On this segment of Book Flipper University, we’re going to walk you through the final steps of preparing your shipments for Amazon FBA. Last time we walked you through how to separate for splits, if any, and box up your books. Now, let’s jump into the last few items to take care of before you’re ready to send your books off to Amazon.
Before you start taping, make sure you’ve got the correct labels with the correct boxes, especially if the number you wrote on your box flaps will be hidden once taped shut. The shipping labels are labeled “box 1, box 2” and so on, so just keep them with the right boxes and you’ll be good to go.
Then, be sure to use sturdy boxes to ship your books. They won’t go through the mail system gently, so the heartier the box the better. As far as tape goes, we typically just use regular-width shipping tape and run two strips over the center seam to seal the top and bottom. Some people like to tape the side seams as well. It can help strengthen the box a bit and help prevent moisture, but it’s really personal preference. You can also use wide tape if you prefer it for a little added security.
Now that your boxes are sealed, it’s time to apply your labels. While our shipping labels are peel-back labels, the square Amazon barcode is printed on a standard sheet of paper. So, we’ll have to cover that one with clear tape. We like to cover the full label to make it water and rip-resistant. If you’re taping down your shipping labels as well, make sure to tape over the barcodes and address information to protect them in transit.
Your labels should go on top of your boxes, but you can also place them on the sides if you run out of room. Amazon also prefers you avoid the seams if you can. Sometimes we run into a little overlap with the seams and have never had an issue, but we always try to make sure key information isn’t on the seam.
Whether you’re using a recycled box or a brand new box, odds are there are other barcodes somewhere on the box. Make sure to either scribble over these excess barcodes with a permanent marker or cover them with a blank label.
If Amazon does become upset about something with your shipping process, they’ll simply let you know what you did wrong and you can apologize and try to not repeat the issue. Easy as that! Unless you go over 50 pounds, that is. Amazon takes box weight seriously to protect their workers; they’ll suspend your listing abilities until you vow not to send overweight boxes again.
And that’s it! From sourcing to these final shipping steps, the process for our sample batch of 57 books took about two and a half hours. One hour of sourcing, one hour of listing, and 30 minutes of shipping prep work. From this batch, we’re looking at a $200 to $300 profit. Not too bad for a few hours of book flipping! Now it’s your turn to give it a go.
See you next time on Book Flipper University!
BOOK FLIPPER RESOURCES
This week’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c19crsWaPmg
Book Flipper Blog: http://bit.ly/2qFe31w
Book Flipper Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/2IYSKiU
Free Listing Spreadsheet: http://bit.ly/2vfMcud
Tracking Spreadsheet: http://bit.ly/2Ho44rx
The Book Scouting App I Use: http://bit.ly/2voBstC
My Online Arbitrage Tool: http://bit.ly/2HuCnh3
The 100 Book Challenge: http://bit.ly/2H3mkY5
The Listing Software I Use: http://bit.ly/2qAxEjV
Box Level Contents Spreadsheet: http://bit.ly/2qxesCW
Scouting Tools I Use (scanner, printer, etc): http://bit.ly/2viDRpF