Handling Ecommerce Logistics

Imagine Barry's frustration as 40% of his e-commerce margins vanished into shipping costs. 📦💸 His business was growing, but profitability felt like an endless battle against logistics expenses. Ever faced a similar challenge? Barry's situation was all too common in our industry. Expensive carriers for every shipment, oversized packaging driving up costs, and zero visibility into supply chain operations were creating the perfect storm. Here's how we streamlined operations at our state-of-the-art facilities and achieved a remarkable 60% cost reduction: 🚀 Optimized carrier selection: We analyzed shipping patterns and matched each order type with the most cost-effective solution, reducing average shipping costs by 35% 📦 Right-sized packaging solutions: Implemented automated packaging optimization that eliminated dimensional weight charges and cut material costs by another 15% 🏢 Strategic 3PL partnerships: Connected Barry with facilities in optimal locations, cutting warehousing costs by 25% while improving delivery times 📊 Enhanced real-time visibility: Integrated inventory management systems that prevented costly stock discrepancies and boosted customer satisfaction scores by 40% The results went far beyond cost savings. Barry's delivery times improved from 5-7 days to 2-3 days for 97% of his customers. Through white label fulfillment solutions, his brand maintained its identity while customer complaints dropped by 70%. Most importantly? Barry shifted from wrestling with daily logistics fires to focusing on business growth and scaling his operations. The key insight: Complex supply chain challenges require strategic, data-driven approaches rather than quick fixes. What logistics challenge is currently holding your business back? 🤔 #EcommerceSolutions #LogisticsExcellence

Should you switch from an indirect distribution setup to a direct trading relationship with #Amazon? It's tempting to think that cutting out the middleman would boost your sales and profits with the online retailer. Yet most brands that choose this route underestimate the resources it takes to manage Amazon effectively: - Managing day-to-day operations - Negotiating annual terms - Dealing with constant margin requests - Coordinating service providers (agencies, SaaS, etc.) - Reconciling unresolved financial disputes  - ... The truth is: Most SMBs are better off using a distributor instead of becoming a vendor for Amazon themselves. The resource requirements on brands often outweigh the benefits of moving to a direct relationship with Amazon. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹? Although you may think you have the internal resources to make the switch, I recommend taking one step at a time. Distributors are long-term trading partners. Cutting them off will likely do more harm than good. And although your Vendor Manager wants to list your entire portfolio, I strongly recommend against this approach. ❌ Instead, only transition 20-30% of your listed Amazon assortment. This allows you to understand the real impact of Amazon's price algorithm, identify and fix any process errors leading to chargebacks, and expand profitably over time. Yes, you'll see slower sales growth at first. But you'll not only give your long-time distribution partners a chance to ramp down their business sustainably – you'll also transition to a direct trade relationship in a much more profitable manner. --- Have you switched from using a distributor to becoming a 1P vendor yourself? What was your experience? Let me know in the comments! #amazonvendor #amazonstrategy

We found a new profit leak for many sellers: Amazon AWD is losing inventory, and sellers aren’t tracking it. New tariffs are coming, and Amazon is changing reimbursements to be based only on COGS. So, any process to boost profitability is a must-use nowadays. At GNO Partners, we work with over 100 Amazon sellers daily. We’re seeing more and more missing units from AWD shipments. If you're not monitoring this, you’re leaving thousands of profits on the table. How to Catch AWD Mistakes & Get Reimbursed: • AWD Inbound report: Compare expected vs. received units. • AWD Outbound: Track shipments from AWD to FBA. • Open cases for all missing units from both Inbound and Outbound reports. • Monthly Process: Execute this monthly as the reports include only 30 days of data. To tackle this, assign a VA from your team to be responsible for the process. Every month, he needs to: • Download the reports. • Track missing units received in AWD • Track missing units received in FBA from AWD. • Open cases and claim the value of the missing units. • Also recommended he’ll manually audit shipments beyond 30 days. It’s a simple process that can lead to tens of thousands of extra profits at the end of the year. Comment "Reimbursements" below, and I’ll send you the full step-by-step guide we use at GNO Partners. P.S. We have many more processes to increase your brand's profit at GNO Partners. DM me for more information.

Being in stock is not enough! Most brands on Amazon aren’t losing to better products; they’re losing to where their inventory’s sitting. Amazon’s algorithm has gotten heavily regional. If your product isn’t stocked close to where people are searching, your organic rank drops even if everything else is on point. We’ve seen this play out again and again with client accounts. Fixing it isn’t complicated, but it’s often overlooked: 🦏Pull order and inventory data by region 🦏Identify where top sales are coming from 🦏Spot any stock gaps or long delivery windows in those regions 🦏Reallocate inventory to high-demand fulfillment centers 🦏Track the Units-to-Sold ratio and delivery estimates to measure impact One client had 60% of orders coming from just 8 states, but was understocked in 4. Fixing that instantly improved both visibility and conversion. Bottom line: Amazon rewards fast delivery. If you’re not showing up regionally, your rank and revenue are taking a hit. This is one of the lowest-effort, highest-return moves you can make right now.

Are you noticing that your product rankings vary depending on the postal codes? This is because of Geo Ranking. 🌍 Let me explain. 👇 Imagine you have an FBA warehouse in Texas, and recently there has been a surge in sales causing your inventory to run low. In order to ensure prompt delivery to customers, Amazon temporarily lowers your ranking in Texas until you replenish your stock or complete necessary fulfillment center transfers. The purpose behind this is to minimize customer wait time and keep them satisfied by prioritizing faster deliveries. As an Amazon seller, it becomes crucial to monitor and analyze changes in your rankings across different states. By doing so, you can identify whether this trend is consistent nationwide, limited to specific states, or influenced by your sales performance in each location. This valuable data can guide you in making strategic decisions to improve your business. 📊 When it comes to inventory management, it's important to have visibility into the distribution of your stock to various fulfillment centers. 👀 This becomes especially crucial in regions where you experience high sales. By accurately forecasting demand and proactively sending additional inventory to those locations, you can prevent temporary stock-outs and ensure the uninterrupted availability of your products to customers. This proactive approach gives you an advantage over competitors who may face regional inventory shortages. To track the fulfillment center where your products are shipped and when they are sold, you can access the necessary information through Seller Central. Simply navigate to: Reports section → Sales → Amazon Fulfilled Shipments Considering the importance of monitoring your rankings across different geographical locations, it would be beneficial to know if there are any tools available specifically designed to track these rankings. Are you aware of any such tool? #amazon #amazonfba #amazonppc

ASIN level inventory limits changed the Q4 game. Here's how smart brands are adapting. THE CHANGE: Amazon introduced minimum and maximum inventory limits per ASIN. Makes sense for warehouse efficiency. Creates challenges for seasonal sellers. Brands used to send 60-90 days of stock for Q4. Now many are capped at 30 days. THE CHALLENGE: Traditional Q4 advice: Stock deep for Black Friday through New Year. New reality: Work within the limits Amazon sets. The gap between what you need and what you can send is where strategy lives. THE MATH: Brand selling 100 units/day in Q4: • Ideal inventory: 90 days = 9,000 units • ASIN limit: 30 days = 3,000 units • Gap to manage: 6,000 units That's 60 days of inventory that needs a home. THE SOLUTION: We're seeing brands succeed with a hybrid approach: • Keep maximum allowed at Amazon FCs • Store overflow in strategic 3PL locations • Ship daily based on velocity • Use our 24-hour check-in speed as buffer Think of it as just-in-time for e-commerce. THE OPPORTUNITY: Constraints force innovation. Brands mastering this new model are discovering benefits: • Lower storage fees at Amazon • Better cash flow management • More inventory control • Flexibility to pivot between channels THE LESSON: Every Amazon policy change creates winners and losers. Winners adapt their operations. Losers complain about the rules. The brands thriving right now built supply chain flexibility before they needed it. How are you managing inventory limits this Q4?

Amazon’s internal chaos is costing sellers time and money. We've found that on some teams, employees lack basic knowledge of the tools they should use to resolve account health, catalog, and compliance issues. In some recent ASIN-level appeal cases, I've encountered Amazon reps who had never even heard of a category listing report or didn’t know they could batch upload corrections. And still, we hear staffers misinterpreting Amazon policies, listing or detail page related, or otherwise. Take what they tell you with a grain of salt! Always fact-check, always confirm accuracy. These are fundamental tools, yet sellers are stuck dealing with ill-equipped Amazonians during critical appeals. A lack of proper training and a lack of internal quality assurance is driving these problems, helping them fester, and making seller lives worse. Better training would mean faster resolution, fewer mistakes, and less frustration for sellers. In the meantime, it's on sellers to educate themselves on Amazon’s tools and policies.

We revamped our inventory allocation strategy, and it’s paying off! Here’s what we did ↓ Targeted Distribution: ↳ We looked at state-level sales data. ↳ Identified where sales were strong and where they were weak. ↳ Sent more stock to high-demand areas to reduce stockouts. Competitive Advantage (Amazon Algorithm Insights): ↳ Amazon’s keyword rankings depend on stock availability. ↳ Customer preferences for quick delivery or lower prices affect rankings. ↳ Products that are well-stocked and can be delivered quickly often rank higher. Finding Top-Selling States For Your Store: Use Helium 10 to help: - Open Helium 10.  - Go to the Profits tool. - Filter data by state to see where sales are highest and lowest. - Analyze sales trends to spot patterns or seasonal spikes. Now that you know which states are driving more sales, keep these areas well-stocked. PS: How do you handle inventory allocation for your Amazon store?

Amazon just pulled off what every marketplace seller secretly dreams of: sneaking into their competitor’s house, raiding the fridge, and somehow being invited to stay. Yes, you read that right. Walmart, Shopify, and even Shein sellers can now tap Amazon’s Multi-Channel Fulfillment network. Translation? You can list on Walmart, ship with Amazon, and still avoid the awkward “why did my Walmart order arrive in an Amazon box?” moment. Here’s what actually matters for operators: 📦 Neutral packaging unlocked No more Amazon logos plastered across your Walmart orders. The brown box revolution is here. 🕒 Prime-like speed without the Prime badge Cut-off times, door-to-door tracking, and on-time SLAs that make your 3PL look like it’s riding a donkey cart. 💸 Temporary fee holiday That 5% MCF surcharge? Waived until January 14, 2026. Your margin breathes for four more months. 🔗 Integrators are lining up WebBee, Pipe17, Rithum, Goflow, Lingxing… basically, if you’ve got an API, you’ve got an MCF connector. 👗 Shein sellers next in line By year’s end, the fast-fashion rocketship gets an Amazon-powered shipping engine. Imagine that cocktail. What this means: Amazon has quietly turned its logistics arm into a Switzerland-for-sellers. Neutral packaging, neutral trucks, but very un-neutral control over the pipes of e-commerce. And the punchline? Walmart just greenlit it. The same Walmart that once banned FBA shipments is now saying “fine, but hide your logo.” Marketplace competition is turning into multiplayer chess. And Amazon just moved its queen across the entire board. Curious what sellers think: would you trust Amazon to fulfill your Walmart or Shopify orders, or do you keep that fox out of the henhouse? #ecommerce #marketplaces #amazon #walmart #logistics

This may be the most underrated squeeze on your Amazon profitability in the last year. **After 12 years on Amazon, I’m sharing my insights to help brands improve profit margins. Join me here for 100 Days of Amazon Profit Hacks 💰 - Day 20/100** One of the biggest drains on profitability for brands on Amazon is the high cost of returns. And while this has always been true, the cost burden increased significantly with two new introductions from Amazon last year: 1️⃣ FBA Returns Processing Fees 2️⃣ The Frequently Returned Item Badge Let's break down how these changes impact your margins. 𝗔 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 Imagine you sell a $50 bedsheet set 🛏️ 📈 𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀: 100 units 🔄 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲: 8% ⚠️ 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲: 10% (i.e. 10 returns per day vs. expected 8 returns avg.) Now, let's crunch the numbers: Your costs for those two excess returns: - Non-refundable FBA fees: $14.96 - Return Processing Fees: $10.98 - FBA Removal Fee: $16.38 - COGS recovery cost (estimate): $10.00 So...assuming a 10% historic contribution margin 🔹 Prior daily contribution profit: $500 🔹 New daily contribution profit: $448 🔹 Change in contribution margin: -10% (i.e. to 9%) But here's where it gets worse... 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 "𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱" 𝗕𝗮𝗱𝗴𝗲 🚨 If your return rate stays high, Amazon tags your product with the "Frequently Returned" badge. This can easily drop your conversion rate by more than 10% (some products see a 12%-25% drop) What happens next? Your TACOS increases from 15% ➝ 17% Your change in contribution profit now becomes -𝟯𝟬% (i.e. from 10% profit to 7%) That's a massive hit, just from being two percentage points over the category return rate. HERE'S WHAT TO DO: 1️⃣ Check the Voice of the Customer Report ↳ Amazon just added a new column that flags products at risk (shown below) ↳ It shows which products have the badge AND which are close to getting it 2️⃣ Identify high-return products ↳ Cross-check with the FBA Returns Report to get a full picture 3️⃣ Prioritize your biggest risks ↳ Focus on high-revenue or high page-view products first 4️⃣ Follow along for the next 3 days ↳ I'm releasing a 3-day mini-series on reducing Amazon returns ↳ It's THAT important to your profitability ___ Part 1 drops tomorrow morning. See you then!