--- title: Amazon FBA Shipment Processing — 8 Pallets, Dec 1 Pickup — 2025-11-17 type: article created: '2025-11-17' updated: '2025-11-17' source_docs: - raw/2025-11-17-weekly-call-w-karly-102187131.md tags: - amazon-fba - doudlah-farms - logistics - operations - shipment layer: 2 client_source: Doudlah Farms industry_context: food-beverage transferable: false --- # Amazon FBA Shipment Processing — 8 Pallets, Dec 1 Pickup — 2025-11-17 ## Overview During the weekly sync on 2025-11-17, Mark and Karly worked through the Amazon FBA shipment creation process live for Doudlah Farms. Jason (warehouse contact) confirmed he could prep the inventory within two weeks, setting a **December 1 pickup date**. The session covered product entry, expiration date setting, packing type corrections, and a key consolidation decision. Related meeting context (American Extractions, Crazy Lenny's): [[wiki/meetings/2025-11-17-weekly-call-karly-client-status.md]] --- ## Key Decision: Consolidate to 2 Shipments Amazon's default recommendation was **16 separate shipments**. The team chose to consolidate to **2 shipments** using the "Minimal Splits" option. - **Cost:** ~$1,000 placement fee above the base shipping estimate (~$3k estimated freight) - **Rationale:** With 16 shipments, every pallet must have exactly the right boxes for its destination. A single misplaced box causes fulfillment errors. Doudlah Farms' warehouse staff is new, making this risk especially high. - **Split logic:** Amazon routed all 25 lb products to one shipment and everything else to a second. > "It cost $1,000 to do that. But trying to configure 10 orders and stuff would have been brutal." — Mark Hope --- ## Products Included | Product | Qty | Packing Type | Notes | |---|---|---|---| | Black Beans, 1 lb | 15 boxes (180 units) | Master Carton | Exp: 05/01/2027 | | Black Beans, 5 lb | 192 boxes | Single SKU Pallet (4 pallets) | Exp: 05/01/2027 | | Black Beans, 25 lb | 40 boxes | Individual Units (1 unit/box) | Exp: 05/01/2027 | | Cranberry Beans, 5 lb | 20 boxes | Master Carton | No expiration date required | | Yellow Cornmeal, 5 lb | **144 boxes** (3 pallets) | Single SKU Pallet | Exp: 05/01/2027; qty adjusted up from 132 | | Yellow Cornmeal, 25 lb | 30 boxes | Individual Units (1 unit/box) | Exp: 05/01/2027 | | Yellow Popcorn, 3 lb | 80 boxes (2 pallets) | Single SKU Pallet | Exp: 11/17/2027 | | White Popcorn, 3 lb | 80 boxes (2 pallets) | Single SKU Pallet | Exp: 11/17/2027 | **Total: ~8 pallets (plus loose boxes), approximately a half truckload.** ### Quantity Adjustment — Yellow Cornmeal Original quantity from Jason's list was 132 boxes. At 48 boxes/pallet, that yields 2.75 pallets. Decision was made to round up to **3 full pallets = 144 boxes**. > **Action:** Karly to notify Jason of the quantity change (132 → 144 boxes of 5 lb Yellow Cornmeal). --- ## Process Notes & Troubleshooting ### Expiration Dates - Standard shelf-stable products: **18 months from ship date** → 05/01/2027 - Popcorn products: **2 years from ship date** → 11/17/2027 - Format required: MM/DD/YYYY with slashes (system does not auto-format) ### Packing Type Error — 25 lb Products The 25 lb Black Beans and 25 lb Cornmeal were initially entered as "Individual Units," which Amazon interpreted as requiring additional box packaging. The correct interpretation: these products ship one unit per box — "Individual Units" is the right selection, but the quantity entered should equal the number of boxes (not units inside). Required re-entry to resolve. ### AWD vs. FBA AWD (Amazon Warehousing & Distribution) is **not to be used** until further notice. Current AWD issues include expiration date mismanagement and fulfillment errors. All shipments go direct to FBA. ### Shipping Method All shipments use **LTL (Less Than Truckload)**. Small parcel (UPS-style) was not selected. LTL pricing is weight-based; FTL pricing is flat-rate per lane regardless of pallet count. --- ## Output Documents Generated Six files were produced and are to be emailed to Jason: | # | Document Type | Shipment | |---|---|---| | 1 | Box Labels | Shipment 1 | | 2 | Box Labels | Shipment 2 | | 3 | Pallet Labels | Shipment 1 (2 pallets) | | 4 | Pallet Labels | Shipment 2 (12 pallets) | | 5 | Bill of Lading (BOL) | Shipment 1 | | 6 | Bill of Lading (BOL) | Shipment 2 | BOLs were initially unavailable at shipment confirmation but appeared within ~10 minutes on page refresh. --- ## Action Items - [ ] **Karly** — Email Jason all 6 FBA documents (2 box label files, 2 pallet label files, 2 BOLs); subject line: "Amazon Details for December 1st Pickup" - [ ] **Karly** — Include note to Jason that Yellow Cornmeal 5 lb quantity has been updated from 132 to **144 boxes** (3 full pallets) --- ## Related - [[wiki/clients/current/doudlah-farms/_index.md]] - [[wiki/meetings/2025-11-17-weekly-call-karly-client-status.md]]