First Shipment Checklist
What a seller should know before sending inventory to a prep center for the first time.
Before your first shipment, make sure you know the following about what you're sending and what the prep center needs to receive it correctly. Most first-shipment problems aren't about the product itself - they're about a seller and a prep center each assuming the other already had this information.
None of this needs to be complicated. A short message with the basics below, sent before the shipment leaves your supplier, is usually all a prep center needs to have everything staged and ready the moment it arrives.
What to have ready
- SKU
- Quantity
- Carton count
- Labels required
- Services needed
- Destination
- Tracking numbers
Good signs you're ready to ship
- You can answer "how many units, in how many cartons" without checking with your supplier.
- You know which services this shipment needs - not just "the usual."
- You have a tracking number or delivery date to share.
- You know whether this shipment's FBA destination is already finalized.
Scenario
A seller ships 300 units of a single SKU in 15 cartons to a prep center for the first time, but only sends the tracking number the day the truck leaves. The prep center has no advance notice, no SKU details, and no idea whether FNSKU labels are needed until the cartons are already on the dock - so the shipment sits until someone can track down the seller for answers. Sending this checklist's items before the shipment leaves the supplier would have let the prep center have everything staged and ready the moment it arrived.
More in New Seller Guide
New Seller Dos and Don'ts, Step by Step
A do/don't pair and a short illustration for every step of the transaction, from posting a request to getting inventory forwarded.
What Is an FBA Prep Center?
A simple, beginner-friendly explanation of what prep centers do and when sellers need one.
How to Compare Prep Center Quotes
Comparing quotes isn't just about the lowest price - weigh total cost, service fit, turnaround, and risk.
Need a prep center now?
Post one request and connect with prep partners that match your shipment needs, services, and destination.