What Does Amazon’s Temporary Freeze on Incoming Shipments Mean for You?

If you’re an Amazon seller, you might have heard that there’s a temporary (till 4/5/2020) freeze on certain incoming shipments. 

It’s important to know that it’s not affecting all categories but, this still means that some products are blocked from creating new shipments. 

This is not across the board, and it certainly doesn’t mean that it’s the end of the world.  What it does mean is that Amazon is reacting to the shortages that I’m sure that you’ve all felt due to the Coronavirus crisis.  

There is good news attached to this notice. eCommerce is up dramatically and people are shopping online in increased numbers. 

For all of you selling on Amazon, what is important however, is how to know what will still be accepted by Amazon. 

Here are the steps to know which of your items you can still ship. 

1. Click on inventory, and manage inventory. 

1. Select Amazon. 

1. Select the radio button at top left so that all on the page are selected, then click on action on 100 selected.

1. Select send/replenish inventory.

1. Hit yes. 

1. Select either one, then hit continue to the shipping plan.

1. On the next page, it will show you a message if you’re unable to send inventory.  If there’s no message, you’re good to go. 

1. After doing this, click on “delete plan” at the bottom so they don’t have unused shipping plans. 

And that’s it. 

Helium 10’s Director of Training and Customer Success, Bradley Sutton shows this hack on his Facebook Live video. He also has a great deal more information concerning the steps you might want to be taking as an Amazon seller to navigate this difficult time. 

If you’re an Amazon seller and you use Fulfilled by Merchant, you are able to buy discounted shipping directly from your Amazon account, then print the labels yourself. 

You also might want to consider using a third party shipping facility.

Reach out to your Amazon selling community for reviews and tips about the 3PLs that they’re using. It’s more affordable than you might think, and during challenging times like these, gives you more ready access to your products. 

Doing this also allows you to hedge your bets if there’s a specific problem at one of the Amazon fulfillment centers that house your products.

Just make sure that you’re not using it as a long term storage solution. 

As Amazon sellers, you’ve learned how to be agile and adapt to a rapidly changing eCommerce environment. This can be a frightening, uncertain time, but with a little foresight and hard work, and by continuing to build your business, we can make it through this crisis. 

Reach out to your Amazon communities and stay in touch with Helium 10 on Facebook here. We’ll get through this together. 

Below is the message from Amazon: 

“We are closely monitoring the developments of COVID-19 and its impact on our customers, selling partners, and employees.

We are seeing increased online shopping and as a result some products such as household staples and medical supplies are out of stock.” 

“With this in mind, we are temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so that we can more quickly receive, restock, and ship these products to customers.”

“For products other than these, we have temporarily disabled shipment creation. We are taking a similar approach with retail vendors.”

“This will be in effect today through April 5, 2020, and we will let you know once we resume regular operations. Shipments created before today will be received at fulfillment centers.”

“Please note Selling Partner Support does not have further guidance.”

Frequently asked questions:

What products am I able to ship to FBA?

We are prioritizing household staples, medical supplies, and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so that we can more quickly receive, restock, and deliver these products to customers. Most of the products we are accepting at this time are in the below categories.

• Baby Products
• Health & Household
• Beauty & Personal Care (including personal care appliances)
• Grocery
• Industrial & Scientific
• Pet Supplies

Listing products in an inaccurate category is a violation of our listing policies and may result in account suspension.

Is Amazon taking similar steps for retail products?

Yes.

Where does this apply?

This is currently being applied to the US and EU marketplaces.

What if I already have a shipment on its way?

Shipments created before March 17, 2020, will be received.

What happens to my products that are in an Amazon fulfillment center but are not in one of the above categories? Can I still sell this item on Amazon?

Yes, if your product is already on its way and/or in our fulfillment center, you can continue to sell it.

I believe my product is a household staple and/or a medical supply, but I am not able to create a shipment. What should I do?

We determine if a product is a household staple, a medical supply, or both based upon the listing. At this time we are not accepting requests to re-classify listings.

My product is listed within the prioritized categories, but I am not able to create a shipment. What should I do?

If your product is correctly classified and you are not able to create a shipment, then the product in question is not prioritized at this time.

I don’t sell household staples or medical supplies. What is going to happen to my business if I can’t replenish my products?

We are making these temporary adjustments in order to prioritize household staples, medical supplies, and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so that we can more quickly receive, restock, and ship these products to customers. You may continue to sell products already in our fulfillment centers. This will be in effect March 17, 2020, through April 5, 2020, and we will let you know once we resume regular operations.”