This post will teach you how to prepare products for Amazon FBA. Preparing products can be a difficult task becasue each products category has a different set of rules that must be followed or else Amazon reserves the right to refuse or destry your inventory immediately upon arrival. This post will show you step by step on how to prepare your products yourself. Preparing products can be a complicated process, you need the right supplies and space to package properly, and it takes time to package the products for Amazon which could be used for more important things like sales, marketing, and product development. This post outlines each steps to properly package a product for Amazon FBA.

Designate Product For Amazon FBA When Listing

For this example, I am going to show you how to prepare a bottle opener from the kitchen accessories category. This listing is very basic with no restrictions. The product preparation begins after you complete a listing for adding a product to the Amazon catalog. Make sure under the “Offer” tab, you select for the shipping method: “I want Amazon to ship and provide customer service for my items they sell.”

Once the listing is complete, hit the save and finish button. You will then be directed to the Manage FBA Shipments – Shipping Queue section.

Shipping Plan

You are now in the Manage FBA Shipments section. At this point you have a few different options: shipping plan, packing type, and ship from Address. Since this is a new shipment we are going to designate a “Create new shipping plan” and “Individual Products”. Click continue to shipping plan.

Set Quantity

The next section asks you how many shipments you plan on sending to Amazon. We are going to send in 10 units, or however many you plan on sending to Amazon. Then hit continue.

Prepare Products for Shipment

Under the prepare products section. Amazon will ask who is doing the prepping. Since we are preparing the products ourselves, we will designate “Merchant” for who preps.

Labeling Products

The next section is where you print labels to be applied to the product. The label contains a barcode and title of the SKU that is being prepared. The default label paper to be printed on is a 30-up labels 1” x 2-⅝” on US Letter. Clicking on the print labels for this page will generate a PDF for the number of labels that are printed. If the product you are selling is in a retail package, you can place the UPC sticker right on the package. Make sure that any other barcode is covered.

If the product you are sending does not have a retail package, it needs to be put into a bag or a box, and then apply the sticker to the bag or box. For the smallest products, I recommend using a poly bag. It is the most cost effective solution for a non-value added piece of the product.

Review Shipments

The next section is where you review your shipments. Amazon wants their products spread to different fulfillment centers so they can fulfill their products within 2 days for Prime customers. So, they will tell you to send different amounts to different fulfillment centers. For example, with sending 100 units, Amazon is telling me to send 28 units to Middleton, DE; 23 units to Tracy, CA; and 49 units to Murfreesboro, TN.

This means that the one shipment of 100 units will now become 3 shipments with different quantities to each place. Once you hit “Approve Shipments,” you will then be able to work on each shipment individually.

Work on Shipment

To work on shipment, all you need to do is put the amount of units it asks for in a box.

When it is complete with the correct number, measure the box’s dimensions and weigh the box. Input these numbers in the correct field. Once it is correct it will ask you to purchase a shipping label. I recommend using the Amazon Partnered service UPS. They will offset part of the cost making it cheaper for you and allow you to retain a higher margin per product. On the next page, be sure to hit “Mark as Shipped.”

Drop off Package

Drop off the package at your closest UPS store. The postage is already paid for and will be billed through your Amazon account so you just need to put the package on the desk and the UPS associate will take care of the rest.

Wait For Amazon to Receive Product

It will take anywhere from 1-2 weeks for Amazon to receive your product, depending on the size of your box, time of year, and distance from destination. Once it arrives, Amazon will accept it into their system. You will receive a confirmation email that your products have arrived. At this point, your products are live on Amazon and are Prime Eligible.

This process of how to prepare products for FBA can be complicated depending on what you send and the amount you send in. Leave a comment if you have any questions on the process.