Box-Level Inventory Placement FAQ

What is Box-Level Inventory Placement?

Box-Level Inventory Placement helps improve the distribution of your products across Amazon’s fulfillment network. For eligible inventory that you ship to Amazon, we use the box-level information (sometimes also called carton-level information) to streamline delivery to the fulfillment center or centers that bring your products closer to customers.

How do I know if my shipment is eligible for Box-Level Inventory Placement?

We use the box-level information you provide to determine if your shipment is eligible for box-level placement. Where eligible, your shipment is split into multiple box groups, with each group sharing the same destination address.

If your shipment has been optimized by box-level placement, you will see Multiple destinations under the Ship to heading in your shipping plan.

Do I need to send my shipment to multiple destinations?

Shipment via partner carrier

For shipments that you send to Amazon through the Partnered Carrier program, we work with the carrier to handle your shipment, with no impact on your carrier operations and costs. Your shipping labels will show different final Fulfillment Center destinations, allowing the partnered carrier to streamline the delivery of your products by box group.

Shipment via a non-partnered carrier

For shipments that you send to Amazon through a non-partnered carrier, we continue to send each complete shipment, including all box groups, to one initial destination. This is the physical address shown on the shipping labels. Your shipping labels will also show additional final fulfillment center destinations, allowing your products to be routed more efficiently during the shipment process.

Will my cross-border shipments into Amazon Fulfilment Centres be eligible for Box-Level Inventory Placement?

No. Currently Box-Level Inventory Placement is only applicable to domestic inbound shipments. Amazon will notify you as to when cross-border shipments become eligible for Box-Level Inventory Placement.

Does Box-Level Inventory Placement increase my shipping costs?

No. Your shipping costs are unchanged, whether shipping via a partnered or non-partnered carrier. Even if you ship with a non-partnered carrier, by allocating the whole shipment to one location for the first stage of the shipment process, we can ensure that you do not incur additional shipping fees. Your products still benefit from optimized placement decisions.

How can I track my shipment?

To track the progress of each shipment, you can view step-by-step updates from shipment creation to closed status in the Shipment events page.

The Shipment events page allows you to track each order by its box groups. Each box group will share a final shipment destination. You can also view all timestamps and tracking details for a particular shipment.

To view your Shipment events, do the following steps:

1. Go to Inventory and select Manage FBA Shipments from the drop-down menu.
2. From the Shipping Queue, select Track shipment for the relevant shipment.
3. Select the Summary tab (if not already selected) under Send/Replenish Inventory.
4. Select the Shipment events tab.