Born to Run (Amazon)

Born to Run is an invite-only Amazon Vendor Central program that lets a first-party vendor set the size of the opening purchase order for a new ASIN by submitting a Launch Buy Quantity, in exchange for sharing the cost of any units that do not sell within the program’s 10-week window.

What it is

The name also brings up the Bruce Springsteen album in search, but this entry covers only the Amazon program.

With a Born to Run request you set the inventory position yourself: you submit a Launch Buy Quantity (LBQ) for the ASIN, Amazon issues the purchase order against it, and the units then have 10 weeks (70 days) to sell through.

Sources disagree on when those 70 days start. Some describe a 20-day period after you submit the request before the clock begins, while others say it starts the same day the ASIN is in stock, with no grace period. Confirm the start date with your Vendor Manager before you size the order, because if you plan around the later start and the clock actually began on arrival, you lose 20 days of selling time.

Where it lives in Vendor Central

In Vendor Central, go to Orders, then Vendor-Initiated Orders, then Born to Run. The page only shows up on accounts Amazon has invited, so if it’s missing from your Orders menu, your account hasn’t been invited yet. Born to Run is a first-party program, which means Seller Central accounts can’t use it.

Why it matters to a vendor

Eligibility comes first. The ASIN’s unit cost has to be at least $5, your active Born to Run orders together can’t exceed $50,000 in cost, and you need at least 90 days of active Amazon Advertising behind you.

The cost of the program shows up at the end of the window. If units are left over, Amazon either keeps them and charges you a retention fee of 25% of their cost, or returns them to you and charges a 10% shipping and handling fee.

So size the LBQ to what you can realistically sell in 10 weeks with the advertising you plan to run, and plan as if the clock starts the day the ASIN is in stock until your Vendor Manager confirms otherwise.

Related terms

• Purchase Order (PO): the order Amazon normally issues against its own demand forecast. A Born to Run request sizes the opening one from your LBQ.
• Out of Stock & Replenishable: the share of glance views when an item was out of stock but replenishable, worth watching once launch inventory runs down.
• Glossary index: the rest of the Vendor Central terms and InsightLeap metrics.