Hey everyone,
I recently started my own Amazon FBA journey, and I’ve got a bunch of newbie questions piling up. I’m sure some of these are pretty common for people just starting out. The community here seems super helpful, so I’m hoping to get some advice from those of you who’ve been through it.
I’m trying to plan my first few months and keep running into the same questions. Specifically, I’m worried about stock levels, shipping, and what I should actually be doing while my first shipment is in transit. Would really appreciate any insights you can share!
Here’s where I’m stuck:
Stockouts & New Listings: For a new product, I’m nervous about ordering too much inventory upfront. If I do run out of stock, what’s the better move – creating a whole new listing or just sending a normal replenishment shipment to the existing one? And how badly does a stockout hurt a brand new listing anyway?
LTL vs. Small Parcel (SPD): For my first FBA shipment, should I go with LTL (Less-than-Truckload) freight or small parcel delivery (like UPS/FedEx)? I see LTL is way cheaper, but the delivery times quoted don't seem that different from small parcel. Am I missing something here?
Tracking IDs for LTL: My freight forwarder gives me a UPS tracking number for small parcel shipments, which is easy. But for LTL shipments, what exactly am I supposed to enter as the tracking ID in Seller Central? Do I just use some internal Amazon ID they provide?
Monitoring Ocean Freight: How do you actually track your shipment once it's on a boat? And after it arrives at the port, how can I figure out when it will finally get checked in at the warehouse – especially for LTL where the tracking info goes dark? Is this just a matter of constantly bugging my forwarder?
The 30-Day Wait: My first shipment is going to take about a month from dispatch to being live on Amazon. I’ve already got my listings and A+ content done. What the heck should I be doing during this downtime? Any must-do tasks I'm probably forgetting?
Early Reviews: When’s the right time to think about getting some early reviews? Should I wait until I’ve launched PPC and made a few sales first? What are safe ways to get initial reviews these days?
A+ Content Grind: Is it just me, or is uploading A+ content painfully slow? Having to build it module by module feels like it takes forever. Anyone know a faster way to get it done?
Thanks in advance for any help! Really trying to learn the ropes and avoid making dumb first-timer mistakes.
Answers (2)
② FBA shipping: ocean freight vs. parcel? We pretty much always go with ocean trucking. Parcel means once it hits the US, it gets handed off to local carriers like UPS or FedEx. Trucking is just that—a truck hauls it to the warehouse. Honestly, not a huge difference, but trucking usually ends up cheaper.
③ For trucking shipments, do you have to put in some internal Amazon code as the tracking number? Nah, no one really checks. I just throw in whatever—sometimes even the FBA number—just to fill the field. If you ever need it for inventory reconciliations, just ask your freight forwarder for the delivery receipt and update it with the actual appointment ID later.
④ How do you track when the ship docks and when the truck finally delivers? Yeah, hit up your forwarder. Ours has a portal where we can check status updates, and if something's off, we just ping their support in the group chat.
⑤ Start hunting for PPC keywords early and get video content lined up—both for main image slots and video ads. Also, line up some service providers for (direct reviews) so you're not launching to a blank page. Or set up a cheap listing under the same brand, build up some vine reviews there, and down the road tweak the title/images and merge it into your main product after a month of launch.
⑥ You can start running those as soon as the listing goes live. Usually runs around $30 per review, give or take.
⑦ Yeah, I'm adding those one by one too. If you've got downtime, mess around withA+. See what the requirement is—usually need like 10–20 placeholder listings all linked up with brand story. Once that’s set, you’ll unlockA+ after a bit.