How to Scale From One Prep Center to Multiple Providers
When it makes sense to move from a single prep center to a multi-provider network.
As volume grows, a single prep center can become a bottleneck or a single point of failure. Here's what to weigh before adding more.
A single-provider setup is simpler to manage, and for many sellers it's the right call indefinitely. The trade-off shows up specifically at volume, during peak season, or when your FBA destinations start spanning regions your one provider isn't close to.
What to weigh before adding more
- When to use multiple locations
- Geographic coverage
- Overflow capacity
- Product specialization
- Risk management
Signs it's time to add a second provider
- Your current provider has turned down volume during peak periods.
- A meaningful share of your FBA destinations are far from your provider's location.
- One product line needs a capability your current provider doesn't specialize in.
- A single provider outage or delay would stall your entire pipeline.
Scenario
A seller relying on one East Coast prep center hits a seasonal volume spike their provider can't absorb - cartons back up for a week waiting for capacity. A second prep center on the West Coast, added ahead of the peak, would have absorbed the overflow and also cut transit time to West Coast FBA destinations. The risk wasn't the provider's quality - it was having exactly one option with no capacity buffer.
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