1. Receive & Count
Freight or container arrives and every carton is counted against the packing list. Discrepancies are documented before anything gets labeled.
100% Owned Operation • Solar-Powered Green Warehouse • Vernon, CA
How Amazon FBA Prep Actually Works
Every unit you send to Amazon has to arrive labeled, packaged, and cartoned exactly the way Amazon expects. Here is the full process, in order, and what goes wrong at each step.
FNSKU labeling and barcode rules
Poly-bagging, bundling, and suffocation warnings
Carton labels, weight limits, and shipment plans
Why prep happens before freight leaves the warehouse
Prep Is Compliance Work, Not Packing Work
Amazon does not inspect your intent — it scans a barcode. If the FNSKU is wrong, the carton label is missing, or a set arrives loose, the shipment gets held, reworked at Amazon's per-unit rate, or refused outright. Prep exists to make that scan succeed the first time. Done correctly, it happens once, at the warehouse, before the freight ever moves. Done incorrectly, it becomes stranded inventory and a support case.
Many clients also pair this with Amazon FBA Prep LA, Amazon Fulfillment LA, and Amazon Prep Center CA.
2. Inspect
Units are checked for damage, correct model, and legible manufacturer barcodes. Damaged units are pulled out here, not discovered by a customer.
3. FNSKU Labeling
Each unit gets its Amazon FNSKU label applied over any manufacturer barcode so Amazon receives it against your account, not a commingled pool.
4. Prep Requirements
Poly-bagging with suffocation warnings, bundling with 'Sold as Set' labels, bubble wrap for fragile items, and taping or capping for liquids.
5. Cartonize & Label
Units are cased into cartons within Amazon's weight and dimension limits, and each carton gets its Amazon shipment label.
6. Palletize & Ship
Cartons are palletized to Amazon's stacking and height rules, the shipment plan is confirmed, and freight is booked to the assigned fulfillment centers.
Strategically Located Near the Port of Long Beach
Our Vernon, CA warehouse is just minutes from the Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles — the two busiest container ports in the Western Hemisphere. This location advantage means faster container drayage, lower transportation costs, and quicker time-to-shelf for your products.
- 30 minutes from Port of Long Beach
- 30 minutes from LAX Airport
- Direct freeway access (I-710, I-5, SR-60)
- Central to all Southern California distribution routes
Why Port Proximity Changes FBA Prep Economics
Most FBA inventory arrives in an import container. Every day that container sits at the terminal accrues demurrage, and every day the chassis sits accrues per diem. A prep center close to the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles can take a live unload the day the container is available, which removes that clock entirely.
Our Vernon, CA facility sits roughly 30 minutes from both ports. Containers unload the same day, units move straight into prep, and FBA shipments leave without an intermediate storage hop or a second drayage move.
The Mistakes That Cost Sellers the Most
The expensive failures are boring: a manufacturer barcode left visible next to the FNSKU, cartons over Amazon's weight limit, a shipment quantity that does not match the plan, or a set shipped without a do-not-separate label. Each one triggers either an unplanned prep fee, a receiving delay, or a reconciliation case.
A prep partner that reviews the shipment plan before printing labels catches nearly all of them. Ask any prep center who reviews the plan, what their rework rate is, and what happens if a shipment is rejected.
Running FBA and DTC From One Inventory Pool
Splitting inventory between an FBA prep vendor and a separate DTC fulfillment provider means paying freight twice, storing safety stock twice, and reconciling two counts. Keeping one pool in one building lets you replenish Amazon and ship your own store orders from the same pallets.
That also means when Amazon restricts a category or caps your storage, you already have the inventory somewhere you control, and you can keep selling direct while the restriction clears.
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Every photo below is our own building, our own equipment, and our own team — no stock imagery.
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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
FBA prep is the work required to make inventory compliant with Amazon's receiving rules before it ships to a fulfillment center: FNSKU labeling, poly-bagging, bundling, bubble wrap, suffocation warnings, carton labeling, and building the shipment to Amazon's plan.
Amazon charges per-unit for its own prep services and rejects or holds non-compliant shipments. A prep center catches problems before the freight leaves, which avoids unplanned prep fees, receiving delays, and stranded inventory.
Container or freight arrives, units are counted and inspected, each unit is labeled with its FNSKU, prep requirements are applied (poly bag, bundle, bubble wrap), units are cased into cartons, cartons get Amazon carton labels, and the shipment is palletized and booked to the assigned fulfillment center.
The FNSKU is Amazon's unique identifier for your product under your seller account. If it is missing, unreadable, or a manufacturer barcode shows through, Amazon can commingle or refuse the unit.
No. Poly bags are required for soft goods, items that can separate, and anything that could be soiled. Bags over five inches need a suffocation warning. Sets need a 'Sold as Set — Do Not Separate' label.
A port-proximate prep center should devan, prep, and ship a standard container within a few business days. At Logix, most import containers arrive from Long Beach or LA, unload same day, and move into prep immediately.
Yes, and it is usually the better setup. Holding one pool of inventory that feeds both FBA replenishment and your own Shopify or TikTok orders avoids duplicate freight and duplicate storage.
Wrong or missing FNSKU labels, cartons over weight limits, missing carton labels, mismatched shipment quantities, and shipping to the wrong fulfillment center. All of these are preventable at the prep stage.
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