The Amazon prep service is optional for most sellers. However, if you plan to use the FBA (Fulfilment by Amazon) program, it’s a good idea to take advantage of their prep services. This will help ensure that your products are ready to go when they arrive at one of Amazon’s fulfilment centers.
Amazon Prep
There are two ways to send items in for prep: you can either do it yourself or have Amazon do it for you. If you choose to have Amazon do the prep work, there is a per-unit fee associated with the service. Keep in mind that not all products are eligible for prep and certain categories of products require additional preparation steps.
Products that are sent in for prep must be packaged appropriately and meet certain labeling requirements. You can find more information about prep requirements on the Amazon Prep Services page
If you’re not sure whether your products are eligible for prep or if you have any other questions, contact Amazon’s Prep Service team for assistance. They’ll be happy to help!
Prep it yourself
If you choose to do the prep work yourself, make sure you follow all the necessary guidelines. Failing to properly prepare your items could result in them being rejected by Amazon and returned to you. So, it’s definitely worth taking the time to learn what needs to be done before sending anything in.
In either case, it’s important to plan ahead and give yourself enough time for preparation. The process can take a few days (or even weeks) so don’t wait until the last minute!
Here are some tips to get started:
- Look up Amazon’s Prep Services page for more information about what needs to be done. If you’re unsure of what exactly needs to be done, contact them directly with your questions!
- Make sure that all products meet labeling requirements before sending anything in by looking through their guidelines online or contacting an agent who can assist if needed.
- Check out FBA prep videos on YouTube (there are tons) like this one so that you know how to properly package everything up according to Amazon’s standards.
- Get a quote from Amazon for shipping costs based on where your inventory is located at right now versus where it will need to be shipped off too once ready – this way there won’t be any surprises when it comes time to ship out!
Once an item is sent into Amazon, it’s available for next-day shipping and then the 24-28 business days will start.
After you know all of that, making a plan on how to send everything in as fast as possible is key. This way, you can focus on getting everything the next day and shipped out.
Here at OFEX, we have first-hand experience in Amazon prep and we know how stringent and meticulous the process is. This is why we make sure that we meet the standard and this, in turn, makes our customers happy. We have one particular customer who had to go through three other fulfilment houses before reaching our doors simply because we got the Amazon prep to the T. So choosing the right fulfilment house is also necessary if you don’t want to spend so much time on the process. Read more about the considerations when it comes to picking the right order fulfilment house for your business in this blog post.
OFEX are the Order Fulfilment Experts. We provide an efficient, transparent service in order to take the stress of order fulfilment out of your hands. After all, the more time you have, the more opportunity you have to grow your business. If you’re interested in the order fulfilment opportunities OFEX can offer your business, contact us today. If you’re still not quite sure about making the move to outsource your fulfilment, OFEX is offering a free trial, so you can experience the benefits for free, risk-free.
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