Automatic Inbound Shipments for Amazon FBA

AutoShip automates your Amazon FBA inventory replenishment. It uses your supplier inventory data and ShipmentBot’s proprietary forecasting system to automatically create and manage inbound shipments, saving you time and preventing stockouts. This document explains how to configure and use AutoShip.

Key Concepts

• FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon): Amazon’s service where they store, pack, and ship your products.
• Inbound Shipment: The process of sending inventory to Amazon’s fulfillment centers.
• Restock Recommendation: ShipmentBot’s intelligent forecast-based suggestion for how much inventory to send for a specific product.
• Supplier: The company providing your inventory.
• CPRD (Consolidated Product Restock Data): A combined view of your inventory data, often including supplier inventory levels.
• Dropship Inventory: Inventory managed and shipped by your supplier.
• Andon Cord: A system-wide “emergency stop” that disables all automated shipments.

Configuration

AutoShip has several levels of configuration to give you precise control over your inventory replenishment.

1. Business-Level Settings

These settings apply to your entire account:

• Andon Cord: This is a critical setting. If activated, no automated shipments will be created, regardless of other settings. Use this if you need to temporarily halt all shipments. You can manage this in your Business settings.
• Restock Notifications: Enable email alerts to be notified when ShipmentBot generates restock recommendations for specific products. This is configured in your Business settings under “Listing Alerts.”
• AutoShip Activation: This is the master switch for AutoShip. If disabled, no automated shipments will be created. You can find this in your Business settings.

2. Supplier-Level Settings

These settings apply to individual suppliers:

• FBA Shipments: Enable or disable AutoShip for a specific supplier. This allows you to use AutoShip with some suppliers but not others. This is found in the Supplier settings under “Supplier FBA Shipments.”
• Day of Week Settings: Control which days of the week AutoShip is allowed to create shipments for this supplier. For example, you might only want shipments created Monday through Thursday. This is also in the “Supplier FBA Shipments” settings.
• CPRD Requirement: If enabled, AutoShip will require supplier inventory data (CPRD) before creating a shipment. This ensures you only ship what your supplier actually has in stock. This is also in the “Supplier FBA Shipments” settings.
• Prepaid Shipping Settings: Configure your carrier preferences and hazmat (hazardous materials) handling for this supplier. This is important if your supplier requires you to use specific carriers or handle hazmat shipments differently. This is found in the Supplier settings.

3. Product-Level Settings

These settings apply to individual products (SKUs):

• AutoShip Activation: You can enable or disable AutoShip for individual products. This gives you fine-grained control over which products are managed automatically. This is found in the product’s catalog listing.
• Case Quantity: This is the standard pack size you order from your supplier (e.g., a case of 12). AutoShip uses this to calculate shipment quantities. This is found in the product’s catalog listing.
• Variable Case Quantity: If your supplier allows you to order in quantities other than the standard case quantity, you can configure this. This is found in the product’s catalog listing.
• Watch List: Add a product to the watch list to prevent AutoShip from creating shipments for it. This is useful for products you want to manage manually. You can add a note explaining why the product is on the watch list. This is found in the product’s catalog listing.

Setting Up Inventory Data

AutoShip needs accurate inventory data to function correctly. Here’s how to set up your data sources:

1. Amazon Sales Data

AutoShip imports sales and inventory data from Amazon to feed into ShipmentBot’s forecasting system. This data serves as input for generating accurate restock recommendations. No action is required from you for this integration.

2. Supplier Inventory Files

You can provide supplier inventory data in several ways:

• Email Attachments: If your supplier sends inventory updates via email, you can configure AutoShip to automatically process these attachments. Contact support to set up a dedicated email address for your supplier.
• FTP: If your supplier provides inventory data via FTP, you can configure AutoShip to automatically download these files. You’ll need to provide your FTP credentials (host, username, password, directory, and file name) in your File Transfer Connections settings.
• Manual Uploads: You can manually upload inventory files through the web interface.

Spreadsheet Configuration

If you’re using spreadsheet files (CSV, Excel), you’ll need to configure how AutoShip interprets the data:

1. Attach File: Upload a sample inventory file from your supplier.
2. Header Row: Specify the row number containing your column headers (e.g., SKU, Quantity).
3. SKU Column: Specify the column containing your product SKUs.
4. Count Column: Specify the column containing the inventory count.
5. Confirm Columns: Review the extracted data and confirm that the configuration is correct.

You can manage these settings in the “Config Dropship Sheets” section for your account or supplier.

How AutoShip Creates Shipments

Once your data sources and settings are configured, AutoShip works automatically:

1. Daily Analysis: AutoShip analyzes your historical sales data, current inventory levels, and supplier inventory data daily.

2. Forecast Generation: The system generates sales forecasts using ShipmentBot’s proprietary forecasting algorithm, which considers:

   • Historical sales trends
   • Seasonal patterns
   • Inventory velocity
   • Business-specific thresholds

3. Decision Making: For each product, AutoShip considers:

   • Generated sales forecasts
   • All configured settings (business, supplier, and product)
   • Current inventory levels
   • Supplier inventory availability (if CPRD is enabled)
   • Case pack quantities

4. Shipment Creation: If a shipment is required based on the forecast, AutoShip automatically creates an inbound shipment plan with Amazon.

5. Shipment Processing: AutoShip manages the entire Amazon shipment process, including:

   • Determining box contents and packing requirements
   • Getting warehouse placement options from Amazon
   • Generating shipping labels
   • Submitting tracking information
   • Finalizing the shipment

Monitoring and Notifications

AutoShip keeps you informed about its activity:

• Inventory Events: A log of all inventory updates and processing events is available in your account.
• Slack Notifications: Real-time alerts for important events, such as new inventory files or shipment creation, can be sent to your Slack workspace.
• Email Reports: You can receive email notifications about restock recommendations, shipment status, and any errors encountered.
• Web Dashboard: The ShipmentBot dashboard provides an overview of your AutoShip status and history.

Troubleshooting

• No Shipments Created: Check the following:
  • Is the Andon Cord activated?
  • Is AutoShip enabled at the business, supplier, and product levels?
  • Are there any products on the watch list?
  • Are there recent orders for the same products?
  • Is there sufficient inventory available (considering CPRD requirements)?
  • Are the day-of-week settings preventing shipments?
• Shipment Errors: Check the Inventory Events and email reports for details about any errors. Common errors include:
  • Prep requirement issues (Amazon requires specific packaging or labeling).
  • Warehouse space limitations (Amazon’s warehouses are full).
  • Long-term storage restrictions (Amazon restricts shipments of slow-moving products).
  • Product labeling requirements (Amazon requires additional labels).

If you encounter persistent issues, contact support for assistance.

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Table of contents

• AutoShip Diagram Workflow