Using the services of Western Bid you can deliver your FBA shipments in two ways: directly from Ukraine or from your own Fulfillment Center (FC) in Miami (USA). Below is a detailed analysis of both options.
Important Amazon FBA Rules
Before forming any shipment, check that the cargo complies with Amazon limits:
- Maximum box weight: 50 pounds (~22.6 kg).
- Maximum dimensions: 25 x 25 x 25 inches (~63.5 x 63.5 x 63.5 cm).
- If the item or total quantity exceeds these limits, the batch must be split into several boxes in accordance with Amazon’s requirements.
Before arranging the shipment, each customer is required to independently and thoroughly study the instructions provided by Amazon when creating a shipment order to send products to Amazon’s FBA warehouses. Studying Amazon’s guidelines for packaging goods inside the box, the requirements for packing materials, and its dimensions and measurements is the customer’s sole personal responsibility.
Important rule for working with Amazon: When you create a shipment plan in your Seller Central, you immediately specify the sender’s address (depending on the choice: either your address in Ukraine, or the Western Bid FC address in Miami), you specify the number of boxes and exactly where you plan to send them. Based on this data, Amazon’s system automatically generates the destination fulfillment center address. The seller cannot manually select the warehouse.
Variant 1: Direct shipment of a batch of goods from Ukraine
This is a method that can be more cost-effective for small or low-margin items.
When shipping to the USA from abroad, please note the following:
Customs rules and restrictions: All rules governing the import of goods into the USA must be strictly followed. The shipment must not contain items that are prohibited from being imported into the United States, and must also fully comply with the standards and requirements of the Amazon platform for products sold on it.
Invoicing specifics: Exercise maximum care when entering product data in your Western Bid account. Based on this information, the system automatically generates a customs invoice. This will help avoid the risk of the parcel being returned due to issues with its customs clearance.
Important note regarding customs: Please note that Amazon fundamentally does not provide contact details for communication in case of questions about customs clearance, does not handle the customs clearance of parcels, and does not engage in dialogue with forwarding companies to coordinate delivery nuances. Therefore all customs documentation (invoice) must be impeccable from the very beginning.
For shipping your batch, you can use the following delivery methods to Amazon’s warehouses:
1. Express delivery UPS Express
- The value of a single express shipment must not exceed $2499.
- Shipment with prepaid duties (DDP).
- A step-by-step guide to creating an express shipment is available at the official link.
2. Economic consolidation (Consolidation Plus)
- Your goods are shipped in a consolidated box with other cargo to the Western Bid warehouse in the USA, and from there the carrier delivers them directly to the Amazon warehouse.
- The maximum estimated value of the contents of a single parcel – $100.
- Shipment with duties prepaid (DDP).
- You can read the consolidation rules here.
3. Nova Poshta Global Delivery
- Delivery directly from a Nova Poshta branch convenient for you.
- The value of a single parcel shipment to the USA must not exceed $2499.
- Shipment with duties prepaid (DDP).
Important: The recipient’s details in the Western Bid account must match the address generated by Amazon to the letter.
Please note! Shipping to Amazon warehouses is not possible via Nova Poshta International Delivery.
Important: The received tracking number of the parcel must be entered into the Amazon account. Amazon strictly monitors logistics: if you specify too short a window and the parcel is delayed or, conversely, arrives much earlier than the indicated delivery window, the system may place a warning on your account. It is optimal to specify a realistic and fairly long delivery window (for example, 7-21 days for shipments from Ukraine).
Variant 2: Shipment from a Fulfillment Center (FC) in the USA
If your goods are already stored at Western Bid’s warehouse in Miami, you can redirect them (or part of the batch) to the Amazon FBA warehouse.
Shipping is possible via any available service shown in the calculator.
Cost of FC Western Bid services
Fees for batch preparation:
- Labeling products with labels – $0.25 per unit.
- Repackaging each unit of product (or packaging of sets) – $0.75 per item (or set) + cost of packaging materials used (bags, bubble wrap, boxes per each unit of product or per set).
Packaging and Fulfillment Outbound Cost:
When placing a manual shipment, the system will charge for the large box into which the goods are packed + the Fulfillment Center service fee depending on the weight of the final box from $2 to $5 + $0.25 for each unit you ship, after the second item (the same as for a regular shipment from the Fulfillment Center).
Additional charge for a third-party label:
If you provide your own postage label (and do not purchase delivery through the Western Bid cabinet) – for example, a label purchased on Amazon, an additional $2 will be charged for each postage label affixed.
Affordable packaging at Western Bid Fulfillment
If your product batch does not fit the standard box sizes available in the Western Bid calculator’s list, we also have the option “Non-standard packaging” (non-standard packaging). Warehouse staff will select and adapt the box to the customer’s individual request (even if you have a large batch, for example, 50 units), the main thing is that it fits within Amazon’s own limits (up to 50 lb and 25 inches on each side).
Step-by-step algorithm for dispatch from the FC
Since Amazon itself determines which exact warehouse the item will go to and requires the exact weight of the box, the process takes place in two stages through interaction in your account and internal tickets (Tickets).
STAGE A: Labeling and Packaging (Warehouse Work)
- Creating a request in Seller Central: In the Fulfilment Center section, tick the required batch of products and specify the exact number of units you want to send to FBA.
- Opening a ticket: Immediately after this, open a ticket (service request) for this query. In the ticket upload product barcodes (FNSKU).
- Barcode requirements: strictly in the format 50 mm by 25 mm. The number of barcodes in the PDF file must exactly match the number of items (1 item = 1 barcode). If you have a mix of different SKUs, provide the corresponding files for each item.
- Physical preparation: Fulfilment Center staff print the barcodes, affix them to each individual unit of product, and assemble them into the final box.
- Getting the measurements: The warehouse staff weigh and measure the finished box and records its exact dimensions and weight in the ticket for you.
STAGE B: Amazon Processing and Final Shipment
- Generating labels on Amazon: You log in to your Amazon Seller Central (the Send to Amazon tool), enter the dimensions and weight obtained from the warehouse.
- Important: in the Amazon account you must select your own shipping method (“Non-partnered carrier”), i.e., do not use Amazon’s integrated shipping if you plan to buy shipping via Western Bid.
- Amazon provides the address of the specific warehouse and generates FBA Box ID Label (the overall shipment label).
- Choosing the shipping method and payment:
- Option 1 (Recommended): Return to the Western Bid dashboard, enter the exact Amazon warehouse address provided by the system, select any convenient and cost-effective service via the calculator, and pay for the shipping label. Send in the ticket to the FC staff the FBA Box ID Label generated by Amazon.
- Option 2 (With your own shipping label): You can completely purchase shipping on Amazon’s site (if the Amazon partner carrier UPS rate turned out to be more favorable). In this case you upload to the ticket the FC and the FBA Box ID, and the shipping label (Shipping Label). Remember about the additional $2 fee for applying a third-party label!
- Tracking and shipment: The warehouse staff affix the overall Amazon box label + the postage label and hand over to the carrier. The status of your request in the Western Bid account changes to “Shipped”.
- Important: The obtained tracking number for the parcel must be entered into the Amazon account. Amazon strictly monitors logistics: if you specify too short a window and the parcel is late, or conversely — arrives much earlier than the stated delivery window, the system may place a warning on your account. It is optimal to specify a realistic estimated timeframe (for example, 7–21 days for delivery from Ukraine).
Alternative: Work under the FBM (Fulfillment by Merchant) model
If after calculating the cost of labeling ($50/hour) and FBA logistics you see that for your small or low-margin product this becomes unprofitable — consider working under the model FBM through the Western Bid warehouse.
How it works:
- You send a batch of goods to the Western Bid warehouse in the USA for storage (without any Amazon labeling).
- Your products are listed for sale on Amazon (as FBM), and can also be sold concurrently on eBay, Etsy, Shopify or other marketplaces.
- You always see up-to-date stock levels in your Western Bid account.
- When a sale occurs, you create a shipment request to the specific customer directly through the Western Bid system, immediately purchasing an internal shipping label (for example, USPS) at the company’s competitive rates, and you paste the tracking number into the Amazon account. This significantly saves startup costs and removes the strict constraints of FBA rules.
