FBA prep near me: turnaround beats distance.
For most Amazon FBA sellers, "near me" is the wrong filter. Inbound transit time to the right Amazon FC drives real cost via the Inbound Placement Service Fee, and a center's turnaround SLA matters more than its driving distance to you. Four filters below that beat ZIP code.
Honest scope: 98 verified centers across 23 US states as of 2026-07-28. We publish what we verify, not what we scrape, and every listing cleared the 4-point operator standard.
Four filters that beat ZIP code.
- 01
Turnaround time, not ZIP code
A center 200 miles away with a 24-hour receive-to-ship beats one 30 miles away with a 5-day backlog. Ask the prep center for current turnaround in writing. Every published profile here surfaces last-verified date and check history.
- 02
Distance from the prep center to the right Amazon FC
Amazon's Inbound Placement Service Fee runs $0.20 to $0.45 per unit for standard-size at the Minimal placement option. A prep center near an East Coast FC cluster reduces IPSF for East Coast demand; near a West Coast FC cluster, the inverse. Picking a center closer to you but farther from the right FC can erase the entire shipping saving. See our Amazon fulfillment center directory for the cluster map.
- 03
Q4 capacity
A subset of prep centers stops accepting new clients between August and December. A local center that is full in November is worse than a remote center with capacity. Q4 surge rates run 15% to 50% above standard tier in our 2026-Q1 market scan. Book Q4 capacity in May or June.
- 04
Port-of-entry pairing for imports
If you import from China, a port-adjacent prep center (LA / Long Beach, Savannah, Houston) skips the inland truck leg. We've measured 4 to 6 day inbound-time savings on container freight routed through port-adjacent prep vs inland prep.
Three cases where near is the right filter.
- 01
You want to tour the facility
A facility tour resolves trust gaps faster than any contract clause. Smaller operations welcome tours. Use the coverage list below to find a verified center within driving distance before you ask.
- 02
Your supplier is domestic, near you
Etsy makers, US wholesalers, and regional manufacturers benefit from a prep center within 100 miles of the supplier. The supplier-to-prep leg can drop from 5 days (cross-country) to 1 day (regional). That's 4 days off your inbound time.
- 03
Small initial order before international freight
For first-time imports, sending a small batch to a nearby prep center to confirm packaging compliance is cheaper than discovering a polybag issue on container freight that has already cleared customs.
States with verified prep centers right now.
We don't list a state until we've cleared at least one prep center through our 4-point operator standard. Honest scarcity beats a thin map. New states get added as we verify centers there. See our coverage page for the full universe we track, including pending and unverified candidates.
Montana
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California
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Oregon
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Florida
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New Jersey
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Texas
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Delaware
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Michigan
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New Hampshire
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Ohio
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Virginia
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Georgia
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Illinois
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New York
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AL
Dedicated state page opens once we've verified a second center in AL.
Arizona
Dedicated state page opens once we've verified a second center in Arizona.
Colorado
Dedicated state page opens once we've verified a second center in Colorado.
Indiana
Dedicated state page opens once we've verified a second center in Indiana.
Iowa
Dedicated state page opens once we've verified a second center in Iowa.
Louisiana
Dedicated state page opens once we've verified a second center in Louisiana.
North Carolina
Dedicated state page opens once we've verified a second center in North Carolina.
Pennsylvania
Dedicated state page opens once we've verified a second center in Pennsylvania.
Wisconsin
Dedicated state page opens once we've verified a second center in Wisconsin.
We're sourcing nationwide. Operate a prep center? Get listed →
Sales-tax-nexus geography matters too.
The five US states with no statewide sales tax are a recurring filter for FBA sellers picking inventory storage. Start with our tax-free-states pillar for the nexus argument and per-state notes.
Oregon
Default West Coast tax-free pick. Closest to SEA / ONT FCs.
View state →
Delaware
East Coast tax-free counterpart. 90 minutes from the PHL FC.
View state →
New Hampshire
Closest tax-free option to the Boston metro and the BOS FC.
View state →
Montana
Lowest-cost tax-free option, but distant from FCs.
View state →
Alaska
Niche; air-freight intake, primarily for AK-resident sellers.
View state →
Common questions on prep-center proximity.
Does Amazon have a prep center near me?
Is 'near me' the right filter for an FBA prep center?
How does Amazon's Inbound Placement Service Fee (IPSF) change the calculus?
Where is the closest FBA prep center to me?
How many FBA prep centers are in your directory?
Can I tour a prep center before signing?
What about prep centers near my supplier, not near me?
Do you publish state-by-state coverage even when there are no centers in the state?
Skip the geo filter; start with the shortlist.
Our editorial directory ranks verified prep centers by freshness, service breadth, and pricing transparency. Filter by location only after filtering by verification and turnaround. High-volume sellers running Walmart, Shopify, or eBay alongside FBA should also weigh full 3PL options over prep-only.
Amazon fulfillment center directory
Every major US FC by code, city, type. Match your prep center to the right cluster.
Open the directory →
Amazon IXD directory
The 5 inbound cross-docks that absorb palletized FBA freight before the FC network.
Open the IXD list →
Amazon ended FBA prep (Jan 1, 2026)
Context on why sellers now need third-party prep, with three options laid out.
Read the change →
Amazon FBA fee calculator
Estimate 2026 fulfillment fees, the inbound placement fee driven by FC location, and storage costs.
Run the math →
FBA prep centers in the USA
The national hub: how US prep coverage is distributed and which states carry real capacity.
Open the USA hub →
Full FBA prep center list
Every published center in one filterable index, typed by operator model and sortable by price.
Browse the full list →
FBA prep services explained
What each line item on a prep-center rate card actually buys, from FNSKU labeling to bundling.
Read the services guide →