Top 5 Mistakes Amazon Sellers Make When Choosing a Prep Centre

For many Amazon sellers, choosing the right prep centre can be the difference between scaling smoothly or running into costly delays. Your prep partner handles the crucial steps of receiving, inspecting, packaging, labelling, and shipping your inventory—so the wrong choice can sink your margins or even put your account at risk.

At Prep By Me, we’ve seen sellers struggle because of poor prep centre decisions. To save you from the same headaches, here are the top 5 mistakes to avoid when choosing a prep centre:

1. Focusing Only on the Price

The cheapest option isn’t always the best. Many sellers go for the lowest per-unit cost, only to find hidden fees, poor turnaround times, or sloppy packaging. What looks cheap at first often ends up costing more when products are returned, delayed, or rejected by Amazon.

👉 Pro tip: Always compare prep centres on value—not just price. Look at what’s included (inspection, photos, storage, speed) before making your decision.

2. Ignoring Turnaround Times

Amazon deadlines are strict, especially during Q4. A prep centre that takes 5–7 business days to process your stock can make you miss Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or Prime Day.

👉 Pro tip: Ask your prep centre for guaranteed turnaround times and how they handle peak season. Fast and reliable shipping is worth more than saving a few pence per unit.

3. Not Checking for Storage Flexibility

Some sellers forget that logistics isn’t just about prepping—it’s also about storage. If your prep centre charges high storage fees or has limited space, you may struggle when large shipments arrive.

👉 Pro tip: Choose a prep centre that offers short-term and long-term storage options at fair prices, with clear CBM (cubic metre) or pallet rates.

4. Overlooking Communication and Transparency

Nothing is more frustrating than sending in your stock and hearing nothing back for weeks. Sellers often pick centres that don’t provide updates, photos, or clear reporting, leaving them blind to what’s happening with their products.

👉 Pro tip: Work with a prep centre that has a transparent dashboard, regular updates, and responsive support. You should always know where your products are and what stage they’re in.

5. Forgetting About Multi-Channel Needs

Many sellers start with Amazon FBA, but as they grow, they expand to FBM, TikTok Shop, Shopify, and eBay. If your prep centre only works with Amazon, you’ll eventually need to switch providers, which creates disruption.

👉 Pro tip: Future-proof your business by choosing a prep centre that supports multi-channel fulfilment from the start.

How Prep By Me Avoids These Mistakes for You

At Prep By Me, we built our services around solving these exact problems:

• ✅ Transparent pricing, no hidden fees

• ✅ Fast turnaround times, even in Q4

• ✅ Flexible storage options (by pallet or CBM)

• ✅ Dedicated account managers + client dashboard

• ✅ Support for Amazon FBA, FBM, TikTok Shop, Shopify, and more

  
  

When you choose us, you’re not just buying a service—you’re partnering with a team that helps you sell more and stress less.

📦 Ready to stop worrying about prep mistakes? Get in touch with Prep By Me today and scale with confidence.