How do I ship to Amazon FBA from China (2026 rules)?

Question

Accepted Answer

Short Answer: From Jan 1 2026 Every Unit Must Be Prepped, Labeled and Compliant in China - Then Ship via FCL, LCL or DDP to the Assigned FC

Direct Answer

From January 1, 2026 Amazon discontinued all in-warehouse prep services, so every unit must arrive at the fulfillment center fully labeled, packaged and compliant - there are no second chances at the FC door. Your China side must prep to FBA spec before container stuffing: correct FNSKU labels, poly bags with suffocation warnings, accurate box dimensions and compliant packaging. Use a forwarder or Yiwu agent that prep-and-labels in China, then ship via FCL, LCL or DDP to the assigned FC, and get that FC assignment early because multi-FC splits raise drayage cost.

The Jan 1 2026 Rule Change

Amazon ended its in-warehouse Prep, AGL and AWD services effective January 1, 2026. The fulfillment center now receives goods that are already retail-ready; any unit that arrives unlabeled, mis-packed or non-compliant is rejected, and there is no on-site correction. The entire prep burden moved upstream to China.

Jan 1 2026Prep services endedAGL, AWD and standard FBA

100%Units must be readyNo FC-side correction

In ChinaWhere prep now happensBefore container stuffing

Rejection riskHigh if skippedNo second chance at door

A worker applying barcode FNSKU labels to products on a table — From 2026 every FBA unit must be labeled in China.

What Must Be Done in China Before Stuffing

FNSKU labelsEvery sellable unit carries the correct barcode, scannable and tamper-evident.

Poly bags with suffocation warningsRequired above the size threshold, with the warning printed on the bag.

Accurate box dimensionsMeasured, not estimated - Amazon charges for mismatches.

Compliant packagingNo prohibited materials; units protected for transit and handling.

Loose, unlabeled unitsThe fastest route to an FC rejection.

Prep-and-Label Forwarders

The practical solution is a China-based forwarder - or a Yiwu agent acting as one - that runs an FBA prep line: applying FNSKUs, bagging, box-building and labeling to spec, then consolidating into the outbound container. This turns a rejected-at-door risk into a clean inbound. Confirm the forwarder follows the current FBA packaging playbook, which changes more often than sellers expect.

Step	Done in China	Owner
Label application	Yes	Prep forwarder / agent
Poly bag + warning	Yes	Prep forwarder / agent
Box build + dims	Yes	Prep forwarder / agent
Outbound freight	FCL / LCL / DDP	Forwarder
FC appointment	Booked	You / agent

Poly bags with printed suffocation warnings stacked at a packing station — Poly bags need suffocation warnings above the threshold.

Get the FC Assignment Early

Amazon may split a shipment across multiple fulfillment centers, and each extra FC means another drayage leg and more handling. Securing the assignment before you stuff the container lets you plan carton routing and avoid a last-minute multi-FC split that quietly raises cost. It also sets the inbound appointment you must count in your launch timeline.

1

Request the FC assignment before shipping

Routing plans depend on it.

2

Consolidate to the assigned FC where possible

Fewer splits, lower drayage.

3

Book the carrier appointment

Slots tighten in peak season.

4

Prep to spec before stuffing

No FC-side correction from 2026.

5

Track inbound processing

Units are not live until received and stowed.

FCL, LCL or DDP to the FC

The mode to the FC follows the same volume logic as any shipment: FCL above ~15 CBM, LCL for 1-15 CBM, and DDP if you want the forwarder to close the loop to the door. The only FBA-specific twist is that the prep must already be complete regardless of mode, because the FC will not do it for you.

FCL to FCBest per-CBM >15 CBM

LCL to FCFlexible 1-15 CBM

DDP to FCHands-off, duty in price

A container being routed toward an Amazon fulfillment center — Get the FC assignment early to avoid multi-FC splits.

Case: A Split Avoided

Buyer: US pet-supplies seller, 1 x 40ft to FBA

The client's shipment was initially routed to two FCs, which would have meant splitting the container and a second drayage leg. We secured a single-FC assignment before stuffing and consolidated accordingly.

OutcomeOne FC instead of two removed an estimated $600-900 in extra drayage and a week of inbound handoffs.

How RND SOURCING Ships to FBA

We run the FBA prep-and-label line in Yiwu to the current Amazon spec, confirm the FC assignment before we stuff, and ship FCL, LCL or DDP to that center with the inbound appointment booked. Because the 2026 rule leaves no margin for error at the door, we treat prep compliance as a gate, not a step - nothing is stuffed until labels, bags and box dims are verified. Our coordination fee is stated separately from the freight.

Prep and ship to FBA from China

RND SOURCING — Yiwu, Zhejiang, China. Written by our sourcing desk from first-hand market work.