SPD shipments.
After clicking Transmit All Boxes to Seller Central, a window will appear asking if you'd like to Complete Shipment in Stratify or Complete Shipment in Seller Central. Click Complete shipment in Stratify.
Choose the Shipping Method, either SPD: Partnered Carrier or SPD: Non-Partnered Carrier.
SPD: Partnered Carrier
Note: You cannot purchase shipping in bulk and will need to follow the steps below to navigate to the individual shipments after submitting feeds to purchase shipping.
To begin, enter the weight and dimensions of the boxes for all shipments created from the batch. By entering these details, they will be sent to Amazon along with your box content information.
You can enter them for each box individually or all at once by using the "All Boxes" section.
Click Submit All.
Wait a few minutes for a green Success message in Stratify.
Note: If you select "Transmit All Boxes to Seller Central" and receive an error for one shipment, you will need to resend them all. If you do not successfully send your box content information without error, you will not be able to proceed in Seller Central.
From the List>List & Prep page, locate the Working Shipments window, click the 3 horizontal lines to the right of the shipment and, select Work on Shipment.
Click the Transmit Updated Boxes button.
When the prompt appears, select Complete shipment in Stratify.
Then, click Next: Estimate Charges.
The Estimated Charges window will appear and display the carrier information, number of boxes, total shipment weight, estimated shipping costs, and the ship from address.
If everything looks correct, click Accept Charges to proceed.
You will be asked to confirm that you'd like to proceed with purchasing shipping. Once done, you will not be able to make changes to the shipment without voiding the charges. (Charges can be voided within 24 hours of purchase.)
Click Yes to proceed. The cost will be billed to your Amazon Seller account as an inbound transportation charge.
The shipping labels and box labels will automatically download as a .PDF to your computer's downloads folder. These labels can be printed in 4 x 6 or 8.5 x 11 sizes.
Note: If your labels don't seem to be opening, try these steps- My 2D barcode labels or shipping labels aren't opening!
The shipment will change to "Ready for Carrier" status in the Working Shipments window in Stratify.
Note: Amazon marks shipments as "Shipped" with the first scan from the carrier. They will still show in the Working Shipments window in Stratify and as "Working" in Seller Central until that time.
Once the shipment is showing as "Shipped" in Seller Central, clicking the Sync Shipments button in Stratify will update the Working Shipments area and clear out the shipment.
That's it! Once you complete these steps for all the shipments in the batch, you have finished their workflow in Stratify.
SPD: Non-Partnered Carrier
Choose your Carrier from the dropdown menu. The options are:
- UPS (non-partnered)
- DHL
- FedEx
- USPS
- Other
Next, enter the Tracking ID for the boxes in each shipment.
Note: Amazon currently allows a maximum of 50 characters to be entered for tracking IDs.
Click Submit All.
The box labels will automatically download as a .PDF to your computer's downloads folder and can be printed in 4 x 6 or 8.5 x 11 sizes.
The shipments will change to "Ready for Carrier" status in the Working Shipments window in Stratify.
Note: Amazon marks shipments as "Shipped" with the first scan from the carrier. They will still show in the Working Shipments window in Stratify and as "Working" in Seller Central until that time.
Once the shipment is showing as "Shipped" in Seller Central, clicking the Sync Shipments button in Stratify will update the Working Shipments area and clear out the shipment.
We recommend waiting until the boxes have shipped and Amazon changes the shipment status to "Shipped" before interacting with it in Seller Central. At that time, the tracking IDs entered in Stratify will be available for reference in Seller Central.
That's it! The batch will close as this step completes the batch process in Stratify.
Transmit All Boxes to SC - Complete Shipment in Seller Central
After clicking Transmit All Boxes to Seller Central, a window will appear asking if you'd like to Complete Shipment in Stratify or Complete Shipment in Seller Central. Click Complete shipment Seller Central.
Enter the weight and dimensions of the boxes for all shipments created from the batch. By entering these details, they will be sent to Amazon along with your box content information.
You can enter them for each box individually or all at once by using the "All Boxes" section.
If you're not ready to enter the weight/dimensions for the boxes yet, or if your shipment contains hazmat items, click Skip this Step to finish sending your box content information. (You can edit your Box Content later in Stratify to include them or enter them directly in Seller Central.)
For more information on entering weight/dimensions for boxes through Stratify, please see- Add Your Shipping Box Weight and Dimensions through InventoryLab
After transmitting the box content information for a shipment, wait a few minutes for a green Success message in Stratify.
Note: If you select "Transmit All Boxes to Seller Central" and receive an error for one shipment, you will need to resend them all. If you do not successfully send your box content information without error, you will not be able to proceed in Seller Central.
Once you've transmitted the box content information, the batch will close, as this step completes the batch process in Stratify. From here, you can move over to Seller Central to purchase shipping labels and complete your shipments.
For next steps, please see- Next Steps in Send to Amazon