The FBA inbound process, in short
Sending stock to Amazon FBA follows a clear sequence: source your products, prepare them to Amazon's standards, create a shipping plan in Seller Central, pack and label your boxes, choose a carrier, and ship to the assigned fulfilment centre. Get each step right and your products go live within days, get it wrong and you're looking at delays, rejected shipments, and compliance fees eating into your margin.
This guide walks through every stage, whether you're shipping your first box of 50 units or scaling to thousands, and covers where a prep centre fits in and how much complexity it can take off your hands.
Before you ship: what you need ready
- ◆An active Seller Central account with FBA enabled, in good standing with no restrictions.
- ◆Product listings created, matched to an existing ASIN or newly created, and set to Fulfilled by Amazon in your inventory settings.
- ◆FNSKU labels generated once a listing is set to FBA, printed and applied to every unit, covering any existing barcode. A prep centre handles this step for you.
- ◆Prep materials such as poly bags with suffocation warnings where required, bubble wrap for fragile items, “Sold as Set” stickers for bundles, and Amazon-compliant shipping boxes.
Step-by-step: creating your FBA shipment
Create a shipping plan
In Seller Central, go to Inventory > Manage FBA Shipments > Create New Shipping Plan, select your products and quantities, and set your ship-from address, either your own address or your prep centre's.
Confirm prep and labelling requirements
Amazon shows what prep each item needs. Choose “Merchant” for labelling rather than paying Amazon to do it, Amazon's own labelling service costs significantly more per unit.
Review shipment splits
Amazon may split your inventory across multiple fulfilment centres to optimise delivery speed, this is normal and usually more cost-effective than paying for consolidated placement.
Print FNSKU labels
Download and print a scannable FNSKU label for every unit, covering the manufacturer's barcode. Using a prep centre means skipping this step entirely.
Prep and pack your products
Apply any required poly bagging or protective wrap, then pack into sturdy boxes within Amazon's size and weight limits, filling empty space with dunnage so nothing shifts in transit.
Print and apply box labels
Enter your box contents in Seller Central to generate a unique FBA Box ID label for each box, applied to the outside so warehouse staff know what's inside without opening it.
Choose a carrier and ship
Amazon's partnered carrier rates are usually the cheapest for small parcels; larger shipments are typically palletised. Once shipped, enter your tracking information in Seller Central.
Always double-check that your box contents match exactly what you entered in Seller Central. A mismatch triggers an investigation that can delay your inventory going live by weeks. This is one of the main reasons sellers shipping any real volume use a prep centre, quantities are verified at every stage before they ever reach Amazon.
Amazon's box and packing requirements
| Requirement | What Amazon expects |
|---|---|
| Box size & weight | Standard boxes shouldn't exceed roughly 25 inches on any side or 50 lbs (23kg). Heavier items need a “Team Lift” or “Mechanical Lift” label and, over 100 lbs, palletisation. |
| Box quality | New or like-new corrugated boxes only, no thin, torn, or heavily taped boxes, Amazon's conveyor systems are rough on weak packaging. |
| Packing inside the box | Items shouldn't move freely, fill empty space with clean dunnage (no loose-fill peanuts, which Amazon bans), and every FNSKU label must be scannable without unpacking. |
| Box labels | One unique FBA Box ID label per box, placed on a flat surface, fully scannable, with any old shipping labels removed or covered. |
| Palletised shipments | Standard UK or Euro pallets, evenly stacked with no overhang, securely wrapped, and labelled on all four sides. |
Common mistakes that delay a shipment
- ◆Incorrect FNSKU labels — wrong barcode, upside-down labels, or an uncovered manufacturer barcode can cause your stock to get mixed up with another seller's.
- ◆Box content mismatch — what you tell Seller Central is in the box must match what's physically inside, repeated mismatches can restrict your shipping options.
- ◆Missing prep — sending items that needed poly bagging or bubble wrap without it triggers non-compliance charges, and Amazon's own prep service costs more than doing it right upfront.
- ◆Shipping to the wrong fulfilment centre — each shipment is assigned a specific destination; sending it elsewhere means a rejected delivery and return shipping costs.
- ◆Expired shipping plans — plans have a shipping window, don't create one until you're genuinely ready to ship.
A prep centre with quality checks built into every stage, from receiving through to final labelling, largely removes these risks. See our comparison of prep centre vs DIY for more detail.
Choosing a carrier: your options in the UK
- ◆Amazon partnered carriers — discounted rates booked directly through Seller Central, usually the cheapest option for small parcel shipments.
- ◆Your own courier — more control over collection and delivery if you have a commercial account, though you'll enter tracking manually.
- ◆Pallet couriers — more cost-effective than individual parcels for larger shipments, typically from around four boxes upward.
- ◆Collection services — some prep centres, Precision included, offer collection direct from your supplier or home, saving you a step if you're not shipping directly to the warehouse yourself.
After you ship: what happens next
Once a carrier delivers your boxes, Amazon's warehouse checks them in and your shipment status moves through Shipped, Delivered, Checked In, Receiving, and finally Closed once everything is stowed. Your inventory goes live for purchase as soon as it's fully received, and if PPC campaigns are already running, your ads start appearing immediately.
If Amazon's received count doesn't match what you sent, you can open a reconciliation case in Seller Central using your original box-content records as evidence. Keeping a record of every shipment, what you sent, quantities per box, and photos of the packed boxes, is invaluable if you ever need to dispute a discrepancy.
How a prep centre simplifies the whole process
Your supplier ships directly to our Atherstone warehouse, you never have to touch the stock yourself. We receive and inspect everything, prep every unit to Amazon's exact standards, FNSKU labels applied, poly bagging done, bundles assembled, boxes packed correctly, then create the shipping plan, book the carrier, apply box labels, and track delivery through to check-in. That leaves you free to focus on sourcing, listings, and advertising, while we handle the logistics. See our full cost breakdown for the numbers.