What Is FBA Prep?
FBA does more than simply allow sellers to place their stock in boxes. There are several strict guidelines that your product must follow for it to be accepted by the Fulfillment Center. Some of these regulations are applicable to all inventory. Some are specific to certain types of. FBA preparation is the process of preparing your inventory to be shipped into Amazon. This primarily focuses on labeling and packaging items, however, some sellers, especially those who import items are also required to add an inspection of their inventory. It is crucial to get it right before you submit your FBA. Amazon will not accept your inventory in the event of an error. You'll be responsible for the cost of returning the stock. It's worse: if your inventory arrives damaged at Amazon the buyer is likely to complain and will want to return it. If you've had multiple complaints, this can affect your metrics which can result in your listing being taken down, or even your account being terminated.
Why Outsource FBA Prep?
FBA prep is a choice between outsourcing it to third party and doing it yourself, or paying Amazon. FBA preparation is a complex process that involves a lot of know-how and can easily go wrong. You can outsource it and let the rest fall to professionals. The FBA prep service should be familiar with the procedure and ensure that any stock you send into FBA complies with Amazon's rules and reduces the chance of your inventory being rejected. This is particularly important when you first send items to FBA. If you've never been through it before you won't know how complicated it can be. Amazon's many rules mean that FBA inventory preparation can be a time-consuming affair. It's easy to spend your time looking over packaging boxes, stock, and label printing , when you could be finding new products.
Price
The primary concern for most sellers when choosing the best FBA preparation service is likely to be price. Although it shouldn't necessarily be the main factor that you consider, it is important to ensure that you are getting the most value for money. It is not a matter of whether your first costs are expensive. The first thing you need to be aware of is whether you're paid per item or per month by the prep service. A monthly charge is best for large volume sellers. The per-item cost is better for low volume sellers who might only be shipping in small amounts. You will then want to know what is included in the process of packaging, since certain prep companies charge additional fees for packaging such as bubble wrap or poly bags. It is crucial to be aware of the storage costs and the minimum amount of units to be sent to the preparation center at any time. While cost is a significant consideration when choosing the best FBA prep service, it's certainly not the most important. The price of FBA prep services shouldn't be a major factor. The same goes for budget-friendly ones. You want your prep expenses to be affordable. Don't forget that just because the costs are high at first but that doesn't mean they have to stay high. When you get more skilled in the process of preparation, it's possible for your expenses to decrease. It is possible to divide tasks among your manufacturer and the prep services you provide. Check out the top rated Door to Door Delivery site for info.
Location
If you're contemplating the location of your prep facility, you need to consider your options strategically. If you are shipping large volumes from China Private labeling is likely to comprise the major source of business. It is important to know the ports that your goods arrive in and finding the nearest prep facility is a good idea. Danny McMillan has found that prep centers close to shipping ports can help save time and cut down on trucking costs. It also makes your business easier to run smoothly. In the event there is a problem the prep center could be able to send people to the port. This would not be possible in the event that there were greater than 300 miles between your preparation center and the port. Retail arbitrage sellers, having a prep facility close to home is important for them to be able to take their stock in their own vehicles or avoid expensive transportation. Be careful about choosing a prep center in relation to the proximity of an Amazon Fulfillment Center though, because the Amazon warehouse that you send your merchandise to may be different every time. You could even be able to make this happen if you opt to sign up with Amazon's Inventory Placement Service. Under that program, you can send all of your inventory for a specific product to the same Fulfillment Center, but Amazon can, and will, move the place of shipment to the shipment.