If you sell on Amazon FBA, the way your inventory gets ready for the fulfillment center changed on January 1, 2026. Amazon stopped prepping seller units at its U.S. fulfillment centers. The labeling, bagging, and bundling Amazon used to handle for a fee is now your job before a single unit ships in.
Here is what the old service covered, what actually changed, and how to pick a prep center that keeps your inventory compliant.
What Amazon's FBA prep service used to do
For years, sellers could send raw units to Amazon and pay the fulfillment center to get them shelf-ready. Amazon's prep service applied FNSKU labels so each unit matched its listing. It polybagged loose or leak-prone items, bubble-wrapped fragile goods, and built multi-unit bundles into single sellable sets. Consumables got expiration labels, and anything that failed Amazon's packaging rules got fixed before it hit the shelf.
That convenience let a lot of sellers skip prep entirely. You shipped inventory in whatever state it left your supplier, and Amazon's team finished the job on the inbound dock for a per-unit charge. For hands-off sellers, especially newer ones still learning Amazon's requirements, it was the easiest path into FBA. You leaned on Amazon to catch the compliance details so a missed label or a wrong bag did not turn into a blocked shipment.
What changed on January 1, 2026
Amazon announced in July 2025 that it would end FBA prep and item-labeling services at its U.S. fulfillment centers, effective January 1, 2026 (Supply Chain Dive). The company told sellers to prep units themselves or use a third-party service provider, and framed the move as a way to let FBA focus on faster fulfillment.
The practical effect is simple. Every FBA-bound unit now has to reach the fulfillment center already FNSKU'd, polybagged where required, and bundled where required. Improperly prepared shipments are no longer eligible for reimbursement if they're damaged or untraceable.
So the prep work did not disappear. It moved upstream to you. If you used to rely on Amazon's dock to catch a missing label, that safety net is gone, and the cost of getting prep wrong now lands on your account instead of Amazon's invoice.
What to look for in an FBA prep center
You have two ways to cover the gap. You can prep in-house, which eats hours and warehouse space most growing brands would rather spend on selling, and it puts the compliance risk on whoever is boxing units that day. Or you can hand it to a prep center that does the work to Amazon's spec before your inventory ships in, so the labeling and packaging are someone else's job to get right.
If you go the prep-center route, here is what matters:
- Full FBA prep coverage. FNSKU labeling, polybagging, bubble wrap for fragile items, bundle and set creation, expiration dating, and carton and pallet labeling. If a provider only does part of the list, you are still on the hook for the rest.
- Fast receiving and turnaround. Inventory sitting on a dock is inventory you can't sell. Look for a provider that receives, preps, and ships inbound to Amazon in a few days, not a few weeks.
- Real-time visibility. You should be able to see what was received, what was prepped, and what is inbound to the fulfillment center without filing a ticket.
- A real person to talk to. When a shipment needs a judgment call, you want a named contact who answers, not a support queue.
- Pricing you can plan around. Per-unit prep pricing with no hidden surcharges lets you forecast landed cost per SKU.
For a deeper breakdown of how to compare providers, read our guide to the 6 key factors for choosing the best Amazon FBA prep center.
How Simpl handles your FBA prep
Amazon's announcement told sellers to prep their own inventory or use a third-party service provider. Simpl is one of those providers. We prep your inventory to FBA spec and ship it in ready to sell.
Amazon now expects every unit to arrive already labeled and packaged to its current FBA requirements. We prep to that spec so your inventory arrives ready to check in.
We receive, prep, and ship inbound to Amazon from our Austin, TX facility, usually within 1 to 3 days of receiving your inventory. You get real-time visibility into what's been received and prepped, so you're not stuck waiting on a status update. Every client gets a dedicated account manager, a real person reachable by email with same-day responses, so there is no Seller Central queue between you and an answer.
Our prep work runs at 99.99% accuracy, and when we make an error we fix it at our cost, including return shipping and re-fulfillment. Pricing is a flat per-unit fee with no hidden surcharges, and we share rates after a short conversation about your volume and prep needs.
Amazon stepped back from prep. Your inventory still has to arrive compliant. Simpl handles that part so you can keep selling.
Get a quote for FBA prep, or see pricing to plan your cost per SKU.