A List of Essential FBA Prep Services and How They Work

by Brian M. China Warehouse

While Amazon's FBA program simplifies order fulfillment, preparing your inventory for it can be a complex task. Strict requirements ensure smooth operations and protect both Amazon and its customers.

Here's a breakdown of the key steps involved in prep for FBA:

1. Inspect and verify inventory:

Before shipping, carefully inspect your products for damage or missing items. This not only prevents financial loss, but also ensures customer satisfaction. Make sure the number of units you ship matches what Amazon expects to receive and list online.

2. Pack for protection:

Select appropriate dunnage materials (bubble wrap, packing peanuts, etc.) based on the needs of your product. Amazon requires packages to pass a three-foot drop test to ensure product integrity during shipping. Consider overboxing or custom packaging for particularly fragile items.

3. Polybag for efficiency:

Polybags offer a lightweight, space-saving alternative to boxes for appropriate products. They can reduce shipping costs while ensuring that your items don't need extra protection. Amazon has specific polybag criteria: minimum thickness of 1.5 mil, minimum opening of 5 inches, transparency, and barcoding for most products. Suffocation warnings of a certain size are also required.

4. Proper Labeling for Compliance:

Apply mandatory labels such as choking warnings or expiration dates to your packages. Remove retail stickers such as price tags to avoid confusion and maintain a professional appearance. This seemingly small step will ensure FBA approval and a positive customer experience. Avoid delays by ensuring all required labels are present.

5. FNSKU Labeling: Your Unique Identification

Amazon assigns a unique Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit (FNSKU) code to each seller's products. Unlike UPCs (which identify the manufacturer), FNSKUs prevent inventory commingling (mixing your products with others), protecting you from potential problems such as counterfeit or damaged goods associated with another seller. FNSKUs must be clearly displayed on your packages, covering any existing UPCs or labels. While you can apply them yourself, Amazon or a third-party logistics provider (3PL) can do this for a fee.

6. Kitting and Bundling for Sales Strategy

Offering multipacks or bundles can increase your product's visibility on Amazon. This strategy allows you to create new, competitive listings (ASINs) and incentivize bulk purchases. However, kitting and bundling requires additional inventory, planning, and adherence to Amazon's specific packaging guidelines. Ensure that individual barcodes within kits are not visible; only the overall bundle barcode is displayed. "Sold as a set" or "do not separate" labels are required to avoid confusion during FBA processing.

7. Variety Packs: Expand Your Offerings

Similar to kits and bundles, variety packs allow you to sell a selection of your products together. While bundles typically combine related items, variety packs can offer different flavors or new product introductions. Pre-packaging and clear labeling are essential. For food-related variety packs, additional guidelines specify the number of items allowed and how to determine the appropriate expiration date.

8. Custom Packaging for Brand Reinforcement

While Amazon discourages promoting external channels (including your website) on product packaging, there is some flexibility with product inserts. You can use these to express gratitude, provide warranty information, or encourage product reviews (while maintaining neutrality). Product inserts help reinforce your brand identity and ensure that customers remember you, not just Amazon. Include them in your FBA shipments because Amazon doesn't do this for free.

The bottom line: Partnering for Efficiency

There are many nuances to preparing for FBA, and this guide only scratches the surface. Consider working with a reputable FBA prep service provider like Easy China Warehouse to streamline the process. Their expertise in Amazon standards will save you time and energy, allowing you to focus on growing your business.