The Ship-Owned Container (SIOC) is a package to the end-user that does not require additional packaging materials and is classified as SIOC. It aims to deliver products in their primary packaging to customers in an Amazon warehouse without an extra layer of packaging. The SIOC confirms that the product has arrived at Amazon and is ready to be shipped in a box to Amazon.
Amazon ISTA package tests are Amazon ISTA-6 tests and include Amazon drop tests, inclination tests, and vibration tests. Keystone is the certified test for Amazon parcel testing and the standard ISTA test.
Understanding Amazon: What Is SIOC Packaging
This means that certified SIOC packages can be sent without the addition of other packaging materials. SIOC is an essential aspect of Amazon’s new packaging protocol for logistics. SIOC essentially means that your product can be packed in its container without additional packaging or packaging, provided that it meets the requirements to qualify as a SIOC package.
Over the years, Amazon has taken steps to ensure that the packaging used to ship its products is sustainable. Amazon’s SIOC program offers the opportunity to reduce packaging costs and transportation costs. The program was extended to 750,000 products, saving 24,000,000 tonnes of packaging material and 30.5 million shipping boxes in 2017.
What makes packaging successful
The frustration-free packaging program includes several sustainable packaging initiatives such as moving to smaller article boxes and flexible mailers, optimizing box selection to better address product size and weight, introducing recyclable mailers, and working with global distributors to develop ready-to-ship packaging. Frustration-free packaging is packaging made from 100% recycled materials and materials that are easy to open and designed to ship products in original packaging, eliminating the need for additional shipping boxes. According to Amazon, frustration-free packaging is tailored to customers, making it easier to remove products from their packages and reduce waste.
Prep-Free Packaging (PFP) certifies packaged items for shipping to Amazon and OverBox. PFP is Amazon’s third-class certification for producing items that cannot be shipped in their containers.
Amazon stresses that laboratory tests are an appropriate last step to verify that a product meets packaging requirements. To certify a product for the Frustration-Free Packaging program, 1P vendors and 3P vendors must test the certification of their packaging in an ISTA-certified third-party laboratory and submit the results to Amazon. To ensure you are using the correct testing method, please read Amazon’s test page, as the report template may vary depending on the weight and dimensions of the packaged product.
Amazon tests are designed to simulate the conditions a package will be exposed to during the distribution process, including the ISTA-6 Over-Box test of a package’s ability to withstand environments that can cause damage by force and movement under various transport conditions. Amazon determines the minimum utilization of packaging/boxes, which is achieved by calculating the product-to-package ratio (product volume divided by the total volume of packaging).
What’s in the box?
According to Amazon, the contents of the package must be reversible within 120 seconds and require minimal cutting tools such as scissors or boxes for being considered easy to open. Certified means that the packaging is the right size to ensure damage protection and is ready for dispatch, recyclable, and easy to open without additional packaging. Note that products whose packaging is smaller than the minimum dimensions of 9 ‘long, 6’wide, and 0.375’high are suitable for Tier 3 but still require an Amazon Overbox.
Amazon defines “fragile” items in SIOC packaging as items that break or leak during distribution. As a result, packages shipped with SIOC can suffer various cosmetic damage on their way through issuance. Program participants and Amazon’s Packaging Certification Lab determine the acceptable level of cosmetic wear.
Ship in Own Container Packaging: This package is designed to be shipped directly to the customer in the same packaging as Amazon. Deal Prep Free: This packaging is packaged without additional boxes or shipping, reducing the amount of preparation needed by Amazon. The product is easier to open, as fewer packaging barriers are possible, both outside the transport container and on the product itself.
How to define “easy to open”
According to Amazon, customers can get the product from the easy-to-open packaging without scissors or cardboard cutters in 2 minutes or less. If your product is stored in shippable packaging, your fulfillment team only needs to grab the item, stick the shipping label on it and get out. If your product is shipped in the same packaging as it is shipped, you can reduce the time between packaging and delivery of your item.
This information will enable you to understand your options and be better equipped to make decisions when the time comes to introduce SIOC and consumer-friendly Amazon Transparency Packaging Protocols into your shipping and handling process. As Amazon will start charging for non-compliant and frustration-free packaging for more oversized products from 3 September 2019, it is essential to get the packaging right at the start of the process and obtain certification. Whichever option you choose, you will have to comply with Amazon’s new packaging protocol or face fines based on your product and packaging line.
Over time, the Frustration-Free Packaging program has grown in scope and expanded to include more products sold by Amazon, other retailers, and 3P sellers. As such, Amazon packages and ships products to customers around the world. Frustration-free packaging is shipped in a privately owned container, and the fee applies to packaged products, not SIOC Tier 1 or Tier 2 FFP certified (larger than 18 x 14 x 8 or more than 20 pounds).
