Everything Canadian Amazon sellers need to know about FBA prep, FBM fulfillment, online arbitrage, and wholesale workflows — plus transparent per-unit pricing from a Montreal prep center built for serious volume. Written by sellers, for sellers.
Amazon FBA prep is the compliance work required to make your inventory pass Amazon's fulfillment center receiving standards. Every unit going into Amazon's warehouse network needs a specific barcode (FNSKU), often needs polybagging or bubble wrap, may need a multipack sticker, and the carton it ships in needs the right labels in the right spots. Skip any of it and Amazon either refuses the shipment, charges you Amazon-rate prep fees (which are 5–10× higher than a prep service), or sticks the inventory in receiving limbo for weeks.
For Canadian Amazon sellers specifically, FBA prep has an extra layer of complexity: most prep centers are based in the US, which means your Canadian inventory either gets prepped in the US (eating duties and time) or you prep at home in your garage (eating your weekends and risking errors). A Canadian prep center — and especially one in Montreal, 60 minutes from the US border — fixes both problems at once.
This page is a complete reference for Canadian sellers evaluating whether to use a FBA prep service, which sourcing model fits them, what to expect from the process, and what it actually costs. If you only want the pricing, jump to the pricing section. If you want to see your specific monthly cost, use the calculator. Otherwise, keep reading — the comparison tables and category-specific requirements alone are worth the scroll.
If you ship under 300 units a month, DIY at home usually wins. Past that, the math flips fast — and it's not just about money, it's about what you actually do with your time.
Most sellers run one or two of these models, but the workflows, pricing logic, and risk profiles are different. Here's how each compares in the context of a Canadian prep service.
| Amazon FBA | Amazon FBM | Online Arbitrage | Wholesale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Brand owners, wholesale buyers shipping to Amazon FCs | Sellers wanting full control over fulfillment & branding | Sellers sourcing from retail stores online | Buyers purchasing from distributors at scale |
| Pricing model | Per unit ($0.80 – $1.25) | Per order ($1.30 – $1.99) | Per unit (FBA rates) | Per unit (FBA rates) |
| Typical SKU count | 5–50 SKUs | 10–100 SKUs | 50–500+ SKUs | 20–200 SKUs |
| Inbound frequency | 1–4× per month (bulk) | Continuous (orders as they come) | Daily (multi-retailer) | 1–2× per month (pallets) |
| Storage needs | Low (ship out fast) | High (ongoing inventory) | Low (turnover fast) | Medium-High (bulk holds) |
| Cross-border value | Critical (CA + US Amazon) | Optional | Optional (depends on sourcing) | High (US distributors common) |
| Risk factor | Low (Amazon handles delivery) | Medium (you own delivery SLAs) | Medium (account health risk) | Low (brand-authorized buys) |
Many sellers run hybrid models — for example, brand-owned SKUs on FBA + wholesale SKUs on FBA + a few high-margin items on FBM. PrepKingz handles all four from the same Montreal warehouse, with one client portal and one inventory pool.
Every one of these is a real reason we've seen shipments refused, charged, or stranded in receiving. A prep service that knows what it's doing prevents all eight by default.
Amazon receives by FNSKU, not UPC. If you slap a UPC on a unit that should have an FNSKU, the unit either gets commingled with another seller's inventory or rejected. Solution: pull FNSKU directly from Seller Central, never assume.
Any polybag with an opening 5"× 5" or larger needs a suffocation warning printed in English (and ideally French for Canadian SKUs). Forgetting it gets the unit refused at receiving — not just one, the whole shipment can be flagged.
If both an FNSKU and a UPC are visible, Amazon's scanner reads whichever it sees first — and that can cause commingling. Manufacturer barcode must be physically covered or removed before FNSKU is applied.
Multipacks need a "Sold as set, do not separate" sticker on the outer packaging. Bundles need a single FNSKU on the outermost layer only. Sellers regularly label every component inside a bundle — Amazon refuses the lot.
FBA carton labels go on the side of the box, not the top. Amazon's belt scanners read sides. Top-only labels cause manual handling fees or refused shipments. Each carton also needs the shipment ID barcode plus the box-content placard if you didn't opt for manual processing.
Amazon splits shipments across multiple FCs algorithmically. Sellers send the whole shipment to one FC and pay the consolidation fee. Worse: cross-border sellers send Canadian inventory to a US FC by mistake, eating duties and weeks of delay.
If you don't declare box contents in Seller Central, Amazon charges a manual processing fee (around $0.15/unit). On a 1000-unit shipment that's $150 evaporated. We declare contents on every box, every shipment.
Some categories (Beauty, Grocery, Topicals, Apparel from new sellers) require pre-approval before FBA accepts the inventory. Sellers ship anyway and the units sit in receiving limbo for 60+ days. Every PrepKingz cycle starts with a pre-flight category check.
Same workflow every time. Same notifications at every checkpoint. Same person on your account from quote to invoice.
Your suppliers, retailers, or wholesalers ship directly to 111 Chabanel Ouest. Parcel, pallet, or container — all accepted from Canadian and US senders.
You're notified the moment your shipment arrives. Every unit counted and inspected within 24 hours. Discrepancies reported with photos.
We connect via MWS/SP-API and pull FNSKU labels and shipment plans directly. Nothing for you to print, email, or upload manually.
Polybagging, bubble wrap, sticker removal, multipack kitting, bundle assembly, suffocation warnings — applied per Amazon FBA standards.
Carton labeling, palletization, pickup scheduled with Amazon Partnered Carriers or third-party freight. Routed to Amazon.ca and Amazon.com FCs.
Real-time inbound counts, prep status, outbound tracking, and invoicing — all visible in your client portal. One invoice per cycle.
Slide to your monthly unit volume. We show your tier, per-unit rate, and total monthly cost — at PrepKingz pricing.
Monthly volume in units → tier, per-unit rate, and total.
Base prep only. Add-ons (polybag, bubble wrap, multipacks, boxes) billed separately. Final quote tailored to your sourcing model and SKU mix.
Lock in this ratePer-unit prep pricing tiered by monthly volume. Add-ons listed line-by-line so there are no invoice surprises.
All plans include inspection, FNSKU labeling, and dunnage. No monthly fees.
Amazon's prep requirements aren't uniform — apparel has different rules than electronics, which have different rules than beauty. Here's what to watch for in the 6 most common categories Canadian sellers ship.
Polybag required for all units. Suffocation warning if bag opening ≥ 5"×5". Hanging garments need a J-hook or removable hanger. Loose accessories (belts, scarves) need polybag + size sticker.
Original packaging must be sealed or replaced with poly-mailer + bubble wrap. Lithium battery items require UN3481/UN3480 hazmat labeling. Power adapters must have CSA or UL certification visible.
Liquids must be in sealed containers, polybagged individually. Many sub-categories require pre-approval (skincare, treatments). Expiry date must be visible and at least 90 days out.
Sealed packaging mandatory. Expiry date stickers required (FIFO labeling). Some sub-categories need food-handling certs. Climate-controlled storage may apply for chocolate, fresh items.
Choking hazard warnings required for age-graded products. Battery-operated toys need PE bag with warning. CPC (Children's Product Certificate) often required — keep on file.
Supplements, vitamins, OTC items face strict gating (Health Canada compliance). Cleaning products need GHS/SDS sheets if hazmat. Personal care follows Beauty rules.
Selling in a category not listed here? We've handled prep for almost every Amazon category — from pet supplies to industrial. Send us your SKU list and we'll flag any category-specific requirements before your first cycle.
A real Canadian prep center with bilingual staff, dedicated workstations, and the infrastructure for serious volume. See the full warehouse tour →
A common question from Canadian sellers starting out. Both markets have advantages depending on your sourcing, capital, and risk profile. Here's the honest breakdown.
The Canadian marketplace is roughly 1/10 the size of the US one, which sounds bad but is actually an advantage for new sellers — less competition per SKU, lower advertising costs, and you stay inside Canadian tax/payment rails. Your supplier ships once to a Canadian prep center, you sell to Canadian customers, and revenue flows back in CAD.
The US market is 10× larger and that's where serious volume comes from. But it's also more competitive, requires US tax filings (sales tax nexus), and cross-border shipping logistics. Most established Canadian sellers run both — testing on Amazon.ca, scaling on Amazon.com.
Launch on Amazon.ca first (3–6 months to validate the SKU mix and profitability). Then add Amazon.com using cross-border routing from Montreal — same inventory pool, two marketplaces. This is exactly what cross-border prep service from a Canadian warehouse is built for.
No setup fees, no monthly retainer, no surprise line items on the invoice. Just transparent per-unit prep with these baked in.
No "starting at" pricing. No generic estimates. We review your monthly volume, channel mix, and sourcing model — then reply within 4 business hours with transparent per-unit pricing tied to your actual workflow.
Answer a few quick questions and we will recommend the right logistics setup, quote structure, and onboarding path for your business.
What your quote includes
Reliable prep. Faster turnaround. Clear communication from day one.
Get your tailored PrepKingz plan
Whether you're new to FBA or shipping 10,000+ units a month, we can run your prep from Montreal. Bilingual, transparent, per-unit.