Service Level Agreement
What to actually expect from AMZ Prep, in plain numbers
Real turnaround times, accuracy targets, and response windows for FBA prep, DTC fulfillment, freight, and cold storage. When a number depends on your SKU mix or order volume, it's noted right next to it.
Who This Page Is For
Direct brands, aggregators, agencies, and CPG
The commitments below don't change based on what kind of business is behind the account.
Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and TikTok Shop sellers running their own storefront alongside Amazon.
Multi-brand portfolios that want one consistent prep and labeling process across every acquired brand instead of a different setup per catalog.
Fulfillment for an entire client roster under one account, with each client's numbers visible separately.
Brands shipping into Target, Costco, and Walmart alongside Amazon. Retailer compliance and EDI accuracy matter here as much as FBA prep.
Amazon FBA Prep
How fast inventory moves from receiving to Amazon
FBA prep covers pick and pack, FNSKU labeling, kitting and assembly, poly bagging, bundling, and subscription box fulfillment, followed by shipping plan creation and delivery to Amazon.
| Stage | Typical timing | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Prep completion to Amazon delivery | 1–3 business days | From completed prep to arrival at the Amazon fulfillment center, once a shipping plan is created |
| Order accuracy (units picked, packed, labeled correctly) | 99.8% | Our sourced, verified accuracy figure across FBA prep and DTC combined |
| Removal order processing | Same-day to next business day | Depends on time of request relative to daily cutoff |
Freight & Middle Mile
Freight forwarding and the VIP freight program
AMZ Prep runs freight forwarding by air and ocean, customs and cross-border compliance, and a Middle Mile VIP freight program that gets inventory into Amazon fulfillment centers without you chasing dock appointments yourself. It covers the whole chain: origin pickup, appointment booking, the middle mile, and last-mile delivery.
| Service | Typical timing | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Origin pickup coordination | Scheduled as part of freight booking | Covers pickup from major manufacturing hubs so you're not arranging it yourself |
| Dock appointment booking | Included, VIP freight program | AMZ Prep books and manages the appointment at the Amazon FC or retailer distribution center directly |
| VIP freight inbound to Amazon FCs | 2–4 business days | Middle Mile VIP program, includes dock appointment booking and freight ticket handling |
| Amazon placement fee exposure | Reduced via 5-way split routing | Freight is routed across multiple Amazon FCs to reduce placement fee costs versus single-destination shipping |
| Customs and cross-border documentation | Handled as part of freight process | Covers cross-border compliance for lanes like US to Canada, Canada to US, Europe to US, and Europe to Canada |
| Last-mile delivery to your customer | Coordinated through DTC fulfillment and parcel shipping | Tracked from origin pickup through to your customer's door, past the warehouse stage |
| Temperature-controlled freight | Available via Middle Mile Plus | Covers cold chain shipments in transit, beyond storage alone |
DTC Fulfillment & Specialty Storage
Direct-to-consumer orders and specialty handling
DTC fulfillment integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and 100+ platforms total, with per-order pricing that starts at $1.00 and zero placement fees on FBA shipments routed through us.
Per order, before volume-based discounts. No placement fees on FBA shipments.
Can be mixed across FBA prep, DTC, and shipping to reach the threshold.
Shopify, Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop, WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, eBay, Etsy, EDI, and more.
Amazon Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP)
AMZ Prep is an official Amazon SFP provider. We handle the fast, tracked delivery SFP requires, so your own listings carry the Prime badge without routing through Amazon's own fulfillment.
Retail & CPG fulfillment
B2B retail fulfillment for brands shipping into Target, Costco, Walmart, and Nordstrom, alongside regular Amazon and DTC volume. EDI-compliant ASN, PO, and invoice processing is built in for retailer compliance.
Big, bulky, and oversized items
Furniture, fitness equipment, appliances, grills, automotive parts, and other heavy or oversized SKUs get weight-verified at receiving and labeled to FBA specs with on-site industrial equipment.
Other specialty fulfillment
Cold chain and temperature-controlled goods, meltables, hazmat, jewelry, and other high-value SKUs.
Onboarding
Getting your inventory live
Standard onboarding runs 2 to 4 weeks depending on SKU count, integration complexity, and how much inventory needs to move on day one. Qualifying brands switching from another 3PL can get transition and transportation costs covered through our free 3PL transition program.
| Step | Typical timing |
|---|---|
| Account setup and system integration | Within the 2–4 week window |
| First inventory receiving | Scheduled once integration is confirmed |
| Go-live for order fulfillment | After first receiving is checked in and available for sale |
Integrations & Technology
What runs behind the scenes
Every order, shipping plan, and inventory count routes through Navigate, AMZ Prep's own warehouse management platform, connected to over 100 sales channels, marketplaces, and business systems.
Built so scaling brands stop paying separately for a third-party WMS license on top of fulfillment. Handles shipping plan creation, inventory visibility, and order routing.
Ecommerce, marketplace, retail/wholesale, and ERP systems connect directly, no manual file uploads required for supported platforms.
Built-in EDI support for retailer and wholesale accounts that require ASNs, invoices, and POs in that format.
Why Navigate exists, and why it's free
Growing brands were spending real money on third-party WMS licenses just to run FBA operations. AMZ Prep built Navigate instead of passing that cost along, and made it free for FBA-related work. No paying twice, once for a license and again for fulfillment.
Already running a different WMS? That's fine too
Navigate is free, but it was never meant to lock anyone in. AMZ Prep partners with almost every major WMS on the market, and a meaningful share of clients run their own system instead of Navigate. For the full list of supported platforms, see the Integrations & API support page.
Channels and systems Navigate connects to
Dedicated apps and marketplace partnerships
These aren't generic API connections. AMZ Prep runs dedicated integrations built specifically for each of these platforms.
After Onboarding
What ongoing support actually looks like
Onboarding gets you live. What happens after that is where most 3PL relationships either stay tight or quietly drift, so here's the actual cadence AMZ Prep runs on.
| Touchpoint | Cadence | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated account manager | Ongoing, one named person | A real human point of contact for day-to-day questions and escalations, not a rotating support queue |
| Check-in calls | Weekly, moving to bi-weekly | Weekly during ramp-up and early scaling, shifting to bi-weekly once your account stabilizes |
| Monthly Business Review (MBR) | Monthly | Performance against the numbers on this page, volume trends, and any open issues |
| Quarterly Business Review (QBR) | Quarterly | Bigger-picture review: growth planning, network changes, and process improvements |
| Ticket handling across marketplaces | Ongoing | Order and account issues get tracked across every connected marketplace, not just the one you flagged |
How These Numbers Work
What's on us, and what isn't
Some of these timings are fully within AMZ Prep's control. Others depend on Amazon, a carrier, or you as the brand owner. Separating the two keeps a delay outside our warehouse from getting blamed on the warehouse.
- AMZ Prep controls: pick/pack/label accuracy, prep turnaround, freight ticket handling, dock appointment booking, onboarding timeline.
- Amazon controls: FC check-in time once a shipment arrives, placement fee assessment, FBA account-level holds. AMZ Prep's 5-way split routing reduces placement fee exposure but can't override Amazon's own check-in queue.
- You control: how far in advance you flag a volume spike, how complete your product/SKU data is, and how quickly you approve a shipping plan. Advance notice on unusually large order spikes keeps your timing on target.
Standards We Operate Under
Certifications and status
The certifications and platform recognitions AMZ Prep currently holds. Not a template list of badges.
FAQ
Common questions about these numbers
What's the difference between an SLA and a turnaround time?
A turnaround time is how long one step takes, prep completion to Amazon delivery, for example. An SLA is the bigger commitment wrapped around that number: what's measured, what moves it, what happens if it's missed. This page has both.
Are these numbers guaranteed, or estimates?
Estimates, based on what AMZ Prep actually runs on today. There's no financial penalty schedule attached. SKU count, order volume, and how Amazon or a carrier handles their end can all shift the timing, which is why we broke out who controls what, above.
What happens if a delay is on AMZ Prep's side?
Your account manager owns it, not a support queue. They'll tell you where the shipment stands, why it's behind, and what's being done about it. A one-off gets fixed for that order. A pattern gets escalated and fixed at the process level.
What happens if my order volume spikes suddenly?
Flag it to your account manager ahead of time, a sale, a restock, a seasonal push, so staffing and dock scheduling can adjust. We'll still process an unannounced spike, but timing can run past the ranges above.
How does this work during BFCM or a viral sales moment?
Same rule, higher stakes. Flag a surge early and we can pre-stage staffing, dock appointments, and freight capacity ahead of it. A brand that gives us weeks of notice before Black Friday and one that goes viral overnight both get handled, just not at the same speed from hour one.
Does the 300 orders/month minimum apply per service?
No, it's a combined total across FBA prep, DTC fulfillment, and shipping.
Who do I contact if something falls outside these ranges?
Your account manager, first point of contact for anything tracking outside the timing above. They'll tell you in real time whether the holdup is on AMZ Prep's side, Amazon's, or a carrier's.
What if Navigate or an integration goes down?
Every warehouse in the network runs on order and inventory data flowing through Navigate, so an integration issue is treated as an operational priority, not filed into a general ticket queue. We haven't published a made-up uptime percentage here. Need a real figure for your own reporting? Ask your account manager.
Does AMZ Prep work with OA/RA (Online Arbitrage/Retail Arbitrage) sellers?
AMZ Prep services online arbitrage (OA) sellers doing 1,000 or more orders a month. Pricing runs on a custom quote rather than flat rate, since OA inventory means multi-supplier receiving. Contact AMZ Prep to check eligibility for OA, retail arbitrage, or anything else.
Can we visit the warehouse before committing?
Yes. Once you've received your pricing, AMZ Prep can arrange a warehouse visit so you can meet the team and see the operation in person before signing anything.
What is AMZ Prep's order accuracy rate?
99.8%, measured across FBA prep and DTC fulfillment combined. That's units picked, packed, and labeled correctly, not just orders shipped on time.
Does AMZ Prep offer service credits if a target is missed?
No, and we'd rather say that outright than publish a credit schedule we can't back up. What you get instead is a named account manager who owns the miss, explains what happened, and escalates it internally if it's a pattern rather than a one-off. See "What happens if a delay is on AMZ Prep's side?" above.
What certifications does AMZ Prep hold?
ISO 9001:2015 certified, FDA registered, an Amazon Recommended 3PL, a Shopify Plus certified partner, and a Clutch Top 3PL for 2024, 2025, and 2026. Full list is in the Standards section above.
Does AMZ Prep charge Amazon placement fees?
No. AMZ Prep charges zero placement fees on FBA shipments routed through us, and freight is routed via 5-way split shipping specifically to reduce your placement fee exposure with Amazon.
Can AMZ Prep handle Amazon Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP) delivery requirements?
Yes. AMZ Prep is an official Amazon SFP provider, built around the fast, tracked delivery SFP requires, so your own listings can carry the Prime badge without being fulfilled by Amazon itself.
What's the difference between standard FBA prep and wholesale prep at AMZ Prep?
Standard FBA prep is built for typical order volumes and case-level receiving. Wholesale prep is built for container and pallet-level receiving at much higher daily throughput, with its own pricing tiers and processing steps. See the Wholesale Prep Services page for the full breakdown.
Want the exact numbers for your SKU mix?
Your account manager can walk through your specific volume, packaging, and integration needs before you commit to anything.
