What Does "Reserved" Mean On Amazon FBA?

eCommerce companies that sell on Amazon must always know where their products are. Are they in the warehouse, waiting to be shipped? Have they arrived at the customer? Are there any bottlenecks causing delays? Your Amazon FBA reserved inventory is a critical metric for tracking this. Understanding and tracking reserved inventory are vital for fine-tuning your company strategy.

What Does Amazon Reserved Inventory Mean?

Reserved inventory on Amazon refers to products in a seller's inventory that are unavailable for fulfillment due to a recent customer order, pending investigation, or other reason. While still available for purchase, delivery of these items may be delayed.

When you list an item for sale on Amazon, the company reserves a certain amount of inventory as part of its quality assurance process. This ensures customers don't receive damaged or incorrectly described items. The amount reserved depends on your seller account and product.

When Amazon processes customer orders, the system first checks if the reserved units can fill the order. If not, it looks to merchant-fulfilled and FBA inventory to find more stock. If none is available, the order goes into an unfulfilled state and becomes a backorder until more stock is available.

If you notice a discrepancy between what was sold and what arrived in your Amazon shipment, check the Reserved Item report to see how much was selected from your account. Knowing this information helps with successfully managing your Amazon Marketplace inventory.

Related: Popular Amazon Inventory Management Tools You Can Use For eCommerce Business

Why Is My Amazon Inventory Reserved?

There are several potential reasons your inventory may be placed on reserve, including:

Customer Orders

When a customer orders an item, it's added to your Amazon FBA reserved inventory. You cannot resell these units since they have already been purchased. An "out of stock" message will appear if you've depleted that item's stock until you replenish it.

FC Transfers

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) Transfer is a service where Amazon stores and ships items from sellers. This FC (facilities center) transfer process helps businesses save time and focus on other priorities.

The status of an FC transfer can include:

• Pick-Up Requested: You've requested Amazon collect your items from your facility.
• In Transit: Amazon has your items but hasn't delivered them yet, usually 1-3 days.
• Received at Warehouse: Your goods arrived at an Amazon fulfillment center to be processed for sale, typically within two days.
• Ready For Sale: Your item is labeled and ready to be sold on Amazon.
• Shipping Delay: There is a delay in Amazon's logistics operations.

Related: Amazon Carrier Facility Updates: Know What They Mean!

How Do I See Which Products Are In The Reserved Inventory?

Here's how to check your Amazon reserved inventory:

1. Log into your Amazon Seller Account.
2. On the Inventory tab, find 'Reserved Quantity' next to 'Current Available Quantity'.
3. Click Reserved Quantity and select 'View Details' to see what products are reserved.
4. Click each SKU for specific stock reservation details per product/variation.
5. Enable auto-restock features to automatically send additional units from reserved inventory when stock runs low, preventing stockouts.

Conclusion

Understanding Amazon FBA reserved inventory is key for business success. With the right strategies, you can effectively manage products and grow your business. Consider learning more FBA topics like order fulfillment automation. For assistance fulfilling Amazon orders efficiently, contact experts like Simpl. Now that you know how to manage reserved items, use this knowledge to build a thriving Amazon business!

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