As an Amazon seller, you know that managing your inventory can be challenging, not to mention time-consuming. Not to be confused with Fulfillment by Amazon, Amazon Prep Centers provide invaluable services for keeping your workflow smooth, freeing you to focus less on fulfillment and more on growth. We’re going over everything you need to know to get the most out of this service including what they are, what they do, and how they can help you save both time and money.

What are Amazon Prep Centers?

Amazon prep centers are third-party companies that are approved by Amazon to provide services to sellers regarding fulfillment. The idea behind Amazon prep centers is to help sellers save time and money by outsourcing some of the more in-depth, hands-on aspects of managing their inventory.

Amazon prep centers are especially helpful for sellers who are dealing with large quantities of inventory or who have limited storage space. By using one, sellers can have their inventory inspected, labeled, and packaged before it is sent to an Amazon warehouse for storage and distribution. This can help to ensure that the products are ready to sell when they arrive at the warehouse, which can help to speed up the fulfillment process.

What do Amazon prep centers do?

When it comes to preparing your products for distribution, Amazon prep centers can lighten your load at any step of the process. Many sellers turn to these providers for:

1. Product Inspection: Prep centers can inspect your inventory to make sure that it meets Amazon’s requirements for quality and safety. This can include checking for any defects or damages, as well as ensuring that the products are properly labeled and packaged.
2. Labeling: Amazon requires that all products be properly labeled with a barcode that can be scanned by their warehouse staff. Prep centers can handle this labeling process for you, ensuring that your products are ready to go as soon as they arrive at the warehouse.
3. Packaging: Depending on the type of product you are selling, there may be specific packaging requirements that you need to meet to sell on Amazon. Prep centers can help with this by providing custom packaging solutions that meet Amazon’s requirements.
4. Storage: These companies can provide storage solutions for your inventory, which can be especially helpful if you have limited space in your own warehouse or if you are dealing with large quantities of inventory.
5. Shipping: Once your inventory has been inspected, labeled, and packaged, prep centers can arrange for it to be shipped to Amazon’s warehouses. This can help to ensure that your inventory is delivered quickly and efficiently, which can help to speed up the fulfillment process for your customers.

Save Money and Time with a Prep Center

Outsourcing tasks, while an initial investment, can save you both time and money in the long term. Amazon prep centers can help you save costs on fulfillment expenses, as well as generate future revenue by helping provide better experiences for first-time and repeat customers. Some benefits sellers find are

• Reduced Labor Costs: By outsourcing some of the more time-consuming aspects of managing your inventory, such as product inspection, labeling, and packaging, you can save on labor costs. This can be especially beneficial if you are a small business with limited resources.
• Faster Fulfillment Times: By having your inventory inspected, labeled, and packaged by a prep center, you can ensure that it is ready to sell as soon as it arrives at the Amazon warehouse. This can help to speed up the fulfillment process, which can lead to happier customers and increased sales.
• Reduced Storage Costs: If you have limited space in your own warehouse, or if you are dealing with large quantities of inventory, it can be expensive to store your inventory. By using a prep center, you can take advantage of their storage solutions, which can be more cost-effective than storing the inventory yourself.
• Custom Packaging Solutions: If you are selling a product that requires specific packaging solutions, it can be expensive to design and produce your own packaging. Prep centers can provide custom packaging solutions that meet Amazon’s requirements.
• Improved Product Quality: By having your inventory inspected by a prep center, you can ensure that it meets Amazon’s requirements for quality and safety. This can help to reduce the likelihood of negative customer reviews or returns.
• Access to Expertise: Amazon prep centers are experts in managing inventory for Amazon sellers. By using their services, you can benefit from their expertise and knowledge, which can help you to optimize your inventory management processes and improve your overall business operations.

Looking for more Amazon expert help?

While Amazon prep centers help streamline your inventory management processes, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction regarding fulfillment, there are other services that help with the rest of the seller journey.

Through our ground-breaking Flywheel 2.0, you can let us automatically optimize all your listings every hour. Additionally, we aggregate data from multiple marketplaces and use that to inform our AI’s performance, so you always have the resources and tools you need to get ahead. Don’t wait, talk to us today.