EDI Requirements

Five Below EDI Requirements

Five Below is a high-velocity value/discount retailer selling to teens and tweens, mostly at fixed low price points (with the higher-priced Five Beyond assortment on top). That model means large, fast-turning SKU counts flowing through regional DCs, so EDI on ANSI X12 is expected for domestic vendors, and the 856/ASN tied to accurate GS1-128 labeling is the most compliance-sensitive document. Import/direct-import and drop-ship vendors follow their own program rules.

Required EDI documents

Document	Name	Notes
EDI 850	Purchase Order	DC orders
EDI 855	PO Acknowledgment
EDI 856	Advance Ship Notice (ASN)	most compliance-sensitive; GS1-128/SSCC must match exactly
EDI 810	Invoice	must reconcile to the PO and ASN
EDI 860	PO Change	conditional
EDI 852	Product Activity Data	conditional
EDI 846	Inventory Advice	conditional / program-dependent
EDI 997	Functional Acknowledgment	required for all transmissions

Labeling & packaging

GS1-128 (formerly UCC-128) carton/shipping labels with a unique SSCC-18; the SSCC-18 in each pack-level loop of the 856 must match the physical barcode exactly.
GS1-licensed GTINs/UPCs required for accurate product identification.
Label placement, pallet configuration, and approved carriers are governed by Five Below’s routing guide — confirm the current version in the vendor portal before shipping.

Connection & portal

AS2 for direct connection, or an approved VAN; ANSI X12. Providers such as SPS Commerce, Cleo, and TrueCommerce commonly broker connectivity (SPS is a widely used option for Five Below vendors).
The Five Below vendor portal handles certification, item/vendor setup, and day-to-day compliance visibility, working alongside EDI rather than replacing it.

Onboarding & testing

Reported at roughly 2–4 weeks before production cutover, though the window is partner-controlled and custom or ERP-native builds can run longer. Sequence: vendor setup + portal registration → choose provider and AS2/VAN → mapping → certification testing on each document type → go live.

Compliance & chargebacks

• Vendor scorecard tracks EDI accuracy, on-time delivery, and label/ASN compliance; reported chargeback exposure is medium, with deductions concentrated on ASN and labeling non-compliance (third-party characterization — the fee schedule sits behind the vendor portal).
• ASN/label defects and PO-to-ASN-to-invoice mismatches are the most common reported deduction triggers — confirm exact figures in Five Below’s current routing guide and your vendor agreement.
• Routing-guide compliance for DC delivery (approved carriers, appointment/receiving windows) is enforced; a non-compliant routing or carrier is reported to draw a chargeback.

Worth knowing

• Value/discount model at fixed low price points means high SKU velocity and large POs — small per-carton error rates scale into real deduction dollars.
• Three vendor lanes — domestic, import/direct-import, and drop-ship — carry different requirements; confirm which program applies before mapping.
• Direct-import vendors ship against Five Below’s import program terms rather than standard domestic DC routing — the routing guide and document set can differ.

How EndlessEDI helps with Five Below

At Five Below’s volumes a small per-carton error rate becomes real deduction dollars fast. EndlessEDI builds 856s from pick/pack data with SSCCs that match the label and reconciles PO, ASN, and invoice across whichever lane you’re on — domestic, import, or drop-ship.

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Five Below EDI FAQ

What EDI documents does Five Below require?

Core documents are the 850 (PO), 855 (PO acknowledgment), 856 (ASN), 810 (invoice), and 997, with 860/852/846 conditional by program. The 856 with matching GS1-128/SSCC labels and an invoice that reconciles to the PO and ASN are the most compliance-sensitive pieces.

How do I connect to Five Below for EDI?

Five Below uses ANSI X12 over AS2 or an approved VAN, with a vendor portal for certification, setup, and compliance visibility. Many vendors connect through a provider such as SPS Commerce; certification testing on each document type is required before go-live.

What triggers Five Below chargebacks?

Reported deductions cluster around ASN errors, GS1-128/SSCC labeling defects, PO-to-ASN-to-invoice mismatches, and routing-guide violations for DC delivery. Exposure is characterized as medium by third parties — confirm current figures in Five Below’s routing guide and your vendor agreement.

EDI requirements and penalty schedules change and vary by program. Figures marked “reported” come from third-party sources, not the retailer’s published fee schedule — always confirm against the retailer’s current routing guide and your vendor agreement.