Quality control setbacks can lead to an increase in the number of product returns, which shrinks revenue. This is especially relevant in 2020 when ecommerce sales have skyrocketed. For that reason, we've decided to enlighten Amazon FBA sellers on the tips for improving their quality control from packaging and labeling to pre-shipment inspection. Let's dive in!
Why is Product Inspection Important to Amazon FBA Sellers?
FBA sellers who submit their products to Amazon warehouses without prior inspection often take huge risks because there are packaging, labeling, and safety standards that the products must fulfill.
Below are the reasons why it's overly essential for Amazon FBA sellers to inspect their shipment beforehand.
- Poor-quality products on Amazon attract low customer reviews and high return rates, thus affecting revenue.
- Submitting sub-standard products puts you at risk of getting your FBA venture delisted by Amazon.
- Some unethical suppliers are more concerned with the money than delivering quality products, thus the need to conduct prior product inspections.
- A slight error in the packaging or labeling of the carton or the products can cause a huge mess. For instance, a wrong barcode can lead to an incorrect product getting shipped to a customer, and reversing the error is too costly.
Actionable Tips for Amazon FBA Sellers to Improve Quality Control
Stay Updated with Amazon's Changing Policies
Aside from ensuring that the products meet the required quality standards, you must also monitor Amazon's policies constantly as they keep changing.
Amazon tends always to update the list of items it's willing to fulfill, so without a plan-B or rich diversity of products, you may find yourself out of business.
Limit New Products until the Depletion of Previous Ones
Bear in mind that Amazon usually charges for storage of FBA sellers products, and the rates are likely to increase as we approach the holiday season. Therefore, you should limit sending new shipments to FBA storage as they usually pose a risk of failure.
Here's a tip: wait until you make at least 90% sales in initial products, then deal with the new goods on a 50-50 basis, i.e., send half of the goods to Amazon and monitor their performance before shipping the remaining half.
Set Clear Standards with Your Supplier
Some suppliers don't care about upholding quality standards as long as you pay them. The only way of reading from the same page with your supplier is by clarifying your expectations right from the start of your alliance.
You should be more specific, objective, and understandable when communicating such critical details as the exact product dimensions, colors, raw materials to use, etc.
Final Remarks
Selling sub-standard products is unacceptable for any business, whether online or physical. As an Amazon FBA seller, if you submit low-quality products, you risk getting delisted, attracting low reviews from customers, ruining your brand's reputation, and ultimately reducing revenue flow.
But that won't be a worry if you let us conduct your product inspections. We offer a user-friendly quality control platform that helps businesses save money and protect their brand's reputation.
Sign up for AQF Online, and you'll get the guidance and tools you need to manage quality control so you can avoid buying defective items, minimize your risk, and sell your products faster.
