Amazon FBA and Flipkart FBF Labels: Product Stickers and Box Labels Explained

When you send stock to an Amazon or Flipkart warehouse, you need two kinds of labels. The product sticker goes on every single unit, so the warehouse knows which listing it belongs to. The box label goes on every carton, so the warehouse knows which shipment the carton belongs to and how many cartons to expect.

The one mistake that causes most problems is printing with "Fit to Page" instead of "Actual Size". The barcode shrinks a little, the scanner cannot read it, and the shipment gets delayed or sent back. Everything else in this guide is small compared to that.

Product sticker vs box label

Both are needed. Many first-time sellers print only the box labels and get the whole consignment rejected.

Amazon FBA product stickers (FNSKU)

What is on the sticker. An FNSKU is the code Amazon assigns to your listing inside its warehouse. The sticker shows the FNSKU barcode, the FNSKU text, the product name and the condition (New). In India you should also show the MRP on the pack, as the Legal Metrology packaged-commodity rules require it on retail packs. Many sellers put the MRP on the same sticker so they do not need a second label.

Where to get the FNSKU. Seller Central - Manage Inventory - Print item labels. Amazon gives you a PDF with the labels laid out for the sheet size you pick. If you prefer to type the details yourself or add MRP, an Amazon FBA label generator makes the same sticker from the FNSKU, product name and MRP, as a single label or as a full A4 sheet. For a long SKU list, upload a CSV with these columns: code, email, product_name, mrp, qty, and every row becomes that many stickers.

Sticker sheet sizes sellers commonly use. Amazon's Print item labels screen lists the formats it supports. The ones Indian sellers buy most are A4 sheets with 24, 40 or 44 labels per sheet, and thermal roll labels for a barcode printer. Amazon's minimum product label size is 1 inch x 2-5/8 inch (about 25 mm x 67 mm), so do not go smaller than that. Check the list in your own Seller Central before you buy a box of sheets, because the supported list changes. For your own barcode stickers with MRP, in a 50 x 25 mm or 44-per-A4 layout, a custom barcode sticker generator builds a print-ready PDF.

How to print a sheet without the barcode shrinking.

1. Open the PDF in Adobe Reader or Chrome, not in a phone gallery app.
2. In the print dialog choose "Actual Size" or "Scale: 100%". Never "Fit to Page" or "Shrink to fit".
3. Set the paper size to A4 if you are using A4 sticker sheets. If the printer thinks the paper is Letter, every row drifts down a few millimetres.
4. Use a laser printer for sticker sheets if you can. Inkjet prints can smudge when the label is handled.
5. Print one page on plain paper first and hold it over the sticker sheet against a light. If the boxes line up, print the real sheet.

Where to stick it. Flat on the outside of the unit or its polybag, not on a seam, corner or curve. If the product has a UPC or EAN barcode, the FNSKU sticker must fully cover it, otherwise the scanner picks up the wrong code.

Amazon FBA box labels

What is on the PDF Amazon gives you. When you finish the Send to Amazon workflow, you print box labels. On plain paper the PDF is A4 with two labels per page, one in the top half and one in the bottom half. Each label carries the FBA shipment ID (it starts with FBA), the destination warehouse code, the box number (Box 1 of 5, Box 2 of 5 and so on) and a barcode. If you booked Amazon's partnered pickup, the same PDF also holds the carrier label.

Why it needs cropping. Most sellers print carton labels on a 4x6 inch thermal printer, because the label comes out on sticker paper and goes straight on the box. A 4x6 printer cannot take an A4 page with two labels on it. It will either shrink the whole page to one label (both barcodes become unreadable) or print half of it. You need each label on its own 4x6 page. An FBA box label crop tool does this: upload the A4 PDF, and you get one label per page, rotated to fit 4x6, for every carton in the shipment. If you do not have a thermal printer, print the A4 page at Actual Size on plain paper, cut along the middle and tape the label flat with clear tape, leaving the barcode uncovered.

Where to stick it on the carton. On the largest flat side of the box. Not on a seam, not on the edge, and not wrapped around a corner. Do not put tape over the barcode. If you are reusing a carton, remove or black out every old label, including old box labels and courier labels, so there is only one barcode on the box.

One label per carton, and the numbers must match. If you told Amazon 5 cartons, you get 5 labels, Box 1 to Box 5. Each box gets its own label. Do not print Box 1 five times.

Flipkart FBF

Fulfilment by Flipkart works the same way, with different names.

What is different.

• Flipkart generates both the unit labels and the box labels when you create the consignment. You do not type the barcode yourself. Print what Flipkart gives you.
• The box label PDF is again an A4 page with the label inside a border, and more pages for more cartons. A Flipkart FBF box label crop tool does the same job as on Amazon: it finds each carton label on the page and gives you one label per page, sized for a 4x6 thermal printer, for the whole consignment in one go.
• Flipkart asks you to deliver on an appointment slot. A perfect label on a carton that arrives late still gets refused, so print the labels the day before, not at the pickup time.

Print settings that make barcodes fail

A 2-minute test-print routine. Print one page. Scan the barcode with any free barcode scanner app on your phone. If the app reads the FNSKU or shipment ID correctly from arm's length, the settings are fine. Print the rest. Scan one label from the last page too, because thermal printers lose density when the roll is nearly over.

Mistakes that get shipments delayed or rejected

• Fit to Page scaling, which shrinks the barcode
• FNSKU sticker placed next to the UPC/EAN instead of over it
• Sticker on a seam, a corner or a bent surface
• Box 1 label printed on every carton
• Old labels left on a reused carton
• Tape over the barcode
• Wrong unit count: box label says 20 units, box has 18
• Printed on glossy or coloured sticker paper that reflects light
• Thermal label faded because the darkness was too low
• Cartons reaching the Flipkart warehouse after the appointment slot

FAQ

FNSKU label kaise print kare? Seller Central me Manage Inventory - Print item labels se PDF download karo, ya ek FBA label generator me FNSKU, product name aur MRP daal ke sticker banao. Print karte time "Actual Size" select karo, "Fit to Page" nahi.

What size is the FBA box label? Amazon's plain-paper PDF is A4 with two labels per page. Most sellers crop it to 4x6 inch, which is the standard thermal carton label. There is no rule that it must be 4x6, but the barcode must print at its original size and be fully readable.

Can I print FBA labels on A4? Yes. Product stickers are usually printed on A4 sticker sheets with 24, 40 or 44 labels each. Box labels can be printed on plain A4 paper, cut and taped, as long as you print at 100% and keep the barcode clear of tape.

Kya MRP sticker alag lagana padega? Agar product pack par pehle se MRP printed hai to nahi. Agar nahi hai, to MRP sticker lagana hai. Aasan tarika hai FNSKU sticker me hi MRP line add karna, taaki ek hi sticker se kaam ho jaye.

Do I need a thermal printer for FBA or FBF? No. A thermal printer saves time when you ship often, but a normal laser printer with sticker sheets works for product labels, and plain paper plus tape works for box labels. Start without one and buy it when the volume justifies it.

Flipkart FBF box label kahan se download hoga? Seller panel me inbound shipment section se, consignment create karne ke baad. Har carton ka label usi PDF me hota hai.

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Guest article. Sending parcels to customers yourself instead of to a warehouse? Our guides to Amazon Easy Ship labels and Flipkart shipping labels cover that side.