This guide is meant to help you understand the process when shipping items in bulk using Palletfly Ordering System

First, you need to decide if you are looking to move your shipment quickly or efficiently. The faster turnaround, the more expensive. Palletfly default is to route your orders to go the cheaper option. You must put in a special request if you want to route your shipment the quicker way or need to split it up. (NOTE: This should be done during the checkout process on our site and not after the order is paid for)

Terms you should learn:

• 3PL - 3rd party logistics: Refers to a 3rd party handling the order.
• LTL - Less Than A Truckload: This refers to any shipment that goes by pallet but not a full truckload
• TL - Truckload: This is a full truck carrying just your shipment.
• FOB - Freight On Board: This means that the customer pays for order shipping.
• BOL - Bill of Lading: This is a document truckers use when picking up pallets or truckloads.
• PRO Number: This serves as the tracking number for pallets.
• POD - Proof Of Delivery: This is a document that proves the pallet you shipped was delivered to its final destination.

Our goal is to help make shipments move faster, easier, and smoother. However, we use 100s of different warehouses to fill orders and each one has their specific guidelines. In most cases, they will be unable to accept shipments that violate the guidelines. To better assist you, we recommend reading this entire guide and working within the guidelines on each shipment we supply information for.

Please note that we are unable to ASIN label (also known as FNSKU) unless it is specified on our product listing. ASIN labels sent to us will be disregarded without notice. We recommend that you have Amazon label your products.

We do not accept WILL CALL pickups. This means that you are unable to come and pick up your order in person. We only accept freight or parcel companies along with trackable documents for pickup.

Not all warehouses have daily pickups scheduled for UPS or other carriers. We will be in contact with you should we need to schedule a pickup on your behalf, and please note that there may be a pickup fee associated with this service.

For Amazon pallet shipments, most warehouses we work with will not apply box labels without charging fees. We can and do apply pallet labels for these shipments and absorb the cost as it is minimal. In our history with working on Amazon shipments, we have never had an issue as long as the pallet is properly labeled on all 4 sides. If you would like us to label the boxes as well, please be sure to inquire when sending in your shipping documents so that we can quote you the additional fees.

Standard Shipping Flow:

You will be required to make selections during the checkout process so that your order gets processed properly. Failure to make the correct selections may result in issues with your order further down the line (such as if you select the incorrect ship-to address - the order will ship to that address, etc.)

NOTE: At times, the warehouse may overwrite your routing if they deem it necessary to do so (for instance, if you choose LTL for a single box, or if the warehouse does not allow 3rd party shipping to be scheduled, etc). We will try to add notes when possible to the order quote. If we are unable to, we will be in touch with any changes either at the invoice stage or at the shipment stage. Make sure NOT to book shipping prior to receiving a shipment email (labelled with SID)

Ship-To: The location which the order will ship to. If you are shipping to FBA, there are additional steps outlined below that you must follow.
Shipping Method: The requested shipping method (we recommend sticking with having us choose the cheapest method)
Shipping Party: Select if you will be booking shipping (that includes through Amazon) or if Palletfly will quote and book shipping on your behalf.

(THE ADDRESS BELOW IS FOR DEMONSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY)

Once you check out and make a payment, your order will be prepared by the warehouse. Once the order is prepared, we will have the details for your shipment. We will then provide you with the order pickup information in a email titled with a shipment ID (SID).

All shipping correspondence must be made on the shipment email thread with all parties CC'd. Any documents submitted outside this email will be disregard (as a precaution to avoid mis-shipping orders).

Note that the shipping details we provide is in compliance with the warehouse guidelines. Please do not make your own adjustments or break up the shipment. Doing so may result in penalties, order cancellation, or extra charges. If a change needs to be made, please correspond with your sales rep with this information.

(TIP ON HOW TO AVOID SHIPMENT BREAKING UP)

We do not accept USPS shipments as they do not provide us with proof of shipment at time of pickup. Please use another service provider.

Orders damaged during transit must be claimed directly with the shipping company. It is your responsibility to purchase insurance on your shipments. Should damaged upon arrival units not be caused by shipping, please advise us within 3 days of receiving the shipment along with images and any other documentation. If shipping to an FBA center, keep in mind it may take some time for them to recieve your shipment. See more details here.

If you are planning to ship your products to FBA, start by creating the listing: Add your product to your amazon seller account using the ASIN or UPC provided. You can also add it by clicking on the "Check if Gated" text on any of our product pages. (We are working on a new guide to reflect the new send to amazon workflow)

Shipping to FBA:

1. Follow the Order flow using Send to FBA guide depending on if you use a 3rd party software or amazon's send to FBA to complete your order on Palletfly.
2. Once your order is ready to ship, you will receive a final email with all the shipment details. Here is a sample SPD shipment: (THE ADDRESSED USED BELOW ARE FOR DEMOSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY)
   
3. Double check the ship-from matches the address you entered previously.
   

Shipping by UPS/Fedex:

A - Customer paying for & Shipping straight to FBA (AKA SPD)
Follow this guide

B  - Customer paying for & Shipping directly to your address

1. Use the shipping information provided to generate labels. You will need to book the shipping using a common carrier (such as UPS, Fedex, DHL, etc)
2. Respond directly to the shipment email thread with the set of labels in PDF format.
3. Done! You will receive a follow up email once the box tracking shows movement online.

Palletfly paying for & Shipping straight to FBA

1. Step 1: Confirm inventory - Enter all the shipping information provided into Amazon Seller Central (IE Address, Box QTY, Dimensions, Weight, Amount of Cartons).
2. Step 2: Confirm Shipping,
   - Enter the ship date under LEAD TIME on your shipment email
   - For SPD shipments, Select Small parcel delivery (SPD) then scroll down and select Other from the Non-Amazon partner carrier list.
   - For LTL shipments, Select Less than truckload (LTL) then in step 4, select Non-partnered carrier (use your own carrier), then Other in the Non-AMazon partner carrier list
3. Complete the remainder of the shipment with the information provided on the email.
4. Generate the box labels by pressing the generate box labels button in seller central. Download the box & Pallet labels in 8.5" X 5.5" (US Letter) or 3-1/3 X 4 (US Letter) format
   
5. Respond back to the shipment email thread with:
   1. PDF Box labels
   2. PDF Pallet labels (pallet shipments only)
   3. Amazon Refrence ID (It may take some time for the ARN to populate)
      
6. Once your order ships, you will get a email with the carrier & tracking number. 
   VERY IMPORTANT: make sure to load the carrier & tracking numbers provided via email into seller central.

Shipping by LTL/TL:

A - Shipping straight to FBA

Please follow this guide for step by step instructions Customer shipping guide - Shipping by LTL/TL (booking through FBA)

B  - Shipping directly to your address

1. Use the shipping information provided to purchase shipping
2. Respond directly to the invoice email thread with the BOL attached (be careful to send it to the correct thread or your order may get mis-shipped)

3. Done! You will be emailed a PRO tracking number once your shipment has been picked up.

ASIN Label Shipping Flow:

Some orders require us to ASIN label the products in order to get accurate box/pallet details. An email will be sent to you requesting those labels/details.

Example:

Begin by adding the product to your catalog as detailed above and getting to the Send/Replenish Inventory stage.

Step 1: Add the details from the shipment email into Amazon. (Ship-From, QTY, Number of Cases) and Hit "Continue". If the box details are unavailable, continue by putting 1 in "unit per case" and total QTY on order in "number of cases" (this can be changed later in the shipment without issue).

Step 2: IF ASIN LABELS NEEDED On the next page, you will select "Merchant" under "Who Preps?" and Hit "Continue".

Step 3: On the next page, you will print the labels using 30-up labels. (Be sure to leave this option selected unless otherwise instructed by our team. Also make sure to send this as a PDF attachment ONLY to the shipment email thread)

TIP: You can also print ASIN labels at any time from the product listings menu.
Step 1: Go to Seller Central > Inventory > Manage FBA Inventory.
Step 2: Locate the item you wish to print labels for.
Step 3: Click the arrow near the edit button.
Step 4: Select Print item labels and input the amount of labels you wish to print.

Requesting a quote:

You may request for us to book shipping on your behalf prior to checking out your order using the Palletfly Quote Shipping button within the checkout process as detailed below. You can also have us quote shipping after you check out the order by replying to all members on the invoice email. Please note that once an order is checked out, the ship-to address may not be changed without approval.

To request a quote during checkout, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Follow the steps you normally would to start an order (place a request, await a quote, start the checkout process).
Step 2: Once you are in the checkout process, select your ship to address from your address book. If the address is not yet in your address book, you can add it using the Add New Location button.
Step 3: Under Shipping Party, select the Palletfly Quote Shipping option.

Step 4: A quote will be emailed to you containing all the relevant information (estimated time, terms, etc.). Make sure you review the quote in its entirety.
Step 5: Go back to your checkout list (you can click the checkout button on the quote email or go to My Inquires at the top right hand side of any Palletfly page).
Step 6: Locate the inquiry in question. It will be under the Shipping Quote Ready dropdown. Press the Accept Quote button

Step 7: Your request will now show as Ready To Checkout Quote Accepted. You can proceed as you normally do on any other order.

Step 8: Wait for the shipment email:
- If you are shipping the order to FBA, follow the steps above to obtain the FBA labels needed to identify the shipment at the FBA facility.
- If you are shipping to your own location, the email serves as a notification that your order is being routed. You will get another email once the order picks up or delivers.

Order shipped but having other issues? Check here.