After you download the appropriate inventory file template and gather product data, you can add product information to an inventory file.
We recommend that you keep a backup copy of your completed template on your computer hard drive.
The SKU is the key field in every inventory file and should not be altered or reused. Amazon uses the SKUs in your inventory file to associate your product listings (the product page ASIN and your offering) with your individual inventory level records in the Amazon catalog. This means the following:
We recommend that you always provide the UPC, GTIN, EAN, JAN, or ISBN when creating a new product page on Amazon. For more information, see Product identifiers. For the requirements for each category, including exceptions and exemptions where available, see Category and product code requirements.
Customers primarily use search terms (keywords) to find products on Amazon. Good search terms go a long way toward increasing product visibility. Most products can support five keywords. Think like customers do and use search terms that are popular on your own website or for your product line. For more information about using search terms, see Optimize listings for Search.
Some categories support variation relationships that include single parent product and multiple child products.
Parent products are non-sellable products that you list in your inventory file so you can create relationships between products.
Child products are unique, sellable products linked to a parent product. The child product is similar to other child products (or siblings) linked to the same parent product. However, the child varies from its siblings according to specific criteria. These criteria are described in the variation-theme section of the Data Definitions tab on the inventory file template. Acceptable variation themes differ by category but might include attributes such as size, color, and flavor.
Set up parent-child relationships in your inventory file whenever possible. This makes search and browse results much more manageable for customers because related child products are grouped together. When you set up parent-child relationships, distinguish each child product in the title. For example, if you sell shirts and some are red and some are blue, use "Shirt, Red" and "Shirt, Blue."
You can view the child ASINs for each parent ASIN in the Amazon catalog on the Add a Product page in your seller account.
Before you upload your inventory file to Amazon, you need to save it as a text (tab-delimited) file. Perform this step after you add products to your product inventory file.
Here is how to save your updated inventory file:
You are now ready to upload your inventory file. For more information, refer to the Upload your inventory file.
The lead time to ship is the time it takes you to get a product to your shipment carrier. The total shipping time is then lead time + carrier time.
The following table identifies the fulfillment messaging that Amazon provides to customers based on the product-level availability you provide in your inventory data feed. Your product-level availability must be a number between 0 and 30.
Input | Availability Message | Min Days | Max Days |
---|---|---|---|
NULL, 0 | In stock | 1 | 2 |
1 | In stock | 1 | 2 |
2 | In stock | 1 | 2 |
3 | In stock. Processing takes an additional 2 to 3 days for orders from this seller. | 2 | 3 |
4 | In stock. Processing takes an additional 3 to 4 days for orders from this seller. | 3 | 4 |
5 | Usually ships in 4-5 business days | 4 | 5 |
6-10 | Usually ships in 1 to 2 weeks | 6 | 10 |
11-15 | Usually ships in 2 to 3 weeks | 11 | 15 |
16-20 | Usually ships in 3 to 4 weeks | 16 | 20 |
21-30 | Usually ships in 1 to 2 months | 21 | 30 |