Amazon FBA Order Processing Training — 2026-04-05

Overview

Mark Hope trained Karly Oykhman on the end-to-end Amazon FBA shipment creation workflow in Seller Central, inventory monitoring via the macro-enabled spreadsheet and Helium 10, and reviewed current account performance. The session also surfaced an active product issue with Old World Popcorn packaging that requires resolution before the next production run.

Attendees: Mark Hope, Karly Oykhman
Client: ^[1]

Key Decisions

Shipping method: Use LTL via Amazon Partner Carrier for the bulk shipment (Indiana FC); use UPS small parcel for the 25-pound bags. Choosing Amazon Partner Carrier over non-partnered saved ~$400 on this shipment.
Inventory target: Maintain 2–4 months of inventory per SKU. Items at 2 months or below ship immediately; items at 3 months are candidates for the following month's shipment.
Overstock strategy: Run 20–30% coupons on overstocked SKUs to accelerate sell-through and reduce storage fees. Some SKUs were previously at 56+ months of inventory; coupons are working.
Margin target: 40%+ profit margin per product. Currently tracking at ~41% on reviewed SKUs. Margins are being moved up slowly and deliberately to avoid dampening sales velocity.
Advertising benchmark: 4.0 ROAS — for every $1 spent on ads, $4 in product revenue is generated.
Old World Popcorn bags: Do not repack in the current bag. Research and test new bags before the January/February production run.

Action Items

[ ] Karly — Email Jason: shipment ordered for the 21st. 25-lb bags ship via UPS; everything else on pallets to FBA. Attach both box label files and the pallet label file.
[ ] Karly — Check Seller Central daily for BOL availability on the LTL shipment. Download and send to Jason when ready. Remind Jason to call the carrier (Central Transport) the day before pickup to confirm the truck is coming.
[ ] Karly — Email Jason: likely another shipment next month. List all SKUs currently at 2–3 months of inventory as candidates.
[ ] Karly — Raise Old World Popcorn bag issue on next call with Lucy. Key points: need new bags, bags are currently overfilled (no airspace above the Ziploc), research and drop-testing required before Jan/Feb production run.

FBA Shipment Creation — Step-by-Step Process

This is the workflow trained during the session. Use as a reference for future shipments.

1. Prepare

Open the macro inventory spreadsheet and identify SKUs to ship (anything at or below 2 months of inventory).
Open Seller Central alongside the spreadsheet.

2. Add SKUs to Shipment

Navigate to Manage All Inventory (or FBA Inventory) in Seller Central.
Search for each SKU by name. Click the three-dot menu → Send/Replenish Inventory.
Confirm the correct packing template is selected (e.g., "1.5 lb Master Carton"). If no template exists, create one: enter units per box, box weight, and box dimensions from the spreadsheet.
Enter the number of boxes and an expiration date (~1 year out).
Click Ready to Send. Do not click Confirm yet.
Return to the All FBA SKUs tab and repeat for each item.
Use Modify to correct any quantity errors before proceeding.

3. Confirm and Choose Placement

Once all SKUs are queued, click Confirm and Continue.
Verify the SKU count matches your list.
Select Fulfillment Center (not AWD, which is currently full).
Review placement options. Amazon may split the shipment across multiple FCs — this is normal.

4. Choose Shipping Method

Compare LTL vs. small parcel costs per shipment leg.
Select Amazon Partner Carrier (not non-partnered) to get discounted rates.
For 25-lb single-unit boxes, small parcel (UPS) is typically cheaper than LTL.
Verify the Ship From address is Doudlah Farms (not a third-party facility).
Set the Freight Ready Date (for LTL legs).

5. Generate Labels and BOL

Download box labels for each shipment leg (select Thermal printing).
Download pallet labels.
The Bill of Lading (BOL) may not be immediately available — check back daily until it appears. The BOL is required by the truck driver as proof of shipment.
Send Jason: both box label files, pallet label file, and BOL when available.

6. Accuracy Check

Double-check every quantity entered. If the summary shows a unit count, verify it matches your shipment plan.
It's acceptable to send more than Amazon's recommended quantity; avoid sending significantly less.

Inventory Management

Macro Spreadsheet

The spreadsheet uses live macros and updates automatically from Seller Central — no manual refresh needed.
Key column: Months of Inventory. Target range: 2–4 months.
Velocity is shown in units/month. To convert to cartons, divide by units-per-box for that SKU.
Inbound shipments appear in the spreadsheet within ~1 hour of being submitted in Seller Central.

Overstock Cleanup

Some SKUs launched with excess inventory (previously 56–80+ months). Coupons of 20–30% are actively reducing these.
Progress is visible — many previously >24-month SKUs are now below 20 months.
Once AWD capacity opens up, the target structure is: ~3 months at AWD + ~1 month at FBA to minimize storage fees.

Seller Central SKU Detail Page

Click any SKU number in FBA Inventory to access a full product analytics page.
Shows: 7/30/90-day sales velocity, average selling price, units sold, organic vs. PPC split, refunds, subscribe & save count, margin, pricing data, and inbound inventory.
Useful for pre-call prep: review top SKUs and flag any negative trends for discussion with the client.

Helium 10 (Seller Central Integration)

Karly was added as a user during this session.
Navigate to Sales & Profit → select a product to view a detailed performance dashboard.
Key metrics visible per product: organic sales, PPC sales, promo sales %, refunds, subscribe & save, and margin %.
Net profit trend is increasing. Down-spikes on the profit chart correspond to shipment days (freight cost hits that day's margin).
Current account ROAS: 4.0 — strong performance.

Sales Performance Notes

Yellow Corn Meal 1.5 lb: Selling ~119 units/month — faster than anticipated. Supply is struggling to keep up.
5 lb Black Beans: ~$100K in sales over the last 12 months. Previously ran out of stock, which caused a significant and slow-to-recover sales dip. Now back on track.
25 lb SKUs: Generally low velocity (exception: Pinto and Black 25 lb). Primarily B2B/commercial buyers.
Products with very low velocity should be reviewed in January once newer listings have had time to gain traction. Keep listing if not losing money.

Old World Popcorn — Packaging Issue

Problem: Bags are breaking in transit, primarily at or below the Ziploc seal area. The bags are overfilled — no airspace above the closure — creating internal pressure. Normal handling (drops, stacking) causes the bag to fail before delivery.

Current impact: Elevated returns; 4.4-star average review maintained, but packaging complaints are appearing in reviews.

Required action before Jan/Feb production run:
- Research alternative bag suppliers/styles.
- Identify a slightly larger bag that allows headspace above the Ziploc.
- Coordinate with TS Foods on fill volume reduction.
- Test new bags physically (fill with popcorn, drop-test, simulate shipping conditions).
- Do not reorder current bags.

Owner: Lucy (client-side). Karly to raise on next call.

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