The Checklist for Choosing the Right Amazon Prep Centre
Not all prep centres are equal. Some are fast and reliable; others cut corners that cost you sales. If you're thinking about outsourcing FBA prep, use this checklist before you sign anything.
1. Location and transit times
Is the prep centre well placed for your suppliers and for Amazon's UK fulfilment centres? A good location cuts inbound freight costs and shortens the time between your stock landing and it being live on Amazon. Ask where they ship from and which carriers they use.
2. Turnaround, in writing
Delays at the prep stage are delayed sales. “Fast turnaround” on a website means nothing. Ask for a specific target, and ask what happens if they miss it. If there's no consequence, there's no guarantee.
3. Pricing you can actually read
Prep fees vary hugely, and the headline per-unit rate rarely tells the full story. Ask for a full rate card covering receiving, storage, labelling, bagging, carton prep, pallet builds and packaging materials. Then ask them to price a real shipment of yours.
4. Amazon compliance experience
How long have they been prepping for FBA? Do they handle Transparency labelling, suffocation warnings and covering existing barcodes? What's their process when Amazon changes the rules? One mistake can mean a rejected shipment and extra fees.
5. Room to scale
Will they cope with Q4, a product going viral or a new range launch? Check there's a volume discount structure and the capacity to absorb spikes without your turnaround slipping.
6. Communication and support
When something goes wrong, can you reach a person? Ask for their response time and whether you get live visibility of your stock, or have to wait for someone to email you a report.
How Vibe65 measures up
- Location: Chorley, Lancashire, in the North West with UK-wide dispatch
- Turnaround: 48 hours from receipt to shipment, with 10% off for every day we're late
- Pricing: a published, per-step rate card and an online pricing calculator
- Compliance: FHDDS registered, with a 47-point check on every FBA shipment
- Scale: volume discounts of 5–15% on prep labour above 2,000 units a month
- Support: a 24-hour reply window (£50 credit if we miss it) and live Mintsoft WMS access
Final thoughts
The right prep centre can make or break your FBA operation. Use this checklist on every provider you talk to, us included.
Get our 47-point FBA prep checklist
The exact checklist we run on every shipment that leaves our warehouse. Send it to your supplier, or use it to check your own prep.