What Does Reserved Mean in Amazon FBA?

Are you asking yourself the question; What does reserved mean in Amazon FBA? Let me help with that.

If you recently shipped your first inventory batch to Amazon for FBA and are seeing a Reserved status, it’s ok to be confused, but don’t panic.

There are a few reasons why Amazon might tag your inventory as Reserved after making a few sales.

Let me take you through what you need to know.

What Does Reserved Mean in Amazon FBA?

There are three main reasons why Amazon might mark your inventory as Reserved.

1. Inventory is being moved. If you have shipped multiple units, Amazon will mark your inventory as Reserved if moving it between warehouse locations. This doesn’t always happen right away, either. If Amazon determines the distribution of any remaining units is not cost-effective, inventory is moved to different centers. If this is the case, you can expect your inventory to be unavailable for up to five days. Amazon wants to keep its shipping costs down and offer overnight shipping, which is why inventory is often moved around.
2. Sales are pending. Any orders waiting to be shipped are labeled as Reserved. This way, you aren’t selling inventory you don’t have. You can check this under Pending Orders in Seller Central.
3. Products need to be verified. This is the least common reason for Amazon to mark your inventory as Reserved. If Amazon wants to verify the authenticity, dimensions, or weight of certain products, the inventory is marked as Reserved. However, only one or two items are generally reserved for about two business days.

What Does Reserved FC Processing Mean?

Reserved FC Processing, or Reserved Fulfillment Center Processing, means Amazon is processing your inventory.

Once Amazon receives your inventory, it won’t be available on the same day. The products still need to be unpacked, scanned, and sorted, which is why this status is applied. During this time, Amazon might also send a portion of the inventory to other fulfillment centers, further delaying those products’ availability.

While it can be stressful to lose out on valuable sales days, there is no way around Amazon’s processes once your inventory reaches their centers.

If you would like to view your reserved inventory, login to your Seller Central account, click on Reports > Fulfillment > Reserved Inventory.

Source: HelloProfit

Related: Amazon Sessions vs Page Views (Seller Reports Explained)

What to Consider When Restocking Amazon Inventory

It’s not enough to wait for Amazon to let you know your inventory is low – this is something you need to stay on top of as a seller. To determine how often you should order new inventory, consider the following:

• Shipment Method. How long it takes your inventory to arrive is the first consideration. Where is your inventory coming from, and will it ship by air, ship, or train? As you can imagine, air is the fastest method.
• Depending on where your inventory ships from, you may need to consider major holidays as this can delay your products’ arrival.
• Additional Checks. Once your products reach the United States or the United Kingdom, are there additional procedures that need to be followed? For example, your products will need to pass custom inspections, so work this extra time into your planning.
• General Delays. Lastly, it helps to also account for any general, unexpected delays that might occur.

By keeping these factors in mind, you can ensure you order on time and give Amazon enough time to process your stock too.

On the topic of running into different statuses on Seller Central, you may also want to read through this guide to “Pending Verification.”