How does FBA work?
What is FBA prep?
Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) has Packaging and prep requirements for products you ship to and store in Amazon fulfilment centres. Properly packaging and preparing units help to reduce delays in receiving time, protect your products while in our fulfilment centres, and create a better customer experience.
If you import goods from China, for example, and want Amazon to distribute them on your behalf in order to offer the most seamless experience, the goods need to be prepared in a specific way before they can get dispatched by Amazon. This means that you can’t just send a container to Amazon and expect them to handle it for you.
Who is FBA prep for?
Any business selling goods on the UK Amazon Marketplace. UK based and international businesses can both benefit from outsourcing the preparation of goods to a FBA prep specialist.
How does it work?
1) Receive, check and inspect your shipments When they receive your shipments, they quickly unpack it and inspects items to check for defects and missing items against your Amazon item list, as this could hurt your Amazon seller rating. They also verify the condition of the items and will inform you of any issues. Some FBA prep specialists also offer to take photos of your items for you to use on your listings if you need any.
2) Prep labels and bag products Amazon requires each item to be labelled with its own unique ASIN label and barcode, so FBA prep companies will take make sure all your products are in order. They also offer to bag, bundle and multipack items where needed.
3) Pack and dispatch goods to Amazon, ready for FBA Carefully packing your goods, arranging courier pickup, and promptly dispatching to Amazon FBA. You will be emailed the full shipment report once this has been done.
How much does it cost?
Here is the price list that Amazon offer for FBA prep. It's fairly more expensive than what you can find on Stowga but this gives you a price reference.
Looking for more?
Please make sure to let us know the extent of your requirements so that we can best match it against our supplier base and get you the best quote.
Some 3PLs also extra services, such as:
- Purchasing of packaging and shipping supplies
- Warehouse inventory management
- Multiple shipping options including pallets in FTL and LTL (Less Than Load)
- Processing of returns
- Forwarding inventory to Amazon
- Inserting marketing materials in packaging
- Bundling / multi-packing items
- Freight forwarding