If you’re an Amazon seller, taking expiration dates into account is crucial to maintaining a successful FBA business. In this article, we will provide tips on how to manage expiration dates for your products on Amazon’s fulfillment centers, covering the label requirements and best practices for maintaining product quality and compliance.
Whether you’re selling topical and consumable items, nutritional supplements, or any other type of product with an expiration date, understanding Amazon’s policy and following their guidelines is essential. By managing your Amazon FBA expiration dates effectively, you can ensure that your products are delivered to customers with ample remaining shelf life and avoid any issues with the FBA fulfillment process.
Amazon FBA Expiration Dates Key Concepts:
- Amazon has specific requirements for products with expiration dates, and failure to comply may result in disposal by Amazon.
- The expiration date label requires specific font size and format for mm-dd-yyyy or mm-yyyy.
- Proper packaging for shipment and barcode label requirements are essential for managing expiration-dated products.
- Maintaining product quality and compliance with expiration dates is crucial for customer satisfaction and a successful FBA business.
- Accurate expiration date labels and proper management of expiration-dated products are vital to ensuring a successful FBA business.
Understanding Amazon FBA Expiration Dates Policy
If you plan on selling products with expiration dates on Amazon FBA, you must ensure that your labels meet Amazon’s requirements. Amazon has a strict expiration date policy that applies to all products that have an expiration date. Failure to comply with this policy will result in your products being disposed of by Amazon, leading to a loss of revenue and inventory.
In terms of labeling, Amazon requires that the expiration date be displayed on the primary packaging in a specific format: “mm-yyyy” or “mm-dd-yyyy.” The expiration date should also be easy for customers to locate and read. Moreover, Amazon considers the expiration date when handling your inventory. For instance, they will remove any expired products from their fulfillment centers to prevent them from being sold to customers.
It is essential that you accurately label your products with expiration dates and comply with Amazon expiration dates policy to ensure that your FBA business operates smoothly. By doing so, you’ll help maintain product quality and ensure that customers receive your products with sufficient remaining shelf life.
Labeling Your Products Correctly
Accurate labeling of your products is essential to ensure that their expiration dates are easily accessible to Amazon associates and customers. Proper labeling will also help you comply with Amazon’s requirements for expiration-dated products.
The requirements for the label itself include legibility, clear formatting, and the “expiration” label. Amazon also recommends that the label font size be at least 16-point Arial or 16-point Helvetica. Ensure that the expiration date is displayed in a readable format such as MM-DD-YYYY or MM-YYYY.
The label should be applied directly to the product and be in a location that is both visible and easy to read. Additionally, products that contain multiple units must have individual labels that show the expiration date of each unit. Make sure to double-check the label before sending your products off to Amazon’s fulfillment center.
Managing Expiration Dates in Your Fulfillment Process
Proper management of expiration-dated products is crucial when preparing to ship them to Amazon’s fulfillment centers. Amaozon requires the products to have a minimum of 90 days before expiration when it is received a the Amazon fulfillment center. All consumable products with expiration date must follow this rule. The following best practices will ensure compliance with Amazon’s requirements, maintain product quality, and prevent any issues with your fulfillment process:
Proper Packaging
When preparing to ship expiration-dated products, proper packaging is essential to ensure that they arrive at Amazon’s fulfillment centers safely and intact. For meltable products, they are only accepted into Amazon fulfillment centers between October 15 and April 15.
Barcode Label Requirements
Barcode labels are crucial to the efficient management of your FBA inventory. Ensure that your products have the correct barcode labels to prevent any delays or complications in your fulfillment process. Products should also have expiration date labels to enable proper tracking and management of inventory. The printed Amazon FBA expiration dates should be easily readable and the date in 36-point font.
Handling Expiration-Dated Products Requiring Removal
Some expiration-dated products may require removal from Amazon’s fulfillment centers before their expiration date due to approaching expiration or other reasons. You can submit a removal order for these products on Amazon Seller Central to avoid incurring any storage or disposal fees. Amazon will dispose or remove products within 50 days of expiration. Minimum recommend shelf life of over 90 days is recommended.
Overall, proper management of expiration dates in your fulfillment process is essential for a successful FBA business. By adhering to these best practices, you can ensure that your products arrive at Amazon’s fulfillment centers safely, are properly managed and tracked, and maintain their quality for customers.
Maintaining Product Quality and Compliance
When it comes to managing your Amazon FBA business, ensuring product quality and compliance with Amazon FBA expiration dates is paramount. It’s crucial to have a solid understanding of how to manage products with different Amazon FBA expiration dates and remain mindful of each product’s minimum remaining shelf life. While Amazon states they will remove products automatically, this is rarely the case and you will be held accountable for expired products reaching the buyer.
Minimum Remaining Shelf Life
Having a clear view of the minimum remaining shelf life of your products will help you avoid any issues with customer satisfaction. You must ensure that the items you send to Amazon have ample time left before the expiration date. If you have products with shorter shelf lives, it’s crucial to communicate this information to your customers explicitly. It can be helpful to add a custom label that reads ‘FRAGILE’ or ‘PERISHABLE’ to ensure your merchandise is handled with care.
Different Amazon FBA Expiration Dates
It’s essential to be aware that each product may have different expiration dates, making it crucial to keep track of them. You must manage each item’s inventory separately, especially if those products are variants in different formats, such as with different flavors or sizes. You can make it easier to label expiration dates with the help of inventory management tools and scanning equipment to help you avoid any errors. Fusion has an entire system built to manage product expiration dates.
Displaying the Expiration Date in the Correct Format
Using the correct format for displaying expiration date labels is vital to maintaining product quality and avoiding negative customer experiences. The date must be displayed in either the mm-yyyy or mm-dd-yyyy format, depending on the product. Make sure that the date is clearly legible and not obstructed or broken, as this can confuse customers and affect your reputation.
To sum up, managing product quality and complying with expiration dates are essential elements to ensure you have a successful Amazon FBA business. Always keep track of the minimum remaining shelf life, be aware of different expiration dates, and ensure that the expiration date is displayed correctly in the right format.
Amazon FBA Expiration Dates Requirements for Topicals
All topical and consumable products whether it be for human or animal consumption require expiration dates. If a procut such as a soap has a shelf life sticker with the amount of months indicated on the image, you must follow this. Amazon defaults the shelf life to 999 when there is an shelf life image. Make sure the expiration date is accessible when selling a product that is perishable.
Amazon FBA Expiration Dates – Take Aways
Effective management of Amazon FBA expiration dates is critical for your business. Compliance with Amazon’s expiration date policy ensures that your products are not disposed of and maintains customer satisfaction by delivering high-quality products with ample remaining shelf life.
By following the guidelines provided in this article, you can ensure that your FBA products have accurate expiration date labels and are managed correctly. Remember to label your products correctly with expiration dates that meet Amazon’s requirements, including the font size and date format.
Proper management of expiration-dated products requires appropriate packaging, barcode labels, and handling for products requiring a removal order. Additionally, maintaining product quality and compliance with different Amazon FBA expiration dates and formats is crucial. Managing expiration dates can be difficult without the proper tools. Fusion Inventory Management and List & Ship are are great help when managing these.
In conclusion, the effective navigation of Amazon FBA expiration dates is essential for your FBA business’s success. Follow these guidelines and guarantee that your FBA products meet Amazon’s requirements and are delivered to customers with ample remaining shelf life.
FAQ
What are Amazon FBA expiration dates?
Amazon FBA expiration dates refer to the date at which a product is no longer considered suitable for use or consumption. It is the date by which the product should ideally be used or sold, ensuring its quality and safety.
Does Amazon require expiration date labels?
Yes, Amazon requires expiration date labels for certain products. This includes topical and consumable items, as well as nutritional supplements. The label must have the expiration date printed in the correct format and font size to ensure visibility and compliance with Amazon’s policies.
What is the correct way to displaying the expiration date format?
The Amazon FBA expiration dates must be displayed in the format mm-dd-yyyy or mm-yyyy, depending on the specific requirements of the product. It is important to use the correct format to avoid any confusion and ensure that the date is easily understood by Amazon associates and customers.
Are there any specific label requirements for products with Amazon FBA expiration dates?
Yes, labels with expiration dates must meet certain requirements. The font size must be 36-point or larger to ensure visibility. Additionally, the label should include all relevant information, such as the production date and the remaining shelf life in days.
How can I manage expiration dates in my fulfillment process?
To manage expiration dates effectively, it is crucial to properly prepare your products for shipment to Amazon’s fulfillment centers. This may include using bubble wrap for meltable products and ensuring that the barcode label is correctly applied. Additionally, if you have products that require a removal order due to approaching expiration dates, you need to follow the proper procedures outlined by Amazon.
What is the importance of maintaining product quality and compliance with Amazon FBA expiration dates?
Maintaining product quality and compliance with Amazon FBA expiration dates is crucial for your Amazon FBA business. By ensuring your products have a minimum remaining shelf life and adhering to Amazon’s requirements, you can avoid negative customer experiences and potential issues with your inventory. Accuracy in expiration date labeling and proper management of expiration-dated products contribute to a successful FBA business.
What should I do to comply with the Amazon expiration dates policy?
To comply with Amazon’s expiration date policy, you need to ensure that any products with Amazon FBA expiration dates have labels displaying the correct format and font size. Additionally, you must package and handle these products in accordance with Amazon’s guidelines to maintain quality and customer satisfaction. Regularly checking and monitoring the shelf life of your products is also essential to avoid any issues.
