We live in an Amazon world nowadays, whether you like it or not.
When you search for a product online, the top results you’ll get usually link to product listings on Amazon.
With over 197 million people from all over the world visiting Amazon each month, it’s definitely THE e-commerce platform that sellers need to be on.
But behind this giant one-stop shop are sellers, such as yourself, are different factors that keep the cog running smoothly.
One of those cogs is Amazon forwarding.
Outsourcing products from countries like China and selling them to customers isn’t a very straightforward process.
In particular, you need to find a service provider who can deliver the product straight from manufacturing to the buyer.
Among the many businesses that offer this service is AMZ Transit.
In this post, we will review how AMZ transit works for FBA sellers and whether or not you should use them to help you run a smooth-sailing Amazon business.
Importing products from China and other countries: A primer
Before we start talking about AMZ Transit, we need to discuss how importing your products from China works.
Three ways to get products delivered from manufacturers overseas to customers
There are three options to get their products from China to customers in the USA:
- AIr express – the fastest way to transport small shipments, but also the most expensive.
- Air cargo – slower than air express, but considered to be the more affordable option for commercial goods.
- Sea shipment – most economical shipping option, especially for large orders, but also the most tedious in terms of paperwork and formalities.
These options should help you decide how much to price your products in relation to how fast customers want it to receive their orders.
Importing pitfalls FBA sellers need to avoid
Since Amazon FBA mainly deals with outsourcing products from factories abroad and selling them for profit, one of the main issues that FBA sellers face stems from importing goods from China.
Even though China is considered to be one of the most affordable marketplaces for white-label products, there are pitfalls that you need to avoid if you want to maximize your earnings from your venture.
Using the imperial system
Chinese suppliers use the metric system so don’t make the costly mistake of using pounds and centimeters instead of kilograms and inches.
When working with suppliers abroad, make sure to work within their timeframes and on their terms.
It can be a bit frustrating on the get-go, but just think of how cheap you can get your products when you import from China.
Choosing Less than Container Load (LCL) because of the lower cost
Let’s say that you have enough products from China to make sea shipment a viable shipping option for you.
While Less than Container Load may seem extremely cheap, there’s a chance that your shipment will be subjected to exorbitant destination service charges once it arrives at your chosen port.
Destination service charges vary from port to port in the USA but it can cost between $500 to $1000 per container.
If you’re not going to break even shipping via sea, you’re better off shipping by air instead.
Choosing sea shipment because it’s cheaper than air courier
Although sea shipping costs around 60 cents per KG, it’s not always the cheapest option for new FBA sellers.
In order to ship via sea, you’ll need to pay for an entire container. These containers are quite large and hold hundreds of kilograms at a time.
If you’re still in the early stages of building your brand on Amazon, it’s unlikely that you have enough orders to fill at least 60% of a container to make sea shipment a cost-efficient option for you.
Failing to consider the duties cost that you need to pay for your shipments
When transporting goods from one country to another, you’ll need to pay customs duties at the border.
But paying is not the difficult part.
It’s figuring out how much to pay since there are a lot of variables that come into play when computing how much duties cost in different countries for different products.
To check how much duties you’ll need to pay, look up the HTS (Harmonized Tax System) code for the item that you’re shipping.
You can also ask your Chinese supplier for this information. If you prefer not to deal with the numbers, you can always hire a customs broker but know that it will cost you.
Not printing your shipping labels before the packages leave your supplier
Experienced Amazon sellers will tell you that the little nuances or mistakes are what drag their profit margins.
Something as simple as failing to label your shipments properly won’t just delay delivery. It will also cost you money trying to get it to where it should be.
This is why you need to do as much prep as you can before your products ship out.
Always check the packing list that the supplier sends you and make sure to ask them to print out the labels. If your supplier can’t accommodate this request, ask your freight forwarder to do it for you.
This way, you’ll know how much your door-to-door costs even before it leaves China!
There is where AMZ Transit comes in!
Fulfilling an order can seem like a complicated process, especially to an Amazon FBA seller who is just starting out. This is why it’s important that you work with a reliable FBA logistics company like AMZ Transit that knows the business inside and out.
When it comes to FBA shipping and logistics, there are only a few service providers that stand out.
https://youtu.be/-jACJbaTUfM
AMZ Transit offers a wide range of shipping services for the serious FBA seller. From pre-shipment to delivery, AMZ Transit takes care of all the nitty-gritty of FBA logistics for you.
They don’t just simply move products from point A to B. They make sure to do it using the most effective and cost-efficient means possible.
Their years of FBA expertise will help you save time and money on shipping while being entirely Amazon compliant.
Compared to other freight forwarding companies that are only concerned about moving your cargo around, AMZ Transit offers solutions to meet each seller’s specific needs.
If you’re going to think about it, AMZ Transit is the bridge that closes the gap between Amazon FBA sellers and China suppliers.
Features of AMZ Transit
Scaling your Amazon FBA business is easy with AMZ transit since they cover prep, shipping, storage, delivery and everything else in between.
Let’s take a closer look at the features that make AMZ Transit the top choice for many Amazon FBA sellers.
Pre-shipment services
- Sample collection – collects and combines sample orders from different suppliers so that you only pay for 1 shipping cost.
- Factory visits – visits your suppliers based abroad to check their certifications and processes.
- Manufacturing coordination – coordinates with an agent in China on your behalf to set up your own manufacturing process.
- Product inspection – inspects all products before they ship out to check if they’re up to standard.
Shipping services
- Air express – transports products fast at great rates. This is the fastest way to get small orders to your customers.
- Sea freight – transports larger shipments without the hefty cost. Perfect for sellers who need to move large items but don’t want the transport cost to cut into their profits.
- Domestic freight – provides trucking services from the warehouse to the delivery address within the United States.
- Customs clearance – handles all customs-related paperwork so that you or your clients won’t have to deal with any fines.
Prep and inspection services
- Inspection – checks products for quality issues before they get shipped out. This is a free service for most orders.
- Bag & tag – packs orders in Amazon-approved packaging so your customers won’t see any factory markings.
- Inserts – packs orders with marketing materials, manuals, and any other inserts that you think would be helpful for your customers.
- Bundling – combines items into a single package so that your customer saves money on shipping cost.
Storage services
- Short-term storage – keeps stores your products safely while you wait for your product listings to go live.
- Long-term storage – stores products for a longer time at lower rates than Amazon’s.
- Returns service – receives returns from Amazon on your behalf before they’re forwarded to you.
Other services
- Concierge – helps you with whatever Amazon-related challenges you may face as a seller.
- Forwarding – accepts shipments on your behalf and redirects it to Amazon.
- Photography – provides professional product photos that are compliant to Amazon guidelines.
- Palletizing – packs products on pallets so that you can enjoy a lower LTL shipment cost.
- Account management – offers you a one-stop shop where you can log on and create labels for your orders. Helps you keep track of all your Amazon transactions.
How to use AMZ Transit for FBA Forwarding
Before we start using AMZ Transit, you must understand what LCL and FCL mean.
Now, we mentioned LCL as one of the pitfalls you need to look out for before using a forwarding service for your white label products.
However, experienced FBA sellers have a hard time telling the difference between FCL and LCL shipments.
If you want to maximize AMZ Transit, it’s important that you understand what your options are.
FCL (Full Container Load) is the cheapest way to transport products if you’re moving at least 10-11 US size pallets worth of goods.
Since you have a whole container to yourself, it’s delivered straight to FBA once it’s out of customs clearance.
With LCL (Less than Container Load), you only pay for the space that your products occupy inside the shipping container.
While it’s more expensive per cbm, it gives you the flexibility to import a smaller amount of stock.
Using AMZ Transit to ship products using Amazon FBA
To use AMZ Transit to prep and ship products for Amazon FBA, follow these easy steps to set up your Amazon Seller Central account correctly.
1 – Access your Amazon Seller Central account from your desktop.
2 – Under the Inventory menu, click on “Manage Inventory” and check the boxes of the product listings that you want to ship on. Above the checkboxes, click the “Action on… “ menu and select “send/replenish inventory”
3 – Click “Ship from another address” and enter this address:
(Your company name)
30-01 Northern Blvd
Long Island City, NY11101
4 – Click “Continue to shipping plan” and enter the number of units that you want to send to Amazon. Once you’re done, click “continue”
5 – Select “Merchant” in each product’s drop-down box to tell Amazon who is responsible for prepping and stickering the products. Click “continue”
6 – Once you’ve confirmed the destination of your products, click “Approve shipment” then click “Work on shipment” if you’re shipping out to multiple warehouses.
7 – Under “Shipping service”, select your shipping method then click on your preferred shipping carrier.
8 – Under “Shipping packing”, select “Multiple boxes” then enter the box configurations. Don’t forget to also include the box dimensions and weight.
9 – Once you’re ready, click “calculate” to get your shipping charges. If you want a cheaper rate, try selecting another carrier in step 7.
10 – Click “Print box labels”, and save it as PDF. Don’t forget to send this to your sales rep. Click “Complete shipment” and let AMZ Transit take care of the rest for you.
AMZ Transit: What I love
There’s a lot to enjoy in AMZ Transit. But below are specific pros that make this FBA shipping and logistics services a cut above the rest:
Full support from their China office
Aside from the wide range of sea and air shipping services they offer, their office in China helps you import all sorts of products at very little cost.
Want to visit a factory but don’t have the time or resources to do it yourself? Let their team handle it for you.
Flexible storage service
They also offer short and long term storage service in different locations around the United States.
At only $35 per pallet or $0.40 per cubic foot per month, it sure beats Amazon’s hefty long term storage fees.
Disregards customs-related charges
While some suppliers offer a much lower price for shipping, they usually don’t include customs-related charges in their quote.
Their lack of transparency not only leads to delays, but it also causes extra charges to pile up.
You can’t say the same with AMZ Transit.
The company is built on years of experience. So when you use them for shipping, you’re assured that your products will get to their destinations without a hitch.
AMZ Transit review: Verdict
AMZ Transit is one of the best and most reliable FBA logistics companies around.
They don’t just transport shipments, they make sure that your products arrive safely at Amazon FBA without any hiccups.
They go the extra mile to check whether your items are Amazon compliant to ensure that you get the best profit margin. Plus, their shipping services cost much less than most FBA forwarders, allowing you to get more value for what you pay for.
Probably the best thing about AMZ Transit is their signature concierge service that guides customers (especially newbies) in every step of the FBA process.
From order prep to product photography to account management, they’re the all-in-one solution to scaling your Amazon FBA business.
Click here to learn more about AMZ Transit.