Since Amazon shut down its own FBA prep and labeling service in January 2026, a lot of sellers found out the hard way that they needed a real prep partner and didn't have one lined up. We picked up a wave of new accounts that month, mostly people who'd been shipping manufacturer-labeled cases straight into FBA for years and suddenly had a compliance problem overnight. So this article is less "here's what a prep center is" and more "here's what actually happens to your boxes once they land on our floor."
We run 365PrepCenter out of a 1,200 sq ft climate-controlled space in Lebanon, Ohio. No frozen or refrigerated storage — ambient only, so we don't take frozen goods or anything that needs refrigeration. We do take food, cosmetics, supplements, electronics, apparel, and oversized freight on pallets. Lithium batteries and large furniture are a conversation before they're a shipment, not an automatic no.
What "prep" covers, step by step
When a shipment arrives, someone on our team — usually Tatiana — opens each carton against the packing list or manifest you sent ahead of time. That means checking unit count, checking for damage, and for anything with an expiry date, checking the date on every single unit, not a sample. If something doesn't match the manifest, we photograph it before touching anything else, and that photo goes into your shipment report. This isn't optional paperwork; it's the step that saves you from a chargeback dispute six weeks later when Amazon says your case count was short.
From there it's FNSKU application, poly bagging or bundling if the SKU needs it, and boxing to Amazon's carton spec. Turnaround is 24-48 hours from receiving, and that's a real number we track per shipment, not a marketing range. FBA prep and FNSKU labeling is priced per unit based on how many units are in that shipment — 1 to 50 units runs $1.00 per unit, 51 to 300 drops to $0.75, 301 to 1,000 is $0.50, and anything over 1,000 units in the same shipment is $0.35 per unit. That rate already includes the inspection, the label, applying any insert cards you've supplied, the photo report, and creating the actual FBA shipment inside Ysell, the WMS we run the warehouse on.
Kitting, bundling, and the stuff that isn't a straight FNSKU job
A good chunk of what comes through isn't single units — it's multi-packs, bundles, or gift sets that need to go out as one FNSKU. Standard sets run from $1.20 for a 2-3 unit set up to $1.75 for a 6-unit set, with $0.20 added per unit beyond six. Fragile sets that need two-layer bubble wrap cost more, starting at $2.00 for a small set. Every set price already includes the poly bag, the "This is a Set" label, and the FNSKU — we don't charge the base prep rate again on top of a kitting charge, since that would just be double-billing the same unit. There's no minimum set count to start; most new clients send a small test batch first to see how their product photographs and packs before committing to a full production run.
Storage and receiving — the part people underestimate
First 7 days of storage are free, once per account, starting from your first inbound shipment. That week is meant for us to count, inspect, and shelve everything properly — it's not a monthly freebie, it resets once and that's it. After that, storage is billed on actual cubic footage used, at $1.00 per cubic foot per month, or $40 per pallet per month if you're on pallet storage. We bill by volume, never by box count, so two boxes of the same size but different density can cost differently depending on what's actually in them.
Receiving itself depends on what happens next. If units are going straight through to FBA with no storage in between, receiving is free. If we're consolidating goods for storage before shipping, that's $0.10 per unit. Pallets are always $25 per pallet whether they're stored or forwarded straight out — we receive pallets on our warehouse floor with a pallet jack, and that fee covers the labor either way. If you just need a carton counted and its contents verified against a packing slip without full prep, that's a flat $10 per box.
If you're running FBM, Shopify, or Walmart too
A lot of our accounts aren't pure FBA. We fulfill FBM, Shopify, Walmart, TikTok Shop, eBay, and Etsy orders out of the same inventory pool, which is where the hybrid setup most growing sellers land on actually pays off — they replenish FBA in batches of maybe 100-200 units at a time instead of dumping everything into Amazon's warehouses and paying long-term storage fees on stock that hasn't sold yet. Orders received before 11:59am Monday through Friday ship same day. Pricing runs $2.00 per order at 10+ orders a day, $2.50 per order under that volume, plus $0.30 per additional unit in a multi-item order, with oversized or fragile orders quoted from $2.50. Amazon FBM orders specifically ship on labels bought through Amazon Buy Shipping, which keeps your on-time delivery metrics and A-to-Z protection intact — other channels ship on standard carrier rates.
Returns and removals aren't a side business
If you're pulling inventory out of FBA, or handling customer returns on FBM, we take that on its own — you don't need a prep or fulfillment account with us to send returns or removals here. Removals get inspected and graded (New, Used, or Garbage) at receiving, and units that come back unsellable are only billed for that inspection step, not for repackaging they'll never need. Standard and small customer returns run $1.50 per unit, oversized returns run $3.00 per unit. Disposal is free for up to 10 units and $15 per box after that.
What's not on our shelves
We don't do frozen or refrigerated storage, period — ambient only. Large furniture is generally a no. Lithium batteries and hazmat are case-by-case; ask before you ship rather than assuming either way. Everything else on the list above — food, supplements, cosmetics, electronics, apparel, pallets — we handle regularly.
There's no setup fee and no long-term contract to sign. There's a $50 minimum monthly charge once your account is active, which covers accounts with very light volume in a given month.
FAQ
How fast does FBA prep actually turn around? 24-48 hours from the time your shipment is checked in, tracked per shipment inside Ysell so you can see status without emailing us.
Do you charge extra for FNSKU labels on top of kitting? No — poly bagging, bubble wrap, and set bundling each include FNSKU labeling in their listed price. We don't charge the standalone prep rate again on a unit that's already part of a priced kit.
How long until I get my Ysell login after signing up? Typically the same day you complete intake. If it doesn't show up, reach out — worst case it's resolved within 24-48 hours.
Is there a minimum number of units or sets to get started? No fixed minimum order quantity. Most new clients start with a small test batch to check how their product looks prepped before scaling up to full production runs.
Do you work with sellers who aren't on Amazon? Yes — FBM is Amazon-specific terminology, but the same fulfillment operation runs Shopify, Walmart, TikTok Shop, eBay, and Etsy orders at the same rates.
If you've got a shipment sitting in a warehouse right now with nowhere to go, send us the manifest and we'll quote it against the current rate card. Questions first? The FAQ above covers most of what comes up, or just reach out and ask directly — get started on /onboarding.
