FBA Prep Services: Never Touch Inventory Again

FBA Prep Services

As an FBA seller, you will already know that your job is to not only source products, but also prepare and pack them to Amazon’s standards for customer fulfillment. Sometimes managing this yourself can be a daunting task.

Good news there are other alternatives to this

The first is to use Amazon’s own prep service which comes as an added fee to your existing fee structure.
The second is to use Amazon third-party FBA prep services, which can save you both time and money.
 

Let’s look in detail at what an FBA prep service is,

What are Third-party FBA prep services or 3PL services?

In recent years, 3 PL FBA prep services have become a very popular and attractive option for Amazon FBA sellers. A good prep service will handle all receiving, preparation, and re-shipping of your inventory to Amazon warehouses.
Using a prep service will mean you won’t have to worry about packing and shipping your inventory to amazon. This will leave you free and clear to run your business from virtually anywhere, a popular option for quite a lot of sellers.
It is important to Properly prepare your products for Amazon fulfillment. If your products are not prepared or prepared to fit Amazon’s stringent criteria, you are at risk of being charged to only have your inventory returned. Another risk of an incorrectly prepared stock is damaged products, which if received by a customer, will result in a lot of negative feedback and returns affecting your seller metrics in the long run.
An FBA prep centre will take care of all of this tedious process giving you free time to focus on your business. You could rest assured that your inventory will be prepared to Amazon’s standards each and every time saving you time.

Here’s an incredible Amazon Prep Center directory to look at!

Who can provide FBA prep services?

FBA prep services can be of benefit to any Amazon seller, up to a certain point. FBA prep centers generally charge by the unit, most of the costs associated will be variable. So utilizing a prep center makes the most sense up to a point, or until it becomes more cost effective to prep your products in your own warehouse.
For a lot of sellers, however, using a prep center in the early stages of their amazon journey makes sense and this will reduce overheads and time.By removing the prep work, the extra time you gain will allow you to focus on scaling and growing your business.

What services FBA prep center offer ?

Prep services can offer a variety of services for your products , but their primary offer is to handle all of the product inspections and preparation of products.
You can rest assured that your products will be in expert hands if you use a good prep centre. Do your own due diligence before deciding on the prep centre you want to work with.
Instead of boxing and labelling hundreds of units from your garage or private space, a prep centre allows these to be outsourced, freeing your time and space.

What are the essential Things to consider when choosing an FBA prep centre:

If you are planning to start a dropshipping business then you will have to build a fully functioning online store that has all the features that you need. Nothing comes in handy as a great plugin with a convenient way to import products.

Location

Depending on the particular model of your Amazon business, it would make sense to position your prep centre strategically especially if you are doing business in amazon us.

Tax status

For Amazon US sellers another factor to consider when choosing your prep centre is individual states’ sales tax schedules. If you are an online arbitrage model, sales tax may be incurred depending on the location of purchase. If your prep centre is located in any of the states Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, or Oregon, any inventory shipped to those states will not be subject to sales tax.

Pricing structure

Pricing schedules for FBA prep centres will also vary, although most will charge per unit. Many prep centres will have monthly unit minimums, but if you are selling bigger volumes then there would be tier-based offers. Extra charges are incurred for product bundling, special labelling, and fragile item protection, and some prep centres even offer professional photography and promotional services. Before you choose a prep centre, it is important to find the pricing structure that fits best with your Amazon business.

Turnaround time

Apart from pricing, processing and turnaround time should also be looked at. Many prep centers offer fulfillment times of 24 or 48 hours, which is absolutely critical if you send inventory that needs fast turnaround. While most prep centers offer time guarantees, some may not, which is important to understand upfront.

Supported FBA models

Choosing the right prep center will also vary depending on the type of business model you’re working . For FBA businesses focused on private labels, choosing a prep center with close proximity to ports of entry would make the most logical sense. If sourcing via online arbitrage methods, it will make sense to choose a prep center in a tax-exempt state.For wholesale with larger volumes, selecting a prep center with low per-unit costs can reduce your variable costs .

Why use an FBA prep centre?

Using a prep centre for your FBA inventory can therefore reap many advantages. The time spent on receiving, inspecting, prepping, and repacking your inventory can instead be used to scale and grow your business. On top of that, the space and overheads associated with FBA prepping can be scary/daunting, but can be avoided by outsourcing prepping
 
As your business scales, the time required to properly prepare your inventory can become a major bottleneck. It’s easier to mislabel or incorrectly package products, and the whole process can become overwhelming. With the help of an efficient FBA prep centre, you can kiss goodbye to all these worries.
 

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