Amazon FBA prep in China means your units are labelled, bagged, boxed and checked at a warehouse in China, so they arrive at Amazon ready to sell. Since 1 January 2026, Amazon no longer offers its own prep and item labelling service for the US marketplace. Every unit you send to a US fulfillment center has to arrive fully prepped. For most private label sellers, the most cost-effective and safest place to do that is before the goods leave China, not after they land.
This guide explains what FBA prep covers, why doing it in China beats a prep center at home for most private label sellers, what can go wrong, and a checklist you can send to your supplier or agent today.
What changed: Amazon stopped prepping US inventory
For years, sellers could pay Amazon a per-unit fee to apply FNSKU labels or polybag items at the fulfillment center. Amazon announced in July 2025 that this service would end for the US marketplace on 1 January 2026. The change covers inventory sent directly to FBA and inventory that reaches FBA through Amazon's own inbound programs.
In practice that leaves three options:
- Your factory does the prep. Possible, but many factories do not know Amazon's packaging rules and rarely check their own work.
- A prep centre in the destination country. Reliable, but you pay to ship goods there first, pay local labour rates, then pay again to send them on to Amazon.
- Your sourcing or fulfillment agent in China does it. The goods are prepped and inspected in one place, right after production, before you pay for international freight.
Other Amazon marketplaces still have their own rules and fees, so always check the current requirements in Seller Central for the marketplace you sell in. The principle stays the same everywhere: stock that arrives unprepped gets delayed, relabelled at a cost, or refused.
What Amazon FBA prep includes
Prep is everything that makes a unit scannable, safe to store and safe to ship inside Amazon's network. The core tasks are:
| Prep task | What it means | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| FNSKU labelling | Amazon's barcode on each unit (unless you sell with manufacturer barcodes) | Label covers a seam, wraps around a corner or sits next to the factory barcode |
| Polybagging | Loose, soft or dusty items go in a sealed bag | Bag too thin, not sealed, or missing the warning text |
| Suffocation warning | Required on polybags with a large opening | Warning printed too small or left off entirely |
| Bubble wrap / protection | Fragile items must survive a drop test | Glass and ceramics shipped in a thin retail box |
| Sets and bundles | Items sold together must be packed together and marked as a set | Bundle parts shipped loose, so Amazon scans them as separate units |
| Master carton labels | Each carton carries its own shipment label | Labels on the seam, or one label for a pallet of mixed cartons |
| Carton contents | Count and weight per carton match what you declared | Factory packs 48 units in a carton declared as 50 |
None of this is difficult. The problem is that it is easy to get slightly wrong, and slightly wrong is enough for a receiving delay.
Why Amazon FBA prep in China usually wins
You fix problems before you pay for freight
If a factory sends the wrong colour, a scratched batch or 20 units short, you want to know before the cartons are on a ship or a plane. When prep and inspection happen in the same warehouse in China, every unit is handled once, checked and labelled in the same step. A problem found in China costs a phone call and a reorder. The same problem found at Amazon costs freight both ways or a write-off.
One handling step instead of two
A prep centre at home means your goods travel China → prep centre → Amazon. Prep in China means China → Amazon. One fewer leg, one fewer receiving appointment, one fewer place where cartons get lost or counted wrong.
Labour and materials cost less at the source
Polybags, suffocation labels, bubble wrap and printed FNSKU labels are produced in China anyway. Applying them next to the factory avoids paying higher hourly rates for the same work later. If you want to see how agent fees are usually structured, our China sourcing agent fees breakdown walks through the common models.
Your agent sees the product before your customers do
For a private label brand, the real value is not the label. It is the second pair of eyes. An agent that preps your stock also opens the cartons, checks the units against your approved sample and tells you about defects with photos. That protects your reviews, not just your inbound shipment.
Step by step: how FBA prep in China works
- Create the shipment plan in Seller Central. Decide quantities per SKU and download the FNSKU labels and carton labels Amazon generates for you.
- Send your agent the prep instructions. Per SKU: FNSKU file, whether it needs a polybag, any protection, set or bundle rules, units per carton and maximum carton weight.
- Goods arrive from the factory. The agent counts every carton against the purchase order and flags shortages straight away.
- Inspection. Units are checked against your approved sample: right variant, no damage, working function, correct packaging. Failed units are photographed and held until you decide.
- Prep. FNSKU labels go on a flat, scannable surface. The factory barcode is covered if it could be scanned by mistake. Items are bagged, wrapped or bundled as required.
- Cartons packed and labelled. Units per carton and carton weight match the shipment plan. Each carton gets its own label on a flat side, away from seams.
- Photos and packing list. Ask for photos of labelled units and sealed cartons plus a final packing list before anything ships.
- Freight to the fulfillment center. The goods ship by the route you choose. Make sure your terms cover import duties and customs clearance: our guide to DDP shipping from China explains how that works.
What goes wrong (and how to prevent it)
The factory barcode gets scanned instead of the FNSKU. If both are visible, the fulfillment center may scan the wrong one. Cover the factory barcode or make sure only one scannable code is visible.
Units per carton do not match the plan. This is one of the most common receiving problems. Count at the warehouse, not at the factory, and send the final count to Seller Central before the cartons ship.
Labels peel off in transit. Cheap thermal labels on glossy boxes or soft bags lift after a few weeks at sea. Ask for labels that suit the surface and check a few units after a day.
Customs paperwork does not match the cartons. Wrong product descriptions or values cause delays long before the goods reach Amazon. We cover the usual errors in customs declaration mistakes to avoid.
Bundles split apart. If a set is not clearly packed and marked as one unit, Amazon may receive it as separate items. Seal sets in one bag or box with one FNSKU on the outside.
FBA prep checklist to send your agent
Copy this list into your next order:
- FNSKU label file per SKU, with the correct label size
- Factory barcodes covered or removed
- Polybag rule per SKU, including suffocation warning where required
- Protection rule for fragile items (bubble wrap, inner box)
- Set and bundle rules, with one FNSKU per set
- Units per carton and maximum carton weight
- Carton label placement: flat side, not on seams
- Inspection standard: approved sample photos and what counts as a defect
- Photo report of labelled units and sealed cartons before shipping
- Final packing list matched to the Seller Central shipment plan
Selling on Bol.com as well?
The same logic applies to Bol.com LVB depots, with different rules: EAN placement, packaging and exact quantities. If you sell on both platforms, prep both in China from the same stock. Our guide on sourcing from China for Bol.com without rejections covers the LVB side.
How Prime Scale Fulfillment handles FBA prep
We source, inspect and prep your products at our warehouse in China and ship them to any Amazon FBA warehouse. That includes FNSKU labelling to Amazon's specification, polybagging with suffocation labels, master carton labelling and count verification. You keep one contact for sourcing, quality control and prep. See our China sourcing service for the full picture, or check how our pricing works.
Want your next Amazon shipment prepped before it leaves China? Get a free quote and tell us your SKUs and quantities.
FAQ
Does Amazon still prep FBA inventory?
Not in the US. Amazon ended its prep and item labelling service for the US marketplace on 1 January 2026, so units must arrive fully prepped. Other marketplaces have their own rules, so check Seller Central for the marketplace you sell in.
Can FBA prep be done in China?
Yes. A sourcing or fulfillment agent in China can apply FNSKU labels, polybag items, add suffocation warnings and label master cartons before the goods ship. Doing it there means problems are found before you pay for international freight.
Is FBA prep in China cheaper than a prep centre at home?
Usually, because the goods are handled once instead of twice and materials and labour cost less at the source. The exact saving depends on your product, volume and shipping route, so compare quotes per unit.
What is a common cause of FBA receiving delays?
A frequent cause is a mismatch between the units in a carton and the quantity in the shipment plan. Counting at the warehouse in China and updating the plan before shipping prevents most of these issues.
Can one agent prep stock for both Amazon and Bol.com?
Yes. The labels and packaging rules differ per platform, but one agent can source, inspect and prep both from the same stock in China.