--- title: What is an Amazon prep center and do you need one? description: What an Amazon prep center does, how it differs from a 3PL, when you need one and how to choose, with Amazon’s current barcode and box rules for FBA. image: https://www.axholdinggroup.com/hubfs/blog/what-is-an-amazon-prep-center.jpg --- [![AX Holding Group](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/hubfs/Ax%20Holding%20group%20Logo.png)](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/en?hsLang=en) [Service Hub](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/en?hsLang=en#servicios) [AX Holding Group](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/en/about?hsLang=en) [Blog](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/en/blog)[ES](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/es/blog/todo-sobre-los-centros-logísticos-3plprep-center-especializados-en-amazon-fba-y-fbm)[EN](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/en/blog/what-is-an-amazon-prep-center) [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/34653695933?text=Hi%2C%20I%E2%80%99d%20like%20more%20information%20about%20AX%20Holding%20Group) [Contact](mailto:info@axservicehub.com) [Log in](https://dashboard.axholdinggroup.com/) [Service Hub](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/en?hsLang=en#servicios) [AX Holding Group](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/en/about?hsLang=en) [Blog](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/en/blog)[ES](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/es/blog/todo-sobre-los-centros-logísticos-3plprep-center-especializados-en-amazon-fba-y-fbm)[EN](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/en/blog/what-is-an-amazon-prep-center) [Blog](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/en/blog) · FBA logistics # What is an Amazon prep center and do you need one? 8 October 2026 · Ax Holding Group™ ![Cardboard box with an orange label and the steps receiving, labelling, prep and shipping to FBA, next to the title ‘What is an Amazon prep center?’](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/hubfs/blog/what-is-an-amazon-prep-center.jpg) Quick answer An Amazon prep center is a warehouse that receives your stock from suppliers, checks it, labels and packs each unit to Amazon’s prep requirements and ships it to Amazon’s fulfilment centres. Many also store the stock you aren’t sending to Amazon yet, ship FBM orders and process returns, which is what a 3PL does. You need one when you import in bulk, resell other brands, hold more stock than you want inside Amazon or sell from outside the EU. If you sell small volumes that you can prep and ship yourself, you can start without one. Since 31 March 2026, resellers have to put an Amazon barcode on every unit they send to FBA. If you sell with Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA), every unit has to reach Amazon’s fulfilment centres labelled, packed and boxed the way Amazon asks. A prep center does that work between your supplier and Amazon. This guide explains what a prep center does step by step, how it differs from a 3PL and from Amazon’s own storage, when it’s worth paying for and when it isn’t, and what to check before you choose one. Every Amazon rule quoted here comes from Amazon’s own announcements, programme pages and rate card, or from Amazon staff on its seller forums. ## What is an Amazon prep center? A prep center is a warehouse that sits between your supplier and Amazon. It receives your goods, checks them, gets each unit ready to Amazon’s requirements and sends the boxes or pallets to the fulfilment centres Amazon assigns. That’s the short definition in the [ax Prep Center FAQ](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/en/ax-prep-center?hsLang=en#faq). This guide goes into the detail. Sellers use prep centers for three practical reasons. Factories and wholesalers ship in their own cartons, which aren’t always ready for Amazon as they arrive. Many sellers buy more than they want to send to Amazon in one go. And labelling and boxing thousands of units takes space, people and time that most sellers would rather spend on products, listings and advertising. ## What does a prep center do, step by step? | Step | What the prep center does | Amazon rule to watch | | --- | --- | --- | | 1. Receiving and inspection | Counts cartons and units against your supplier’s packing list, checks for damage and reports any difference to you | — | | 2. Labelling | Applies an Amazon barcode (FNSKU label) to each unit and covers other barcodes | Amazon barcodes are required for resellers since 31 March 2026 | | 3. Prep | Polybags (clear or opaque), bubble-wraps or tapes units when the product needs it | Amazon’s packaging and prep requirements in Seller Central | | 4. Kitting and bundles | Builds sets and multipacks and labels them as one unit | — | | 5. Boxing and shipping to FBA | Packs units into compliant boxes, provides the box contents, prints box and pallet labels and hands the shipment to the carrier | No side over 63.5 cm for multi-item standard boxes in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK | | 6. Storage | Keeps the rest of your stock until you replenish | Amazon storage fees rise in Q4 and with inventory age | | 7. FBM and other channels | Picks, packs and ships orders to your customers | You must appear as the seller on packing slips | | 8. Returns | Receives returned units and removal orders, checks them and relabels the ones that can be sold again | — | The prep services Amazon used to sell give a good idea of what prep means in practice: labelling, bagging, opaque bagging, bubble wrap and taping. Which of these a product needs depends on the product, and Amazon points sellers to the Packaging and Prep requirements page in Seller Central for the details. Two inbound rules catch many sellers out. Since October 2025, multi-item standard boxes sent to FBA in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK can’t measure more than 63.5 cm on any side (the previous maximum length was 91.4 cm), and Amazon warns that boxes outside the limits may be refused or incur unplanned service fees. And if you don’t provide box content information, Amazon processes the boxes manually and charges a manual processing fee per unit: €0.18 in the EU stores and £0.15 in the UK, according to its rate card effective 1 July 2026. ## Amazon’s barcode rules changed in March 2026 Until March 2026, Amazon could fulfil an order with identical units from another seller’s stock, which it calls commingling. Amazon ended commingling for inventory shipped on or after 31 March 2026, and the barcode you need now depends on who you are: - **Brand owners** with the Brand Representative role in Amazon Brand Registry don’t need Amazon barcode stickers for products that already have a manufacturer barcode, such as an EAN or UPC. - **Resellers** who aren’t Brand Representatives must use Amazon barcode stickers, even if the product has a manufacturer barcode. - **Products without a manufacturer barcode** need Amazon barcode stickers, whoever sells them. If you use FNSKU labels that start with X, Amazon also asks you to cover every other barcode on the unit, such as the EAN or UPC. Otherwise its scanners may read the wrong one, which can cause processing delays and losses. Labelling every unit and covering every secondary barcode is exactly the repetitive work a prep center is set up for. ## Prep center, 3PL or Amazon’s own storage? | Option | What it does | When it fits | | --- | --- | --- | | Prep center | Receives, checks, labels, preps and ships your stock to Amazon FBA | You sell mainly through FBA but your goods aren’t ready for Amazon when they arrive | | 3PL warehouse | Stores your stock and ships it wherever you sell: Amazon FBA, FBM orders, your own shop, other marketplaces | You hold more stock than you want in Amazon, or you sell through several channels | | Amazon FBA | Amazon stores your units, ships your orders and handles customer service, refunds and returns | Products that sell steadily on Amazon | | Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) | Bulk storage in Amazon distribution centres at a flat rate, with automatic replenishment to FBA fulfilment centres | Large FBA volumes in Germany, France, Italy, Spain or the UK, where AWD has been available since 20 August 2026 | In practice the line between a prep center and a 3PL has blurred: many prep centers also store stock, ship FBM orders and process returns. Don’t judge a provider by what it calls itself. Ask which of these jobs it does for you, from which warehouse and for which channels. A prep center doesn’t replace FBA, it feeds it. Amazon still stores the units you send and delivers them to your customers. What changes is where the prep work happens and where your surplus stock waits. ## Why keep part of your stock outside Amazon? Because storage inside Amazon costs more the longer stock stays and the closer it gets to Christmas. Monthly storage rates rise from October to December, and units that sit too long pay an aged inventory surcharge on top. We break down the current figures in our guide to [Amazon FBA storage and peak fees in Europe](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/en/blog/amazon-fba-storage-fees-europe?hsLang=en). Amazon itself lists seasonal products that would incur excessive storage fees among the cases where shipping your own orders may make sense. A prep center or 3PL gives you a middle way: you keep the bulk of a purchase outside Amazon and send in what you expect to sell. Don’t overcorrect, though. In Pan-European FBA, Amazon charges a ‘low-inventory cost coverage fee (Pan-EU)’ on standard-size products when both your 30-day and your 90-day historical days of supply fall below 28 days across Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Aim for a steady flow: enough stock in Amazon to cover your sales, and the rest close by and ready to ship. ## When do you need a prep center? It usually pays off when at least one of these applies to you: - **You import in bulk**, for example from China, and your goods arrive in cartons that aren’t ready for Amazon. Our guide on [how to import from China to Spain for Amazon FBA](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/en/blog/import-from-china-to-spain-amazon-fba?hsLang=en) covers the customs side. - **You resell other brands** and now have to put an Amazon barcode on every unit. - **You used Amazon’s own prep or labelling service**, which Amazon staff say on its seller forums ended in its European stores on 1 July 2026. Your units now have to arrive at Amazon already prepped and labelled. - **You buy more than you want to store in Amazon**, to get better prices from your supplier or to cover peak season. - **You sell the same products through FBA, FBM and your own shop** and want one stock for all of them. - **You are based outside the EU** and need your stock, and someone to handle it, inside the EU. - **Prep takes hours you don’t have**, and labelling mistakes are already costing you delays or fees. ## When you can do without one A prep center adds a cost per unit and one more handover. You can start without one if: - You sell small volumes and can label, prep and box them yourself without errors. - Your supplier delivers units already labelled, prepped and boxed to Amazon’s requirements, and you send everything straight to FBA. You can ask your factory to print your FNSKU labels and pack to Amazon’s box limits; check the first batch before you rely on it. - You ship all your orders yourself from your own warehouse. - Your margin can’t absorb another step. Work out your cost per unit with and without a prep center before you decide. Revisit the decision when your volumes grow or you add a channel: what works for a few hundred units a month rarely works for thousands. ## Selling from the UK or the US? A prep center in Spain is built for Amazon’s EU stores. The UK has not been part of Pan-European FBA since 1 January 2021, so to sell with FBA in both the UK and the EU you need stock in UK and EU fulfilment centres, or Remote Fulfilment between the two. Amazon’s current Pan-EU rules are in our article on [Pan-EU FBA requirements](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/en/blog/pan-eu-fba-netherlands-belgium?hsLang=en). When you send stock from outside the EU into EU fulfilment centres, plan customs as your job: in its Pan-European FBA and UK–EU Local Inbounding comparisons, Amazon names the selling partner as importer of record. You also need a VAT number in each country where your goods are stored. Check both points with your customs broker and tax adviser before the first shipment. Amazon stopped offering prep and item labelling for FBA shipments in the US on 1 January 2026 and in Canada on 1 July 2026. In Europe, Amazon staff have confirmed on its seller forums that the service also ended on 1 July 2026 in its European stores, although the rate card published for that date still lists the fees. Plan on your units arriving at Amazon already prepped and labelled. ## How to choose a prep center: checklist - **Location.** How far it is from the fulfilment centres you ship to and, if you import, from your port of arrival. Transport between the warehouse and Amazon is part of your cost per unit. - **Amazon rules.** Ask how they apply Amazon barcodes since March 2026, how they keep boxes within 63.5 cm and who sends the box content information. - **Turnaround in writing.** How long from your goods arriving to the shipment leaving for Amazon, and what happens in peak season. - **Discrepancy reports.** How and how fast they tell you about missing or damaged units, with photos, so you can claim from your supplier. - **Channels.** FBA only, or also FBM, Vendor Central, your own shop and returns, all from the same stock. - **Software.** Whether you can see your stock, inbound and outbound shipments in real time. - **Pricing structure.** Per unit, per pallet, storage per cubic metre or per pallet, set-up fees and minimums. Ask for a quote on a real shipment, not just a price list. - **Your products.** Whether they accept your category: dangerous goods, liquids, fragile items or products with an expiry date. - **Insurance and security.** What cover applies while your stock is in their warehouse. - **Language.** Who answers you, in which language and how fast. - **References.** Other Amazon sellers who use them and, if you can, a visit to the warehouse. If you are looking in Spain, we put several operators side by side in our [comparison of prep centers and 3PLs in Spain](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/en/blog/prep-centers-3pl-spain-compared?hsLang=en). ## How a prep center works, step by step 1. **Set-up.** You share your product list: SKUs, dimensions, weights and any prep each product needs. 2. **Inbound.** Your supplier ships to the prep center with a packing list. Goods from outside the EU are cleared through customs on the way. 3. **Check.** The prep center receives and counts the goods and reports any difference. 4. **Shipment.** You create the shipment in Send to Amazon, Amazon’s shipment workflow in Seller Central. The prep center labels, preps and boxes the units and provides the box contents and labels. 5. **Delivery.** The boxes or pallets go to the fulfilment centres Amazon assigns, and you follow receipt in Seller Central. 6. **Storage and replenishment.** The rest of your stock waits for the next shipment to Amazon, or goes out as FBM orders. If your prep center creates shipments for you through a service-provider authorisation, note that since 1 September 2026 service providers must complete business verification, and their authorisation expires after 365 days unless you renew it. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is an Amazon prep center? A warehouse that receives your goods, checks them, labels and packs each unit to Amazon’s prep requirements and ships them to Amazon’s fulfilment centres. Many also store surplus stock, ship FBM orders and process returns. ### What is the difference between a prep center and a 3PL? A prep center gets your stock ready for Amazon FBA. A 3PL stores your stock and ships it to any channel, such as Amazon FBA, FBM orders or your own shop. Many providers do both from the same warehouse, so ask which jobs they actually do for you. ### Do I need a prep center for Amazon FBA? Not always. It pays off when you import in bulk, resell other brands that need an Amazon barcode on every unit, hold more stock than you want in Amazon or sell from outside the EU. If your volumes are small enough to prep and ship yourself, you can start without one. ### Do I still need FNSKU labels in 2026? If you resell other brands, yes: for inventory shipped on or after 31 March 2026, Amazon requires Amazon barcode stickers even when the product has a manufacturer barcode. Brand owners with the Brand Representative role can use the manufacturer barcode, and products without one always need an Amazon barcode. ### Does Amazon still prep and label FBA shipments itself? No. Amazon stopped in the US on 1 January 2026, in Canada on 1 July 2026 and, according to Amazon staff on its seller forums, in its European stores on 1 July 2026. Prep and labelling now have to be done before stock reaches Amazon. ### I sell from the UK. Can I use a prep center in the EU? Yes, for Amazon’s EU stores: your stock is held in the EU and shipped to EU fulfilment centres. The UK hasn’t been part of Pan-European FBA since 1 January 2021, so for Amazon.co.uk you need stock in UK fulfilment centres or Remote Fulfilment between the UK and the EU. You also need a VAT number in each country where your goods are stored. ax Prep Center Looking for a prep center in Spain? ax Prep Center is a prep center and 3PL warehouse in Preixens (Lleida), Spain, an hour and a half from Barcelona. We prep and ship stock for Amazon FBA, FBM and Vendor Central, fulfil Shopify and TikTok Shop orders and process returns, with operations 24/7. FBA inbound is processed in 48 hours, and in the last financial year we prepared more than 1,000,000 units. [Discover ax Prep Center →](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/en/ax-prep-center?hsLang=en) *Sources: [Amazon Seller Forums, ‘Commingling practices will end effective March 31, 2026’ (8 December 2025)](https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/06778c12-539e-478a-8f67-00592c4c5cca); [Amazon Seller Forums, ‘Cover secondary barcodes on your FBA products for faster processing’ (7 October 2024)](https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/35d2be23-184b-4312-a35e-f9c59d462a84); [Amazon Seller Forums, ‘FBA box length limit reduced to 63.5 cm for new shipments’ (27 October 2025)](https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/80eae240-22b7-428f-a0d7-770f6e66fd86); [Amazon Seller Forums, ‘Amazon Warehousing and Distribution now available in Europe’ (20 August 2026)](https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/d6618bbc-7883-4493-a4e5-7e9e4a8616ef); [Amazon Seller Forums, ‘Enhanced security for service provider access on Seller Central’ (5 October 2026)](https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/d57142a4-3f59-40ac-b2c6-9dce4399c5a2); [Amazon, Rate Card Europe, fees effective as of 1 July 2026 (PDF)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/G/02/sell/images/260630-FBA-Rate-Card-EN1.pdf), pages 10 and 24; [Amazon UK, Fulfilment by Amazon](https://sell.amazon.co.uk/fulfilment-by-amazon); [Amazon UK, Fulfilling customer orders](https://sell.amazon.co.uk/fulfil); [Amazon UK, Expand your e-commerce business across the UK-EU border](https://sell.amazon.co.uk/fulfilment-by-amazon/fulfilment-between-uk-eu); [Amazon Belgium, Pan-European Fulfilment by Amazon (English)](https://sell.amazon.com.be/en/expedie-par-amazon/europe); [Amazon Selling Partner API, ‘US FBA prep and labeling services to end January 1, 2026’ (28 July 2025)](https://developer-docs.amazon/sp-api/changelog/us-fba-prep-and-labeling-services-to-end-january-1-2026); [Amazon Selling Partner API, ‘CA Fulfillment by Amazon prep and labeling services will end July 1, 2026’ (1 April 2026)](https://developer-docs.amazon/sp-api/changelog/ca-fulfillment-by-amazon-prep-and-labeling-services-will-end-july-1-2026); Amazon Seller Forums, replies from Amazon staff on the end of FBA prep and labelling in Europe: [Amazon.de (27 April 2026)](https://sellercentral.amazon.de/seller-forums/discussions/t/3cc59fd6-8c40-47f4-94d6-5dfa8b7c886f), [Amazon.it (12 May 2026)](https://sellercentral.amazon.it/seller-forums/discussions/t/19d2ca88-60ec-4589-9cd5-04e00a67ad14) and [Amazon.es (21 July 2026)](https://sellercentral.amazon.es/seller-forums/discussions/t/f5df00aa-c169-496b-afe9-280ed029043a). Checked on 8 October 2026.* Tags [FBA logistics](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/en/blog/tag/fba-logistics) [Guides](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/en/blog/tag/guides) Share this article [mailto:?subject=What%20is%20an%20Amazon%20prep%20center%20and%20do%20you%20need%20one%3F&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.axholdinggroup.com%2Fen%2Fblog%2Fwhat-is-an-amazon-prep-center](mailto:?subject=What%20is%20an%20Amazon%20prep%20center%20and%20do%20you%20need%20one%3F&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.axholdinggroup.com%2Fen%2Fblog%2Fwhat-is-an-amazon-prep-center) Written by Ax Holding Group™ ## More from *the blog* More real cases, operational lessons and analysis for Amazon and ecommerce sellers. [See all articles](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/en/blog) ![AX Holding Group](https://www.axholdinggroup.com/hubfs/Ax%20Holding%20group%20Logo.png) The operating group behind five specialist Amazon services. By sellers, for sellers, from Preixens (Lleida). 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