Routing Guide
Overview
River Source Logistics (RSL), is committed to providing our clients with high-quality service. To achieve this, RSL is operating by the following procedures which are designed to enhance the overall efficiency and accuracy of merchandise handling, control costs and improve our clients overall experience.
This guide covers routing, scheduling, documentation, and packaging of merchandise for shipments inbound to River Source Logistics and Amazon distribution centers.
Our requirements consist of standard industry protocol and Amazon compliance requirements which are designed to avoid additional Amazon charges and keep your seller account in good standing. If you have any questions or require additional information about any of our procedures, please contact customerservice@riversourcelogistics.com
Please distribute this guide to your supply chain team to ensure compliance.
This guide is broken down into 4 sections covering:
- Inbound to River Source Logistics
- Outbound to Amazon/ Other
- Work Up Orders
- Chargebacks & Non-Compliance Fees
1 Inbound To River Source Logistics
To ship freight into RSL you must:
- Place your ASN by creating it in our WMS
- Attach your shipment packing list (and any other pertinent information) to the ASN
- Email us to schedule arrival appointment – required for* :
- Full Container Loads
- Less Than Container Loads with 10 or more pallets
- Small Parcel Delivery with 50 or more cases
- Shipment with 10 or more SKU’s
* Shipments smaller than the above do not need an appointment.
Inbound Orders & Packing List
Shipments received without notice, incomplete orders, or missing packing lists are subject to delays, additional chargeback fees, and or rejection.
Creating your ASN
- Submit your ASN in the WMS no later than 2 weeks before shipment arrival at RSL.
- The WMS is accessible once the RSL onboarding is complete and your login credentials have been issued. Once logged in, you can place your inbound orders by navigating to the ASN table and clicking Create New.
- An instructional video on how to correctly fill out the inbound order form can be found here
- When filling out the ASN, the system will generate a unique PO number for your inbound shipment. Please refer to this PO number in all communication.
Packing List
Timeline: The packing list must be provided to RSL no later than 1 week before arrival
- Attach the packing list to the ASN or email a copy of the packing list to orders@riversourcelogistics.com
- If emailing, please include the PO number in the subject line of the email
- Please ensure the following information is included on the packing list:
- PO number(s)
- Quantities and product description.
- Vendor style number (SKU)
- The total number of cartons and pallets.
* Cases/units that arrive damaged and are unsellable or cannot be fixed, need to be either disposed of, donated, shipped or have an immediate work-up related solution to make cases/units sellable within 30 days.
** Please see chargeback non-compliance from section 1 & 2
Required Carton Markings
Cartons should be marked as follows:
- Unique PO # (provided at order creation by RSL)
- Your company name
- Description of item
- QTY per case
- Country of origin
- MSKU #
- Confirming/Collecting your MSKU:
- Once logged into your Seller Central Account go to your –Inventory Tab and then click – Manage Inventory
- Under the SKU column, you will see the MSKU listed for each of your Private Label items.
- Copy and paste the MSKU to add to your case markings
- SKU or MSKU (typed and in barcode format)
- CODE 128, CODE ITF-14, CODE 39 should be used for the barcode symbology
- To create a barcode please click here
- HEAVY CASE LABELS
- As of 2024 – Amazon FBA routing requirements require that “Any box that weighs more than 23 kg (50 lbs) must contain “Team Lift” / “Heavy Package” safety label displayed on top and sides of each heavy-weight box (5 labels in total)”
- The Label we recommend looks like this:
- Please have your supplier place these on 5 sides of your cases in route to RSL (color not required)
Print carton markings with a minimum font size of 1.5 inches or 38.1mm
Please see the following example of an under 22kg carton label and how it should appear on the carton:
* Cases received without SKU/barcodes will incur an additional fee of $0.15 to add the label. RSL requires barcodes for warehouse management.
** If your shipment contains no carton markings, we will be required to open each case and you will incur an additional labor charge for identifying the contents of your cases.
*** If your SKU changes after it is received, please make RSL aware and include the previous SKU
Scheduling an Inbound Appointment
Inbound receiving hours are Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Request an appointment by emailing orders@riversourcelogistics.com at least 72 business hours in advance for Containers and Less Than Truckload shipments meeting the following specifics:
- Full Container Load – 20”, 40” or 45”
- Less Than Container Load with 10 or more pallets,
- Small Parcel Delivery with more 50 or more cases
- Shipment with 10 or more SKU’s
* Shipments smaller than the above do not need an appointment.
What to include in the appointment request:
When requesting an appointment, please ensure that you or your freight forwarder has the following information available to provide to RSL:
- Full Container Loads
- Container #:
- Container size:
- Client:
- PO #: (provided at order creation)
- Last free day:
- Commodity:
- Less Than Container Load & Small Parcel Delivery with 50 or more cases
- Client:
- PO #: (provided at order creation)
- Carrier:
- Expected arrival date:
- The total number of cases:
- The total number of SKU’s (Packing list also attached)
* Shipments missing any of the above information may result in delayed scheduling regardless of LFD.
** Shipments with no appointment may be turned away. RSL will not be held liable for idling time fees by the drivers. Please see chargeback non-compliance section 1.
Unacceptable Carton Packaging
Straps
- Cartons that arrive with straps will be subject to a strap removal fee of $0.10 per strap.
- Straps are not permitted by Amazon and will result in seller performance violations and potential suspension of shipping abilities.
Bags/Sacks
- Cartons that arrive in bags will be subject to a bag removal/repackaging fee.
- These bags are not permitted by Amazon and will result in seller performance violations and potential suspension of shipping abilities.
Damaged Cartons
- Cartons arriving in poor condition are unstable and will incur a re-taping service fee and or re-boxing fee
- This fee is contingent on the size of the box used for re-boxing)
- Your products are unprotected, and Amazon may reject damaged cases.
- Unstable boxes are unsafe for our team and for the storage of your goods.
Pallet Requirements
Compliant pallets
The drawing below is a sketch of an “Amazon Compliant” 48” x 40” 4-way pallet.
For less than container load shipments, RSL may charge a fee for pallet exchanges.
If a container shipment is received on non-Amazon compliant pallets, there will be a re-palletizing fee of $10.00 per pallet.
* Pallets shown above are unacceptable and not Amazon compliant
** China pallets are a safety hazard as they are unstable and cannot be placed safely in our racking.
*** For more information regarding Amazon compliance please click here:
**** Please see chargeback non-compliance form section 9
2 Outbound from River Source Logistics
OUTBOUND TO AMAZON/ OTHER
Outbound hours are Monday – Friday 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
To ship freight from RSL you must:
- Submit an Order in the WMS
- If LTL, attach or email BOL (Bill of Lading)
* Creating orders in the WMS is required to for every shipment that leaves our facility
** Creating orders in the WMS that are not completed accurately will not be processed and can result in shipment delays.
Outbound Order Form
- You can place your orders by navigating to the Order table in the WMS.
- An instructional video on how to fill out the outbound order can be found here.
- When creating your order you will use your FBA shipping number as the Customer Order Number or shipping ID from the carrier. Please refer to this Customer Order number in all communication regarding this shipment.
BOL’s (Required for all LTL Shipments)
- A Bill of lading (BOL) – If not attached to the order, BOL must be emailed to orders@Riversourcelogistics.com immediately.
- We recommend all clients to add orders@riversourcelogistics.com as the recipient of the BOL in their seller central account.
- When using a preferred carrier, please ensure the BOL includes the FBA ID and ARN. RSL will need the BOL before the carrier arrives at our facility.
Freight Forwarding
- RSL does not handle freight forwarding. Clients must coordinate with their carriers when not using Amazon partnered carriers.
Outbound SPD (Small Parcel Delivery) to Amazon
Oversized Items and Cases
- Oversized items include any packaged unit weighing 20lb or more or with dimensions greater than 18 inches on its longest side, 14 inches on its median side, or 8 inches on its shortest side.
- Boxes must not exceed the standard weight limit of 50lb unless they contain one single oversized* unit that exceeds 50lb (charges for overweight apply).
- A single oversize unit weighing 50lb or more requires a label that clearly indicates “Team Lift” on the top and sides of the box.
- A single oversize unit weighing 100lb or more requires a label that clearly indicates “Mech Lift” on the top and sides of the box.
- Boxes containing jewelry or watches must not exceed 40lb.
* For more information on shipping SPD to Amazon click here.
Outbound LTL (Less Than Truckload) to Amazon
- LTL box labels must be attached to the order at order creation for us to pull your inventory for shipping to Amazon.
- Pallet information will be provided to the client typically within 24-48 business hours.
- Large multi SKU shipments of 5 SKU’s or more that require more labor and detail before shipping out are excluded from the 24-48-hour time frame
- Pallet labels must be provided to RSL within one business day after the shipment is completed in your Seller Central Account.
- Large shipments consisting of 26 pallets or more, scheduled to be picked up in sections, must be picked up entirely within 72 hours of the first portion’s departure.
- BOL- Bill of Lading must be sent to RSL immediately.
- We recommend all clients to add orders@riversourcelogistics.com as the recipient of the BOL in their seller central account. When using a preferred carrier, please ensure that the BOL includes the FBA ID and ARN. RSL will need the BOL before the carrier arrives.
* If you need RSL to re-apply carton labels after we have processed your shipment, you will incur an additional label and pallet wrap fee.
** If your inventory has been prepared for shipment and is canceled for whatever reason (except for an RSL error), it will incur a restocking fee.
*** LTL shipments that have not been picked up after 30 days will be canceled by RSL’s and will incur a $2.00 per case restocking fee.
**** RSL will notify the client if a carrier does not arrive to pick up a shipment, however, it is the client’s responsibility to contact Amazon and their partnered carriers to ensure timely pick up of goods once notified that their pick-up was missed.
***** RSL is not liable for canceled outbound shipments or any associated fees, due to the client’s failure to provide timely BOLs, labels, or for shipments created prior to the goods arriving at RSL.
****** For more information on Amazon’s LTL/FLT requirements click here.
******* Please see chargeback non-compliance form section 3, 4, 7, 10 and 11
3 Work Orders
Work Orders consist of:
- Kitting, bundling, quality control inspections, labeling or any other required work outside of inbound and outbound procedures.
To submit a work order you must:
- Email orders@riversourcelogistics.com including clear step by step instructions for the work needed
- Receive and review the workup quote and timeline for completion from RSL.
- Once the quote is confirmed, we will begin the work order process.
*If an unexpected obstacle presents itself during the project, RSL will stop the project, make the client aware and will wait until further instructions are given from the client.
**During this time RSL is not liable for any delays in the completion of the project. Estimates are subject to change. Storage fees apply during this time.
Amazon Removals/ Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) Orders
What is a Removal/ Order Fulfillment (From Amazon FBA to RSL)?
- Removal orders are Amazon’s lowest priority shipment. Since it is not going to an end customer, Amazon may take several weeks and possibly months to ship out removal items.
- Amazon may consolidate removal items from multiple FBA facilities and may ship in any method or size; ranging from a single envelope and to multiple pallets.
- Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) orders from Amazon FBA to RSL are also shipped in the same manner, making them very labor-intensive. We accept removals or MCF shipments on a case-by-case basis.
- Unapproved removals and MCF inbound shipments will be refused and or disposed of.
4 Chargeback Fees For Non-Compliance
Our goal is to contribute to the growth of our clients’ businesses by providing exceptional 3PL services.
To obtain this goal, we have developed this document outlining compliance and expectations to help maintain Amazon compliance. In this document, you will find explanations of the operational impact of RSL non-compliance and the fees associated with non-compliance.
1. Failure to obtain an appointment for the delivery of goods with 3 business days’ notice
- A large shipment is defined as:
- A full shipping container
- 10 pallets or more via freight
- 50 cartons or more via small parcel delivery
- The operational impact of compliance or non-compliance: It is critical for RSL staff to be notified and have the proper documentation (i.e. packing lists) of all inbound shipments. This will allow RSL to prioritize and receive freight accurately and process your shipment in a timely manner.
- Compliance Penalty:
- $150 per container
- $10 per pallet
- $1.00 per carton for SPD
2. Failure to complete the inbound form, and provide PO, SKU count, and quantity count of shipment on the cartons or packing slip
- RSL must be notified of any changes made to an inbound shipment PRIOR to its arrival.
- The operational impact of compliance or non-compliance: It is critical for RSL staff to have accurate information on SKU count and quantity count of your shipment. Failure to provide this information prevents RSL from receiving goods in a timely manner with the appropriate resources allocated per the inbound schedule.
- Compliance Penalty: $200 per shipment.
3. Failure to include proper information on carton markings
- The operational impact of compliance or non-compliance: It is critical for RSL staff to be able to quickly identify your shipment. This will allow RSL to prioritize and receive freight accurately and process your shipment in a timely manner.
- Compliance Penalty: $200 per shipment.
4. Canceling an outbound shipment or changing labels after the work is completed or in progress
- The operational impact of compliance or non-compliance: It is critical for RSL staff to work on all shipments within the time frame agreed upon. Once the service has been completed, a cost has been incurred by RSL as such, a fee will apply.
- Compliance Penalty: $2.00 per case
5. Overweight pallet > 1500 LBs
- The operational impact of compliance or non-compliance: Overweight pallets are dangerous and increase the risk of injury to RSL team members and damage to RSL equipment. This requires the use of unplanned resources to process and receive your shipment, which results in a higher cost, and increased time between receiving your shipments and processing your shipment.
- Compliance Penalty: $100 per pallet
6. A poorly stacked pallet that will not stand on its own after cutting off shrink wrap or outer wrap/strap
- The operational impact of compliance or non-compliance: Poorly stacked pallets increase the risk of injury to RSL team members and damage to RSL equipment. It also requires our team to re-palletize your shipment upon receiving. This increases RSL costs and the time between receiving your shipments and processing your shipment.
- Compliance Penalty: $10 per pallet
7. Using pallets below an A or B grade, China pallets, plastic pallets, or other non-compliant Amazon pallets
- Example:
- nails sticking out of pallets, broken boards, particle boards, two-way pallets.
- The operational impact of compliance or non-compliance: Low-grade pallets increase the risk of injury to RSL team members and damage to RSL equipment and your products. Amazon non-compliant pallets require our team to re-palletize upon receiving and this increases RSL costs and the time between receiving your shipments and processing your shipment.
- Compliance Penalty: $10 per pallet for repalletization
8. Overweight cartons > 50 LBs
- The operational impact of compliance or non-compliance: Overweight cartons increase the risk of injury to RSL team members and damage to RSL equipment. This increases RSL costs and the time between receiving your shipments and processing your shipment.
- Compliance Penalty: $10 per carton
9. Changing instructions on work orders after work has begun
- The operational impact of compliance or non-compliance: It is critical for RSL to properly allocate staff and resources and to avoid re-working shipments after already beginning to work on a project. Rework also adds labor costs and wasted materials.
- Compliance Penalty: Pay for work completed based on the original quote. The client will be issued a new quote based on the new work needed.
10. Amazon removal orders without approval
- The operational impact of compliance or non-compliance: It is critical for RSL staff to have information on SKU count and quantity count of your removal shipment. This will allow RSL to prioritize and receive freight accurately and process your shipment in a timely manner.
- Compliance Penalty: cases will be rejected and or disposed
11. Receiving freight bills (or bills for customs/taxes/duties) addressed to RSL – that are payable by the client.
- You (the client)
- must always be listed as the IOR (importer of record).
- must always be listed as the “Bill To” with the freight or shipping company.
- COD shipments will be rejected.
- The operational impact of compliance or non-compliance: It is critical for RSL staff to work efficiently on jobs with minimal billing problems. Researching, addressing & coordinating freight bill payments or issues adds a significant amount of labor cost.
- Compliance Penalty: $100 per service charge on top of the paid freight bills (or customs/taxes/duties)
12. Declined payment without a resolution in a timely manner
- The operational impact of compliance or non-compliance: It is critical for RSL staff to work efficiently on jobs with minimal billing problems. Declined payment (credit card, CC, ACH, WIRE, etc) needs to be resolved with the client. Declined payments also delay future shipments due to a balance on file.
- Compliance Penalty: $100 per occurrence. Services will cease until the valid payment is provided.
13. Late payment of an invoice
- The operational impact of compliance or non-compliance: It is critical for RSL staff to work efficiently on jobs with minimal billing problems. Missed payments delay future shipments inbound and outbound due to a balance on file and require labor costs to resolve with the client.
- Compliance Penalty: $100 or 1.5% per month (18% per annum) on any and all invoice amounts that are not paid when due
14. Product Inspection appointment or no call/no show.
- The operational impact of compliance or non-compliance: It is critical for RSL staff to meet you within the time frame agreed upon. This will allow RSL to prioritize our day and work efficiently.
- Compliance Penalty: $100 per occurrence
Book a Consultation Today
Learn how we can support your order fulfillment. Book a consultation with our sales manager Roman Fisher today.