Receiving timelines for Shopify Fulfillment Network
Shopify Fulfillment Network (SFN) personnel receive your products as quickly as possible. Receiving costs are included in your all-in-one monthly bill.
When you send products to an SFN fulfillment center, SFN personnel make your products available to sell within the following timelines.
| Shipment details | Receiving timelines | Shipments meeting SFN receiving guidelines | 9–14 calendar days |
|---|---|
| Non-compliant shipments that don't meet SFN guidelines | 20 calendar days or more |
If your shipment is unsafe to receive, then you might experience processing delays or returned shipments. If SFN personnel find damaged or missing products during receiving, then you can access the details in the SFN app.
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Receiving timelines
These timelines indicate when the first units of a SKU will be available to fulfill orders, not when all units of a shipment will be available. These timelines are calculated from the time of the carrier delivery scan when the shipment arrives at the SFN fulfillment center. To learn more read about Inventory balancing.
First Article Inspection
When your products are received at an SFN fulfillment center for the first time, SFN personnel measure and weigh your products. This process is called First Article Inspection. Measuring and weighing your products helps to ensure that your orders are shipped with the best available carrier rates.
You can find your products' dimension and weight details by going to the product pages in your Shopify admin and checking the Fulfillment details section.
Missing or extra units
SFN personnel expect to receive the amount of inventory that's listed on your inbound transfer. If your shipment is missing units or contains extra units, then your shipment might require an audit process that delays receiving times.
To avoid this audit state for small margins of error, you can add a percent-based range, which is called a receiving threshold, to an inbound transfer. If the quantities that are received are within the receiving threshold, then your transfer is received normally. By default, the receiving threshold is set to 0%. Learn more about adding receiving thresholds.
Damaged products
During receiving, SFN personnel inspect any damaged products to determine whether they can be restored to a sellable state. If a product can be restored, then it's received as normal. If a product is unsellable, then SFN personnel upload images and notes about the damage. You can access the images and descriptions of the damage on the inbound transfer page in the SFN app.
To reduce the chance of products being damaged during shipping, use extra padding materials to protect your products. Learn more about packing and labeling your products.
Shipments that are unsafe to receive
Receiving times might be delayed if your products aren't safe to receive. Unsafe products include hazardous materials, sharp products that aren't covered, and unstabilized pallets. If SFN personnel are completely unable to receive your products, then your shipment might be returned to the origin location.