# Send to Amazon from Google Sheets: an FBA shipment, plan to box labels (https://sellersheetai.com/blog/fba-send-to-amazon-in-google-sheets)

> Walk one Send-to-Amazon inbound shipment through Google Sheets with the SellerSheet sidebar — set up addresses and products once, create the plan, compare placement and carrier quotes, confirm, print box and FNSKU labels, and track it to check-in. Both Box First and Split First.





















Creating an FBA inbound shipment in Seller Central takes a tour of pages: the ship-from address, products one by one, box dimensions, a carrier, then the labels. The next shipment, you do it all again.

SellerSheet runs the whole **Send to Amazon (STA)** workflow in Google Sheets. Addresses and products are entered once; after that every plan is: add a row → click a button → compare the quotes in the sheet → confirm. This post walks one shipment through in order: set up the address and products → create the plan → compare placement and carrier quotes → confirm → get box and FNSKU labels → track it.

## First, pick a mode: box first or split first [#first-pick-a-mode-box-first-or-split-first]

The mode is the **Fulfillment Split** dropdown on Manage Shipments. It cannot be changed afterwards — a wrong pick means Cancel Plan and a new row.

| Mode (as in the dropdown)            | For                                    | You do first                    | Amazon does first                                      | Tab / sidebar menu |
| ------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------- | ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------ |
| **Box First, Split Later**           | Small parcel (SPD), box contents known | Enter each box                  | Then splits the boxes across fulfillment centers       | `STA-BoxFirst`     |
| **Split First (Only for truckload)** | LTL / FTL freight                      | Enter each SKU's total quantity | Splits the goods into shipments; you pack per shipment | `STA-SplitFirst`   |

**Each sidebar menu's buttons run only on the tab of the same name**: an `STA-BoxFirst` button clicked on an `STA-SplitFirst` tab is refused, and the message says which menu and tab to use.

## Input rules that prevent half the errors [#input-rules-that-prevent-half-the-errors]

The sheet is read by a program, so **type every symbol with a half-width (English) keyboard**.

| Input                         | Write it as                                                                                           | Common mistakes                                     | If it's wrong                                                                                                  |
| ----------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Box Dimensions                | `50x30x30` (lowercase `x`, L×W×H)                                                                     | full-width digits, `50cm x 30 x 30`, only two parts | `"Box Dimensions" must be LxWxH …`. Uppercase `X`, `×` and `*` are accepted too, but digits must be half-width |
| Box No.                       | `1`, `1~5` (half-width `~`)                                                                           | full-width `～`, `1-5`                               | `Invalid box number format`                                                                                    |
| Dates                         | `2026-09-25` (`YYYY-MM-DD`), or a date cell the sheet recognizes                                      | `2026.09.25`                                        | `… is not a valid date`; a past date gets no transportation options from Amazon                                |
| Store                         | `myStore-US` (store name - country code)                                                              | `myStore_US`, `myStore US`                          | `Store not found`                                                                                              |
| Declared Value (pallets only) | `1000` (a plain number, USD)                                                                          | `$1000`, `1000 USD`, `1,000`                        | `Declared Value must be a plain number in USD`                                                                 |
| Pallet Info (pallets only)    | one pallet per line: `100x100x150x300x1 STACKABLE` (LxWxHxWeightxQty + `STACKABLE` / `NON_STACKABLE`) | `×` separators, missing `STACKABLE`                 | `expected LxWxHxWeightxQty …`                                                                                  |
| Dropdown cells                | Pick from the dropdown                                                                                | typing `yes`, a misspelled code                     | a red warning corner; Amazon may reject the value                                                              |

<Callout title="In one line">
  Lowercase `x` in dimensions, `~` for box ranges, `YYYY-MM-DD` for dates, plain numbers for money.
</Callout>

## Setup: one workbook, four tabs [#setup-one-workbook-four-tabs]

Before you start: your store is connected to SellerSheet, the SellerSheet sidebar is installed in Google Sheets (Extensions → SellerSheet → Open Sidebar), and the seller account has FBA.

The first time the sidebar opens, SellerSheet creates the **FBA workbook** (`SellerSheet FBA`) in Drive › `SellerSheet` › `Shipment`. Under **FBA & Logistics** (the truck icon) the sidebar has four menus: **Inventory Health**, **Manage Shipments**, **STA-BoxFirst** and **STA-SplitFirst**; Resources at the top links the FBA workbook and the Drive shipment folder. Hover any button and its tooltip says what it reads, where it writes and what it needs first.

<img alt="The FBA workbook's Manage Shipments tab with the sidebar's FBA & Logistics panel; a red arrow points at Create STA SS" src="__img0" />

<p className="blog-caption">
  Manage Shipments is the register across plans: every plan starts as a row here.
</p>

| Tab                  | What it holds                                                                                    | How often           |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------- |
| **Shipment Setting** | Ship-from address book, one warehouse per row; its **Warehouse Code** (e.g. `CN-WH1`) is the key | Once per warehouse  |
| **Product Info**     | Product catalog: SKU, FNSKU, Qty/Box, box dimensions, box weight, prep defaults, image URL       | Once per SKU        |
| **Inventory Health** | FBA inventory health                                                                             | Refresh when needed |
| **Manage Shipments** | One row per shipment                                                                             | A new row per plan  |

**Fill Product Info fast:** on Inventory Health, pick the store in A4 and click Inventory Health › **Refresh Data** in the sidebar — every active SKU's image, SKU, FNSKU, ASIN and title land in the sheet. Copy them to Product Info and add the box details. Write Image URL as a plain `https://` link, not `=IMAGE()`.

## Create a plan [#create-a-plan]

Add a row on Manage Shipments and fill the ✎ columns:

* **Store** (`myStore-US`), **Warehouse Code** (already in Shipment Setting), **Plan Name** (shown in Seller Central; the plan workbook is named after it).
* **MSKUs**: the SKUs to send, **one per line** in the cell (Alt+Enter).
* **Fulfillment Split**: the mode, above.
* **Case Packed**: `YES` = factory cartons; `NO` = mixed or uneven boxes.
* **Ship Date** (today or later) and **Delivery Window Start Date**, both `YYYY-MM-DD`.

Plan Folder, Plan ID, Shipment ID, FBA ID and the other columns are written by SellerSheet — leave them empty.

Select the row and click **Manage Shipments › Create STA SS**. SellerSheet:

1. Checks the required fields and that every MSKU has a Product Info row (Box First also needs complete box details), and tells you what is missing.
2. Copies the `STA-BoxFirst` or `STA-SplitFirst` template into a new **plan workbook** named after the Plan Name.
3. Creates `SellerSheet › Shipment › store › country › year › month › plan folder` in Drive and puts the workbook there; box-label PDFs go there later.
4. Turns **Plan Folder** into a link to that folder and **Plan Name** into a link to the workbook, then opens it (if the browser blocks the pop-up, click **Open STA** in the notification).

Every later button is clicked on the plan workbook's STA tab. Clicking Create STA SS again on the same row does not create a second workbook.

### The STA tab [#the-sta-tab]

<img alt="The STA-BoxFirst tab: the progress bar with all four steps DONE, the plan parameters on row 9, status and totals on row 12, the boxes from row 14" src="__img1" />

<p className="blog-caption">
  A confirmed STA-BoxFirst: progress, plan parameters, automatic totals and the boxes, each in its own band.
</p>

* **PROGRESS (rows 4–6)**: the step names, their state (green `DONE` / yellow `READY` / red `CANCELLED`) and the Amazon ID each step produced; when you need to choose, row 6 shows a dropdown.
* **① PLAN ✎ and ② LOGISTICS & PACKING ✎ (row 9)**: store, plan name, ship date, ship-from address (a warehouse-code dropdown), Case Packed, Pallet Packed, units, preferred carrier, and the two label sizes — **L9 FNSKU label** (`30x40 mm` / `50x30 mm` / `60x40 mm`) and **M9 box label** (`100x150 mm` = Amazon's page as is; `100x100 mm` = just the square at the top of each page, complete and never scaled).
* **③ STATUS & TOTALS (row 12, automatic)**: status, FBA ID, reference ID, destination, total units, boxes, weight and volume.
* **Detail (from row 14)**: boxes for Box First, SKU totals for Split First.

## Mode A: box first (STA-BoxFirst) [#mode-a-box-first-sta-boxfirst]

### Enter the boxes [#enter-the-boxes]

One row per box group × product: **Box No.**, **MSKU** (image, FNSKU, title and ASIN fill in), **Qty/Box**, **Box Dimension**, **Box Weight**; the box count and total units are computed.

**Case Packed (F9)** decides where the last three come from: with `YES` they come from Product Info; with `NO` you type what is actually in each box. Either way, **rows that share a box number must carry the same dimensions and weight** — those describe the whole box.

The rule: **a box range means those boxes are identical; several rows with one box number mean that box holds several products**. Number boxes from 1 to the last one without gaps. Three examples:

**Example 1 · one product per box (Case Packed = YES)**: box 1 holds SKU1, boxes 2–5 hold SKU2.

| Box No. | MSKU | Qty/Box | Box Dimension | Box Weight | Boxes (auto) | Total QTY (auto) |
| ------- | ---- | ------- | ------------- | ---------- | ------------ | ---------------- |
| `1`     | SKU1 | 40      | 50x50x40      | 15         | 1            | 40               |
| `2~5`   | SKU2 | 30      | 40x40x40      | 10         | 4            | 120              |

**Example 2 · two products per box, every box the same (Case Packed = YES)**: five boxes of SKU1 ×20 + SKU2 ×10. One row per product, both with box number `1~5` and the whole box's dimensions and weight.

| Box No. | MSKU | Qty/Box | Box Dimension | Box Weight | Boxes (auto) | Total QTY (auto) |
| ------- | ---- | ------- | ------------- | ---------- | ------------ | ---------------- |
| `1~5`   | SKU1 | 20      | 40x40x30      | 12         | 5            | 100              |
| `1~5`   | SKU2 | 10      | 40x40x30      | 12         | 5            | 50               |

**Example 3 · every box different (Case Packed = NO)**: boxes 1–2 mixed, box 3 a single product, boxes 4–5 another, box 6 the remainder.

| Box No. | MSKU | Qty/Box | Box Dimension | Box Weight | Boxes (auto) | Total QTY (auto) |
| ------- | ---- | ------- | ------------- | ---------- | ------------ | ---------------- |
| `1~2`   | SKU1 | 30      | 50x50x40      | 20         | 2            | 60               |
| `1~2`   | SKU2 | 20      | 50x50x40      | 20         | 2            | 40               |
| `3`     | SKU1 | 40      | 50x50x50      | 24         | 1            | 40               |
| `4~5`   | SKU2 | 30      | 30x30x40      | 9          | 2            | 60               |
| `6`     | SKU1 | 12      | 50x50x40      | 7          | 1            | 12               |

### Click the buttons in order [#click-the-buttons-in-order]

| Step     | Button                                                          | What it does                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| -------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 1        | **Initiate Plan**                                               | Creates the inbound plan from row 9 and the boxes, and fetches the packing options; a single option is confirmed at once. With several, pick one in progress cell 1b and click **Confirm Pack**                            |
| 2        | **Gen Placement Opts.**                                         | Fetches Amazon's placement options and fees into **STA-Options**; pick one in the dropdown of progress cell 2                                                                                                              |
| 3        | **Gen Trans. Opts.**                                            | Fetches transportation options (partnered or your own carrier) for every option's shipments into STA-Options; **pick one per shipment there**. Pallets need their three fields first — see below                           |
| 3b       | **Gen Delivery Window**                                         | Only with your own carrier: fetches delivery windows; pick one per shipment in STA-Options                                                                                                                                 |
| 4        | **Confirm Shipment**                                            | **Books the shipment with Amazon.** FBA ID, reference ID and destination are written back to the STA tab and STA-Options, Manage Shipments gets one row per shipment, and the final packing list **Inbound PL** is created |
| 5        | **Get Ref. ID** / **Get FBA Box Labels** / **Get FNSKU Labels** | Refresh reference IDs (they can take 5–10 minutes after confirming); fetch box-label PDFs into the plan folder; build FNSKU item labels and open them for printing                                                         |
| Any time | **Cancel Plan**                                                 | Cancels the plan with Amazon and marks the steps `CANCELLED`; the same workbook can take the next plan                                                                                                                     |

In step 2 each dropdown item reads "option ID (placement fee · destination)":

<img alt="The placement dropdown in progress cell 2: four options, each with its placement fee and destination" src="__img2" />

<p className="blog-caption">
  Placement fees run from 0 to 300 USD; the free option usually means more destinations.
</p>

## Mode B: split first (STA-SplitFirst, truckload) [#mode-b-split-first-sta-splitfirst-truckload]

<img alt="The STA-SplitFirst tab: all six steps DONE, and a detail table of only MSKU and Total Qty" src="__img3" />

<p className="blog-caption">
  Split First takes only each SKU's total; packing comes after Amazon has split the shipments.
</p>

The detail table takes just **MSKU** and **Total Qty** (plus expiration and label / prep owners when needed). The buttons, in order:

1. **Initiate Plan**: creates the plan and fetches the placement options **right away** into STA-Options and progress cell 2.
2. **Confirm Placement**: confirms the option you picked and creates **STA-Pack**, one packing block per shipment.
3. Pack in STA-Pack, then click **Set Box Info** to send the boxes.
4. **Gen Trans. Opts.**: transportation options for the confirmed option's shipments (pallets: fill the three fields first).
5. **Gen Delivery Window**: only with your own carrier.
6. **Confirm Shipment**: books it. Labels, FNSKU labels and Cancel Plan work as in Box First.

### Filling STA-Pack [#filling-sta-pack]

<img alt="STA-Pack: the per-shipment × SKU allocation and the per-SKU check on top, the box entry below" src="__img4" />

<p className="blog-caption">
  Packed Qty turns green when exactly packed, yellow when short, red when over.
</p>

* **① ALLOCATION (automatic)**: one row per shipment × MSKU, with destination, planned and packed quantities.
* **② PER-SKU CHECK (automatic)**: each SKU's planned and packed totals.
* **③ BOX ENTRY**: yours to fill. One row per shipment × MSKU is ready; **Box No** starts at 1 within each shipment (e.g. `1~2`), and you can insert rows for other box types. Rows with `Case Packed = NO` also need Qty/Box, dimensions and weight.

When everything is green, click Set Box Info.

## Compare prices in STA-Options [#compare-prices-in-sta-options]

STA-Options is the comparison page for both modes: a summary with one row per placement option on top, then one block per option with a row per shipment.

A placement option uses one kind of carrier, so each option gets two comparable totals instead of one mixed number:

* **Total (Partnered)** = placement fee + the Amazon-partnered (`AMAZON_PARTNERED_CARRIER`) fees you **picked** on its shipment rows.
* **Total (Own)** = placement fee + your own freight estimate (`USE_YOUR_OWN_CARRIER`).

The lowest cell in each column turns green: compare across options, and within one option whether Amazon's carrier or your own is cheaper.

<img alt="The STA-Options summary: four placement options with placement fee, transportation fee, own-freight estimate and the two totals, lowest in green" src="__img5" />

<p className="blog-caption">
  With Amazon's carriers option 2 is cheapest (1,017); with your own freight, option 4 — five destinations — wins (508).
</p>

**Partnered quotes are in the dropdown.** After Gen Trans. Opts., each item in a shipment row's **Transportation Option** dropdown reads "option ID (carrier type - mode - carrier - price USD)". The one you pick becomes the Transportation Fee and adds up into Total (Partnered).

<img alt="The Transportation Option dropdown: one own-carrier item, then Amazon-partnered air small-parcel and ocean LCL quotes" src="__img6" />

<p className="blog-caption">
  For one shipment, partnered air small-parcel and ocean LCL quotes sit in a single dropdown.
</p>

**Your own freight takes a rate.** Own-carrier items carry no price: type your forwarder's **Rate/kg ✎** (or **Rate/m³ ✎**) on the shipment row and **Est.** computes the freight from that row's weight or volume, adding up into Total (Own).

A few rules:

* **Small parcel with Amazon's carrier needs one carrier for every shipment in the option**: pick the first shipment's, then click **Match Carriers** to align the rest. With your own carrier, shipments may differ.
* **Your own carrier also needs a delivery window** (click Gen Delivery Window first), or Confirm is refused.
* Once decided, pick the option in progress cell 2, choose the matching transportation option on each of its shipment rows, and click Confirm Shipment.

### Pallets: three fields before the quotes [#pallets-three-fields-before-the-quotes]

With **Pallet Packed = YES** on row 9, fill three fields on every STA-Options shipment row **before** Gen Trans. Opts., or Amazon returns only parcel-style options and no LTL / FTL quote:

| Column         | Format                                                                                             | Example                       |
| -------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Declared Value | A plain number (USD)                                                                               | `1000`                        |
| Freight Class  | Dropdown `FC_50` … `FC_500` (NMFC class: the lower the density, the higher the class and the rate) | `FC_50`                       |
| Pallet Info    | One pallet per line: `LxWxHxWeightxQty STACKABLE` or `NON_STACKABLE`                               | `100x100x150x300x1 STACKABLE` |

All three or none on a row.

### The destination you want isn't offered? [#the-destination-you-want-isnt-offered]

Placement options **expire** (the date is in the note on step 2 of the STA tab). Before then, Gen Placement Opts. returns the same set and no new destinations. For a new set, **Cancel Plan** and start again: Box First is Initiate Plan → Gen Placement Opts.; Split First is just Initiate Plan.

## After confirming: labels, packing list, tracking [#after-confirming-labels-packing-list-tracking]

Once you click Confirm Shipment:

* **Box labels**: when Amazon returns them at once, the **FBA ID in STA-Options becomes a link to the PDF**; otherwise click **Get FBA Box Labels**. The PDF is cropped to M9's size and saved to the plan folder. Only shipments without a link are fetched — to fetch again, delete the link and click.
* **FNSKU labels**: **Get FNSKU Labels** makes one per unit (Qty/Box × boxes) at L9's size.
* **Inbound PL**: the final packing list, one row per box × SKU with image, box ID, FNSKU, MSKU, ASIN, quantity, weight and dimensions — for packing and the warehouse hand-off.

<img alt="Inbound PL: five boxes, one row each, with box ID, FNSKU, MSKU, ASIN, quantity, weight and dimensions" src="__img7" />

<p className="blog-caption">
  Inbound PL is sorted by box ID, ready to print for the warehouse.
</p>

Back on the FBA workbook's **Manage Shipments**, your row is shipment 1 and each further shipment gets its own row, with Plan Folder, Plan ID, Shipment ID, FBA Label (the PDF) and FBA ID filled in. **Carrier** is filled from the chosen option and can be edited for your own carrier; **Tracking** takes the tracking numbers in box order, comma-separated.

<img alt="Manage Shipments after confirming: two plans with plan folder, plan ID, shipment ID, box-label PDF link and FBA ID" src="__img8" />

<p className="blog-caption">
  A box-first and a split-first plan, both confirmed, in one register.
</p>

Then **Manage Shipments › Refresh Shipment** pulls the status of every open shipment from Amazon and colors it: `UNCONFIRMED → WORKING → READY_TO_SHIP → SHIPPED → IN_TRANSIT → DELIVERED → CHECKED_IN → RECEIVING → CLOSED` (or `CANCELLED` / `ABANDONED` / `DELETED`).

## Messages you may see [#messages-you-may-see]

| Message                                                                      | Why                                                        | What to do                                                             |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `This button belongs to the STA-BoxFirst menu …`                             | A button from the other mode's menu                        | Switch to the matching tab, or use the matching menu                   |
| `Pick a placement first …`                                                   | No placement option chosen in step 2                       | Pick one in the dropdown on progress row 6                             |
| `Run "3b. Gen Delivery Window" first …`                                      | Own carrier chosen, no delivery window yet                 | Click Gen Delivery Window, then pick a window in STA-Options           |
| `Transportation option is required for shipment …`                           | A shipment has no transportation option                    | Pick one on that STA-Options row, or use Match Carriers                |
| `Pallet Packed is YES — fill Declared Value + Freight Class + Pallet Info …` | A pallet plan missing its three fields                     | Fill them on every shipment row, then Gen Trans. Opts.                 |
| `Ship Date … is in the past …`                                               | The ship date has passed                                   | Use today or later                                                     |
| `Invalid box number format: …`                                               | A full-width `～` or a `-` in a box number                  | Use a half-width `~`, e.g. `1~5`                                       |
| `All N shipment(s) … already have a label link …`                            | Every label is already fetched                             | To fetch again, delete that FBA ID link and click                      |
| `Labels fetched … saved to Drive for 0/N`                                    | Labels came back but could not be saved to the plan folder | Check the plan workbook is in its Drive folder and you can write there |
| `Can't confirm again` / `Shipment has status CANCELLED`                      | The plan is already confirmed or cancelled                 | Start a new plan (in the same workbook, Cancel Plan first)             |
| `Store not found`                                                            | Store not connected, or written wrong                      | Use `store-country code` and check the connection                      |

From plan to box labels, every choice and every quote stays in the sheet: the next shipment is a copied row with new quantities and the same buttons. The column-by-column reference is in the guide below.