All Amazon logistics centers mark your products with the FNSKU, which is an Amazon product identifier. The system is exclusively applicable to products that are fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) and how all Amazon sellers can be assigned to products. Product-identifying codes are used in fulfillment centers by Amazon to label your products. These codes are similar to UPC codes. FNSKU labels are important since they determine whether you will receive credit when Amazon ships a product to you. A newbie seller can find the FNSKU Amazon system confusing if they are unfamiliar with it. Otherwise, FNSKUs seem like a good idea especially.
What is FNSKU?
The Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit (FNSKU) is an inventory number and part of the stock keeping system. Product identification is a primary function, and it’s specifically designed for FBA products. Click on “Get FNSKU” in the Action Menu on the Amazon properties page to get the information. Your ecommerce consultant may have told you Amazon has to use this number so it could be called an internal EAN number.
What is the purpose of FNSKU?
Your product already has a barcode or UPC code, but Amazon creates this code for a very specific purpose. Then why would you want an additional FNSKU? I think the answer is pretty simple, there is a very high chance someone else is selling the same thing as you. When you both send your products to one of Amazon’s fulfillment centers, and if you both use the same UPC code, it’s likely that both products will end up in the same large, unsorted bin once they’re both in the warehouse. Therein lies the problem, because Amazon doesn’t know whose product was shipped when it makes a sale. You can see how problematic this can be.
Amazon requires that all shipping labels contain an FNSKU so that it can easily pair up inventory to merchants, so as not to cause confusion and to avoid the obvious issues that arise from having multiple items without a way of tracking who actually owns them. Glady their is no change in usps first class rates when you ask for additional FNSKU labels.
Getting an FNSKU on Amazon
Once your products arrive in Amazon’s fulfillment centers, you can connect them to your FNSKU, so Amazon can send them to you. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) sellers need an FNSKU if they plan on shipping products to customers.
For any product you sell through FBA, please follow these steps to obtain an FNSKU:
- Make sure you set your product to FBA (not FBM).
- The product will be launched on Amazon.
- A FNSKU will be assigned to your product once it appears in your catalog on Amazon.
- Amazon generates a barcode-like code that you can export.
- Send your product to the fulfillment center with your FNSKU attached.
However, how do you obtain the FNSKU code once Amazon generates it? Here are the steps:
- Navigate to Manage FBA Inventory
- Search for your product
- To the right of the product, click the drop-down menu
- Select Print Item Labels
- Click Print Labels
- Then click the OK button
- Add your new FNSKU to your products
Amazon FNSKU vs SKU vs ASIN vs UPC
It is also possible for Amazon to handle the product labeling for the sellers. Amazon sellers can enlist Amazon FBA Label Service, which in turn labels their inventory at a per-item cost. FNSKU, SKU, ASIN, etc., are acronyms new Amazon sellers come across. Here are the definitions of each and the reasons why they cannot be mixed or used interchangeably.
ASIN : Standard Identification Number
FNSKU : Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit
SKU : Stock Keeping Unit
UPC: Universal product code
Amazon ASIN – Amazon Standard Identification Number
Globally, Amazon has 300 million active customer accounts, making it the leading eCommerce platform. The ASIN (American Standard Industrial Number) identifies each product in Amazon’s huge catalog. Amazon generates ASINs for all of its products, and you don’t need to bother about them any longer. You’ll need to scroll down the listing and find the ASIN for each product under ‘Additional Information’.
ASINs are used by sellers to search Amazon for products and determine if they can list the items. The product name can also be used to do the same thing. A quick search with their ASINs, however, will bring up the exact product match. In the URL for that particular product on Amazon, you can also find the ASIN for that product. As opposed to FNSKU labels, sellers do not need to print product ASINs. Amazon provides ASINs when you upload a product, and they have to list them when uploading.
Amazon SKU– Amazon Stock Keeping Unit
Barcodes like this are primarily used by sellers, the Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) identifies the price, color, style, brand, type, and size of a product by using an alphanumeric barcode. The retailers are able to track their inventory internally with the help of SKU barcodes.
UPC- Universal Product Code
Universal Product Code is a barcode is placed on each product you purchase in a store, and this is the one they scan. A UPC is bought, normally; anyone on earth with access to a device that can read UPCs can learn what the item is. If you do not have an exemption, then you need a UPC for each item listed on Amazon. UPC codes are general barcodes that you need to put on your product in order for people to purchase it, you can market it anywhere you like by using it.
Does my Amazon Shipping Label Need Anything Else?
There are a few things to check besides the above four codes when it comes to packaging and labeling once you are ready to ship your inventory to Amazon. Make sure every shipment is correctly identified with a shipment ID label. The Shipment Creation Workflow allows you to print shipment ID labels. You can also access the shipment from your Shipping Queue if you have already created it.
Do you need any help with labeling your products?
Check out Urtasker if you require any help with your product labelling or want to clear any confusion you have about FNSKU, ASIN, SKU. Urtasker provides labeling services and streamlines all inventory requirements at affordable rates.
Besides labelling, Urtasker also provides Amazon account management services, Amazon brand management and Amazon PPC management, as well if you are a seller on Amazon. Reach out to us, we have a dedicated team of professionals who can guide you further on product labelling.
