My Biggest Mistakes From 13 Years on Amazon FBA (I Wish I Knew Earlier!)
After 13 years of selling on Amazon, I’ve made just about every FBA mistake there is. Some were small, others cost thousands. If you’re launching or scaling with Fulfilled by Amazon, avoid these common pitfalls and hopefully, they’ll save you money, stock, and sanity.
Stock Control Will Make or Break You
The biggest mistake sellers make is mismanaging stock, either by sending in way too much or far too little. If you’re launching a new product, start small. Send in around 20 units. This lets you gauge demand without overcommitting. Overstocking won’t just hurt storage costs, it’ll also affect your Inventory Performance Index and long-term fees. At the same time, running out of stock will wreck your organic rankings and take months to recover. Use Amazon’s 90-day planning model and build out from there, especially before peak seasons.
FBA and FBM Listings Are Separate — Treat Them That Way
Many sellers don’t realise that your FBA and FBM listings are treated as separate SKUs. If you’re advertising an FBA item, make sure your FBM version is also set up with ads. That way, if your FBA stock runs out, you can continue serving customers without losing momentum. It’s a small step that protects your ad campaigns and keeps sales moving.
FBA Can Actually Be Cheaper
A lot of sellers think FBA is too expensive, but in many cases, it’s actually more cost-effective than fulfilling orders yourself. Why? With FBM, you’re shipping one order at a time, often with high postage costs. With FBA, you can send 30kg of stock in one go for the same courier fee. This often offsets the fulfilment fees. Plus, FBA improves conversion rates thanks to the Prime badge, and removes the burden of customer service. It’s more efficient than it looks, especially when performing at scale.
Don’t Rely on FBA for All Your Stock
That said, you shouldn’t put your entire inventory into FBA, especially not directly from your manufacturer as you’ll be taking a big risk if everything is locked into one centre. Fulfilment centres can be slower than expected to scan items in, even once stock is received. This delay is more noticeable during busy periods like Q4. Always build in time buffers and avoid cutting it too close with key launches or promotions.
Keep Records and Compare Costs
FBA errors are rare nowadays, but they still happen. Always keep records of your shipments, weights, and tracking. If stock does go missing, having paperwork handy makes it easier to get reimbursed. And don’t assume Amazon-partnered carriers are always cheaper — compare with your own courier accounts to make sure you’re getting the best deal on inbound shipments.
Returns and Removals Cost Money
Finally, remember that removing unsold stock or requesting returns from Amazon comes at a cost. Plan your supply chain around this. Don’t send in pallet loads unless you’re confident in demand and performance.
