New Amazon sellers hear many different acronyms: FBA, FBM, SKU, ASIN, FNSKU. It can be confusing! FNSKU is a product that confuses many sellers. what is it? Do you need FNSKU? How to get FNSKU? Read on to learn more about FNSKU barcodes and how they are created.
Amazon FNSKU stands for Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit. This is Amazon’s term for unique barcodes used exclusively for FBA sellers. Similar to UPC or SKU product codes, products on a website can be assigned a unique FNSKU.
This identifier can be used to track products during fulfillment and after purchase. FBA sellers put these FNSKUs on their product labels so Amazon’s pickers can easily find the right product and ensure the right product is in the right place.
In this article, I explain What is FNSKU barcodes .
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Table of Contents
What Is An Amazon FNSKU ?
FNSKU stands for Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit and is an Amazon-specific barcode used by FBA sellers. Amazon uses FNSKUs (also known as Amazon barcodes) to identify sellers’ products and connect those products to your Amazon seller account.
Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit (FNSKU) is an Amazon-specific term used to describe barcodes used to track and link products to sellers. For those unfamiliar, FNSKU is used during fulfillment.
If you use FBA, Amazon may require each of your items to have an FNSKU barcode. Amazon prefers to use FNSKU barcodes instead of UPC barcodes because it makes it easier to track your inventory and separate it from other sellers’ inventory.
All Amazon fulfillment centers use FNSKU numbers to identify your products. It is exclusive to products shipped by Amazon FBA.
In short, Amazon uses FNSKU to track your products.
Why is FNSKU important?
Amazon uses FNSKU to print your product labels. This code provides a unique use for your product. You might be thinking – my product already has a barcode or UPC. Why do I need FNSKU?
this is very simple. There is a good chance that someone else is selling the same product as you. If you’re both shipping the same product with the same UPC, there’s a good chance they’ll ship together. To avoid confusion, Amazon expects all sellers to list FNSKU on the product’s shipping label. This makes it easy to match each product with the right seller.
Amazon makes recommendations when a product requires an FNSKU. If Amazon doesn’t accept it, the FNSKU is only matched against the ASIN, no additional tags are required. It’s easier and cheaper.
How To Get Fnsku Code From Amazon?
How do i get fnsku? Like SKUs, FNSKUs are storage and inventory numbers. As mentioned, it is designed for FBA listings. If you want to sell on Amazon FBA, you need an FNSKU.
Follow these simple steps:
- Set up your products to be fulfilled by Amazon
- List your product on Amazon
- Once your product is in the catalog, Amazon assigns your product a unique FNSKU
- Export Amazon-generated codes (or barcodes).
- Tag your products with FNSKU before sending them to fulfillment centers.
How to find Amazon-generated FNSKUs.
- Go to Manage FBA Inventory.
- Go to your product and click the drop down menu to the right of the product
- Select “Print Product Labels”
- Select Print Label and click OK.
- Apply the new FNSKU to your product
- Note: This process may vary from private label sellers to retail arbitrage to wholesalers.
Once you get your FNSKU barcode label, you can provide it to the manufacturer and ask them to include it in your product packaging by printing or sticking it.
What’s The Difference Between An Asin And Fnsku?
There is also a lot of confusion between ASINs (Amazon Standard Identification Numbers) and FNSKUs. Every product on Amazon has a unique ASIN that identifies the product.
The difference between ASINs and FNSKUs is that ASINs are product-specific, while FNSKUs are seller-specific. FNSKU tells Amazon what a product is and who owns it. ASINs only identify products.
On the other hand, FNSKU is unique to each product and seller. This is especially important when other sellers are selling the same product through Amazon fulfillment centers, as it helps distinguish which item belongs to which seller.
Products without FNSKU are mixed with other products of the same ASIN in FC. These can also be distributed and shared among FCs across the country. This may or may not be the problem. For example, you can win a Buy Box and sell a product to a customer, but your item may be picked and packaged by your competitor, not yours, meaning Amazon will credit other sellers rather than you. If you’re the manufacturer and the only seller on the detail page, that’s probably fine.
However, this can be problematic for large brands or ASINs where multiple sellers are competing for the same ASIN. As Amazon is now more aggressive with counterfeit products,
FNSKU can be an integral part of determining which seller is responsible for which item. When a seller sends a counterfeit product that ends up in a customer’s hands, FNSKU can help determine which product is not legitimate and which seller sold the product.
And mixed inventory without FNSKU may prevent Amazon from tracing the problem back to the correct seller. FNSKU then ensures that legitimate sellers with genuine products have no account issues.
This can range from bad reviews to product or account bans. Amazon goes a step further with the Amazon Transparency program, a product serialization service that might be worth it if you’re an FBA seller with counterfeiting issues.
What Is The Difference Between FNSKU And UPC ?
UPC (Universal Product Code) is similar to FNSKU in that it also identifies what a specific product is. The difference is that UPC can be used in any store or online marketplace, while FNSKU is only available on Amazon.
FNSKU barcodes are critical to each of your items, especially when you resell products wholesale through retail arbitrage or using ASINs with multiple sellers.
Because if you only use UPC barcodes when shipping products to FBA, your inventory will be mixed up with the inventory of other sellers of the same product. When you use FNSKU barcodes, Amazon separates your inventory from other sellers, even if you sell with the same ASIN.
Should You Use Amazon FNSKU?
We recommend always using the Amazon barcode (FNSKU) as it makes it easier to track your inventory.
All FBA sellers should use FNSKU. Specifically, the trademark owner is the seller of the trademark registration. Using FNSKU makes it easier to track your inventory across the Amazon ecosystem, making it easier to troubleshoot issues ranging from lost inventory to IP leaks.
To create an FNSKU, FBA sellers must print and affix an FNSKU label to the packaging of each product shipped to Amazon. If they skip this step or just use a UPC, the submitted product will be obfuscated.
When you add a product to your inventory, Amazon will ask you for your barcode preference – Manufacturer Barcode (UPC) or Amazon Barcode. In some cases, Amazon may require sellers to use Amazon barcodes.
How To Create AMAZON FNSKU
If you are an FBA seller with products fulfilled by Amazon, you can create FNSKUs in Seller Central.
- From Seller Central, navigate to the Settings drop-down, and select Fulfilment by Amazon.
- Scroll down to FBA Product Barcode Preference and click Edit.
- Ensure that Amazon barcode is selected, and click Update.
- Under the Inventory drop-down, select Manage FBA Inventory.
- Upload the new product.
- Once the listing has been created, go back to Manage FBA Inventory and the product will be there with its FNSKU.
Where to print Amazon FNSKU?
- Enter Manage FBA Inventory.
- Find the product.
- Click the drop-down menu to the right of the product.
- Click on “Print Item Labels”.
- Click “Click Print Labels”.
- Click OK.
- Apply the new FNSKU to the product.
Private Label Sellers (private label sellers), Arbitrage Sellers (arbitrage sellers), Wholesale Sellers (wholesale sellers) The process of acquiring FNSKU is different.
Private Label sellers: must create their own unique listing, once click “create”, Amazon will generate FNSKU.
Arbitrage or Wholesale sellers: Once the price and product status are entered, and if the seller finds an existing listing for the product on the platform, Amazon will generate an FNSKU.
As an Amazon seller, be aware that barcodes are different from FNSKUs. The easiest way to understand it: FNSKU is a code unique to Amazon that tracks and identifies products, thus holding sellers accountable for them.
On the other hand, barcodes are specific to a vendor’s product. Barcodes are used to track inventory throughout the production cycle
Amazon Sellers Need To Check Amazon Fnsku ?
Once sellers are ready to ship their inventory to an Amazon fulfillment center, check out the product labels and packaging.
Sellers must ensure that each shipment is labelled with the correct shipping ID and print them from the Shipment Creation Workflow. Or, if the seller has already shipped it, access it from the Shipping Queue.
FBAFO has learned that Amazon sellers need to check the following aspects:
- Print labels in a complete set. Each tag is unique, so never reuse, modify or duplicate tags.
- Label length is 1 ⅓ x 4 inches.
- Apply the label to the side of the box without going through the seam. Otherwise the label may be scratched or damaged when the box is cut.
- Make sure the carrier labels (FedEx, UPS, etc.) and FBA shipping ID labels are securely attached to the flat surface of the box, do not fold them to the corners or edges.
- Make sure both labels are readable and scannable.
- Each box to be shipped has its own unique FBA shipping ID label, which the seller can print from Shipping Queue.
- If the shipping pallet uses four labels, place them on the top and center on each side.
- If multiple packages are shipped in one master box, the shipping ID label should be on the master box; no shipping ID labels are used on the inner box
Conclusion
We hope this clears up any confusion you may have had regarding FNSKU on Amazon! If you have any more questions, let us know in the comments!
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