How much does Amazon FBA prep cost? For most sellers in 2026, professional FBA prep runs $0.35 to $0.60 per unit all-in — including receiving, inspection, and FNSKU labeling — with optional add-ons like poly-bagging or bundling priced separately. Your exact cost depends on volume, the services your product needs, and whether you pay setup or monthly fees. Below is a full, no-fluff breakdown of what you should expect to pay, using real current rates.

What "FBA prep" actually includes

Before comparing prices, it helps to know what you're paying for. Core FBA prep almost always covers three things: receiving your inventory at the warehouse, inspecting and counting it, and applying FNSKU labels so Amazon can identify each unit. Everything beyond that — poly-bagging, bubble wrapping, bundling, storage, and shipping to Amazon — is usually priced as an add-on, because not every product needs it.

This matters because a "cheap" quote that excludes receiving or box processing isn't actually cheaper — the fees just show up later. A transparent prep center folds the essentials into one clear per-unit rate.

Core prep cost per unit (2026)

Per-unit prep is almost always volume-tiered — the more units you send, the lower the rate. Here are current rates at 3PL Planet, which include receiving, inspection, and FNSKU labeling:

For context, the broader market for third-party FBA prep ranges from about $0.40 to $1.00 per unit, and Amazon's own labeling service — before it ended — charged roughly $0.55 per unit. So a rate in the $0.35–$0.40 range is competitive.

Add-on costs (only if your product needs them)

These are charged on top of the core rate, per unit or per bundle:

• Poly-bag + suffocation label: $0.25 / unit — required for loose soft goods and apparel.
• Bubble wrap: $0.50 / unit — for fragile items like glass or ceramics.
• Bundling (up to a 5-pack, FNSKU included): $1.00 / bundle, then +$0.25 per unit beyond 5.

Outbound handling & box processing

Getting your prepped units into boxes and out the door has its own cost — usually $4 per box for packing, box/shipment labeling, and carrier drop-off, plus $2–$5 for a new carton if one is needed. This is where "per unit" pricing alone can mislead you, so always factor in box processing when comparing quotes.

Storage costs

If you're buffering restocks or holding wholesale inventory, monthly storage typically runs $0.80 per cubic foot, $10 per box, or $50 per pallet — whichever model fits your inventory. Holding overstock at a prep center is often cheaper than Amazon's long-term storage fees.

A real example: 500 units

Say you send 500 units that need FNSKU labeling and packing into 10 boxes:

• 500 units × $0.40 labeling = $200
• 10 boxes × $4 outbound = $40
• Total: $240 — about $0.48 per unit, all-in.

Add poly-bagging or bundling and the per-unit figure rises accordingly — which is exactly why a live calculator beats guessing. You can plug your own numbers into our calculator and see your exact cost in seconds.

What about FBM orders?

If you fulfill orders to customers yourself (FBM) rather than through Amazon, pricing is per order instead of per unit: from $2.25 per order at 125+ orders/week (or $2.75 below that), flat up to a 3-pack, with a small per-unit add-on beyond that. Learn more about FBM fulfillment here.

How to keep your prep costs down

• Send larger batches to hit the lower per-unit tier.
• Skip add-ons you don't need — don't pay for poly-bagging on retail-ready products.
• Choose a prep center with no setup or monthly fees, so you only pay for what you use.
• Pack efficiently — fewer, fuller boxes means lower box-processing costs.

The bottom line

For most sellers, expect all-in FBA prep to land between $0.35 and $0.60 per unit, depending on volume and add-ons. The key is transparency: a good prep center shows you every fee up front, charges no setup or monthly minimums, and lets you calculate your cost before you commit. That's exactly how we price at 3PL Planet.