Amazon Advance Shipment Notice (856) - FAQ

1) Q: How do I format my EDI ASN document if multiples purchase orders are

consolidated in a single carton (box)?
A: Please follow the ASN document hierarchy below to include multiple purchase
orders in the same shipment:

Shipment
Order
Package
Item

For consolidated shipments, report each unique purchase order number at the order level
and provide the package and item data associated with the purchase order number.
An example of a consolidated E D I ASN is provided as part of this specification package.

2) Q: What is the Amazon.com process for label approval?

A: For label requirements, please see the “North American Vendor Shipment Prep and
Transportation Manual” in the Operations section of Vendor Central’s Resource Center. Label
approval by Amazon is not required.

3) Q: Is there an Amazon.com chargeback policy?

A: Yes. Amazon.com may seek to recover the costs incurred due to our vendors’ failure to
meet requirements. Our goal is not to assess charges but simply to transact business
consistent with our requirements, strengthen the operational integration between Amazon
and its vendor partners and provide an excellent experience to our mutual customers.
Please reference the “Chargeback Fee Schedule and Information” document available in
the Vendor Central Resource Center for the full list of chargeback violation types and rates.

4) Q: What is the license plate receive program?

A: The license plate receive program enables the processing of shipments using a highly
automated approach. This approach utilizes data provided by the vendor via the EDI ASN
and an industry-standard UCC-128 SSCC label on each carton of a shipment. This process
has a number of significant advantages, including increased efficiency and improved
receiving accuracy. If you are interested in this program, please contact your Amazon
Vendor Manager via the contact-us in Vendor Central to discuss it in detail.

5) Q: What if I don’t know the particular SCAC code for a carrier?

A: Please follow-up with your carrier to obtain their SCAC code. For reference, the Amazon
EID ASN specifications folder includes a list of SCAC codes for many of the carriers that
deliver freight to Amazon. For a full industry list, you can also contact NMFTA (National
Motor Freight Association) via their website at http://www.nmfta.org.

6) Q: What should I do if a technical issue is preventing or delaying the creation of

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EDI ASN documents?
A: Amazon.com requires the ASN file to be transmitted within 30 minutes of the shipment leaving
the vendor facility or at least on the same day. If this requirement cannot be met due to technical
difficulties, please manually submit ASN’s via the Shipments feature under the ORDERS tab in
Vendor Central. For detailed step by step information on how to manually submit an ASN via this
feature, please refer to the “Shipment Management” category of the Vendor Central HELP section.

7) Q: Why does Amazon.com require the tracking number of every small parcel carton?
A: Our inbound receiving system is reliant on the tracking numbers provided via the ASN in
order to accurately and efficiently process the shipment.

8) Q: What if I do not know the weight of a shipment? Is it okay to approximate it?

A: Yes, you may approximate the weight.

9) Q: Can I still integrate the EDI ASN even if I do not support carton labeling?
A: Yes. However, vendors cannot qualify for the Amazon.com license plate receive program if
carton labeling is not supported. If you have questions regarding the license plate receive
program certification process, please contact your Amazon Vendor Manager via the contact-
us in Vendor Central.

10) Q: If I have a problem with the EDI version of the ASN, can I fax in the data?
A: Amazon.com does not accept ASN data via fax. If you are unable to transmit the EDI ASN,
please use the “Shipments” feature in Vendor Central to manually create an ASN.

11) Q: Is there a limit to the number of tracked ID’s (e.g., ASN ID’s, SSC codes, or BOL
numbers) I can include in the transmission of an ASN message?

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A: Yes, there is a limitation on the number of tracked ID’s per transmission. The limit is 20,000
tracked ID’s per transmission. Anything with more tracked ID’s will be rejected by Amazon’s
system. If the transmission has more than one message and their combined number of tracked
ID’s is greater than the limit, please split the messages out into separate transmissions.

12) Q: Is there a limit on how many EDI ASNs can be sent for one truck load shipment,
i.e., can I send a separate EDI ASN for each PO or each carton instead of sending a single
EDI 856 for the entire truck load shipment?

A: Currently there is a limit of 100 ASNs for every truck load shipment. This means you can send
separate EDI ASN’s at the PO level or carton level only if the number of individual EDI ASN’s are
less than or equal to 100 for that truck load shipment. It is always recommended to send a single
EDI ASN for the entire truck load shipment having all PO and carton details.

13) Q: Can I update data for a previously transmitted EDI ASN?

A: Yes. As long as the shipment has not yet reached the Amazon fulfillment center, you can send
another EDI ASN with updated data. When sending the updated data, please make sure the
following guidelines are met:

1. The new EDI ASN needs to use the same ASN ID and Vendor Code as the previously
transmitted document to be considered an update. The rest of the fields of the old EDI ASN will
be replaced with the data of the new transmission.
2. If you send another EDI ASN with a different ASN ID or Vendor Code then this will not be
considered an update.

Accordingly, it is strongly recommended that you create unique ASN ID for your standard ASN’s,
so that they are not considered updates for previously transmitted ASN’s.