Monthly Q&A with Dan + George || July 2021

In this month’s Q&A, our Warehouse Manager, Dan Mattison, and Director of Operations, George Papazekos, answer some of your most frequently asked questions.

Do the dimensions of the product matter more than the weight for freight shipping costs? Does weight matter at all?

This is entirely dependent on the carrier and class used and whether products are being shipped via individual packages (like UPS, USPS, or FedEx) or palletized (LTL carriers like Estes, YRC, etc.).

With individual packages, both box dimensions and weight matter unless you are using flat rate shipping, in which case your price will be the same across all packages as long as you are within the carrier’s set parameters. Most carriers limit weight up to 50lbs and dimensions no larger than 24” without incurring extra charges, but again, this may vary depending on carrier. 

For palletized shipments, it matters much less. Most LTL trucking companies price by cubic footage being taken up within the truck more so than height and weight and with Amazon’s limitations of <72” in height and <1500lbs, it is unlikely that you will run into excess charges for being too heavy or tall.

UPC barcode required for FBA shipments?

For most products, a UPC barcode is required. There are some products that can get a GTIN exemption so that it does not require a barcode. In these cases, the product must be labeled with an Amazon barcode before it can be sent in via FBA. Otherwise, there would be no way for Amazon to tell what the product is when they receive it.

Do I need to cover barcode on box for FBA?

Yes, ideally all barcodes that are not FBA labels should be covered up enough that it isn’t able to be scanned in full. This includes all previous shipping labels, QR codes, or UPCs. It is unlikely that Amazon will penalize you for missing one here and there. 

Have additional questions? Connect with us on social and message us your questions.