Live
Book a free call
Electronics carry two risks most categories do not: units that can be swapped on a return, and batteries that are regulated in transit. Think14 handles both from an owned Texas warehouse.
When a single unit is worth two or three hundred dollars, the things that matter stop being throughput and start being traceability, return fraud, and whether the item can legally fly.
Electronics attract the swap: a buyer returns a different, broken, or older unit in your box. Without a recorded serial number on the way out, you have no way to prove it and you eat the loss.
Lithium-ion cells are regulated dangerous goods in air transport, with rules on state of charge, packaging and labeling. Ground parcel is treated differently from air, and the rules are not optional.
Bare boards and components need anti-static handling. Consumer-packaged electronics are more forgiving, but drop damage on a sealed unit still becomes a customer-facing fault.
Electronics lose value on a clock, not on a shelf. Holding stock for a year costs you far more in price erosion than it does in storage.
For electronics we record the serial or IMEI of the unit that goes out against the order. When a return arrives, we check the serial on the returned unit against what shipped. If it does not match, you have evidence, and that single control is usually worth more than everything else on this page combined.
Returned units are tested to your specification before being regraded. An electronics return is rarely a simple resell: it is either sellable as new, sellable as used, or it is not sellable, and guessing wrong puts a faulty unit in front of a customer.
On batteries, we handle consumer electronics with installed and contained lithium cells under the applicable ground and air shipping rules, including correct packaging and labeling. Where a product falls into a class that needs a certified hazmat facility or specialist carrier handling, we tell you that before you ship it to us rather than after.
Lithium battery shipping is genuinely regulated, and it is an area where vague reassurance from a 3PL should worry you. Products with cells installed in equipment, cells packed with equipment, and loose cells shipped on their own are treated differently, and air freight is far more restrictive than ground.
Our position is simple: send us the product details and the battery specification before you commit, and we will tell you plainly whether we can ship it, under what constraints, and whether you need a hazmat-certified specialist instead. Amazon has its own additional requirements on battery-containing products that sit on top of carrier rules.
Our guide on CPSC and hazmat requirements covers the Amazon side of this in more detail.
Storage at $0.50 per cubic foot is almost irrelevant to an electronics seller. Price erosion is not. A model that was competitive in March is discounted by August and clearance by Christmas, so the cost of holding stock is mostly the value it loses while held.
That argues for tighter inbound quantities and faster turns rather than the bulk-buy logic that works in low-value categories. It also argues for keeping stock merchant-fulfilled and flexible rather than committed to FBA inbounds months ahead, because you can reprice and move stock you still physically control.
Price decay on an electronics SKU usually costs more per month than the warehouse space it occupies. Model that, not the storage line.
Every return needs a functional check before resale. Budget for the test, not just the restock.
One prevented swap fraud on a high-value unit can cover a year of the control that caught it.
Yes, for electronics we capture the serial or IMEI of the specific unit shipped against each order, and check it on any return. It is the only reliable defence against a swapped-unit return.
Consumer electronics with contained or installed lithium cells, yes, under the applicable ground and air rules with correct packaging and labeling. Send us the battery specification first: if your product needs a hazmat-certified facility or specialist carrier, we will tell you rather than guess.
Yes, to your specification. We grade each return as sellable new, sellable used, or not sellable, rather than assuming a sealed-looking box is fine.
For bare boards and components, yes. Most consumer-packaged electronics do not need it, but we will follow your handling spec where it applies.
It depends on turn speed. Fast-moving models often do well in FBA. Anything where you expect to reprice, bundle or clear stock benefits from keeping it merchant-fulfilled so you still physically control it.
Itemised quote in two minutes. $0.75/unit prep, $0.50/cu.ft storage, no minimums.
Get a quote →21 steps from idea to first US sale. Free PDF.
On its way!
Check your inbox — your PDF is heading there now.