The FBA prep requirements checklist, from unit label to pallet.

Amazon FBA prep is what must be true about a unit, a carton and a pallet before a fulfillment center will receive it: one scannable barcode per unit, a bag or bubble wrap where the product needs it, an expiration date in Amazon's format where the product has one, and cartons and pallets inside Amazon's size, weight and label rules. Since January 1, 2026 Amazon no longer preps or labels units for US FBA shipments, so the work happens before the truck is booked. This checklist is built from Amazon's own Seller Central pages, each checked in October 2026.

What Amazon changed in 2026

Two changes moved prep onto your side of the dock. The FBA Prep Service page, checked in October 2026, says that for shipments created from January 1, 2026 Amazon no longer offers prep or item labeling in the US store, including inventory routed through AWD, AGL, Amazon SEND or Supply Chain Portal, and that such a shipment arriving without proper prep and labels is not eligible for reimbursement if it is damaged or untraceable. Amazon's own seller guide to prep, published July 2026, lists no Amazon prep option at all.

The second change ended commingling. The FBA barcode choice and labeling FAQ, checked in October 2026, says that as of March 31, 2026 brand owners with the Brand Representative role in Brand Registry can ship on manufacturer barcodes without stickers, while resellers must apply Amazon barcodes even when a UPC is printed on the product. Reseller stock arriving without them is treated as defective, stickered by Amazon, reported on the Inbound Performance Dashboard and not eligible for reimbursement. If your prep instructions predate 2026, rewrite them.

Unit barcodes: FNSKU or manufacturer barcode

Every unit needs one scannable barcode on the outside, and only one. Use manufacturer barcodes for FBA, checked in October 2026, lets you ship on the printed UPC, EAN or ISBN only when the product is new, the barcode matches a single ASIN, and the brand is in Brand Registry with you as brand representative and the product registered to it. Everything else gets an Amazon barcode, the FNSKU label, and the product packaging requirements want a different FNSKU for every size, color and condition.

The label spec is on Use Amazon barcodes for FBA, checked in October 2026: black ink on white, non-reflective, removable-adhesive stock between 1 x 2 and 2 x 3 inches, from a thermal or laser printer at 300 dots per inch or more, never inkjet, and readable for 24 months. It goes on a flat face, not a curve or corner, at least 0.25 inch from any edge, and it must still scan after the bag or bubble wrap goes on. Cover every other barcode except serial numbers and Transparency codes, and never cover a warning or safety label. In a case pack every unit carries its FNSKU and the case barcode comes off. A unit that arrives without its required Amazon barcode is marked defective and stickered by Amazon, and the page warns that placement mistakes can bring unplanned prep service fees.

Poly bags, suffocation warnings, bubble wrap and sets

Bag anything a leak or dust can damage, anything with loose parts, anything small, anything scented, and apparel, plush and textiles. The Bagging requirements, checked in October 2026, set the bag: at least 1.5 mil thick, completely sealed, transparent or with the barcode on the outside, and no more than three inches of bag past the product. A bag with an opening of 5 inches or more, measured flat, carries the suffocation warning in the exact wording on that page, printed on the bag or on a sticker, sized to the bag from 10 point on bags under 29 inches of length plus width to 24 point at 60 inches or more. Adult products take opaque bags with the barcode outside. Heat sealing counts as bagging.

Fragile, glass and ceramic units get bubble wrap and must pass the drop test described on Prepare your products for FBA shipping, checked in October 2026: five consecutive drops from 3 feet onto concrete, on the top, the bottom, the largest side, a bottom corner and the longest bottom edge, with no leak and no damage to the product. Amazon will not run the test for you. A unit that still fails after bubble wrap is over-boxed. Sharp items go in cut-resistant packaging, not bubble wrap, and the packaging page puts anything over 10 pounds, or sharp, in a double-wall box.

A bundle is a set. The same packaging page, checked in October 2026, wants the components sealed together so they cannot separate and marked with a label such as 'Sold as set' or 'This is a set. Do not separate.' Amazon receives the set as one unit, so its FNSKU goes on the outside of the sealed pack, and each component is prepped by its own rule first: two bottles sold together are each prepped as liquids, then labeled as a set.

Expiration dates: which products, what format, how much shelf life

Amazon treats more products as expiry-dated than most brands expect. Expiration dates on FBA products, checked in October 2026, covers anything with a printed expiry, use-by, sell-by or production date, all consumables and supplements, topical products such as creams, soaps and shampoos, and anything with a period-after-opening symbol, and it allows one expiry date per ASIN per carton. The packaging page, checked the same day, puts the date on the outer carton in 36-point or larger type and on every unit, says a lot number alone is not enough, and wants it on the outside of any bag or wrap.

Two of Amazon's pages disagree on day and month order as of October 2026. The packaging page says MM-DD-YYYY or MM-YYYY, and the expiration page lists DD-MM-YYYY as its preferred numeric format with MM-YYYY also accepted. Both accept month and year, which Amazon reads as the first of the month. Whatever is printed, the date typed into Send to Amazon must match the unit exactly, because a mismatch is logged as an expiration date defect. Shelf life is checked at the dock too: the product needs enough remaining life to be used up plus 90 days, so Amazon's own example is a 240-serving supplement that needs 330 days, and its guide table lists 270 days for beverages, 730 for herbal or mineral supplements and 900 for personal care and beauty. Stock that arrives expired is disposed of and cannot be sent back. Lot and expiry tracking is how you know which lot has the life Amazon wants before the replenishment is built.

Carton rules and the box ID label

Every carton to Amazon, parcel or pallet, follows the Shipping and routing requirements, checked in October 2026. The numbers are in the table below. Beyond them: a rigid six-sided box, items wrapped separately, old barcodes covered or blacked out, and a shake test on the sealed box with nothing moving. Bubble wrap, kraft paper, air pillows and foam sheeting are allowed; packing peanuts, foam strips, crinkle wrap, shredded paper and styrofoam are not. Amazon does not supply Team Lift or Mechanical Lift labels, so print your own. A case pack, per the packaging page, is one SKU and condition packed by the manufacturer with the same count in every carton; the dock scans one unit and shelves the box, and a master carton holding several case packs is not a case pack and gets broken down.

Then the label. The Shipping label requirements, checked in October 2026, give every carton its own FBA box ID label printed from the shipment workflow, never photocopied, on a flat face away from the seam, next to the carrier label with both left uncovered. Several case packs in one larger box get one box ID, on the outer box. A missing box ID label or wrong box content information can block future shipments and add a manual processing fee.

Pallet rules for LTL and truckload

Pallets follow Seller requirements for LTL, FTL, and FCL deliveries, checked in October 2026. Wood only, never plastic, cardboard or particle board; grocery on GMA 1A pallets only, and health, personal care and beauty on 1A or 1B. Brick-stack with the heavy cartons at the bottom, box ID labels facing out, nothing past the pallet edge, ASINs physically separated, and every carton from one shipment ID. Amazon prefers stackable pallets packed to about 50 inches so two stacked stay inside 100 inches, and a single pallet stops at 72 inches including the pallet. Clear stretch film holds the load to the pallet but must not be what keeps it standing, and it gets a 'Do not break stretch wrap' note for the carrier. Four FBA pallet labels go outside the wrap, one top center on each side, placed square, and a one-ASIN pallet is marked 'Single ASIN pallet'.

Paperwork is part of the prep. The Truckload delivery page, checked in October 2026, makes you responsible for the bill of lading with every Amazon reference ID and shipment ID, for giving the carrier those IDs and the PRO number so it can book a delivery appointment in advance, and for the approved RFID seal on a full truckload trailer with the seal number on the bill of lading. The Shipping and routing requirements add that a shipment without a dock appointment is refused. Book the truck last, after the labels exist and the pallets are built. How to send inventory to a 3PL runs the same order of operations for an inbound to a warehouse.

The FBA prep checklist

Run it top to bottom. The early items are listing settings, and a listing mistake repeats on every unit.

• Barcode setting decided per SKU: manufacturer barcode only as brand representative with the product registered to the brand, FNSKU for everything else.
• Expiration attributes set on every ASIN: expiration dated, expiration type, shelf life.
• Prep category confirmed in Send to Amazon step 1 for every SKU.
• FNSKU labels printed thermal or laser at 300 dots per inch or more, one FNSKU per size, color and condition.
• Label on a flat face, 0.25 inch from the edges, scannable after prep, every other barcode covered except serial and Transparency codes.
• Bags at least 1.5 mil, sealed, no more than three inches past the product, suffocation warning in Amazon's wording on any opening of 5 inches or more.
• Fragile units bubble-wrapped and drop-tested five times from 3 feet, over-boxed if they fail.
• Sets sealed, labeled 'Sold as set', one FNSKU outside, each component prepped by its own rule.
• Expiry date on every unit and on the carton in 36-point or larger, outside any prep, one date per ASIN per carton, shelf life to be used up plus 90 days.
• Cartons rigid, within 36 x 25 x 25 inches and 50 pounds, 2 inches of approved cushioning, shake test passed, old barcodes covered.
• Case packs one SKU and condition, equal counts, 150 units or fewer, master cartons broken down.
• FBA box ID label on every carton, printed from the shipment, never copied, flat face, clear of seams; box content information entered.
• Single-item cartons over 50 pounds labeled Team Lift, over 100 pounds Mechanical Lift, top and sides.
• Pallets wood 40 x 48, GMA B or higher, 1A for grocery, 1A or 1B for health and beauty, under 1,500 pounds, under 72 inches, flush, labels out, ASINs separated.
• Clear stretch wrap, four FBA pallet labels outside it, 'Single ASIN pallet' or 'Mixed SKU' where they apply.
• Bill of lading with every Amazon reference and shipment ID, carrier holding the PRO number and a booked dock appointment, RFID seal on a full truckload.
• Truck booked last, after labels are printed and pallets are built.

FBA prep at YNK, from the same stock as your DTC orders

Amazon FBA prep at YNK is labeling, bundling, and carton and pallet compliance to Amazon's current prep requirements, checked before the pallet leaves the dock. The stock comes from the same pool your Shopify, Amazon and TikTok Shop orders draw on, so a replenishment is a pick from inventory already on our shelves, not a second inventory somewhere else. Amazon FBM orders ship from the same floor on the same 12pm ET cutoff as your Shopify orders.

It starts at receiving. Inventory arrives at 465 Mola Blvd, Dock 10, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407 and is scanned to stock, and for supplements, gummies, beverage and food-grade goods the lot and expiry are captured at receiving, so we know which lot has the shelf life Amazon wants before the replenishment is built. Standing kits are set up once in the WMS and picked like any SKU. A one-off project such as relabeling or re-kitting a season of stock runs as special-project labor, $35 per hour as an estimate, with receiving billed hourly and packaging billed as used; your exact rates are confirmed in your quote. If you want us to arrange the truck, freight brokerage is available. Deciding between FBA, a 3PL or both is covered in 3PL versus Amazon FBA. The 3PL intake takes about ten minutes; an operator replies within one business day and the proposal follows within five.

Questions brands ask about FBA prep