We’re certainly living in unprecedented and precarious times. With the rapid spread of COVID-19 throughout the United States, economic forecasts are changing rapidly every single day. However, one thing is clear: online selling has dramatically changed since the coronavirus crisis began. While the future and long-term effects on Amazon selling aren’t yet known, every FBA seller is feeling the immediate impact.

The virus has caused major supply chain disruptions nationwide, and beginning on March 17th of this year, FBA sellers can no longer create new shipments for nonessential products. If you’re one of those sellers, you’re now in the unenviable position of trying to keep yourself and your loved ones safe and healthy while at the same time trying to navigate all the changes that are affecting your livelihood. You might be wondering what you need to know to switch from FBA selling to MFN (Merchant Fulfilled Network) selling. We can help.

What You NEED to Know

One very important thing to keep in mind is that as soon as you complete a merchant batch in InventoryLab, your listings will go live and active on the Details pages within 15 minutes. 

When shipping FBM (Fulfilled By Merchant), it is crucial that you fully understand that you will be responsible for shipping orders as they come in and providing customer service to buyers. Use Seller University for assistance on what to do when you receive your first order.

Some Suggestions

Instead of converting your FBA listings, we recommend creating new MSKUs for the MFN listings. This is for better profitability tracking between the two fulfillment channels.

Research setting up your shipping rates in Seller Central, and create your shipping templates.

While you set up and select your shipping templates in Seller Central, if you pay for your shipping through Amazon, we will automatically track these shipping costs within your Merchant Sales page.

Compare your profits between MFN and FBA using our Scout or Scoutify 2 tool.

Resources

Check out our resources on how to create an MFN batch: 

Quick Start Guide to Creating the MFN Batch

How to Create a Merchant Fulfilled Batch (Video)

Attend our webinar How to Merchant Fulfill Your Products Through InventoryLab 

Check out our very own Jeff Campbell’s article New to Merchant Fulfilled (MFN)?

You can find out more information about Amazon’s seller restrictions on Seller Central along with frequently asked questions.

We know this is a tough time for everyone, and here at IL we will continue to do everything we can to support and assist our users.

For more information and the latest news about COVID-19 and coronavirus, go to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website or check with your local government.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay informed!