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DIY prep checklist · Prices checked

FBA prep supplies: the complete DIY checklist.

Since Amazon ended its in-house prep service on January 1, 2026, every unit arrives at the fulfillment center already prepped, by you or by a prep center. This is the full self-prep kit: what each item is for, the spec that actually matters, and what it costs per unit once you are running. Prices and ratings were checked on Amazon on August 16, 2026; they move.

~$226Budget kit, one-timewith the MUNBYN printer path
~$350Workhorse kit, one-timewith the Rollo printer path
$0.08-0.10Consumables per unitbag + FNSKU label + tape share

The kit

9 items that cover nearly all self-prep.

Each row names the requirement it exists to satisfy (the full rulebook lives on our FBA prep requirements page). Ratings and review counts are Amazon's own aggregates on the check date, not our testing.

ItemThe spec that mattersRequirement coveredPrice · rating
Thermal label printer (the workhorse pick)Rollo USB Shipping Label Printer, 4x6 direct thermal
Direct thermal (no ink or toner ever), prints 4x6 shipping labels and FNSKU sheets cut to size, works with Seller Central PDFs out of the box.FNSKU unit labels + FBA box labels + carrier labels, one machine.$199.994.6 stars, 16.2K ratings
Thermal label printer (the budget pick)MUNBYN Bluetooth Thermal Label Printer, 4x6
Same direct-thermal mechanism at roughly 40% of the Rollo price. Bluetooth plus USB. The tradeoff is slower duty cycle at volume.Same coverage as the Rollo, at hobby-volume speeds.$75.764.4 stars, 3.2K ratings
30-up on letter paper is the layout Seller Central's print-item-labels PDF expects. Works in any laser or inkjet you already own. About $0.0025 per label.FNSKU on every unit (universal for resellers since commingling ended March 31, 2026).$36.994.5 stars, 795 ratings
Fanfold stacks feed straight through a Rollo or MUNBYN without a roll holder. $0.02 per label for box and carrier labels.FBA box ID labels and carrier labels.$9.994.8 stars, 10.8K ratings
Pre-printed suffocation warning satisfies the 5-inch-opening rule without a separate sticker step. Around $0.075 per unit. Confirm the 1.5 mil thickness on the size you order; Amazon refuses thinner bags.Polybagging for apparel, liquids, small parts, dust-generating and loose products.$29.994.7 stars, 4.3K ratings
Amazon requires bags fully sealed. A 12-inch element handles every bag in the combo pack above; self-seal strips work too but a heat seal survives FC handling better on heavy units.The fully-sealed-bag rule.$23.994.5 stars, 2.9K ratings
The retail-arbitrage standard for clearing price stickers and old barcodes. A visible original UPC next to an FNSKU is a receiving defect.Cover-or-remove rule for manufacturer barcodes under an FNSKU.$13.994.8 stars, 6.6K ratings
Box weights feed the shipment plan and the 50 lb single-box ceiling. 0.1 oz precision also catches unit-weight drift that changes your FBA size tier.Accurate box weights for shipment plans; the 50 lb box limit.$18.054.8 stars, 67.7K ratings
Cuts reused cartons down so contents do not rattle. Amazon charges for oversized or under-filled boxes indirectly through dimensional handling and damage rates.Right-sized cartons under the 25-inch side limit without buying every box size.$16.994.6 stars, 1.5K ratings

Buy one printer path, not both: the Rollo for sustained volume, the MUNBYN for under a few hundred units a month, or skip the thermal printer entirely and run 30-up sheets through the printer you already own. Every link opens the product on Amazon; prices there are live and override anything printed here.

The per-unit math

DIY prep is cheap in supplies and expensive in hours.

The consumables are trivial: a suffocation-warning bag runs about $0.075, an FNSKU label under a cent, and a fair share of tape and box stock brings a typical bagged, labeled unit to roughly $0.08 to $0.10 in materials. Nobody outsources prep to save on poly bags.

The real line item is time. Receiving, inspecting, bagging, sealing, labeling, and boxing runs 2 to 4 minutes per unit for most sellers once you include the shipment-plan work. At 500 units a month that is 17 to 33 hours of repetitive work, every month, before a single listing gets improved or a single new product gets sourced.

The outsourcing comparison is one number: US prep centers charge a median of $1.30 per unit at entry volume (our 2026 census across 44 published rate cards, deduplicated; see the Pricing Index). Against 2 to 4 minutes of your own time plus a dime of materials, the crossover lands between roughly 300 and 800 units a month depending on what your hour is worth.

Outsourcing also moves the crossover earlier when the work itself is harder: hazmat and SDS handling, meltable-window storage, FDA-regulated categories, or staging inventory in a sales-tax-free state. The full framework is in our buyer's guide.

Past the DIY crossover?

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FAQ

Common FBA supply questions.

What supplies do I need for Amazon FBA prep?

Eight items cover nearly all self-prep: a 4x6 direct thermal printer (or 30-up label sheets for a regular printer), FNSKU label stock, poly bags with pre-printed suffocation warnings in 2 to 4 sizes, an impulse heat sealer, a label peeler for removing retail stickers, a shipping scale with at least 50 lb capacity, a box resizer, and standard carton tape. The full kit runs about $225 with a budget printer or about $350 with a Rollo, then roughly $0.08 to $0.10 per unit in consumables for a bagged, labeled product.

What size labels do I need for Amazon FBA?

Two sizes handle everything. FNSKU unit labels print 30-up on 1 x 2-5/8 inch address labels (the Seller Central default PDF layout) or individually on a thermal printer. FBA box ID labels and carrier labels print on 4x6 thermal stock. Avoid tiny jewelry-size labels unless the unit genuinely cannot fit a standard label; scannability failures at receiving get charged back.

Do I need a thermal printer for FBA labels?

No, but the math usually favors one past trivial volume. Laser or inkjet 30-up sheets work fine for FNSKU labels at about $0.0025 per label plus toner. A direct thermal printer needs no ink ever, prints 4x6 box labels the sheets cannot, and pays for itself in toner and time somewhere in the low hundreds of units per month. Below that, sheets are the cheaper path.

Can I print FBA labels on a regular printer?

Yes. Seller Central's print-item-labels flow outputs a 30-up PDF sized for 1 x 2-5/8 inch labels on letter paper, which any laser or inkjet handles. Two rules: use matte white labels (glossy stock can defeat FC scanners) and never scale the PDF (fit-to-page shrinks the barcode below scannable density). Box labels are the exception; those want 4x6 thermal stock.

What poly bags does Amazon FBA require?

Transparent bags at 1.5 mil minimum thickness, fully sealed, with a suffocation warning printed or stickered near the opening on any bag with a 5 inch or larger opening, and the FNSKU on the outside of the bag. Adult products are the one category that reverses the transparency rule and requires opaque bags. Bags with the warning pre-printed remove a whole labeling step, which is why they are the default buy.

How much does it cost to prep FBA inventory yourself?

Two numbers. Consumables run roughly $0.08 to $0.10 per bagged, labeled unit (bag around $0.075, FNSKU label under a cent, share of tape and box stock). Labor is the real cost: receiving, inspecting, bagging, sealing, and labeling runs 2 to 4 minutes per unit for most sellers. At 500 units a month that is 17 to 33 hours. Third-party prep centers charge a median of $1.30 per unit for the same work, which is why the DIY-versus-outsource decision is volume math, not preference.

When does outsourcing beat DIY FBA prep?

Run the hour math. DIY at 2 to 4 minutes per unit means every 100 units costs you 3 to 7 hours plus about $10 in consumables. A prep center charges a median of $1.30 per unit (2026 US census across 44 published rate cards). If your time is worth more than roughly $20 to $35 an hour, outsourcing wins somewhere between 300 and 800 units a month, earlier if you ship hazmat, meltables, or FDA categories, or want inventory staged in a sales-tax-free state.

Related references.

The rulebook

Amazon FBA prep requirements

Every rule this kit exists to satisfy: polybag specs, FNSKU placement, drop tests, expiration formats.

Open the requirements →

The outsource price

What FBA prep centers charge

Per-unit benchmarks to weigh against your own hours once volume grows.

Open the fee benchmarks →

Decision framework

How to choose an FBA prep center

The 5-question checklist for when the DIY crossover arrives.

Open the buyer's guide →

Vetted operators

Verified FBA prep centers

The ranked, verification-dated list to start from when outsourcing wins the math.

Browse verified centers →

The census

FBA Prep Pricing Index 2026

Where the $1.30 median per-unit rate on this page comes from.

Open the index →

Start here

What is FBA prep?

The primer, if you have never prepped or outsourced a unit before.

Read the primer →

As an Amazon Associate, FBA Prep Finder earns from qualifying purchases. Product links on this page use our affiliate tag. Prices, ratings, and review counts were checked on August 16, 2026 and change without notice; the live Amazon listing always governs.