Never Let Your eCommerce Business Fall Victim to the Amazon FBA Shipping Restrictions Again

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon restricted its shipping inventory. The restriction was set through April 5, 2020, and left many FBA sellers stranded to fend for themselves during one of the most difficult times around. 

These restrictions lead to long delays that hurt many eCommerce businesses. Many sellers feared to lose a month’s worth of sales due to the delays and restrictions that hit many of Amazon’s U.S warehouses. 

While things are largely back to normal in terms of Amazon FBA right now, the event makes it clear that sellers could face a similar problem in the future. While Amazon FBA has many benefits, the fact that they can implement restrictions at any time is a slight risk that sellers face. 

Luckily, there are many ways sellers kept their businesses afloat during the Amazon FBA shipping restrictions. Implementing these methods will help your business beat any future Amazon FBA shipping restrictions or similar issues with other fulfillment centers. 

Sell Essential Goods

Many sellers responded to the FBA restrictions by diversifying their product catalogs to include more essential items. Since these restrictions are unpredictable, and essential goods are evergreen, it may be a good idea to bring in some essential goods. To do this, you don’t need to compromise your branding, choose items that fit in. For example, if you sell streetwear, consider selling trendy masks and hand sanitizer that is packaged to tie in with your items. 

Don’t Rely on One Fulfillment Center

As you can see, relying only on FBA for your fulfillment is not a great idea. While it can be incredibly useful for selling on Amazon, it’s ideal to diversify your order fulfillment. That way, if one center shuts down or tightens restrictions, you still have other avenues. Complement your FBA operations with your own warehouse or a third-party fulfillment center. Connecting your multiple fulfillment providers will also improve your flexibility and agility. 

Change to Fulfilled by Merchant 

FBA has many benefits, but if Amazon restricts the program again, you should temporarily convert to fulfillment by merchant (FBM). Choose the method that allows you to fulfill orders the fastest, when FBA has many delays, then switch to FBM. Amazon even recognizes this and offered Buy Box preference to the FBM merchants who could fulfill the orders faster during the FBA restrictions. 

Continue Marketing Efforts

Many business pulled back from ad spend and marketing during the uncertain pandemic times. However, that is the exact time you should maintain or even ramp up your ad campaigns. The change in demand drives ad prices down and allows you to see even greater returns. Boost your sales through ad campaigns and strong marketing at all times. 

Sell on More Channels 

If your business relies only on Amazon, or on any single channel, you will be in big trouble when there are bugs or delays. Keep your eCommerce business agile and adaptable by diversifying your sales channels. In reality, your business should sell on all top channels like eBay, Walmart, and Shopify, as well as Amazon. 

Selling on more channels keeps your business resilient to unpredictable changes. Additionally, it allows you to expand your reach and scale your business. Additionally, sites like Walmart do not have nearly the same level of competition that you will find on Amazon, so you can have a more dominant presence there. 

The challenge with diversifying your sales channels and fulfillment is that is can be hard to keep track of. Selling on more channels and through more fulfillment centers means that you have more listings and information to keep track of. 

That’s where we can help. Listing Mirror is your #1 listing software that simplifies listing management, order fulfillment, inventory management, and warehouse management. We make it easier than ever for you to sell on multiple channels and fulfill orders, saving you time and hassle. We are proud to offer more integrations and partners than ever, including:

• Google Shopping Actions
• Amazon 
• Walmart
• eBay 
• Etsy
• BigCommerce
• TopHatter
• Desktop shipper 
• Jet
• Reverb
• Shopify
• Rakuten
• Overstock 
• Woo Commerce
• Ship Station 
• SKU Vault 
• Deliverr 

We can help you set up all of your multichannel integrations so that you can stay flexible and resilient no matter what comes your way. Learn more about how your business can benefit from Listing Mirror by starting your free 14-day risk-free trial HERE.