Amazon Best Sellers Best Entertainment Collectible Apparel
FBA Prep Service
Learn about the different prep services available for inventory you send to Amazon fulfillment centers and their associated fees.
You can use the FBA Prep Service to have Amazon properly package and prepare your products for fulfillment.
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) has Packaging and prep requirements for products you ship to and store in Amazon fulfillment centers. Properly packaging and preparing units helps to reduce delays in receiving time, protect your products while in our fulfillment centers, and create a better customer experience.
If you decide to use the FBA Prep Service, Amazon will prepare your eligible products for a per-unit fee. After you enable the service, you will be able to choose whether you or Amazon will prep products you send to fulfillment centers. When you build your shipping plan, we will provide an estimate of the prep fees based on the expected services for the selected products.
Minimum qualifications
- Condition: Any (new, used, collectible, refurbished) Product type: Any (media and non-media) ASIN: Each unit must have a scannable barcode (ISBN, UPC, EAN, or JAN). The unit's barcode must not be punched out, marked over, covered, or otherwise obstructed.
If you sign up for FBA Prep Service
- For products that Amazon preps, you will be charged the applicable FBA Prep Service fees based on the services provided (see table below). The prep services we perform for your products are determined at Amazon’s sole discretion. There are separate fees for standard-size and oversize products. Your qualifying units may be split into multiple additional shipments. If you have Amazon prep your products, FBA Label Service may be included automatically for select products, and you would be charged the applicable per-item fee. We may discontinue the FBA Prep Service at any time.
Enable FBA Prep Service
To enable the FBA Prep Service, follow these steps when creating your shipping plan:
Select a product that you want Amazon to prep. On the Prepare Products page, select Amazon in the Who Preps? field. In the pop-up window "Are you sure you want save settings to your Fulfillment by Amazon Settings?" click Yes.
Choose who preps the products
Once you have enabled the FBA Prep Service, you can choose on the Prepare Products page of your shipping plan whether Amazon or you will prep each eligible product by following the steps below.
You can also choose who preps your products by default in your FBA settings page. Changing the default does not affect previously created shipments or any prep preferences you have defined for specific items.
For products with prep guidance
For each eligible product listed on the Prepare Products page of the shipping workflow, in the Who preps? field select Amazon if you want Amazon to prep the product or Merchant if you want to prep the product yourself. Amazon will be the default selection for products with prep guidance.
For products without prep guidance
Products without prep guidance may still have packaging and prep requirements. For products without prep guidance, Choose category will appear in the Prep guidance column on the Prepare Products page. If you want Amazon to prep these products, follow these steps:
Click Choose category from the Prep guidance column. In the pop-up window, select the category that best fits your product from the Prep category drop-down list or select No prep if you believe no prep is required.* Select Amazon in the Who preps? column.
If you do not follow these steps or if you select Merchant in the Who preps? column, you will be responsible for preparing these products.
* See How to Prep Products (.pdf) for descriptions of prep categories and related prep activities. To learn more, visit Packaging and prep requirements.
Select who labels the products
After determining who will prep the products, you can choose on the Label Product page of your shipping plan whether Amazon or you will apply labels to each unit.
You can also choose who labels your products by default in your FBA settings page. Changing the default does not affect previously created shipments or any label preferences you have defined for specific items.
For more information, see FBA Label Service.
FBA Prep Service fees
Fragile/Glass
| $0.80 | $0.20 | $1.00 | $1.60 | $0.20 | $1.80 |
| Liqu >Bagging Labeling (optional) | $0.50 | $0.20* | $0.50 to $0.70 | $1.00 | $0.20* | $1.00 to $1.20 |
Apparel, Fabric, Plush, and Textiles
| $0.50 | $0.20* | $0.50 to $0.70 | $1.00 | $0.20* | $1.00 to $1.20 |
Baby Products
| $0.50 | $0.20* | $0.50 to $0.70 | $1.00 | $0.20* | $1.00 to $1.20 |
Sharp
| $0.80 | $0.20 | $1.00 | $1.60 | $0.20 | $1.80 |
Small
| $0.50 | $0.20 | $0.70 | N/a | N/a | N/a |
Adult
| $1.00 | $0.20 | $1.20 | $2.00 | $0.20 | $2.20 |
*Label service optional. All products must have a scannable label that will be visible after prep is complete. Amazon may verify the weight and dimensions of a product using representative samples. Amazon’s information about a product’s weight and dimensions will be used to calculate fees if there is a difference between Amazon’s information and a seller’s information. Amazon may change its information about a product’s weight and dimensions from time to time to reflect updated measurements. Fees based on the weight and dimensions of a product are calculated using Amazon’s information about the weight and dimensions of that product at the time the fee is calculated.
FBA Prep Service
Learn about the different prep services available for inventory you send to Amazon fulfillment centers and their associated fees.
You can use the FBA Prep Service to have Amazon properly package and prep your products for fulfillment.
FBA has Packaging and Prep Requirements for products you ship to and store in Amazon fulfillment centers. Properly packaging and preparing units helps to reduce delays in receive time, protect your products while in our fulfillment centers, and create a better customer experience.
If you decide to use the FBA Prep Service, Amazon will prepare your eligible products for a per-unit fee. To have Amazon prepare your products, you must first enable FBA Prep Services. When you send inventory to our fulfillment centers, you will be able to select whether your products will be prepared by Amazon or by you. When building your Shipping Plan, we will provide an estimate of the FBA Prep Fees based on the expected preparation services for the selected products.
Minimum qualifications
- Condition: Any (New, Used, Collectible, Refurbished). Product Type: Any (Media and Non-media). ASIN: Each unit must have a scannable barcode (ISBN, UPC, EAN, or JAN). The unit's barcode must not be punched out, marked over, covered, or otherwise obstructed.
- You will have the option to select whether Amazon or you prep each eligible product in your Shipping Plan. For products that Amazon preps, you will be charged the applicable FBA Prep Service fees based on the prep services Amazon provides as determined by Amazon. There are separate fees for Standard-Size and Oversize products. Your qualifying units may be split into multiple additional shipments. If you choose to have Amazon prep your products, for selected product FBA Label Service may be automatically included in the prep activities on those products, and you will also be charged according to the FBA Label Service Pricing. We will determine in our sole discretion which prep services we perform with respect to your products. We may discontinue the FBA Prep Service at any time.
Enable the FBA Prep Service
To enable your FBA Prep Service, follow these steps when creating your Shipping Plan:
Select a product that you want Amazon to prep. On the Prepare Products page, select "Amazon" in the Who Preps field. In the pop over window "Are you sure you want save settings to your Fulfillment by Amazon Settings?" click the Yes button.
Select who preps the products
Once you have enabled FBA Prep Service, you will be able to select whether Amazon or you will prep each eligible product by following the steps below in the Prepare Products page of your Shipping Plan.
You can also choose who preps your products by default in your FBA settings page. Note that changing the default does not affect previously created shipments or any prep preferences you have defined for specific items.
For products with Prep Guidance
For each eligible product listed on the Prepare Products page of the shipping workflow, under "Who preps?" select "Amazon" if you want Amazon to prep the product or select "Seller" if you want to prep the product yourself. "Amazon" will be the default selection for products with Prep Guidance.
For products without Prep Guidance
Products without Prep Guidance may still have packaging and prep requirements. For products without Prep Guidance, "Choose category" will appear in the Prep Guidance column. In order for Amazon to prep these products, you must follow these steps:
Click "Choose category" from the "Prep guidance" column on the Prepare Products page. In the pop-up window, select the Prep Category that best fits your product from the Prep Category drop-down, or choose "No prep" if you believe that no prep is required.* For the given product select "Amazon" in the "Who preps?" column on the Prep Product page.
If you do not take these actions, or select "Seller" in the "Who preps?" column, then you will be responsible for preparing these products.
* See the Prep Matrix for descriptions of prep categories and related prep activities. To learn more visit Packaging and Prep Requirements.
Select who labels the products
After determining who preps the products, you can select whether Amazon or you will be responsible for applying labels to each unit in the Label Product page of your Shipping Plan.
You can also choose who labels your products by default in your FBA settings page. Please note that changing the default does not affect previously created shipments or any label preferences you have defined for specific items.
For products which Amazon prepares, Amazon Labeling will be automatically included, and you will be charged Labeling fees for these products. For each product that you prepare yourself, you can select whether Amazon or you apply the labels by selecting either "Amazon" or "Seller" in the "Who labels?" column. Labeling fees will apply.
See FBA Label Service for additional information on labeling.
FBA Prep Service Fees
Fragile/Glass
| 0.70 EUR | 0.15 EUR | 0.85 EUR | 1.40 EUR | 0.15 EUR | 1.55 EUR |
| Liqu >Bagging Labeling (optional) | 0.45 EUR | 0.15* EUR | 0.45 EUR - 0.60 EUR | 0.90 EUR | 0.15* EUR | 0.90 EUR - 1.05 EUR |
Apparel, Fabric, Plush, and Textiles
| 0.45 EUR | 0.15* EUR | 0.45 EUR - 0.60 EUR | 0.90 EUR | 0.15* EUR | 0.90 EUR - 1.05 EUR |
Baby Products
| 0.45 EUR | 0.15* EUR | 0.45 EUR - 0.60 EUR | 0.90 EUR | 0.15* EUR | 0.90 EUR - 1.05 EUR |
Small Parts
| 0.45 EUR | 0.15 EUR | 0.60 EUR | N/a | N/a | N/a |
*Label Service Optional. All products must have a scannable label that will be visible after prep is complete.
Individual vs. Professional Amazon Seller Account (How to Choose)
A common question I get asked from new sellers is about what type of Amazon seller account they should set up. Specifically, they ask if they should set up an individual seller account or a professional seller account.
Each type of selling account has its respective benefits, and it really depends on your specific needs. To figure out what type of Amazon seller account you need, let’s start by looking at how Amazon describes each account type:
The Amazon Individual Seller Account
Here’s how Amazon describes the individual seller account option:
“The Individual selling plan is for sellers who don’t need access to inventory tools and reports for volume selling. Under the Individual selling plan, you don’t pay a monthly subscription fee. You pay a per-item fee in addition to applicable fees.”
The Amazon Professional Seller Account
Here’s how Amazon describes the professional seller account option:
“In the Professional selling plan, you pay a nonrefundable monthly subscription fee regardless of whether you list or sell anything. You don’t pay a per-item fee when an item sells. All other fees are charged as applicable. The Professional selling plan gives you access to inventory tools to upload batch files and manage your orders through feeds and reports. These tools are beneficial to most medium - to large-size businesses.”
Key Differences between the Amazon Individual Seller Account and the Amazon Professional Seller Account
Below is a chart that shows the key differences between the 2 account types:
The above chart is directly from Amazon and does a nice job of comparing the two account types. That said, there’s a lot here, and it’s important to drill down to the details that are most important:
- The Amazon professional seller fee rings in at $39.99 per month. However, that $39.99 monthly fee removes the individual seller fee of $0.99 per item. So, if you are selling more than 40 items it almost always makes sense to get the professional seller account. Only Amazon professional sellers are eligible to have their items featured in the “buy box.” The buy box is the featured seller on a listing within Amazon. For example, on this listing “Windy Castle Gift Shop” is the seller in the buy box:
This means that if the seller clicks the “add to cart” or “buy now” buttons (red arrow), they will be purchasing from Windy Castle Gift Shop, as they are the seller in the buy box. If you are selling this item and are not in the buy box, you will show up as one of the sellers featured below the buy box, or in the list where it says used & new (37) by the blue arrow. As you can see if you aren’t in the buy box it’s a bit more difficult for customers to buy from you.
- Only professional seller accounts have the ability to have sales tax collected on items they sell. Sales tax for FBA sellers is a bit of a tricky issue, but if you want to collect sales tax you need the professional seller account. Amazon requires an additional level of approval to sell in certain categories on the platform. Below are examples of categories that require you to have a professional seller account to seek approval:
- Automotive & Powersports Jewelry Watches Sports Collectibles Video, DVD, & Blu-ray Collectible Coins Entertainment Collectibles Fine Art
The final major difference that I will point out is the ability to use product data feeds, and granting access to other users. These features are only available on the professional selling plan. If you want to use 3rd party apps and tools, then you will need a professional seller account. In my case, the tools that I use to help run my business require me to be signed up through a professional seller account.
Which Amazon seller account type is best for you?
The individual Amazon seller account is best for someone who:
- Wants to get their feet wet selling on Amazon and keep costs as low as possible at the beginning Is selling less than 40 items per month Doesn’t have the need for the additional features of the professional seller account
The professional seller account is best for:
- Any sellers selling over 40 items per month Any seller wanting to collect sales tax on their items Any sellers who want to use 3rd party apps and tools Sellers who want to be displayed in the buy box Sellers who want to sell in certain restricted categories
Can I start off as an individual seller account and then switch to a professional seller account later?
Yes, you can switch at any time you would like.
This is the route I took when I first started selling on Amazon. When I was doing it part-time as a hobby I used an individual seller account. Then, once I was selling over 40 items per month, I upgraded to the professional seller account.
Here’s how to upgrade your Amazon seller account:
Login to your Amazon Seller Account Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Account Info under Settings In the Your Services section click Manage Click Upgrade next to the account type
Note: If you want to switch from a professional seller account to an individual seller account, steps 1 to 3 are the same, and in step 4 click downgrade.
Conclusion:
This post walks through the main decision factors that I would look at when determining which account type is right for you. If you are in doubt as to which option is right for you, and you are selling less than 40 items per month, I’d start off with the individual seller account. Then, once you are selling 40 items per month or need additional features, upgrade to the professional seller account.
Want to learn more about getting started selling on Amazon? Here’s a general overview of my recommendations for getting started selling on Amazon.
You can also take my free email course where I share some of the tips I’ve learned from operating my own multi-million dollar business to help you get your first sale on Amazon.
Amazon FBM (Fulfilled by Merchant)
A quick transition from a new seller to an Amazon expert. Data backed information and intelligent tools for smarter Amazon strategies and increased profits.
Understanding Amazon FBM
Why should a seller consider FBM? Is FBM Amazon a viable option for your Amazon business? Understand it better to choose the best fulfillment option for your business online.
Amazon has proven to be one of the most complex and competitive marketplaces in the world. Sellers navigating the marketplace have to find ways to not only compete against millions of other retailers but also to manage their fulfillment processes. Amazon offers two different methods for sellers to fulfill their orders: Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) and Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM). In this article, we will take a look at Amazon FBM and how it can help you with business.
What is Amazon FBM?
Fulfilled By Merchant, popularly known as FBM, is when sellers list their products on Amazon and choose to ship products to each buyer by themselves. In other words, sellers are responsible for fulfilling their orders and do not rely on Amazon for the same. While it is a rather advantageous method for products with lower margins, FBM Amazon is rather overlooked owing to easy shipping, handling, and other benefits that come with Amazon FBA.
How does Amazon FBM work?
After setting up the seller account on Amazon and creating the listings, sellers have two ways to deliver their products: they can either use Amazon’s fulfillment network to ship your orders on their behalf, that is, Amazon FBA or, they can do it by themselves and go with the FBM Amazon way.
The merchants are responsible for shipping the orders to the customer's delivery address, from their warehouse location/slash the place where they have stored the products. The MFN (Merchant Fulfilled Network) seller is also responsible for handling returns and providing customer service.
Amazon merchants who are going this way need to keep FBM shipping in mind. They need to find shipping/delivery partners who are reliable and most importantly, cost-effective. If FBM shipping charges are higher than the fees incurred with FBA, then it doesn’t make sense for merchants to fulfill the orders by themselves as it will only impact their margins negatively.
When to choose FBM for product fulfillment
FBM is better for exclusive products, small volume products or products with lower profit margins.
FBM is better for:
- Exclusive products - products that have a lower frequency of sales A smaller amount of products - cuts down the shipping charges considerably for a relatively low volume of product units. Products with lower profit margins - helps save on the warehousing and storage fees on FBA Situations where FBM works out to be cheaper than FBA. FBA fees depend primarily on the weight and dimensions of the product. If sellers can ship their orders for a more reasonable price in comparison to using FBA through their delivery partners/network, then it is feasible to opt for FBM.
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