Preparing FBM Shipments for EU Customs Product IDs 🇪🇺📦

[chrisskhoury]

From November 1, 2026, EU customs requires product identifiers for business-to-consumer (B2C) goods shipped into the EU from outside the EU. This Hot Topic explains which identifiers to prepare and how to send them when you buy a label through Amazon Buy Shipping or book a carrier directly. Read it if you build shipping for seller-fulfilled (Fulfilled by Merchant, FBM) orders.

Authored by: Chris K., Solutions Architect, Selling Partner Developer Services

Important

The requirement becomes mandatory on November 1, 2026 (European Commission). Build and test your integration now to be ready, we will update this page here when the change comes into effect.

Audience

Audience	Applicability
Sellers	Yes, if you ship FBM orders from outside the EU to EU customers
Solution Providers	Yes, if you build label purchase or carrier integrations

What you need to do ✅

Part 1: Prepare your product data

• Source the NS-PID (the manufacturer's part number or model number) for each product.
• Source the S-PIDs where they exist, such as EAN, GTIN, UPC, ISBN or ISSN.
• If you manage listings, populate the part_number, model_number and externally_assigned_product_identifier (barcode) attributes.

Part 2: Send the values with the label or carrier booking

• Send the identifiers only for shipments from outside the EU to an EU address. The UK counts as non-EU.
• For Amazon Buy Shipping, send the identifiers as inputs on the label purchase request. Listing attributes don't flow into the request automatically.
• For direct carriers, include the ASIN, NS-PID and S-PIDs, and confirm the format with each carrier.
• Show Amazon validation errors to the seller. Don't retry silently, send placeholders or hide the response.

Product identifier attributes 🏷️

Customs needs these identifiers for each product in the parcel, not once per shipment.

Identifier	What it is	Example	When to send
NS-PID (non-standardized product ID)	The manufacturer's part number or model number	MX-4420-BLK	Required for each product
S-PID (standardized product ID)	A global product code: EAN, GTIN, UPC, ISBN or ISSN	4012345678901 (EAN)	Required where one exists
M-PID (merchant product ID)	The ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) of the ordered item	B0EXAMPLE1	In customs data you send to carriers outside Buy Shipping

Note

NS-PID, S-PID and M-PID are customs categories, not SP-API field names. Use the input names that the API returns for the selected shipping service.

NS-PID tips

• Use the part or model number the manufacturer prints on the product, packaging or specification sheet.
• If the product has no separate part or model number, you can use an applicable S-PID as the NS-PID.
• If the value is missing, ask the seller to add it before they buy the label.

S-PID types

Type	Typical format	Used for
EAN	13 digits (EAN-8: 8 digits)	Most retail products
UPC	12 digits	Mostly North American products
GTIN	8, 12, 13 or 14 digits	Umbrella format that includes EAN and UPC
ISBN	10 or 13 characters	Books
ISSN	8 characters	Magazines and other periodicals

Only send a code that is printed on or assigned to the exact product. Don't create one.

Where to find existing values

• Catalog data: searchCatalogItems and getCatalogItem return identifiers such as EAN, GTIN, UPC and ISBN. Set includedData=identifiers, because the default is summaries. Add attributes (includedData=identifiers,attributes) to also get part_number and model_number where the product has them.
• Listing attributes: part_number, model_number and externally_assigned_product_identifier. Availability varies by product type, so check the live schema with the Product Type Definitions API.
• Seller or supplier systems: product information management (PIM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools often hold part numbers.

Workflow overview

Look up each item's identifiers, ask the shipping API which inputs the selected service needs, then buy the label.

flowchart LR
  A[FBM order shipped from outside the EU to the EU] --> B[Look up identifiers for each item]
  B --> C[Get rates or eligible services]
  C --> D{Extra inputs required?}
  D -- Yes --> E[Get input definitions and fill them]
  D -- No --> F[Buy label]
  E --> F

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Implementation steps

Follow the option that matches your integration.

Option A: Shipping API v2 (recommended for new integrations)

1. Call getRates and check requiresAdditionalInputs on the selected rate.
2. If it is true, call getAdditionalInputs. The response is a JSON Schema.
3. Collect and validate the values against that schema.
4. Send the values in additionalInputs when you call purchaseShipment.

Option B: Merchant Fulfillment API v0

1. Call getEligibleShipmentServices and check RequiresAdditionalSellerInputs on the selected service.
2. If it is true, call getAdditionalSellerInputs.
3. Fill the item-level inputs that the response returns.
4. Send the inputs when you call createShipment.

For details, see Include additional seller input data.

Option C: Direct carrier integrations (without Buy Shipping)

Use this option if you book carriers directly or create labels outside Buy Shipping. It also applies to higher-value orders: cross-border Buy Shipping from the US and China only covers items below the destination's duty threshold.

Amazon doesn't add the identifiers to your carrier booking, so look them up for each order item:

1. Get the ASIN and SKU. Call getOrder or searchOrders (Orders API v2026-01-01) and read product.asin and product.sellerSku for each item in orderItems.
2. Read your listing attributes. Call getListingsItem with the SKU and includedData=attributes. Look for part_number, model_number and externally_assigned_product_identifier.
3. Fill gaps from the catalog. Call getCatalogItem with the ASIN and includedData=identifiers,attributes.
4. Ask the seller for anything still missing before you book the shipment.
5. Add the values to each item in the carrier's customs data. Confirm field names, formats and the rule for items without a barcode with each carrier.

Best practices 💡

1. Store identifiers before checkout. Keep the ASIN, part or model number, and barcode for each SKU, so you look them up once and labels don't fail at purchase time.
2. Build forms from the API response. Required inputs differ by shipping service, so don't hardcode them. Request them again when the service, address or parcel contents change.
3. Test end to end. Include a multi-item parcel with one missing NS-PID, an item without a barcode, an order above €150, and an EU-to-EU shipment that must not ask for product IDs.

Common pitfalls ⚠️

Issue	Explanation
Using €150 as an exemption	€150 is the threshold for a separate customs duty. Don't use it to skip product ID collection.
Sending placeholders	Values such as N/A or a seller SKU are not valid product IDs and can cause rejected labels or declarations.
Reusing your July 2026 carrier fix	The approved-carrier requirement is a separate change. It doesn't cover product IDs.

Troubleshooting 🚫

Error: Required attribute missing ITEM_MANUFACTURER_PRODUCT_ID

Required attribute missing ITEM_MANUFACTURER_PRODUCT_ID at level ITEM_LEVEL

Part of the message	Meaning
ITEM_MANUFACTURER_PRODUCT_ID	The NS-PID: the manufacturer's part number or model number
ITEM_LEVEL	The value is needed for each item, not once per shipment

• Problem: The label purchase fails with this error.
• Cause: At least one item in an in-scope shipment has no NS-PID in the request.
• Solution:
  1. Find the item or items without a part or model number.
  2. Tell the seller which item needs a value, for example: "Enter the manufacturer's part number or model number for [item name], then buy the label again."
  3. Add the value as an item-level input and retry the purchase.

Related resources 📚

Regulation

• European Commission: EU customs guidance

Seller Central help

• Ship from the US with Buy Shipping
• Ship from China with Buy Shipping

SP-API documentation

• Shipping API v2 model
• Merchant Fulfillment API
• Include additional seller input data
• Orders API v2026-01-01
• Catalog Items API
• Listings Items API
• Product Type Definitions API
• SP-API changelog

Related Hot Topics

• Handling EU Customs Reform carrier validation for FBM shipments

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Please note the publication date above. While we strive to keep our content current, the rapid evolution of this topic means some details may have changed since publication. For the most up-to-date information, we encourage readers to follow the announcements in SP-API developer documentation.

Keywords: EU CR, FBM, EU Shipments, Confirm Shipments, Buy Shipping, Cross Border Shipments

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