How to Fix Box It Confusion in InventoryLab (List 2.0)

Jun 18 / Adinda Wardani
InventoryLab helps Amazon FBA sellers list, prepare, and ship inventory to fulfillment centers. One of the most common sticking points? The Box It stage, especially with the changes in List 2.0.
Whether you’re new to Amazon FBA or scaling your workflow with a team, the Box It stage can feel like a roadblock. Even experienced sellers sometimes get stuck or, worse, unknowingly submit shipments with preventable errors.

This article breaks down the most common problems in the Box It stage, explains how InventoryLab’s features work, and shares tips to help you stay compliant with Amazon’s evolving rules.

What Is the Box It Stage, and Why Is It Important?

In InventoryLab, Box It is the stage where you assign products (SKUs) to the physical boxes you’ll send to Amazon’s fulfillment centers. This stage ensures Amazon knows exactly what’s in each box, which is critical for faster check-in, fewer errors, and avoiding extra fees.

With the release of List 2.0, this stage now includes new workflow, helpful once you understand them, but might be confusing if you’re still in the habit of previous workflows.
Prefer to watch instead?
If you’re more of a visual learner, we’ve got you covered! Watch the YouTube video below for a step-by-step walkthrough.
Write your awesome label here.

Problem 1: What Even Are Pack Groups?

List 2.0 introduced Pack Groups, but not everyone knows when or why to use them. Pack Groups are how Amazon separates items based on what can legally and logistically be packed together. Some products can’t be grouped together due to differences in prep type, fulfillment center, destination, or weight limits, so not all SKUs can go in the same box. Pack Groups help organize these differences and guide the packing process.

As a result, not all SKUs can go in the same box. Pack Groups are automatically assigned in InventoryLab based on these factors to help keep your shipment compliant.
Here’s what you need to understand:  
  • You can’t manually create Pack Groups, but you’ll see them automatically applied during the Box Content step.
  • Each Pack Group represents a set of items that must be packed separately due to Amazon’s requirements.
  • If you ignore these groups or try to mix products that shouldn’t go together, you’ll likely run into errors or rejected shipments later.
What often confuses users is that Pack Groups aren’t just for visual organization, they’re critical to how InventoryLab builds your boxes and creates box-level content feeds for Amazon. Understanding what affects grouping helps you avoid surprises in the final packing step.
  • Pro Tip: While you can’t create Pack Groups manually, you can reduce confusion later by keeping similar SKUs together in the same batch (e.g., same prep type, fulfillment center, or product type). The more consistent your batch inputs, the more predictable your groupings and the smoother your Box Content step will be.

Problem 2: Confusion Around Amazon’s “5+ Equal Boxes” Rule

Amazon has updated its inbound shipping policy: to qualify for the Amazon-optimized inbound option (and avoid placement service fees), your shipment must include at least five identical boxes or pallets per item. 


This means:
  •  Each of the five boxes must contain the same SKUs in the same quantities. 
  •  If even one box is different, it no longer qualifies as “equal”
For example, if you’re sending in 5 boxes of a 24-unit case pack, each box must have exactly 24 units of the same product.
According to Amazon, to qualify for the Amazon-optimized inbound option with no inbound placement service fee, your shipment must include at least five identical cartons or pallets per item. Each carton or pallet must contain the same item mix and the same quantity per item.
See Amazon’s full inbound placement policy here
Common mistakes to watch for: 
Fix It: How to Meet the 5+ Equal Boxes Rule in InventoryLab
To stay compliant and save time, you can use two key tools in InventoryLab:
  • Copy Box 
If you’re packing mixed SKUs and already created one compliant box, use Copy Box to duplicate it with identical contents. This makes it easier to meet the 5-box minimum without rebuilding from scratch.
  • Quick Box
Another alternative feature to use to automatically generate 5 or more identical boxes with the same SKU, quantities, and dimensions. It’s ideal for case-packed shipments or large quantities of a single product.
  • Pro Tip: 
    • Ensure every copied box has exactly the same items, counts, and layout.
    • While you can enter box contents manually, Using Quick Box or Copy Box can save time and ensure consistency to avoid any change that breaks the “equal” status.
    • If you have fewer than five identical boxes, Amazon won’t apply optimized routing. Use standard packing instead. 
Even if the contents are visually the same, Amazon requires exact match in item count, weight, and label sequence. One small change can disqualify the whole shipment.

Problem 3: Workflow Stuck at the Box Content Step

Sometimes, workflow seems to get stuck in the Box It stage, refusing to move forward even when everything looks correct.
Here’s what might be causing it:
  • Not all SKUs are assigned to a box
Even one missing SKU can block the workflow. If a product isn’t fully assigned, the system won’t let you proceed.
  • Pro Tip: 
    Use the filter icon (three lines above the items table) and sort by Quantity → DESC to bring unboxed items to the top. It’s an easy way to spot what’s missing.
  • Empty or leftover boxes
If you’ve created boxes that don’t contain any SKUs, or forgot to delete unused boxes, that can trigger errors.
  • Glitches or browser freezes
Occasionally, the session can freeze or hang mid-process, especially if you’re switching tabs or using auto-fill extensions (e.g., ad blockers, autofill tools) that sometimes interfering with session saving.
  • Reopening a saved batch too soon
If the workflow was closed or submitted too quickly, reopening it might not refresh everything properly, causing a stuck state.
Quick Fix
If the workflow gets stuck, close the batch first, then head to List → History and use the Restore Workflow option to pick up where you left off.
If it’s still stuck or unresponsive, don’t be afraid to back out and re-create the workflow. Your product data is often still saved.

Problem 4: Label Mismatches

This is one of the most common (and confusing) moments during the shipping process.

You finish packing your boxes and assign SKUs in InventoryLab. You see Box 1, Box 2, Box 3 clearly in your Box Content section.

Then you print your shipping labels… and instead of “Box 1,” your labels say P1, P2, P3.

You’re left wondering:

Does Box 1 = P1? Or did something get mixed up?
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of what you’ll see in InventoryLab vs what you’ll get from Amazon:
Why It Happens
  • Box numbers in InventoryLab (Box 1, Box 2, etc.) are internal references to help you track which SKUs went into which box.
  • P1, P2, P3 are Pack Group identifiers. These labels correspond to the Pack Groups you created in InventoryLab. Once box contents are submitted to Amazon, each group is matched to a specific box for labeling.
  • If the box content isn’t submitted correctly, or if you made changes after submitting, these numbers can get out of sync.
What This Confusion Can Lead To
  • Mislabeled boxes (Box 2 accidentally gets P3 label)
  • Amazon thinking the box contents don’t match what was submitted
  • Receiving delays or stranded inventory
  • Wasted time repacking or reprinting labels
How to Fix and Avoid the Mix-up
To avoid issues, complete the entire Box It and Ship It process within InventoryLab; don’t switch back and forth with Seller Central unless absolutely necessary. When you’re ready, purchase your shipping labels directly from InventoryLab to automatically send the box content details to Amazon.

After printing, double-check that the contents of each box match the label. Box 1 should align with P1, Box 2 with P2, and so on. Don’t reorder or rename boxes after transmitting the information, as this can cause mismatches between your boxes and Amazon’s records.

If you’re ever unsure, try to print the label beforehand during the Box It stage. This will minimize confusion before moving to the next stage. 

Final Tip: Set Yourself Up for a Smooth Box Content Experience

The Box It stage can be tricky at first, but most issues boil down to a few core causes:
  • Not understanding Amazon’s 5+ equal box requirement
  • Skipping the logic behind auto-assigned Pack Groups
  • Editing boxes too late or across different systems
To avoid common issues, make sure you:
  • Batch similar SKUs together
  • Use Quick Box and Copy Box to maintain consistent packing
  • Complete the process inside InventoryLab without switching to Seller Central
You’ll avoid the vast majority of shipment issues and save yourself serious time and frustration.
Box It doesn’t have to be a bottleneck. With the right steps and the right tools you’ve got this!
If you still need help, reach out to InventoryLab Support at support@inventorylab.com and we’re happy to walk you through your workflow or help troubleshoot any stuck shipment.
You can also connect with other sellers in the InventoryLab Community here. It’s a great place to ask questions, get tips, and share what’s working.
You’re not the only one who’s ever been stuck at Box It and you don’t have to figure it out alone! 

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