An interesting advantage of using Amazon FBA is that you can also use it as a secondary warehouse to fulfill your orders from your other sales channels.
For example, if you are in a position where you have made a sale on Etsy, however, do not have this stock physically available except your Amazon FBA stock, it is possible to fulfill to your Etsy customer directly from your Amazon warehouse.
Due to Amazon’s vast logistics network, this fulfillment method can actually work out cheaper for postage and handling with quicker delivery times, so using FBA as a secondary warehouse may be worth looking into as an additional option for fulfillment.
In this article, we will show you how to use Amazon FBA to fulfill your Etsy orders and why it may be a good idea for your business to do so.
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Start your 14 day free trialWhy should Etsy sellers consider using Amazon FBA?
For anyone not familiar with FBA, this stands for “Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA)” and is a warehouse option that you can use to store your products in Amazon’s own fulfilment centers.
For a fee, they will do the packing and the shipping for your products on your behalf.
There are a number of reasons why Etsy brands should consider using Amazon FBA, including:
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Increased visibility: With Amazon FBA, your products will be more visible to potential customers, which can lead to increased sales.
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Easy to get started: Amazon FBA takes care of all the complex logistics for you, so you can focus on running your business.
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Access to Amazon’s vast customer base: When you use Amazon FBA, you’ll be able to reach Amazon’s huge customer base, which could lead to a significant increase in sales.
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Increased profits: With Amazon FBA, you’ll usually be eligible for lower shipping rates and other discounts, which can lead to increased profits.
If you’re an Etsy seller looking to increase sales and profits, using Amazon FBA is definitely worth considering.
How can I ship Etsy orders via FBA?
To fulfil your Etsy order via Amazon, you’ll want to create a “merchant fulfilled order” for the products that the customer ordered on Etsy. Once Amazon ships the product, you then need to add the tracking info supplied by Amazon to the Etsy order.
To create a fulfilment order:
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Navigate to your Manage Inventory page
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Select the items you wish to send to the customer by checking them.
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At the top of the page, choose “Create Fulfilment Order” (or if it is just the one item you’ll be sending, you can also get to this option via the item’s individual edit dropdown menu)
When using FBA for Etsy fulfillment, you’ll want to know that you will be charged FBA fees and shipping for picking and packing your item.
Amazon’s 15% commission fee, however, would not apply as the sale did not originate from their marketplace. Etsy’s fees also apply as normal (more details on Etsy’s fee structure can be found here).
It’s also worth noting that your customer will also not be able to use their Prime membership for any free or discounted shipping rates, however, your order will usually arrive in Amazon-branded boxes using this option.
Priming your customer for an Amazon fulfilment
As there may be possible confusion from your Etsy customer about the Amazon shipped parcel, it’s always a good idea to mention the fact that you will be fulfilling from Amazon and the reasons why.
As an example, “Hi! I just wanted to let you know that I’ll be sending you this order via a warehouse facility I use for the storage of my products (Amazon). This is to ensure that your items get to you as soon as possible!”
You can also put a note in the “additional information” section of your listing.
Using software to track your Amazon FBA warehoused stock
If you’re using Amazon FBA for Etsy fulfilment, you’ll want to ensure that you’re keeping track of your stock levels in both places. This can be done manually, but it’s often much easier (and less error-prone) to use software that will automate this process for you.
Craftybase is one such solution - we sync your sales and product data from Etsy (and other marketplaces and eCommerce platforms) and combine it with your Amazon FBA data feed to give you an up-to-date view of your stock levels, profits, and margins.
This means that you can see how much stock you have in your Etsy shop and your Amazon FBA account, and you can be confident that you’re always making the most profitable decisions for your business.
To learn more about how Craftybase can help you streamline your fulfillment process and save time (and money), why not start your free 14-day trial today?
Wrapping Up
Etsy fulfilment by Amazon can be a great option for providing your customers with quicker delivery times, so it’s definitely worth considering if you’re looking for ways to increase sales and profits.
Just remember to take into account the additional fees that you’ll be charged for using this service to ensure this delivery mechanism works for your profit margins.
