FBA Warehouse Rejected Your Shipment? Here Are the 7 Reasons — And Exactly How to Fix Each One

There is no feeling quite like tracking your shipment for three weeks across the Pacific, watching it clear customs, thinking you're done — then getting an email from Amazon that says "Delivery Rejected."

Your inventory is sitting on a truck outside the fulfillment center. You're paying detention charges by the hour. Amazon's seller support gives you a canned response. And you have zero idea what went wrong.

We've handled FBA shipments for over a decade. Here are the seven most common reasons Amazon turns trucks away — and what to do about each one before the container even leaves China.

Reason 1: Wrong or Missing FNSKU Labels

Every unit you send to Amazon needs an FNSKU barcode — not a UPC, not an ASIN, not the manufacturer's barcode. The FNSKU is Amazon's internal inventory identifier for your specific seller account.

We see this weekly: a seller sends 500 units to ONT8, and 200 of them have UPC labels instead of FNSKU. Amazon doesn't cross-reference. Those 200 units get rejected.

How to fix it: Print your FNSKU labels directly from Seller Central (Inventory → Manage Inventory → select product → Print item labels). Use a thermal printer or laser printer — inkjet labels smear during transit. Apply labels flat, centered, no wrinkles or tape over the barcode.

Reason 2: Carton Weight Compliance Failure

Amazon requires every carton to weigh under 50 lbs (22.7 kg), unless it contains a single oversized unit that exceeds that weight. If your carton says 48 lbs but the actual weight is 52, Amazon's automated scale rejects it on the spot.

The fix: Weigh every carton after packing, not before. Don't estimate. Don't trust your supplier's weight sheet. A 2-lb discrepancy per carton across 50 cartons means 50 rejections. Also: if a carton exceeds 50 lbs and does not have a "Team Lift" label, it gets rejected regardless of content.

Reason 3: Polybag and Suffocation Warning Violations

Any polybag with an opening larger than 5 inches must have a suffocation warning printed on it. The warning must be in English, legible, and placed prominently. We've seen entire pallets turned away because the polybags were clear with no warning text.

The fix: Either source polybags with the warning pre-printed, or apply suffocation warning stickers to every polybag that needs one. If you ship to Amazon Canada, the warning must be bilingual (English + French).

Reason 4: Shipment Plan Mismatch

Amazon assigns a unique Shipment ID for every inbound delivery. Every carton in that shipment must have the corresponding box label. If cartons for Shipment ID FBA123 get mixed with cartons for FBA456 on the same truck, Amazon's scan gate catches the mismatch.

The fix: Never combine two shipment plans on the same pallet or in the same truck without clearly separated carton groups. Label cartons before they leave your China warehouse — don't rely on your forwarder to do it dockside under time pressure.

Reason 5: Expiration-Dated Products Without Proper Marking

Food, supplements, cosmetics, and anything with a shelf life must have the expiration date clearly marked on each unit AND on the master carton. The format must be MM-DD-YYYY or MM-YYYY. We've seen perfectly good inventory rejected because the date format on the carton didn't match what was in the shipment plan.

The fix: Confirm Amazon's expiration date format requirement for your specific category in Seller Central before labeling. Double-check your supplier's date stamps against the shipment plan before cargo leaves the factory.

Reason 6: Over-Sized or Non-Standard Pallet Dimensions

Amazon FBA centers accept only 40"×48" four-way access pallets, and in some cases CHEP or PECO pallets for specific programs. If your forwarder uses a non-standard pallet (common with Chinese suppliers who use metric pallets), the entire shipment gets rejected at the dock.

The fix: Specify "40×48 inch four-way GMA pallet, ISPM 15 heat-treated" in your purchase order with your supplier. Don't assume your factory knows Amazon's requirements — most don't.

Reason 7: Damaged or Wet Cartons at Arrival

Ocean containers sweat. If your cartons aren't properly protected, three weeks of Pacific humidity turns your shipping boxes into mush. Amazon rejects any carton showing visible moisture damage or structural compromise.

The fix: Always use desiccant packs inside containers. Use double-wall corrugated cartons, not single-wall. For sensitive goods, add a polyethylene liner bag inside each carton. The extra 15 cents per carton is cheap insurance against a rejected 40HQ.

One more thing your forwarder should do for you

The difference between a rejected shipment and a clean delivery often comes down to your freight forwarder's pre-shipment inspection. At CDT, every FBA shipment goes through a checklist before it leaves our Shenzhen or Yiwu warehouse — FNSKU verification, carton weight audit, label compliance check, and pallet spec confirmation. It adds 24 hours to our processing time. It prevents 98% of what goes wrong at the Amazon dock.

If your forwarder doesn't do this, ask them why. If they don't have a good answer, you already know what your next shipment is going to look like.

Shipping FBA inventory to the US or any Amazon market? Get a rate check with CDT — direct DDP from China, 18-22 day transit, and pre-shipment inspection on every order. No minimum. No commitment. Use the contact form on this page.