Amazon sellers face two separate packaging questions: what the product travels in when you send stock into Amazon, and what it travels in when you fulfil the order yourself. The first is governed by Amazon's prep and labelling requirements; the second is ordinary parcel packaging with plain outers.
Two models, two packaging problems
Selling on Amazon can mean two quite different fulfilment models, and the packaging requirement is different for each.
- Fulfilled by Amazon. You send stock into their network. The packaging question is prep: how individual units are protected, labelled and presented so they can be received and stored.
- Fulfilled by the seller. You pick, pack and despatch yourself or through a 3PL. The packaging question is ordinary parcel packaging, with the proviso that the outer should normally be plain.
Many sellers do both, which means specifying both. See Amazon fulfilment.
Sending stock in: prep is the specification
When stock goes into Amazon, their requirements govern. The common elements are unit-level protection, barcode labelling, and packaging that prevents units separating or being damaged in a shared storage environment.
- Poly bagging where units could be damaged, with the required warnings.
- Bundling and labelling for multi-packs so they are not split.
- Barcode placement that can be scanned without unpacking.
- Outer cartons within their size and weight limits.
Requirements change, so check the current published version rather than relying on what was true last year. Amazon FBA prep covers the service side.
Fulfilling it yourself: plain and band-fitted
For seller-fulfilled orders the packaging is ordinary parcel packaging. Two things are worth noting.
- Plain outers. Marketplace orders normally should not carry your own branding and marketing. Specify a plain equivalent of whatever you use on your own site.
- Band fit. Margins on marketplace sales are usually tighter, which makes carrier band optimisation proportionally more valuable. See postal and parcel packaging.
The economics are tighter, so packaging matters more
Marketplace selling typically runs at lower margin than direct sales, because of fees and price competition. That makes every pound of avoidable packaging and carriage cost a larger proportion of what is left.
| Issue | Effect |
|---|---|
| Pack over a carrier band | Recurring cost on every seller-fulfilled order |
| Prep done reactively at the last minute | Rushed, inconsistent, sometimes rejected |
| Branded outers used on marketplace orders | Wasted print cost, possible compliance issue |
| Units damaged in storage | Unsellable stock sitting in the network |
| Oversized master cartons | More to ship in, more to store |
Where Amazon sellers most often lose money on packaging.
Running both models from one stock pool
Sellers doing both FBA and seller-fulfilled need the packaging for each, and ideally a single stock of product that can go either way.
That is a fulfilment design question as much as a packaging one - see multi-channel fulfilment and packaging for fulfilment.
Practical steps
- Check the current published prep requirements for your categories.
- Specify unit-level prep: bagging, bundling, labelling.
- Specify master cartons within the size and weight limits.
- Specify a plain parcel format for seller-fulfilled orders, sized to carrier bands.
- Hold both sets of materials with reorder points - see packaging stockholding.
The short version
- Two models, two packaging problems: sending stock in, and fulfilling yourself.
- Prep requirements govern anything going into the network.
- Seller-fulfilled orders normally need a plain outer.
- Tighter marketplace margins make band fit proportionally more valuable.
- Check the current published requirements rather than last year's.
Frequently asked questions
Does Amazon require specific packaging?
For stock sent into their network, yes - prep, labelling and carton requirements apply, and they are published. For seller-fulfilled orders, ordinary parcel packaging applies, normally with a plain outer.
Can we use branded packaging on Amazon orders?
Generally not for the outer. Specify a plain equivalent alongside your branded format.
What is prep?
Preparing units so they can be received, stored and picked in a shared network - bagging, bundling, labelling and protecting. See Amazon FBA prep.
Who can do the prep for us?
WSUK can - see Amazon FBA prep and Amazon fulfilment. Doing it before stock ships in avoids rejections and delays.
How do we reduce Amazon packaging costs?
Right-size the master cartons for inbound, and check seller-fulfilled packs against carrier bands. Both recur on every consignment or order.