It’s an unfortunate reality for your brand. But not every product is going to be a top seller.
Not only will they fail to sell, they can put an immense burden on your Amazon budget. Amazon FBA storage fees can seem… shall we say, a little excessive.
(That’s a polite euphemism for highway robbery.)
Even if you have items which are seasonal blockbusters, you probably don’t want to wind up paying excess per cubic foot for a best selling summer item during the peak holiday season—not necessarily the merriest of times for many sellers’ budgets.
If you’ve ever wondered whether or not there was a convenient way to review which products to remove or liquidate from your FBA inventory, there is. It’s called the Amazon FBA Removal Report. And it can help you make the most out of your Amazon inventory management.
What is the Amazon FBA Removal Report?
The Amazon FBA Removal Report is a detailed summary provided by Amazon showing the status and outcomes of inventory removal requests, shipments and related fees during any given time frame in a period of up to 365 days.
It helps you track and manage removal requests as well as shipments and the status for each order and product, including:
Disposition (whether sellable or unsellable)
Item data by ASIN, SKU and title
Order status
Quantity
Removal reason (whether it’s an entire ASIN or an individual product)
Removal fees (keep in mind that this can run you upwards of $14, depending on quantity and size!)
How Do I Access My Amazon FBA Removal Report?
You can access and download your Amazon FBA Removal Report directly from Seller Central.
Simply:
Open your Reports tab
From the dropdown menu, select Fulfillment
Select Removal
Click Removal Report Date or Removal Shipment Detail
Click Request Removal after selecting your preferred date range
For the most part, custom on-demand reporting is available for only the past 30 days. But for longer ranges, scheduled reports need to be created. Seller Central can automatically generate these for you, and they can give you insight into just how your inventory health affects your Inventory Performance Index (IPI) score.
What’s Contained in the FBA Removal Report?
There’s three separate removal reports which are accessible: the Recommended Removal Report, the Removal Order Detail Report and the Removal Shipment Detail Report
Recommended Removal Report
Your Recommended Removal Report details inventory that has been stagnant in Fulfillment Centers for 365 days prior to Amazon’s regular long-term storage cleanup date (generally every 6 months and typically on February 15th and August 15th, respectively.)
It’s generated 6 weeks before each storage cleanup date and tells you which ASINs meet the 365-day threshold (and subsequently have a negative impact on your IPI), what amounts are sellable or unsellable based on their condition, and estimates aged inventory fees you can avoid by removal.
Removal Order Detail Report
Your Removal Order Detail Report is exactly what it says: the status and fees incurred of your removal by date, ID, quantity, ASIN or SKU, title, status and last update. Keep in mind, however, that removal orders can take up to 90 days to process.
Removal Shipment Detail Report
Similarly, your Removal Shipment Detail Report contains item data by order, quantity, carrier and tracking number.
All three of these reports might seem fairly straightforward and run-of-the-mill. That’s because they are. But why—and more importantly, how—should you use your Amazon FBA Removal Report?
Why Your FBA Removal Report Matters
Seasoned FBA sellers already know that the program isn’t exactly cost-friendly. While Amazon might like to claim that fees are reasonable, the reality is that you’re going to be charged anywhere from 15 percent upwards for each product sold.
That adds up. Quickly. Nor does it take into account storage fees. Or your monthly FBA subscription fee. Nor numerous other fees Amazon tacks on for sellers who don’t necessarily read the fine print (please do so.)
Like it or not, your sales volume affects your ability to sell on Amazon. We’ve mentioned IPI scores earlier for a reason. Your inventory health helps dictate your survival on Amazon.
There’s over 6 million active sellers on Amazon, and not every one of them is destined for success. And both stranded and excess inventory should tell you that your Amazon sales plan may not always live up to expectations.
Managing excess inventory means being cognizant of factors which may seem out of your control. But not always.
Effective selling on Amazon means effective marketing on Amazon. There are a million and one reasons why a product may not be a top performer. Your FBA Removal Report can give you a detailed insight into which products aren’t destined for success and allows you to take proactive steps into ensuring your health as an Amazon seller.
It doesn’t just help you monitor your budget. And it doesn’t just help you strategize future Amazon sales initiatives. It helps give you a 360° view of your ability to market and sell your product lines effectively across all channels—not just Amazon.
That’s because Amazon is a microcosm of the larger retail world. Amazon hasn’t maintained retail dominance in eCommerce by being a seller-centric company, but a customer-centric one. And as retail shifts more and more towards a digital model, Amazon’s own business model will become more and more of a standard, not an exception.
Your FBA Removal Report may seem straightforward. But it’s more than what it seems. It can teach you just what your pitfalls are as a brand.
As we said earlier, not every product is going to be a top seller. Nor will every brand. Amazon is a learning experience. Not always a painless one, but an experience nonetheless.
Learn the facts about growing and selling on Amazon. Visit Color More Lines
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