WooCommerce Amazon Fulfillment: How to Manually Send Orders to FBA
Introduction
For WooCommerce store owners looking to scale their business and streamline fulfillment, Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) is a powerful option. While there are plugins to automate this process, sometimes you need to manually send orders to FBA. This article will guide you through the process of manually submitting WooCommerce orders to Amazon FBA, outlining the steps involved, the benefits, and potential drawbacks. Understanding the manual process can be especially helpful when first starting with FBA or for handling specific, complex orders that automated solutions struggle with. Mastering this process can unlock significant time savings and improve your order fulfillment efficiency.
Why Manually Fulfill via Amazon FBA?
While automation is generally preferred, manually fulfilling orders through Amazon FBA offers advantages in certain situations:
- Learning the Ropes: Understanding the manual process provides a solid foundation before implementing automated solutions.
- Handling Exceptions: Complex or customized orders might not be easily handled by automated plugins. Manual submission allows for greater control.
- Testing and Setup: Before committing to an automated plugin, manual fulfillment lets you test the waters and ensure FBA is a good fit for your business.
- Cost Savings (Initially): For businesses with low order volume, the cost of a dedicated plugin might outweigh the benefits.
- Receive the Order: A customer places an order on your WooCommerce store.
- Verify Order Details: Confirm the customer’s shipping address, products ordered, and any special instructions.
- Mark Order as Processing: Update the order status to “Processing” in WooCommerce.
- Identify FBA-Eligible Products: Ensure all products in the order are listed in your Amazon Seller Central inventory and are set up for FBA.
- Determine Quantity: Verify the quantities ordered match the product listings in your Amazon Seller Central inventory.
- Calculate Shipping Weight & Dimensions: Accurately measure and weigh each product to determine the total weight and dimensions of the shipment. This is crucial for accurate shipping quotes.
- Gather Customer Shipping Address: Copy the customer’s shipping address from the WooCommerce order details.
- Go to “Inventory” -> “Manage FBA Inventory”: This section provides an overview of your FBA inventory.
- Find the Products Ordered: Search for the products included in the WooCommerce order within your FBA inventory.
- Select “Send/Replenish Inventory”: This initiates the shipment creation process.
- Create a New Shipping Plan: Choose the option to create a new shipping plan.
- Enter the “Ship From” Address: This is your own address or the address where you’re shipping the products from.
- Select “Individual Products”: This option is for shipping individual items rather than cases of the same item.
- Enter Product Quantities: Input the number of each product being shipped.
- Prepare Products: Follow Amazon’s guidelines for preparing products for shipment, including labeling requirements. This is *critical* for avoiding delays or rejection by Amazon.
- Enter Customer Shipping Address: Manually input the customer’s shipping address (copied from WooCommerce) as the destination address. Double-check for accuracy!
- Select Shipping Carrier & Method: Choose the shipping carrier and method you prefer. Amazon often provides discounted rates.
- Choose Shipping Date: Select the date you plan to ship the package.
- Calculate Shipping Costs: Review the estimated shipping costs based on weight, dimensions, and carrier selection.
- Print Box Labels: Print the shipping labels and affix them securely to the package. Ensure the labels are clear and scannable.
- (Optional) Print Product Labels: If required, print product labels and apply them to each individual product.
- Review Shipment Details: Carefully review all shipment details, including product quantities, shipping address, and shipping method.
- Confirm Shipment: Confirm the shipment in Amazon Seller Central.
- Ship the Package: Take the package to the selected carrier or schedule a pickup.
- Mark Order as Completed in WooCommerce: Once the package is shipped, update the order status to “Completed” in WooCommerce. Consider adding a note with the FBA Shipment ID for future reference.
Main Part: Manually Sending WooCommerce Orders to FBA
This section details the steps for manually creating FBA shipments from your WooCommerce orders.
1. Order Processing in WooCommerce
First, you need to process the order within your WooCommerce store.
2. Preparing the Order for FBA Shipment
This involves gathering the necessary information to create the FBA shipment within your Amazon Seller Central account.
3. Creating a New FBA Shipment in Amazon Seller Central
Now, navigate to your Amazon Seller Central account to create the shipment.
4. Address and Shipping Configuration
This step involves providing the customer’s shipping address and selecting the appropriate shipping options.
5. Print Shipping Labels
After configuring the shipping details, Amazon will generate the necessary shipping labels.
6. Confirm and Ship
The final steps involve confirming the shipment details and shipping the package.
Code Example: Adding a Note to the WooCommerce Order
The following PHP code snippet shows how you could add a note to the WooCommerce order with the FBA shipment ID:
<?php
function add_fba_shipment_id_to_order( $order_id, $shipment_id ) {
$order = wc_get_order( $order_id );
if ( $order ) {
$note = sprintf( ‘FBA Shipment ID: %s’, $shipment_id );
$order->add_order_note( $note );
}
}
// Example Usage: (Replace with your actual logic to get $order_id and $shipment_id)
$order_id = 123; // Example Order ID
$shipment_id = ‘FBA123456789’; // Example FBA Shipment ID
add_fba_shipment_id_to_order( $order_id, $shipment_id );
?>
This code defines a function `add_fba_shipment_id_to_order` that takes the order ID and FBA shipment ID as input and adds a note to the corresponding WooCommerce order. You’ll need to integrate this code into your workflow, likely within a custom plugin or theme file.
Conclusion
Manually sending WooCommerce orders to Amazon FBA is a viable option, especially when starting out or dealing with complex orders. However, it’s a time-consuming process and is best suited for businesses with low order volumes. As your business grows, investing in a robust WooCommerce FBA plugin will significantly streamline the process and free up your time to focus on other aspects of your business. While this manual process offers a valuable understanding of the FBA workflow, automated solutions provide the scalability and efficiency needed for long-term success.
