Thank you for your interest in this article and video

A few years ago Ben realized that he didn’t like paying Amazon to ship his inventory to the warehouses. He had the revelation that there must be a way for him to reduce these costs. That is when he signed up as a carrier on carrier central and decided to transport his products to the Amazon warehouse. This has proven to be a game-changer for his business and has drastically reduced his outgoings.

As a carrier, you don’t need to be signed up with Vendor central. You get control over when your items are shipped and they usually get checked in much quicker. This method is incredibly useful when you need to quickly restock an item.

To get signed up as a carrier on carrier central, you require a Standard Carrier Alpha Code. This is the most difficult part of the process. It can take between 15-30 minutes to fill out the form required, but within 48 hours you would have a response with your code. A SCAC is a unique, four-letter alpha code, used to identify a carrier of Amazon’s. It can be found in vendor central or as part of your advanced shipment notifications.

As a carrier, you can assign your shipments to yourself in seller central and streamline the process. You can then put these shipments into carrier central.

Carrier central will next give you the due dates for your shipments. You are always given an hour to deliver your inventory, but you should get there before to ensure the slot isn’t given away. There may be a long line or items could be heavier than expected so it is good to have space for adjustments. Coming early is especially important during peak season since the warehouse will likely be overwhelmed with large amounts of shipments.

It should also be noted that shipments run throughout the night and day. This means that there is a chance you could be given a slot in the early hours like 2 am. You would need to ensure someone can deliver it or create a new order slot. You shouldn’t continuously cancel appointments to get a better one; you may have to take the hit of an early morning slot sometimes. Early appointments are easier if you live near a warehouse and can transport it yourself, which may be something to bear in mind if you are renting a van or only traveling during the day.

Whatever the hassle it is very much worth it. He gets full control over his inventory since it is all coming from his warehouse and truck. Plus, rather than paying $600 an hour for third-party shipments, he pays $15 an hour to do it himself! On top of that, he often gets his shipment checked immediately. Even in peak periods, it is checked within 5 days. 

With such a quick check-in rate it makes restocking items much easier and means you can stay on top of market fluctuations. Say a product suddenly gets popular, you can utilize this system and maintain sales. Rather than selling out and having the customers go elsewhere.

Carrier and Seller central have very poor communication, there is an understanding that this amount will be delivered on a said day but aside from that there are no specifics. This has meant that on a few occasions, Ben was able to switch out an inventory for one that needed restocking sooner and still have it checked in. This is a small perk that gives you more control over the outcome of your shipment and business.

For a more visual tutorial on how to start delivering your own shipments check out the video we have included!