Amazon Vendor Central EDI Processing: 850, 856, 810 Compliance Guide

Amazon Vendor Central vs Seller Central: EDI Differences

Critical distinction: Amazon has two platforms with completely different EDI requirements:

This guide covers Amazon Vendor Central EDI only. If you're a Seller Central seller, you don't need EDI—Amazon provides order data through the Seller Central dashboard and MWS/SP-API.

Amazon Vendor Central EDI Workflow

Amazon uses a three-way match system (850↔856↔810) to validate transactions and prevent chargebacks:

Step-by-Step: Processing Amazon EDI 850 Purchase Orders

Step 1: Receive EDI 850 Purchase Order

Amazon sends EDI 850 purchase orders via:

• Vendor Central download: Orders → View All (download as EDI file)
• EDI transmission: If you have EDI software, Amazon sends 850 via AS2 or VAN
• Email notification: Amazon may email you that a new PO is available in Vendor Central

Important timing: You must acknowledge PO receipt within 8 hours. This happens automatically when you view the PO in Vendor Central or send an EDI 855 acknowledgment.

Step 2: Convert EDI 850 to CSV with PlainEDI

Upload the Amazon 850 EDI file to PlainEDI. The CSV will include:

• PO Number: Amazon reference number (e.g., ABCD1234)
• PO Date: When Amazon created the order
• Ship-To Location: Amazon fulfillment center (e.g., PHX3, LAS1, MDW2)
• ASIN: Amazon Standard Identification Number for the product
• Vendor Item Number: Your SKU for the product
• Quantity Ordered: Number of units Amazon is purchasing
• Unit Price: Cost per unit (what Amazon pays you)
• Extended Price: Total line value (quantity × unit price)
• Ship Date: When Amazon expects shipment
• Delivery Window: When shipment must arrive at fulfillment center

Step 3: Validate PO Details

Critical checks before accepting the order:

• Price match: Does the unit price match your Vendor Central agreement? Amazon sometimes sends POs with old pricing.
• ASIN validation: Verify the ASIN matches your product. Amazon's system occasionally assigns wrong ASINs to vendor items.
• Quantity feasibility: Can you fulfill this quantity by the ship date? If not, you need to dispute the PO immediately.
• Delivery window: Is the delivery window realistic? Amazon fulfillment centers have specific receiving hours—late shipments sit at the dock and may be rejected.

How to dispute a PO: Vendor Central → Orders → View All → Select PO → "Request Change" → Provide reason (price error, insufficient lead time, quantity too high, etc.)

Step 4: Create Internal Order

Enter the CSV data into your system:

• Inventory system: Allocate inventory to the Amazon PO
• Accounting software: Create sales order or invoice (see our QuickBooks/Xero guide)
• Warehouse: Generate pick list from CSV

Step-by-Step: Submitting Amazon EDI 856 ASNs

Critical ASN Timing Rule

You must send the EDI 856 ASN at least 4 hours before shipment arrives at the Amazon fulfillment center.

Why this matters: Amazon uses ASNs to schedule receiving dock time. If your shipment arrives without an ASN, it may sit on the dock for days, triggering late receipt penalties and potential product spoilage/damage claims.

Step 1: Prepare Shipment

Amazon ASN requirements:

• Master carton labels: GS1-128 barcodes with SSCC-18 numbers
• Unit labels: Each unit must have scannable FNSKU or UPC barcode
• Pallet labels (if applicable): SSCC-18 barcode on each pallet
• BOL (Bill of Lading): Must reference PO number and shipment ID from Vendor Central

Step 2: Submit ASN via Vendor Central (No EDI Transmission Needed)

Most small Amazon vendors submit ASNs through Vendor Central web portal instead of EDI transmission:

1. Vendor Central → Orders → Ship
2. Select the PO you're shipping
3. Click "Create Shipment"
4. Enter shipment details:
   • Ship date
   • Carrier (UPS, FedEx, freight carrier)
   • Tracking number(s)
   • BOL number (for freight)
   • Number of cartons and pallets
   • SSCC-18 barcode numbers for each carton/pallet
5. Verify quantities match exactly what you're shipping
6. Submit shipment

Important: Vendor Central automatically generates the EDI 856 ASN from your web form submission. You don't need separate EDI transmission software.

Step 3: Ship and Track

Monitor tracking in Vendor Central → Orders → Track Shipments. You'll see:

• In Transit: Shipment on its way to Amazon FC
• Received: Amazon received at dock (but not counted yet)
• Checked In: Amazon counted units and validated against ASN
• Closed: Receipt process complete

Step-by-Step: Submitting Amazon EDI 810 Invoices

Invoice Timing Rule

Amazon requires EDI 810 invoice submission within 24 hours of shipment.

Late invoices delay payment. Amazon's payment terms (typically Net 60 or Net 90) start from invoice date, not shipment date.

Good News: Vendor Central Auto-Generates Invoices

Unlike Walmart and Target (which require manual invoice creation), Amazon Vendor Central can automatically generate invoices based on your ASN:

1. Vendor Central → Payments → Invoices
2. View "Suggested Invoices"
3. Amazon pre-fills invoice data from your shipment:
   • PO number
   • ASIN and item descriptions
   • Quantities shipped (from your 856 ASN)
   • Unit prices (from original 850 PO)
   • Extended totals
4. Review for accuracy
5. Submit invoice (Amazon converts this to EDI 810 internally)

Important validation: Verify the suggested invoice quantity matches your actual shipment. If you shipped 480 units but the ASN said 500, correct the invoice to 480—otherwise you'll get a shortage chargeback for 20 units.

Amazon Vendor Central Chargeback Types

Amazon chargebacks fall into seven main categories. Here are the most common for small vendors:

1. Shortage Claims (Most Common)

What it is: Amazon received fewer units than your ASN (856) stated.

Chargeback calculation: Missing units × unit cost + 10-15% handling fee

Example:

• Your ASN said: 500 units at $12.50 each
• Amazon received: 480 units
• Shortage: 20 units
• Chargeback: (20 × $12.50) + 15% handling = $250 + $37.50 = $287.50

Common causes:

• Actual shortage—you packed 480 units but ASN said 500
• Amazon receiving error—they miscounted (happens 10-15% of the time)
• Damaged units—Amazon received 500 but rejected 20 as damaged, counts as shortage
• Wrong SSCC barcode—carton got misrouted within Amazon FC and wasn't counted

How to avoid:

• Use scale to verify carton weights before shipment (500 units should weigh approximately the same as 500 × unit weight)
• Photograph carton contents before sealing (evidence for disputes)
• Ensure SSCC-18 barcodes are scannable and match ASN
• Double-check ASN quantities against actual packed quantities

2. Price Discrepancy Chargebacks

What it is: Your invoice (810) shows a different unit price than the PO (850).

Example:

• PO (850) unit price: $12.50
• Invoice (810) unit price: $13.00
• Quantity: 500 units
• Difference: $0.50 × 500 = $250 chargeback

Common causes:

• You manually adjusted invoice price to reflect a price increase, but Amazon hasn't updated the PO price in Vendor Central
• Currency conversion error (if you invoice in different currency than PO)
• Typo in invoice entry

How to avoid: Always use Amazon's suggested invoice feature in Vendor Central—it auto-fills the correct price from the PO. Never manually adjust invoice prices without first updating pricing in Vendor Central agreements.

3. Missing or Invalid ASN

What it is: Shipment arrived at Amazon FC without an ASN, or ASN had invalid data (wrong tracking number, wrong FC address, etc.)

Chargeback: Varies by FC and shipment size, typically $50-$200 per occurrence

How to avoid:

• Submit ASN at least 4 hours before delivery
• Verify tracking numbers are correct
• Confirm shipment is going to the correct FC (Amazon sometimes changes FC assignments after PO creation—check Vendor Central for routing updates)

4. SIPP (Ships in Product Packaging) Violations

What it is: Product eligible for "Ships in Product Packaging" (no additional Amazon box) but you shipped it in a master carton instead of product packaging.

Chargeback (as of January 1, 2025): $1.80 to $4.40 per unit based on product shipping weight

Example: You shipped 100 units of a product that weighs 2 lbs. Amazon requires SIPP for this product. Chargeback: 100 units × $3.00 (mid-tier rate) = $300

How to check: Vendor Central → Catalog → View SIPP eligibility for each ASIN

5. Carton Content Accuracy Issues

What it is: SSCC-18 barcode on carton says it contains 24 units, but Amazon scanned only 20 units inside.

Chargeback: Shortage claim for 4 units

How to avoid: Verify carton contents match SSCC-18 label before applying label. If you repack cartons, print new SSCC-18 labels with correct quantities.

Disputing Amazon Vendor Central Chargebacks

Dispute Window: 30 Days

You have 30 days from chargeback notification to submit your first dispute. If Amazon denies your dispute, you have another 30 days from the denial date to submit a second dispute with additional evidence.

This is significantly shorter than Walmart (60-90 days) or Target (45 days), so you need to act quickly.

How to Dispute Shortage Claims

1. Vendor Central → Payments → Invoices → Review/Dispute Shortages
2. Filter to show claims from the past 30 days
3. Select the shortage claim to dispute
4. Click "Dispute" and provide evidence:
   • Photos of carton contents before sealing (strongest evidence)
   • Packing list showing actual quantities packed
   • Weight certification: "500 units at 0.5 lbs each = 250 lbs total. Our scale confirmed carton weighed 250 lbs."
   • Bill of Lading (BOL): Signed by carrier showing they received the cartons
5. Submit dispute
6. Wait 7-14 days for Amazon response

Success rate: Disputes with photo evidence succeed 70-80% of the time. Disputes without photos succeed only 20-30%.

How to Dispute Price Discrepancies

1. Vendor Central → Payments → View Chargebacks
2. Select price discrepancy chargeback
3. Provide evidence:
   • Screenshot of original PO (850) showing the price you invoiced matches the PO price
   • Vendor Central price agreement showing updated pricing (if you have a valid price increase on file)
   • Email chain with Amazon buyer confirming price change
4. Submit dispute

Note: If you genuinely invoiced at the wrong price, the dispute will fail. Accept the chargeback and update your invoicing process to use suggested invoices.

Pro Tip: Wait 30 Days on Shortage Claims

Amazon's receiving process can take 2-4 weeks. Some units get delayed in Amazon's internal transfer between dock and bin location. If you dispute a shortage claim immediately, Amazon might deny it—then discover the missing units 2 weeks later.

Recommended approach: Wait 30 days after the shortage claim notification before disputing. Amazon will have reconciled most delayed units by then, and the shortage amount may reduce from 20 units to 5 units (or zero).

Cost Comparison: Amazon EDI Software vs CSV Conversion

Let's compare the cost of full EDI integration vs. CSV conversion for a small Amazon vendor processing 50 POs per month:

Amazon Vendor Central Best Practices

1. Use Vendor Central's Suggested Invoices

Amazon auto-generates invoices from your ASN data. This ensures perfect three-way match (850↔856↔810). Never manually create invoices unless absolutely necessary.

2. Photograph Carton Contents Before Sealing

Take a photo showing all units in the carton before you seal it. Include the SSCC-18 label in the photo. This is your best evidence for disputing shortage claims. Store photos for 90 days.

3. Verify Fulfillment Center Routing Weekly

Amazon changes FC assignments based on inventory needs. Your PO might say PHX3, but by the time you ship, Amazon wants it at LAS1. Check Vendor Central → Orders → Routing before every shipment.

4. Submit ASNs Early (8-12 Hours Before Delivery)

While Amazon requires 4 hours, submitting 8-12 hours before delivery gives you buffer time if there are issues. It also ensures Amazon schedules dock time during peak receiving hours (not 5pm Friday when the FC is closing).

5. Review Shortage Claims 30 Days After Notification

Don't dispute shortage claims immediately. Wait 30 days for Amazon to reconcile delayed units. Many shortage claims reduce or disappear after Amazon finds the units in their system.

6. Track ASIN-to-SKU Mapping

Amazon uses ASINs. You use SKUs. Create a cross-reference spreadsheet so you can quickly validate that EDI 850 POs are for the correct products. ASIN errors cause fulfillment nightmares.

When to Upgrade to Full EDI Integration

Vendor Central web portal + CSV conversion works well for small vendors. Consider upgrading to full EDI integration when:

• Volume: 200+ POs per month (manual entry becomes full-time job)
• Multiple Amazon accounts: You manage 3+ Vendor Central accounts (different brands/subsidiaries)
• Real-time inventory sync: You need automatic inventory deduction when Amazon PO arrives
• ERP integration: You're using NetSuite/SAP and want automatic order import
• Compliance monitoring: You want automated alerts for shortage claim patterns, ASN timing violations, etc.

The Bottom Line: Amazon Vendor Central EDI

You don't need expensive EDI software to be Amazon Vendor Central compliant.

Here's what you actually need:

1. PlainEDI ($99/month): Convert incoming EDI 850 POs to CSV
2. Amazon Vendor Central (free): Submit ASNs and invoices via web portal
3. Good processes: Photo documentation, weight verification, 30-day dispute review

Total cost: $99/month + 5 minutes per order vs. $500-$1,200/month EDI integration.

Save $6,000-$14,000 per year. Invest that money in inventory, advertising, or avoiding shortage chargebacks through better packing processes.

Frequently Asked Questions