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FBA Prep Requirements UK: The Complete 2026 Checklist

Amazon will not fix your prep for you — at least, not cheaply and not reliably. If stock arrives at a UK fulfilment centre unlabelled, loose, leaking or missing a suffocation warning, the best case is an unplanned prep fee and a delay; the worst case is a rejected shipment or a blocked account. This checklist covers everything Amazon expects of FBA inventory before it arrives, so you can prep it yourself or brief a prep centre properly.

One caveat up front: Amazon changes its requirements more often than most sellers realise. Treat this as a working checklist, and check Amazon's current guidance in Seller Central before every new product launch.

FNSKU labelling: the non-negotiable one

Every unit you send to FBA needs to be identifiable by a single scannable barcode. You have two options:

  • Manufacturer barcode (EAN/UPC) — allowed only if your product is eligible for commingling, the barcode is unique to your listing, and you are comfortable with your stock being pooled with other sellers' units.
  • FNSKU label — Amazon's own per-listing barcode, printed and applied to each unit. This is what most private-label sellers use, and what we recommend by default.

FNSKU rules that trip people up:

  • The label must cover or replace any existing scannable barcode. Two live barcodes on one unit causes mis-scans and stranded inventory.
  • Labels must be printed clearly (laser, not smudged inkjet), on a flat surface, not wrapped around a corner or edge.
  • Each variation (size, colour, pack quantity) has its own FNSKU. Labelling a 3-pack with the single-unit FNSKU is one of the most common — and most expensive — prep mistakes.

Poly bags and suffocation warnings

Any product in a poly bag with an opening of 5 inches (about 12.7 cm) or more must carry a suffocation warning, either printed on the bag or applied as a label. Amazon's commonly cited requirements:

  • Bag thickness of at least 1.5 mil (thicker for larger bags — check current guidance).
  • The bag must be sealed and must not protrude more than 3 inches past the product.
  • The warning text must be legible and in an appropriate font size for the bag.

Poly-bagging is also required, in practice, for anything that could leak, spill, shed, or get dirty in transit: liquids, powders, granular products, textiles, plush toys and anything sold as "new" that scuffs easily.

Expiry-dated goods

If your product has an expiry date — food, supplements, cosmetics, some pet products — Amazon applies shelf-life rules on arrival. The figure commonly cited is a minimum of 105 days of remaining shelf life when stock arrives at the fulfilment centre, but Amazon adjusts this by category, so check the current guidance for your product. Practical points:

  • The expiry date must be printed in a readable format on the outer unit packaging, not just on an inner sachet.
  • Units in a multipack must carry the expiry date of the earliest-expiring unit.
  • Amazon will dispose of stock that goes out of policy, and you pay for the privilege — so send sensible quantities, not a year of cover.

Packaging and protection

Amazon expects units to survive its own handling, which is brisk. The main rules:

  • Boxed units: boxes must not crush under medium pressure. Fragile boxed goods may need an overbox or bagging.
  • Glass and fragile items: must be packaged so they cannot break or, if they do, cannot leak or scatter. Bubble wrap plus a poly bag is the usual answer.
  • Sold-as-set items: must be marked "Sold as set" or "Do not separate" so a picker doesn't split your bundle.
  • Sharp items: blades and points must be secured so they cannot injure a handler.
  • Loose products: nothing can arrive loose. Everything needs a bag, box or secure wrap with the barcode accessible.

Carton and shipment requirements

Prep is not just about units — the cartons matter too:

  • Cartons should generally stay under 15 kg (heavier cartons need a heavy-weight label; some categories have stricter limits — check current guidance).
  • Maximum carton dimensions are typically around 63.5 cm on any side for standard shipments.
  • Each carton needs its Amazon shipment label (the FBA box ID) on a flat, scannable face — not over a seam.
  • Don't reuse old cartons with live barcodes or hazmat markings still visible.
  • Pallets going into Amazon should be standard UK/EUR spec, stacked stable, wrapped, and labelled on all four sides.

The checklist

| Step | What to verify | | --- | --- | | Barcode | Correct FNSKU per variation, old barcodes covered | | Poly bag | Suffocation warning if opening ≥ 5", bag sealed | | Fragile | Bubble wrap or overbox, no rattle or movement | | Expiry | Date visible on unit, sufficient shelf life on arrival | | Sets | "Sold as set / Do not separate" applied | | Inspection | Unit count checked against PO, damage rejected | | Carton | Weight and size within limits, box ID label flat and scannable | | Shipment | Contents match what was created in Seller Central |

The last row matters more than it looks. Discrepancies between your shipment plan and what physically arrives are a leading cause of stranded and lost inventory, and Amazon's tolerance for repeated mismatches is low.

What good prep actually costs

If you outsource, expect UK prep centres to charge per unit, with rates falling as volume rises. As a reference point, our own rates run from £0.50 per unit at low volume down to £0.26 per unit above 2,500 units per month, with inspection, poly bag and FNSKU label included — worth comparing against any quote where those items are priced as extras.

How Oakmont handles it

At Oakmont, prep — inspection, poly bagging with suffocation warnings, and FNSKU labelling — is a single per-unit price, not a menu of surcharges, and we work to a 24-hour prep turnaround target from goods arriving to being FBA-ready. You announce inbound stock through the portal, we check it against your ASN, photograph any discrepancies, and prep to Amazon's current requirements so shipments arrive clean the first time. There is no setup fee and no minimum volume, so it works whether you're sending 50 units or 5,000.