If you’ve recently checked your reports within Amazon Seller Central, you may have noticed that there are some units marked as ‘FC Processing.’
This can be frustrating, as these items are not actually available for sale in many cases, and even if they are, Amazon may note delays on the listing if there aren’t available, sellable units to send out.
Therefore, you may be wondering – what does FC processing actually mean, and how long does it take to finish?
In this article, we’ll cover everything that you need to know!
What Does FC Processing Mean On Amazon Seller Central?
FC processing means that Amazon is currently doing something at one of their fulfillment centers that involves handling your items.
This could be processing new FBA shipments that have arrived at their fulfillment centers, performing a bin check to ensure accuracy of the item dimensions, or preparing an item for shipment.
Typically, this process is normal and nothing to worry about. However, if units have been suck in FC processing for a significant amount of time or you believe that the inventory levels are incorrect, it may be a good idea to open a case with Amazon Seller Support.
How Long Does It Take For Units To Move Out Of FC Processing?
Typically, FC processing units are transferred into your sellable inventory within two business days, yet issues can pop up if there are problems with compliance, or there is a mismatch between the label provided for the unit and the actual listing page on Amazon.
Note that even if items leave FC processing, they may not be made immediately for sale if there are further steps that Amazon needs to take.
For example, if you need to submit documentation regarding the product, units will be held before they are actually made available for sale.
Most of the time however, any further delays are caused by Amazon transferring units to other fulfillment centers – a process that can take up to a couple of weeks to fully complete.
FC Processing vs. FC Transfer – What’s The Difference?
Inside Amazon Seller Central, you may see reports both for units in ‘FC Processing’, as well as units that are currently in ‘FC Transfer’. But what is actually the difference between FC processing and FC transfer?
We’ve kind of covered it a bit already, but essentially the difference is this.
Units that are in FC processing are having something done at the fulfillment center they’re already located in, where as units in FC transfer are currently being moved throughout Amazon’s network of fulfillment centers.
Amazon splits large shipments around after initial receiving them at one of their fulfillment centers, in order to keep products located closer to customers. This cuts down on their own costs, while also allowing shoppers to receive their items more quickly.
However, because Amazon operates more than 100 fulfillment centers in the United States alone, they don’t require you to ship to all of them. Instead, shipments to Amazon are consolidated into only a few FCs at a time, saving you on costs and prep time.
Although FC processing and FC transfers can result in delays with the products going up for sale, it ultimately makes for a better experience for shoppers – without having to do as much of the work yourself.
Conclusion
If you use Amazon FBA and you see units suck in FC processing, don’t worry. This simply means that Amazon is doing something with the units before making them available for sale, or before shipping them to a customer.
Typically, units leave FC processing in a matter of days, if not hours.
However, if items have been stuck for a week or longer, contact Amazon Seller Support to inquire.
I hope that you’ve found this article helpful. If you have any other questions about Amazon FBA or selling on Amazon, please ask them using the comment form below.
Wishing you the best,
– James McAllister