Amazon FBA Prep · International Sellers
Amazon FBA Prep for International Sellers: How It Actually Works
Your factory ships a container to the US. Amazon won't take it as-is. Here's exactly what has to happen between your dock arrival and an FBA-compliant carton — and what each step costs, in real numbers.
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Tell us what you sell and your monthly volume. A real person replies within one business day with exact numbers.
Before you request a quote
Know the cost. Check the fit. Plan your first shipment.
Start with a small shipment or an established operation. There is no minimum volume. Tell us what you sell so we can confirm the handling, space and shipping you actually need.
What will my first month cost?
Example: 500 full-service FBA units under 5 lb × $0.75 = $375. If each needs a $0.20 polybag, add $100; one inbound pallet adds $20 and one full billable pallet-month adds $25. Total: $520 before outbound shipping or other requested work.
Examples use standard storage in the first three months. Long-stay pallet rates are $28/month in months 3–6 and $32/month after six months. Your written quote separates receiving, storage, handling, materials and shipping. Build your own estimate.
Why are there two handling prices?
Under 5 lb, Lean FBA is $0.50/unit and Lean FBM is $1.75/order when goods arrive pre-packed and ready to label. Full-service handling is $0.75/FBA unit or $2.00/FBM order; materials and postage are separate. These are service tiers, not automatic volume discounts.
Heavier items use different weight bands; over 15 lb or bulky items need a written quote. See the complete rate card.
Can you handle my products and platform?
Share your product type, packed dimensions and weight, sales platform and expected volume. Small batches and returns-only enquiries are welcome. Batteries, liquids, food, supplements, temperature-sensitive, hazardous or oversized items need acceptance and handling requirements confirmed before you ship.
For Shopify, Amazon, Walmart or another platform such as Amboras, tell us how orders and inventory are exchanged. The team confirms the connection or file workflow before onboarding; a platform name alone does not guarantee a supported integration.
How do I send inventory?
- Send your SKU list, dimensions, weights and carton/pallet count.
- Receive the written scope, rates and product-acceptance confirmation.
- Confirm account setup, labeling and receiving instructions with the team before dispatch.
- Send shipment details and tracking; agree the first prep job or order workflow.
Receiving location: 6117 Long Dr, Houston, TX 77087. Confirm inbound instructions before sending goods.
What about shipping and storage dimensions?
For a shipping estimate, send origin and destination ZIP codes, packed dimensions, weight, parcel count and desired delivery speed. Handling prices do not include carrier postage. Storage is charged only by carton or pallet. Bin and shelf storage is included in our standard pick-and-pack rate, with no separate charge. Send product dimensions and quantities so the team can confirm usable space, availability and the applicable carton or pallet storage rate in writing.
After you enquire: a real person from our Houston team replies within one business day, confirms any missing details and sends itemized pricing. You can ask for a written quote without booking a sales call. Unsure of volume? Select “Not sure yet” in the quote form.
Why FBA prep is a different problem when you're overseas
Your factory in China, Vietnam, or wherever you manufacture almost certainly cannot ship directly into Amazon's fulfillment network. Amazon requires FNSKU barcodes on every unit, poly bags on anything that could pose a suffocation risk, bubble wrap on fragile or glass items, and cartons packed to its exact specs. Factories rarely do this correctly, and Amazon rejects or charges you for shipments that don't comply.
So there's a step that has to happen on US soil, between your freight landing and your goods reaching an Amazon fulfillment center. That's what FBA prep is, and it's the whole reason a US-based prep partner exists in your supply chain.
We're not a freight forwarder and we don't clear customs — that leg is on your forwarder or customs broker. What we do is take your container from the moment it lands at our dock (6117 Long Dr, Houston, TX 77087 — 32,000 sqft, climate-controlled, monitored 24/7) through receiving, prep, and routing into Amazon's network. That's the same receiving-to-ship infrastructure behind our broader 3PL warehouse service — FBA prep is one lane running through it.
How FBA prep works, step by step
The direct answer: your forwarder delivers to our dock, we count and inspect against your packing list, we prep to Amazon spec, and we ship on your Amazon shipping plan. In detail:
- Your freight forwarder or trucker delivers your container or pallets to our Houston dock. We accept full containers, LTL pallets, or parcel — you don't need a minimum volume to use us.
- We receive the shipment, count units against your packing list or invoice, and flag any shortage or damage before we touch anything.
- Full-service FBA handling for units under 5 lb is $0.75/unit, including FNSKU labeling and prep labor. Materials are separate: polybag $0.20/unit and bubble wrap $0.20/unit when needed. Receiving, storage and outbound freight are separate. Lean label-ready units start at $0.50; heavier units use the published weight bands.
- If your Amazon shipping plan isn't approved yet, or you're staging inventory for multiple FBA shipments, we hold your pallets in climate-controlled storage until you're ready.
- We route your prepped cartons to Amazon's fulfillment centers per the shipping plan you generate in Seller Central — by small parcel or LTL freight, quoted per shipment.
What FBA prep for international inventory actually costs
Four line items cover almost every international FBA shipment we handle. Everything else — container devanning, LTL freight lanes, custom kitting — is quoted per shipment because those costs genuinely vary by load.
| Service | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving inbound pallets | $20/pallet ($5/carton) | Charged on every inbound |
| FBA prep (FNSKU, poly-bag, bubble wrap, cartonization) | $0.75/unit | Handling and FNSKU labeling; materials billed separately. |
| Storage while inventory waits to ship | $25.00/pallet, billed monthly | Pay only the fraction of the month you use |
| Returns or refused units | $1.50/return | Inspection included |
| Container devanning / LTL freight to Amazon FCs | Custom-quoted | Priced at negotiated carrier cost, no markup |
Postage and carrier labels for anything we ship ourselves are passed through at discounted USPS/UPS/FedEx rates, at cost, no markup.
What a container actually costs to prep
Take a common case: an overseas seller lands 4 pallets — 2,000 units — and the goods sit with us roughly a month while the Amazon shipping plan gets finalized and shipped out in batches.
| Line item | Math | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving | 4 pallets × $20.00 | $80.00 |
| FBA prep | 2,000 units × $0.75 | $1,500.00 |
| Storage (≈1 month) | 4 pallets × $25.00 × 1 month | $100.00 |
| Total to land, prep, and hold 2,000 units | $1,680.00 |
Full-service FBA handling for units under 5 lb is $0.75/unit, including FNSKU labeling and prep labor. Materials are separate: polybag $0.20/unit and bubble wrap $0.20/unit when needed. Receiving, storage and outbound freight are separate. Lean label-ready units start at $0.50; heavier units use the published weight bands.
What international sellers ask us before they ship
The questions we get from overseas sellers are consistent enough that we can answer most of them here, before you send an RFQ:
- Minimums and fees: no minimum order volume, no minimum SKU count, no setup fee, no contract — it's month-to-month.
- Customs: we don't handle customs clearance or the ocean/air freight leg. That's your forwarder or broker. Once your container clears US customs and reaches our dock, we take it from there.
- Receiving and time-to-available: we count against your packing list on arrival; units logged in before our 2pm CT cutoff, Monday–Saturday, get prepped the same day.
- Storage and climate control: $25/pallet per month in a climate-controlled facility.
- Lot and expiration tracking: available through our warehouse management system if your products need it — useful for supplements, cosmetics, or anything with shelf life.
- Inventory visibility: real-time inventory dashboard (KAK WMS) so you can check status from overseas without emailing us.
- Getting to Amazon: we ship your prepped cartons on your Amazon shipping plan; LTL freight and container devanning are quoted per shipment at negotiated carrier cost, no markup.
- Insurance: coverage up to $500,000 per occurrence while your goods are with us — we're liable for our own handling.
If a number isn't listed above — kitting, subscription-box assembly, custom inserts, a specific freight lane — it's because those genuinely vary by job, not because we're hiding it.
Getting an exact number for your shipment
Everything above is published pricing, not a ballpark. Take your pallet count, your unit count, and a rough estimate of how many weeks you'll be in storage, and you can build your own landed-cost number before you ever talk to us.
The full rate card is on the KAK price list and pricing pages, and you're welcome to contact us directly with questions before you ship anything. For the line items that genuinely vary by job — kitting, custom freight lanes, container devanning — send your specs through get a quote and you'll have a real number within 24 hours, not a range.
FAQ: Amazon FBA prep for international sellers
Do you handle customs clearance for my container?
What exactly is included in the $0.75/unit FBA prep rate?
Do you charge to receive my container or pallets?
How is storage billed while my inventory waits to ship to Amazon?
Is there a minimum order size to use KAK for FBA prep?
Can I track my inventory once it's in your warehouse?
Do you get my cartons to Amazon's fulfillment centers, or do I arrange that?
What if my container needs to be devanned at your dock?
How does the same-day prep cutoff work?
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Lean handling under 5 lb: FBA $0.50/unit or FBM $1.75/order for pre-packed goods. Full service: $0.75/FBA unit or $2.00/FBM order. Materials and postage are separate; storage is $25/pallet/month.