Prep Requirements
Also known as: FBA Prep, Prep Guidance
Prep requirements are Amazon's rules for how units must be packaged, bagged, labeled, or protected before being sent into FBA so they arrive sellable and safe.
FBA prep requirements specify the physical preparation each unit needs before it enters a fulfillment center: poly-bagging with a suffocation warning, bubble wrap for fragile items, taping for liquids, opaque bagging for adult products, "sold as set" labeling for multipacks, and an FNSKU label on every unit so Amazon can track it.
Getting prep wrong has direct costs. Non-compliant units can be refused, trigger an Amazon unplanned-prep service fee (Amazon does the prep and bills you), or be damaged in transit and become unsellable. Some product types — liquids, powders, sharp items, and those with hazmat components — have mandatory prep that cannot be skipped.
Sellers either prep in-house, use a third-party prep center between the supplier and Amazon, or pay Amazon's FBA Prep Service. Correct prep is what keeps inbound shipments from generating discrepancies, stranded units, or unplanned-service charges, so it is checked as part of building any inbound shipment.
A seller ships glass jars to FBA without bubble wrap. Several arrive broken and unsellable, and Amazon applies an unplanned-prep fee to bag the rest — costs avoided by following the bubble-wrap prep requirement up front.