What if somebody told you that you could sell new items through Amazon FBA and have a number of services included for free? You’d probably think they’re pulling a prank on you. But guess what? The statement is correct, and the platform implements it through the New Selection Program.
The program offers free return processing, liquidations, and storage for a limited time for people new to FBA.
Beyond that, brand-registered sellers are eligible to earn 5% rebates on sales of new-to-FBA ASINs.
This is an excellent opportunity for brands willing to test new products without fretting over storage fees in case they don’t sell immediately.
The guide below will reveal more about the program and what it entails.
What Is Amazon FBA New Selection Program?
The New FBA Selection Program is introduced to make product launch hassle-free and affordable for sellers. Not only does it encourages brands to introduce new products, but it also enables sellers to test FBA without fretting over costs.
Fulfillment by Amazon is an epic automation service that maintains inventory, and picks, packs, and ships products. Outsourcing fulfillment tasks allows sellers to streamline their business and provide seamless customer service.
Although the convenience of Amazon FBA sounds great, the associated fee doesn’t appeal to sellers – primarily if their inventory remains in storage for some time.
Here’s when the New Selection Program kicks in. It offers free monthly storage of up to 50 units for a limited time. Likewise, you get free returns processing for specific products.
What Does the Program Offer?
The new no-risk FBA program is gaining traction among Amazon sellers, and rightfully so. It encourages new sellers to sell on the platform and existing sellers to send new products. Here’s what the program offers.
- Unlimited new-to-FBA ASINs. You can utilize unlimited new-to-FBA ASINs once you become eligible for the program. In other words, if you launch 80 products monthly, they’ll all qualify for the program – pretty awesome, right?
- Free monthly storage and liquidations for standard-sized ASINs. You do not have to pay a storage fee for the first 50 units of new ASIN for up to 90 days once it reaches the fulfillment center. Also, you are free to liquidate any of your first 50 units within 180 days free of charge. However, units sent after the first 50 units will be charged the usual fee.
- Free monthly storage and liquidations for oversized ASINs. As with standard-sized ASINs, oversized ASINs come with free monthly storage and liquidation. The only difference lies in the unit number – 30 in the case of oversized ASINs.
- More perks. The program also offers additional advantages for the shoes and apparel category. You aren’t required to pay a monthly storage fee for the first 100 units of standard-sized ASIN for up to 120 days once the first unit is sent to the fulfillment center. Again, you can liquidate any of those 100 units without paying a penny from your pocket. However, this applies for 180 days from the first date of the received inventory. The program also gives a return processing fee of 20 units for standard-size ASINs.
Seller Eligibility Criteria
Given its benefits, anybody would want to apply for the FBA New Selection Program. Hence, the sellers would naturally want to know about the eligibility criteria. Here’s what makes you eligible to apply for the program.
- You must own a professional Amazon seller account to enroll in the program. Individual accounts won’t work to apply for the program.
- The IPI (inventory performance index score) must be above 400
- If you are a new Amazon FBA seller without an IPI, the platform will automatically enroll you in the program
- Sellers must maintain their IPI score to continue enjoying the program’s perks. In case your score drops below 400, the platform will remove you from the program.
- You become eligible for the program when your first new FBA ASIN reaches the fulfillment center.
What About ASIN Eligibility?
If you’re uncertain whether your product is eligible for the program or not, here’s a quick checklist to learn about the eligibility criteria.
- All standard and oversized products qualify for the program
- Parent ASINs must be new to Amazon FBA
- Child ASINs aren’t eligible for the program
- The platform doesn’t qualify used products
- Books, Software, Video Games, Gaming consoles, DVDs, Books, Music, and other media categories aren’t eligible.
- The program excludes bundled ASINs.
- Only Shoes and Apparel ASINs qualify for free return processing
To further clarify your queries, consider using the New-to-FBA product search tool.
How to Enroll In the Program
Fortunately, there’s no secret sauce to enrolling in the program. You only need to have a professional seller account. You can always upgrade your account to enjoy the program’s benefits if you do not have one.
Simply visit the FBA New Selection Page and choose “Enroll Now” to get started. The platform will approve you quickly if you meet the program’s eligibility criteria.
Why Amazon Took the Initiative of the New Selection Program
Amazon has always gone above and beyond to meet the seller and consumer programs and make selling and purchasing easier. Here are a few reasons the platform bought the new program into action.
- The marketplace wants to encourage new e-commerce sellers to sign up for Fulfillment by Amazon.
- It wants to mitigate the risk of inventory not moving for new items. The platform wants to keep the product selection fresh.
- The platform wants to push merchants utilizing merchant-fulfilled shipping to send their products to Fulfillment by Amazon.
Is there an ASIN Limit for the New Selection Program?
One of the biggest perks of the new program is enrolling a large amount of FBA items. Although Amazon limits it to 500 new-to-FBA items, that is still a lot.
So, even if your brand introduces new products monthly, you can use the program to introduce them to the market and test consumer interest.
Conclusion
Amazon introduces new and varying tactics to pique consumer interest and encourage sellers to join the platform.
FBA’s New Selection program is yet another way to boost seller experience by allowing them to launch and test new products with no risks involved.
To discuss onboarding your brand onto Amazon, get in touch with the Elite Automation sales team.
