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FBA prep in progress — taping and labeling Amazon-bound cartons, with a loaded Amazon trailer at the dock
All 3PL Fulfillment
3PL Fulfillment

Amazon FBA Prep Services

Receiving, inspection, FNSKU labeling, poly bagging, bundling and carton prep for Amazon sellers — then forwarded to the fulfillment centers Amazon assigns, from Southern California.

Get an FBA prep quote

Inventory almost never arrives ready for Amazon. Cases from a manufacturer or supplier usually need FNSKU labeling, poly bagging, bundling or protective packaging before a fulfillment center will receive them — and whatever gets missed comes back as a refused shipment, a per-unit fee charged at the FC, or stock stranded during your best selling week.

IDCEA provides Amazon FBA prep services in California for exactly that gap. We receive your inventory, inspect and count it, prepare units to the Amazon requirements that apply to your products, pack and label cartons, then forward the shipment to the fulfillment centers Amazon assigns. Think of it as the operational step between your supplier and Amazon FBA.

Four stages of Amazon FBA prep at IDCEA — taping and labeling cartons, bubble wrapping and poly bagging, applying FNSKU labels, and loading prepped pallets into an Amazon trailer
What's Included

Amazon FBA Prep Services We Provide

FNSKU Labeling

Our FNSKU labeling service applies each unit's Amazon FNSKU over the manufacturer barcode, so the item scans as your listing instead of merging into someone else's. Scannable placement, one label per unit, checked as it goes.

Poly Bagging

FBA poly bagging for loose, soft or multi-piece items, with the suffocation warning printed on bags at or above the size Amazon requires it, and barcodes left scannable through the bag.

Product Inspection

Amazon product inspection on receipt: we verify quantities against your packing list, check for visible damage or short-shipping, and tell you what we found before anything is prepped or forwarded.

Bundling & Kitting

FBA bundling and kitting services that assemble multiple pieces into one sellable unit — multi-packs, variety sets and gift bundles — labeled and packaged as a single FNSKU.

Protective Packaging

Bubble wrap, dunnage and box-in-box protection for fragile, liquid or awkward items, so units survive FC handling rather than arriving as damage claims.

Expiry Dating & FIFO

Date labeling and FIFO handling for consumables and anything with a shelf life, following the expiration-date format Amazon requires for those categories.

Carton Preparation

FBA shipment prep at the carton level: unit counts, box content information, carton labels and weights recorded so cartons check in cleanly at FC receiving.

FBA Shipment Forwarding

FBA carton forwarding on your schedule to the fulfillment centers Amazon assigns for the shipment, with tracking handed straight back to you.

How It Works

How Our Amazon FBA Prep Process Works

01

Receive

Your inventory arrives from your supplier, freight forwarder or another warehouse and is checked in against the shipment.
02

Inspect

We count units, compare them to your packing list and flag visible damage or shortages before any prep work starts.
03

Prep to spec

FNSKU labeling, poly bagging, bundling and protective packaging, following the Amazon requirements that apply to your products.
04

Pack cartons

Units are boxed with carton labels, box content information and recorded weights for FC receiving.
05

Forward to FBA

Cartons ship to the fulfillment centers Amazon assigns, on your schedule, and tracking comes back to you.

Amazon FBA Prep Center in Southern California

IDCEA runs FBA prep in Southern California through partner warehouses in the Los Angeles, Ontario and Riverside corridor. We coordinate and staff the prep work; we do not own the buildings, and we would rather say so than imply a facility we do not operate.

For sellers importing through the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports, that location keeps prep on the same side of the country as the container: goods clear the port, come to prep, and go out to Amazon without crossing the map first. The Inland Empire also sits on the I-10 and I-15 corridors, so outbound cartons reach carriers on regular schedules.

FBA Prep for Imported Inventory

If you import — from China or anywhere else — your goods can come straight to us instead of to your own space. The flow is: manufacturer or supplier → IDCEA receives and inspects → FBA prep → the Amazon fulfillment center. You never touch the freight.

Your freight forwarder and customs broker still handle the import itself; we are not a customs broker and do not clear cargo. We take over once the goods are released and delivered to us, which is the point where labeling, bagging and carton prep actually have to happen.

FBA Prep for Amazon Sellers and Growing Brands

The sellers who get the most out of a 3PL for Amazon prep are the ones whose volume has outgrown a garage but does not justify hiring for it:

Private-label brands sending regular production runs into FBA
Wholesale sellers who buy in case quantities and need units made retail-ready
Importers whose containers land at the Southern California ports
Multi-channel ecommerce brands running Amazon alongside their own store
Manufacturers shipping direct to a prep partner on their customer's behalf
Why IDCEA

Why Amazon sellers use IDCEA for FBA prep

Prepped to current requirements

We work to Amazon's published prep and labeling requirements for your product types, and flag anything that looks likely to be refused.

Prep next to the ports

Imported inventory is prepped in Southern California instead of crossing the country first.

Per-unit pricing

Predictable prep costs replace unpredictable labor and rework.
FAQ

Common questions

What is an Amazon FBA prep service?

It is the work that has to happen between your supplier and Amazon: receiving the inventory, inspecting it, labeling each unit with its FNSKU, poly bagging or bundling where required, packing cartons and forwarding them to the fulfillment centers Amazon assigns.

What does an FBA prep center do that I cannot do myself?

Nothing you could not do — it is a question of volume and rework. A prep center absorbs the labeling, bagging and carton work at per-unit cost, catches problems while they are still cheap to fix, and does not need you to rent space for a container of stock.

Does IDCEA provide FNSKU labeling?

Yes. We apply FNSKU labels over the manufacturer barcode so each unit scans as your listing, and check placement and scannability as part of the prep.

Can you poly bag products for Amazon FBA?

Yes. We poly bag loose, soft and multi-piece items, use bags with the suffocation warning where the bag size requires it, and keep barcodes scannable through the bag.

Can you bundle or kit products for Amazon?

Yes. We assemble multi-packs, variety sets and gift bundles into a single sellable unit and label it with one FNSKU.

Can IDCEA receive inventory directly from my supplier?

Yes. Most of our prep volume arrives straight from a manufacturer, supplier or freight forwarder — you do not need to receive it yourself first.

Can overseas manufacturers ship inventory to IDCEA for FBA prep?

Yes. Your freight forwarder or customs broker handles the import and clearance; we take over once the goods are released and delivered to us.

Where is IDCEA's FBA prep located?

In Southern California, through partner warehouses in the Los Angeles, Ontario and Riverside corridor — close to the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports for imported inventory.

How fast is prep turnaround?

Typical receipts are prepped within 24–48 hours. We confirm the timeline for your volume and product type before you ship, since large or complex prep can take longer.

Can IDCEA inspect inventory before sending it to Amazon?

Yes. We verify quantities against your packing list and check for visible damage or short-shipping, and we report what we find before forwarding anything.

Can IDCEA store inventory before forwarding it to Amazon FBA?

Yes. We can hold stock and release it to FBA in batches, which is the usual way to manage Amazon's inventory limits and long-term storage fees.

Do you provide FBA prep for private-label and wholesale sellers?

Both, plus importers and multi-channel brands. Private-label runs and wholesale case-pack buys need different prep, and we quote them separately.

Can you also do FBM / Seller-Fulfilled Prime?

Yes — we can store and ship FBM orders directly, including Seller-Fulfilled Prime fulfillment.

Do you handle expiration-dated products?

We apply date labels in the format Amazon requires for those categories and use FIFO handling for consumables and dated goods.
Related

Where to go next

3PL fulfillment services

The full picture: storage, pick and pack, multi-channel orders and returns.

3PL pricing

How receiving, storage, pick-pack and shipping charges are actually built up.

3PL cost calculator

Put in your order volume and weight to get an estimate in a few seconds.

Warehouse storage services

Hold inventory and release it to Amazon in batches instead of all at once.

Ecommerce fulfillment

For the orders you ship yourself, off your own store and other marketplaces.

Ready to hand off fulfillment and warehousing?

Get a tailored quote and see how IDCEA can store, fulfill and ship for your brand — we typically reply to quote requests within one business day.Want to work with us instead of buy from us? See our partnership programs
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IDCEA

Order fulfillment, warehousing and warehouse technology from Southern California — plus IDCEA Shop, our own-brand store.

Contact Us

LA · Ontario · Riverside, CaliforniaPhone: (909) 666-0092Email: service@idcea.com

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