Prepare your products for FBA shipping

Some products require specific preparation so they arrive at Amazon fulfilment centres in the best condition. Prep guidance for many products is available in the Prepare products step as you create your shipment. You can also have Amazon do the prep for you for a per-item fee.

The shipment creation workflow allows you to create a shipment to our fulfilment centres in these six easy steps:

1. Set quantity for shipments to Amazon
2. Prepare your products for FBA shipping
3. Label your products
4. Review/view shipments to Amazon
5. Prepare shipment to Amazon
6. Summary of shipment process

FBA prep service

If you want Amazon to prepare your products for you, select Amazon in the Who preps? column. For more information about the per-item cost, refer to FBA Prep Service.

Even if you sign up for the FBA Prep Service, package your products so they will arrive safely at the fulfilment centre. Package fragile, glass and sharp items in such a way that they arrive intact and that fulfilment centre associates can handle them safely.

Prep required

The Prep required tab on the Prepare products page has guidance for items that have specific preparation requirements.

If you think the requirements for the product you have listed are not appropriate or essential, click on Investigate to start a review.

Prep requirements may include:

Poly bagging

Products that require poly bagging should be completely sealed in a clear polyethylene bag that is at least 1.5 mil (0.0254 mm) thick. Make sure the barcode can be scanned through the bag or place a barcode label on the outside.

Poly bagging may be required to:

• Prevent leaks or spills from damaging other items in the shipment – usually for liquids and powders
• Protect items from dust or dirt
• Prevent loose items from being separated, such as individual items being sold as a set

For more information about specific product categories that may require poly bagging, refer to:

Packaging pellets, powders and granular products

Packaging liquids, pastes, gels and creams

Packaging plush units

Packaging clothing, fabric and textiles

Packaging jewellery

Packaging small products

Packaging batteries

Packaging sharp products

Bubble wrap

Products that require bubble wrap must:

• Be tightly wrapped and taped shut so the product cannot fall out
• Have a scannable barcode label on the outside
• Be able to pass a 125 cm drop test on a hard surface without the contents breaking. A drop test consists of five drops:
  • Flat on the base
  • Flap on top
  • Flat on the longest side
  • Flat on the shortest side
  • On a corner

Bubble wrap may be required because the item is:

• Fragile and could be easily damaged during transit
• Heavy or dense and could damage other items during transit

For more information, refer to Packaging glass, ceramic, breakable and fragile units.

Overboxing

We may require overboxing when there are safety concerns over shipping and handling. Overboxing generally involves placing a prepared or packaged product in a box for added protection (even if the product is already boxed). For products over 10 lb (4.5 kg), use double-wall corrugated boxes for overboxing.

Overboxing is required for the following types of products:

• Sharp items that may puncture packaging materials
• Fragile items that failed a 125 cm drop test after bubble wrap was applied or that may be damaged during shipping and handling
• Hazardous liquids in glass containers over 125 ml
• Vinyl records

Tape

Products with this requirement need additional taping beyond what might normally be used to seal a box or poly bag or secure bubble wrap around an item.

Extra taping may be required if the item:

• Might fall out of its packaging if the container is not taped shut
• Might leak if the lid is not taped in place
• Needs tape to be fully sealed within the container

Prep may be required

Click on the Prep may be required tab to see products for which prep guidance is not available. This may be because the product has not been sent in before or has not been classified as having a specific prep requirement.

If you know the prep required for those products, click on Choose category in the Prep guidance column, and from the drop-down list select the prep category that best suits your product.

If your product does not require additional prep, you can select No prep required.

The prep categories are:

• Baby products: includes plush toys and other products for children 3 and under, such as teddy bears, dummies and baby bottles.
• Sharp : includes items that have sharp edges or are pointed, such as knives, scissors and some tools.
• Fragile/glass : includes items that can break or shatter, such as glassware, china and picture frames.
• Clothing, fabric, plush and textiles : includes products made of cloth or textiles, including clothing not on hangers, blankets and linens.
• Small: includes products smaller than 2⅛ inches (5.4 cm) on the longest side, such as jewellery, keyrings and flash drives.
• Adult: includes products displaying potentially offensive material, including explicit magazines and films.
• Liquids : includes liquids or gels of more than 125 ml in plastic bottles or jars, such as liquid soap, sprays and lotions. Treat liquids in glass bottles or jars as fragile.
• Powder, pellets and granular : includes powders, scented home products and powdered detergents.

Next steps

After you have reviewed all of the prep guidance, click on Continue.