Your First Shipment from China to Amazon FBA: A Step-by-Step Plan

Your first shipment from China to Amazon FBA is where most new sellers lose time and money, not because shipping is complicated, but because a few decisions have to be made before the goods leave the factory. Get these eight steps right once and every restock afterwards becomes routine.

Step 1: Verify the supplier before you pay a deposit

Confirm that the supplier is a real, licensed business that actually manufactures your product, or is open about being a trading company. Check the business license, ask for production photos and videos, and for a first order consider an on-site supplier audit. Our guide to common Alibaba scams lists the red flags.

Step 2: Agree on the spec, the packaging, and the labels in writing

Your purchase order should state more than the product and price. Include:

• Materials, dimensions, colors, and function tests, with photos of the approved sample.
• Retail packaging, and whether the factory prints or applies your FNSKU barcode.
• Carton size, units per carton, and carton markings.
• The Incoterm (for example EXW, FOB, or delivery to your forwarder's warehouse), which defines where the factory's responsibility ends.

Step 3: Create the listing and get your FNSKU labels

Each product needs a barcode Amazon can scan. Most sellers use Amazon's FNSKU label, which ties each unit to your seller account. Send the label files to the factory or your prep partner early. Applying them in China is far cheaper than relabeling later, as we explain in the real cost of FNSKU relabeling.

Step 4: Check the prep rules for your category

Since January 1, 2026 Amazon no longer preps inventory in US fulfillment centers, so units must arrive ready. Common requirements include polybags with a suffocation warning when the opening is five inches or larger, bubble wrap for fragile items, and 'sold as set' labels for bundles. Check the prep guidance for your category in Seller Central and include it in your factory brief.

Step 5: Inspect at around 80% production

A pre-shipment inspection checks a random sample against your spec using AQL rules, along with packaging, labels, and carton counts, while there's still time and leverage to fix problems. Book it before you pay the balance. An inspection costs a fraction of a single batch of returns.

Step 6: Pack cartons to Amazon's limits

• Standard cartons should be no more than 25 inches on any side and 50 lb, unless they contain a single oversized unit.
• Cartons over 50 lb need team-lift labels, and heavier ones mechanical-lift labels.
• Every carton needs its own FBA box ID label from the current shipment. Never photocopy or reuse labels.

Step 7: Create the shipment and choose your freight mode

Create the shipment in Seller Central. You'll choose between Amazon-optimized splits, which can send cartons to several fulfillment centers, and fewer locations with an inbound placement fee. Decide this before booking freight, because it changes how the cartons are planned.

Then choose the mode:

• Express is fastest and most expensive per kilo. It's good for samples and very small first runs.
• Air freight suits light, high-value goods and urgent restocks.
• Sea freight costs the least per unit for regular volume, but takes several weeks door to door.

Amazon does not act as importer of record, so someone must handle US customs. The simplest option for a first shipment is DDP (Delivered Duty Paid), where your forwarder clears customs and pays duties before delivery. Our logistics calculator estimates sea freight from China to FBA warehouses.

Step 8: Track check-in and reconcile

After delivery, watch the shipment in Seller Central until all units are received. If quantities don't match what was shipped, open a case with your carton contents and proof of delivery. This is much easier when cartons were counted and photographed at inspection.

The mistakes that delay first shipments

• Paying the balance before inspection, which removes your leverage to get defects fixed.
• Letting the factory choose carton sizes, then finding them over Amazon's limits.
• Missing or unscannable FNSKU labels, or old labels from a previous shipment.
• Booking freight before deciding on Amazon's split and placement options.
• Leaving customs to chance instead of agreeing who the importer is.

If you'd rather have one team run all eight steps, our Amazon FBA logistics service covers supplier checks, inspection, prep, freight, and delivery from a single point of contact.