For many Amazon sellers, Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) is seen as the ‘gold standard’ for scaling their sales volume through the platform.
It promises Prime eligibility, hands-off logistics and, crucially, customer trust.
What is Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA)?
Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) is a logistics solution where Amazon manages your inventory, shipping, and customer service. You simply send your products to an Amazon Fulfilment Centre, and they handle the entire post-purchase process.
Over the years, independent sellers on Amazon have shipped more than 80 billion units with FBA, and in 2024 over 9 billion items were delivered to Prime customers on the same or next day from when they were ordered.
This model allows you to leverage Amazon’s massive infrastructure to scale your business effortlessly – instantly boosting buyer trust, visibility, and in some cases delivery speed. By outsourcing the picking, packing, and returns, businesses can focus on growth rather than the manual labour associated with fulfilment and logistics.
Amazon’s global reach simplifies international expansion, allowing you to sell across borders without managing complex shipping routes yourself.
Qualifying is straightforward: you need an active Amazon Seller account and products that meet specific safety and packaging standards.
While accessible to most, success requires maintaining a healthy inventory performance score to avoid excessive storage fees. If your products are compliant and ready for sale, you can integrate FBA into your business model quickly.
FBA for ‘big & bulky’ items
For Amazon sellers promoting big and bulky items, high-value furniture, or specialised goods, the FBA ‘dream’ can lead to your margins being eroded – fast.
Why?
Well, high storage costs and fees, surcharges for shipping ‘oversize’ items and a lack of control over the ‘final mile’ delivery experience often makes FBA a poor fit for big-ticket items.
The good news?
You don’t need FBA to scale if you’re selling bulky items.
By using your in-house logistics fleet with the right technology stack you can maintain better margins, offer a superior customer experience, provide added-value services (assembly / room of choice / mattress recycling etc.) AND keep your Amazon account health in the green.
The FBA ‘bulky item’ trap
As we’ve already explored, FBA is designed and set-up for speed and volume and products that fit on a standard shelf.
When you start selling furniture, appliances, or building materials through Amazon, FBA fees can simply become cost prohibitive.
‘General’ third-party couriers often struggle with ‘white-glove’ requirements, which can lead to damaged goods and frustrated customers.
For Stream subscribers within the furniture industry, self-delivery (using your own in-house delivery fleet or using one of the two-person delivery specialists subscribed to Stream) allows you to:
- Protect your margins: Avoid the heavy ‘oversize’ and ‘long-term storage’ fees that Amazon charges.
- Control the experience: Your drivers are your brand ambassadors. They can handle assembly, room-of-choice delivery, and packaging removal services FBA simply doesn’t provide.
- Reduce damage: Specialised handling by your own team means fewer returns and fewer ‘Item Arrived Damaged’ complaints.
Amazon’s strict performance metrics
If self-delivery is so great, why doesn’t everyone do it? Historically, the biggest barrier has been Amazon’s Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) and a-to-z claims.
Amazon demands transparency.
If you deliver an item yourself but cannot provide a ‘valid’ tracking ID that their system recognises, your VTR drops. If it falls below 95%, you risk category suspension.
Additionally, without ‘Amazon-approved’ proof of delivery, you are virtually defenceless against ‘Order Not Received’ A-to-Z claims, even if you know you handed the item to the customer.
Without valid tracking, Amazon simply won’t investigate the claim and side with the customer by default.
Scaling with Stream and Amazon ShipTrack
This is where valid tracking for in-house fleets with Stream changes the game.
You no longer have to choose between the control of self-delivery and the ‘safety’ of FBA.
Through the Amazon ShipTrack’s self-delivery integration, Stream provides Amazon with valid tracking updates for orders with Stream listed as a recognised carrier..
1. Automate your VTR compliance
Self-delivery sellers are able to select ‘StreamTech’ from Amazon’s approved carrier list. Every order in Stream is assigned a tracking ID. Those IDs can be added to Amazon Seller Central and as they’re processed through Stream valid tracking updates are automatically passed to Amazon. This ensures your VTR stays well above the 95% target, protecting your account health without the need for manual data entry.
2. Eliminate fraudulent A-to-Z claims
A-to-Z claims can be costly (quite literally) for any Amazon seller.
Stream’s mobile app captures electronic Proof of Delivery (ePOD), including photos, signatures, and GPS timestamps. Because Stream is a recognised carrier, this ‘trusted confirmation’ is visible to Amazon. If a customer claims they never received their item, you have the digital audit trail required to dispute the claim successfully.
3. Proactive customer communication
Scaling isn’t just about moving more boxes (or sofas); it’s about reducing the ‘Where Is My Order?’ (WISMO) enquiries that clog up customer service. Stream provides:
- Real-time delivery tracking: Customers get a unique URL to see their delivery’s progress.
- Automated delivery notifications: SMS and email updates let customers know exactly when to expect their bulky delivery, reducing the likelihood of a failed delivery attempt.
Ready to scale your Amazon deliveries?
Scaling your Amazon business shouldn’t mean handing over your profits and your customer relationship to a third party. For sellers of furniture and bulky goods, the most profitable path forward is often Self-Fulfilled Prime (SFP) or Merchant Fulfilled Network (MFN) delivery – provided you have the tech to back it up.
By integrating Stream with Amazon, you get the best of both worlds: the efficiency of your own fleet and the account security of an Amazon-approved tracking system. It’s time to take the ‘oversize’ weight off your margins and take control of your final mile.
Don’t let rigid FBA fees or poor VTR metrics hold back your growth.
Take full control of your logistics, protect your margins, and provide a delivery experience that keeps your customers coming back.
Take the next step towards more profitable Amazon sales:
- Existing Stream user? Contact your Account Manager today to discuss adding the Amazon ShipTrack integration to your plan and start automating your compliance.
- New to Stream? See how our award-winning Transport Management Software can transform your self-delivery operation.
Looking for a different eCommerce platform or marketplace?
Stream integrates with a number of popular eCommerce platforms and marketplaces, including Temu, AfterShip, and eBay.
