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Short guides for sellers and prep partners - how prep works, what to avoid, and how to win better-fit matches.
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Reference
Ecommerce Prep & Fulfillment Glossary
A plain-English reference for common prep center, FBA, freight, packaging, receiving, and international shipment terms.
- Prep Center
- A third-party service provider that receives and prepares inventory before it is sent to FBA, a fulfillment center, or another destination.
- FBA
- Fulfillment by Amazon. A program where sellers send inventory to Amazon fulfillment centers and Amazon handles storage, picking, packing, shipping, and customer service for eligible orders.
- FNSKU
- Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit. An Amazon-specific barcode used to identify seller inventory in FBA.
- Carton Label
- A label applied to a shipping carton so it can be identified during receiving or fulfillment.
- Poly Bagging
- Placing a product into a plastic bag for protection, containment, or marketplace compliance.
- Bundling
- Combining multiple products into one sellable unit, such as a two-pack, variety pack, or product set.
- Less Than Truckload / LTL
- A freight shipment that uses part of a truck instead of a full truckload. Usually used for pallet shipments.
- Freight Forwarder
- A logistics provider that helps move goods from one location to another, often across countries or from overseas manufacturers to domestic warehouses.
- Customs Clearance
- The process of getting imported goods approved by customs before they can be delivered to a warehouse or prep center.
- Importer of Record / IOR
- The person or business legally responsible for ensuring imported goods comply with customs laws and paying duties and taxes.
- Receiving
- The process of accepting inventory at a prep center or warehouse and recording shipment arrival details.
- Work Order
- A request or instruction set that tells a prep center what work needs to be performed on a shipment.
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