Amazon Vendor Central EDI: What 1P Suppliers Need to Know

Amazon’s Vendor Central program — where Amazon buys your product wholesale — requires full EDI compliance. Unlike Seller Central (3P), Vendor Central operates on traditional retail EDI protocols.

Amazon Vendor Central Transaction Sets

• 850: Purchase Order (Amazon sends)
• 855: PO Acknowledgment (you send, within 24 hours)
• 856: ASN (required; triggers receipt confirmation at Amazon’s fulfillment centers)
• 810: Invoice (required for payment)

Connection Method

Amazon requires AS2 for Vendor Central EDI. This is a direct encrypted connection between your system and Amazon’s EDI endpoint.

Critical ASN Requirements

Amazon’s 856 requirements are particularly strict:

• Every carton must have a unique SSCC-18 barcode
• All items in a carton must be individually identified
• ASN must be sent before the shipment arrives at the FC

Amazon uses the ASN to drive automated receiving. If your ASN is wrong or missing, your shipment goes into a manual receiving queue — causing receiving delays and potential chargebacks.

Amazon Chargeback Programs

Amazon’s Operational Performance Program (OPP) tracks:

• PO Confirmation Rate (must acknowledge 850 within 24 hours)
• Ship Confirmation Rate (must send ASN for every shipment)
• Invoice Accuracy Rate

Each metric has a compliance threshold. Falling below it results in automatic deductions.

Canada and International

Amazon Canada (amazon.ca) has slightly different EDI requirements and a separate Vendor Central account. Spring Systems handles both the US and Canada connections.