Goodbye Packing Slip

Over the weekend I was preparing a couple of boxes  to send to the amazon fulfilment center, when I came across a problem. Or so I thought.

There was no longer an option to print a packing slip!

I hunted and searched everywhere. No print option.

Then in small print, in a greyed out box, in grey print, a note said,

:Packing Slips No longer required."

Err? Last week I needed one?

For a year I've needed one.

Now suddenly, without warning, no big song and dance as they usually  do, after all for three months now they have been telling me they are updating the FBA shipment procedure. But on packing slips nada, nothing, silence. They let it slip away without fanfare, but  not without half an hour of frustration and irritation on my part as I searched fruitlessly for a packing slip print option.

In the end it is  nice not to have to print that extra piece of paper, a mere barcode, it is probably nice for amazon not to have to dispose of that piece of paper too.  Can you imagine that paper mountain?

So goodbye and farewell packing slip. I for one brief moment did suffer at your loss.

How Soon Do Items Post After Being Received at a Fulfilment Center?

I have found a wide range of times for my items to post in my storefront after delivery of a shipment.

I always set up a delivery alert with UPS to tell me when a shipment has been delivered to the dock area of the Fulfilment Center. This alert generally comes to me within a few minutes of the actual delivery.

Amazon itself also informs me of the delivery, but this can be several hours later. Remember the Fulfilment Center may have received hundreds of shipments allof which take time to leave the dock area.

I have had occassions when amazon actually tell me of the delivery first. But it generally takes up to six hours, that was in late November during the pre-Christmas rush.

After delivery amazon say it can take up to 48 hours for a shipment to process. I have had all shipments even at the busiest times process well within that time.

On average I see items posting about twelve hours after the amazon delivered notice arrives.

One time however I received a delivery notice from amazon and all the items were up on my storefront two hours after delivery was confirmed by UPS. Now that is very fast. I can only guess my shipment was last off the delivery and so on top of the pile and processed first.

Cheap Packing for Your FBA Shipment Boxes

When packing boxes with your items for shipment to an amazon fulfillment center there are often small spaces which can allow shipped items to shift and become damaged.


Having spaces happens all the time with my book shipments. No matter how carefully I pack similar sized items a small gap remains and I am searching for a packing item.


Amazon doesn't allow packing peanuts and bubble wrap or plastic air bags are expensive when you are building a business. By all means put these items to one side when you received them and recycle used portions of bubble wrap and air bags.


An addition to your armoury of packing materials can be the thin plastic carrier bags that you may receive at the supermarket.


Roll these into a tight ball. you can fill one bag with two or three others to make a large packing filler. Tie the handles around the ball or sausage shape and use this to fill those small area.


Remember preventing slippage and damage will mean less items are damaged in transit. Less damages mean better prices for you.