Guide · FBA first-leg from China
Amazon FBA prep from China after the 2026 policy change
As of January 1, 2026, Amazon has discontinued its in-house FBA prep and labeling services for US-bound FBA inventory: it no longer applies FNSKU labels, polybags, bubble wrap, bundling or other prep on the seller’s behalf. Every unit must now arrive at US fulfillment centers fully prepped by the seller or a third-party prep provider. For sellers sourcing in China, the practical consequence is that prep moves upstream — it gets done at the China leg, before the first-leg shipment departs.
Last updated: 2026-07-21 · Policy details below are drawn from the cited industry sources; Amazon Seller Central is the authoritative reference and its requirements prevail.
What actually changed
- Announced July 28, 2025; effective January 1, 2026: Amazon discontinued in-house FBA prep and labeling services (FNSKU labeling, polybagging, bubble wrapping, bundling, boxing) for US FBA inventory.
- The change covers US-bound inbound across channels — including inventory routed via AWD, AGL, SEND and the Supply Chain Portal that ends up in FBA fulfillment centers.
- There is no longer an option to pay Amazon to fix prep after arrival. Unprepped or mis-prepped units risk rejection at receiving, non-compliance fees, delayed check-in or unsellable status.
- Transition rule as reported: shipments created before January 1, 2026 remained eligible for prep even if they arrived after the deadline; everything created afterwards must arrive fully prepped.
These points are compiled from the industry sources cited at the end of this page. Where any detail differs from Amazon’s current documentation, Amazon Seller Central prevails — check it before booking freight.
What it means if you ship from China
Before 2026, a seller could ship unprepped cartons from a Chinese factory and pay Amazon to label and bag units on arrival. That backstop is gone. Now the prep must happen either in the seller’s own facility, at a US prep center (adding a domestic touch point and days of handling), or — usually the cheapest and fastest option for China-sourced goods — at the China leg, between the factory and the first-leg flight or sailing. Labor-intensive work like unit-level labeling and bagging is done where the goods already are, and the shipment arrives at the fulfillment center ready to check in.
The prep three-piece, done at the China leg
Three prep tasks cover most FBA shipments. Here is what each requires and how it is executed in a China-leg coordination workflow such as WooliiPorter’s:
| Prep task | What Amazon requires | How it runs at the China leg |
|---|---|---|
| FNSKU labeling (relabel) | Each unit needs a scannable FNSKU barcode that maps to the seller’s listing, covering any other scannable barcode on the packaging. | The merchant uploads the printable FNSKU label file and written instructions with the order; warehouse staff print, apply and photograph each labeled unit before it can move to packing. |
| Polybagging and protection | Loose, exposed or multi-part items must be bagged; polybags with large openings require a suffocation warning. Fragile items need protective wrapping. | Declared as a polybag/repack service on the order; executed during packing from the merchant’s instructions, closed with mandatory photo evidence. |
| Palletizing (for LTL/FCL first-leg) | Palletized freight to Amazon fulfillment centers must follow Amazon’s pallet and carton requirements for the booked shipment. | Requested as a palletize service on FBA first-leg orders; performed at dispatch as part of the freight handoff. |
Exact label, bag and pallet specifications change; verify current requirements in Amazon Seller Central for your marketplace and shipment type before dispatch.
How WooliiPorter runs FBA prep: declared explicitly, never assumed
WooliiPorter coordinates FBA first-leg from China to the US, EU, Canada and Mexico for merchants who buy from their own suppliers. Prep follows one deliberately rigid rule: every prep service must be declared explicitly by the merchant on the order — prep is never added silently.
- Relabeling and FNSKU jobs require the merchant’s written instructions, illustrations and the printable label file up front; orders without them are not accepted for that service.
- Warehouse staff execute each declared service from those instructions and must close it with photo evidence before the order can progress to packing and quoting.
- Every prep service becomes its own line item on the settlement, so the final bill reconciles against the packed quote line by line.
- The same declarations work over the Merchant API and MCP tools, so an AI agent placing an FBA first-leg order states the prep bundle in the same structured way.
Why so strict? Because prep failures are usually instruction failures. Removing ambiguity at order time — explicit declaration, attached label files, mandatory evidence — is what makes prep done an ocean away auditable from your desk.
Sources
Amazon announced the change to sellers via Seller Central (login required). The public reporting below is what this page relies on; always confirm current requirements directly in Seller Central.
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