Amazon FBA Requirements: What Every Seller Must Know

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) allows sellers to store inventory in Amazon's fulfillment centers and have Amazon handle picking, packing, shipping, and customer service. To use FBA, sellers must meet: account requirements (active Professional seller account, good standing in Account Health), product requirements (not all products can be fulfilled by FBA — restricted products, some hazmat, and oversized items have special processes), packaging requirements (products must be packaged to survive handling in a fulfillment center — loose items must be poly-bagged, fragile items must be bubble-wrapped, liquids must have secondary containment), labeling requirements (every unit needs a scannable barcode — either the manufacturer UPC/EAN or an FNSKU label that Amazon assigns), shipment requirements (inbound shipments must be created through Seller Central using the Send to Amazon workflow; random shipping to FBA warehouses is not permitted; box contents must be declared accurately). Cost structure: FBA fees include fulfillment fees (per unit, based on size and weight tier), monthly storage fees (per cubic foot, higher in Q4), and occasional surcharges (long-term storage fees for inventory over 365 days, overage fees if above storage limits). FBA benefits: Prime eligibility for your listings, higher Buy Box win rate, better search ranking due to Prime badge, and customer service handled by Amazon.