Amazon Fulfilment Pallet Deliveries

Whether you know it or not, there's an easy way of saving money when shipping goods directly to Amazon. 

You can easily increase your return on investment if you know the most cost-effective means of delivering to Fulfilment Centres and get it all right the first time. 

But there are a few rules and regulations you need to follow for Amazon to accept your delivery, the biggest being that you will need to source a pallet courier first. 

Luckily, we can tell you everything you need to know about sending a pallet to Amazon Fulfilment Centres in a few minutes. 

Let's dive straight in! 

Pallet Requirements

First of all, for your Amazon pallet delivery to be accepted you need to make sure you take the Amazon requirements seriously. 

You must used wooden pallets for Amazon shipments and these must measure 1 metre x 1.2 metres - check with your chosen courier! 

Also, keep in mind that you can only send 4-way pallets to Amazon.

As they deal with millions of pallet shipments a week, their warehouses are manic and workers must be able to access your pallets on all four sides. 

This not only speeds things up for your Amazon pallet delivery, but it also helps Amazon workers avoid having to move other pallets around to get to yours. 

We also advise against using particle board or cardboard pallets, and even plastic pallets. 

Amazon will only accept wooden pallets and by using any other type, you increase the risk of having your shipment rejected by Amazon and returned to you. 

For your reference, this is noted in the official Amazon pallet requirements. 

Particle board and cardboard pallets are generally weaker and often result in damaged goods, so Amazon will not accept any liability. 

• Unit Shipping – units must be shipped on GMA Standard B Grade wooden pallets to Amazon – these have 6 or 7 boards on top, a minimum of 4 boards on the bottom, stringers for increased support, and 4-way entry.
• Grocery Shipping – groceries must be placed on GMA 1A Grade wooden pallets for Amazon shipments – these have 7 boards on top, 5 boards on the bottom, stringers, 4-way entry, and no block repairs to stringers.
• Health & Personal Care and Beauty Products – when it comes to such goods, only GMA 1A and 1B Grade pallets can be used. They must have 6 or 7 boards on top, a minimum of 4 bottom boards, stringers and 4-way entry. 

To avoid any damage when shipping to Amazon, aim to pack your goods on 4-way pallets in good condition.

If you use a damaged or broken pallet, it will be rejected by Amazon and you will be accountable for additional charges.

Also, using protective packing materials like pallet wrap for Amazon FBA helps to make sure your items are safe and secure during their journey. 

The best way to use pallet wrap for your Amazon pallet delivery is to load your goods onto the pallet, then carefully apply heat to tighten the shrink film around everything. 

It's also worth making sure you have enough pallet wrap to cover the entire pallet at least a few times, otherwise, your efforts may prove ineffective and your goods may become damaged or broken before they arrive. 

Height Restrictions

For any goods to be accepted by Amazon, strict rules and regulations must be adhered to first. 

Failing to follow them will result in your pallet delivery being refused and your goods either returned at your expense or disposed of, even.

Measuring your pallet before arranging your Amazon pallet delivery is just as important.

Each pallet should be no taller than 1.8 metres, including the pallet itself and your goods. 

Amazon has a strict height limit of 1.8 metres for anything and everything coming into their warehouses. If your pallet exceeds this limit, it will not be accepted. 

The easiest way to measure your pallet is to take a tape measure (or something similar) and go from the base of the pallet to the very top of your items.

Remember, you must include the height of the pallet when measuring up! After all, the pallet is part of the shipment too.

Label Requirements

Going through a pallet courier, you may also have to label your pallets.

First of all, the shipping labels must be placed on all sides of the pallet

You can get more details on labelling Amazon FBA shipments in your Seller Central account. 

Alternatively, you can raise a query with Amazon about labelling your pallet to meet their requirements. 

As standard for any Amazon FBA shipment, you should always attach the labels to the outside of any stretch or shrink-wrap covering your pallet.

This way, you know the courier and Amazon workers will have no trouble scanning the labels to see where they need to go.

With the correct labels attached, your chosen courier can identify which Amazon FC your goods should reach at the end of their journey.

As per the guidelines, all labels should be placed squarely and not at an angle. 

If the shipment contains only one ASIN, each pallet should be labelled as a 'Single ASIN Pallet'. 

In some cases, you may need to add extra labels to your shipment. For example, if the pallet contains boxes that exceed 25 kilograms, they must be labelled as 'Team Lift'. 

While if they are over 50 kilograms, they must be labelled as 'Mech Lift'. This means that the pallets will need to be lifted by a machine. 

Final Things To Remember

To make things easier when your shipment reaches the courier's delivery network, you should mark any single SKU units as 'Sold As Set'. 

Also, it's recommended that units belonging to a set are wrapped together within one box to avoid being accidentally separated. 

Please note that this blog is for general purposes only. 

You can read the full FBA guidelines and requirements in your Seller Central account for further advice. 

For more details regarding booking an Amazon pallet delivery with PalletOnline, please get in touch with us directly. 

Alternatively, you can head over to our Help Centre for more top tips and expert advice!