Supplies to Send Your First Shipment

The absolute minimum to send shipments to Amazon, you'll need:

• Laptop/Desktop Computer (I have a Windows laptop and it's able to easily run all software needed.)
• Printer (or access to one that you can change the paper)
• 30 up labels -These are for your FNSKU labels, when you are creating your shipment some items will give the option to either:
  • 1. use the manufacturers barcode which would just be the existing barcode on the item, or
    2. use an FNSKU barcode, which is a unique barcode connecting your item to you as a seller

• Polybags - The sizes that I keep in stock are: 6x9, 8×10, 9×12, 11×14, and 14×20. If you're wanting to keep costs low in the beginning, I recommend getting this assortment. This will give you multiple sizes to see which ones you use and prefer most. I like the permanent adhesive and not the resealable bags because I like knowing my items are secure and not going to fall out and get damaged or lost. Remember, polybags need to have a suffocation warning on them. Always refer to Amazon's official prepping and packaging requirements in Seller Central, but I use these for all grocery, beauty, clothing, and bundles.
• "Do Not Separate" Stickers - These are for items that you are selling as a bundle or set so that Amazon does not separate them. I also put them on the outside of fragile items that I've intentionally boxed for protection.
• Tape - You'll be taping a lot of boxes and need a good quality tape to keep up.
• Tape Gun - I prefer this tape gun to the traditional style of tape guns, I think it's easier to use.
• Scotty Peelers - These are extremely useful for getting under clearance and discount store stickers for a quick and easy removal. You should remove or cover any stickers that show the true price you paid for your item, a customer will probably complain if they see a Walmart clearance sticker for $1.00 on an item they paid $20.00 for.
• Heat Gun - Useful for heating up the glue in order to remove discount store and clearance stickers, be careful on the type of material you use this on however, it can melt plastics if you leave it too long.
• Goo Gone - For the stickiness and residue that was left behind from the other removal methods. A little goes a long way, so use caution.
• Scale - I recommend one that can be used with ounces for FBM orders and go up to at least 50 lbs for FBA boxes. It's good to have one tool that can be used for a multitude of purposes. I like this scale because it has a wired digital reader you can hold and clearly see the weight on. Keep in mind, FBA boxes can not exceed 50 lbs and I suggest staying around 48 lbs to account for errors.
• Boxes - You will need a variety of moving size boxes to send your shipments into Amazon, I usually keep a variety of sizes ranging from S, M, L, & XL from Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowes. I keep this handy spreadsheet printed out above my computer for quick reference when I'm entering in my box dimensions. The last thing I want to try and remember after a few hours of packing up my shipment is the dimensions of the 6 boxes I'm using. Keep in mind, FBA boxes cannot exceed 25 inches on any side.
  • A good way to cut costs in the beginning is to ask stores or neighbors if they have any large boxes they are throwing out.

Things that may be necessary depending on the items you are selling:

• Bubble Wrap - I use bubble wrap for my fragile items. Amazon's Prepping and Packaging Requirements say your item must be able to pass a 3 foot drop test. I always try to package my items as I would like to receive them. If you're only looking to purchase one roll, I'd pick it up at Walmart. If you're looking to scale your business and have big bubble wrap needs, American Bubble Boy has great prices, variety of sizes and lengths, and has free 2-day shipping. I ordered a variety of sizes of bubbles and lengths and have been happily working my way through for months now.
• An assortment of small boxes - I use these for fragile items and heavy bundles of items. I order mine from Staples, unless you're interested in starting FBM right away, I recommend ordering sizes as you need them while you work to figure out what your most used sizes are.
• T-Shirt Folder - In the beginning of my Amazon Journey, I had a lot of success in clothing and shirts from discount stores or on clearance. This was a life saver for me to quickly fold shirts so they would hold their shape and not show up wrinkled to the customer.
• Clothing Tagging Gun - Again, this is an item that if you do a lot of clothing you are bound to accidentally lose a tag when prepping or removing stickers so I used this for quick repairs.

Things that are nice to have:

• Box Resizer - I use this to quickly resize boxes to save on shipping. I use this for FBM and FBA. If you're new to shipping like I was, shipping is calculated by dimensional weight, so sometimes knocking off a few inches of dead space on a box can make shipping drastically cheaper.
• USB Barcode Scanner - Although it's completely possible to do a shipment without this item, it speeds up the process. I held off on buying one to save on upfront cost and wish I hadn't, I know that entering UPC codes manually doesn't seem like a big deal, but when you're entering a lot of items at once, this tool can save you a significant amount of time.
• Thermal Printer - A very beneficial item to have is a thermal printer, when you pair it with a prepping software like Inventory Lab, it significantly cuts prep time down as the labels automatically print out as you list them, instead of having to list everything, create your shipment, and then print your labels. When you do a shipment through Inventory Lab you're also able to capture your COGs as you go. Having a thermal printer also cuts down time spent on shipping FBM orders.
  • I've had my Rollo for over a year now and I've loved it so far. It's very easy to set up and is able to print both sizes of labels you'll need.
  • Don't forget the label holder!
• FNSKU labels - This is the size of labels I use for my FNSKU on my Rollo.

• Shipping Labels - You'll need 4x6 labels for both your shipping labels and your Amazon label, however, you can actually order these for free on the UPS website if you create a free UPS business account.