Amazon’s inbound penalty fees have quietly become one of the largest avoidable costs for FBA sellers. The 2025 fee schedule update raised the cost of unplanned services — relabeling, re-packing, and non-compliant shipment processing — to a level where a single mis-prepared pallet can wipe out a week of margin on a top SKU. Below are the eight inbound details we check on every Mile Global Logistics shipment before it leaves our Walnut, California warehouse for an FBA appointment.

1. FNSKU labels must be scannable, not just present

Every unit needs an FNSKU barcode that scans first time. The most common failure we see is FNSKU labels printed at 200 DPI thermal that smear in transit, or labels applied over an existing UPC so both scan. Print at 300 DPI or higher, cover any prior barcode completely, and avoid placing the label on a seam or curved surface.

2. Box labels (shipment labels) on the long side

Amazon expects the shipment label on the longest flat side of each carton, and the carrier label (UPS, FedEx, partnered LTL) on a different side. Same-side stacking causes scanner confusion and is one of the top reasons cartons get diverted to manual processing. If you are using LTL, also confirm BOL details — Amazon will refuse pallets that do not match the shipment in Seller Central.

3. Pallet build and stretch wrap

Standard FBA pallets are 40″ x 48″, GMA Grade A or B, four-way entry, with cartons stacked column-style (not interlocked) and no overhang. Stretch wrap should fully cover from the top of the load to the base of the pallet, including the pallet itself. Loose loads and over-height pallets (over 72″ including pallet) are the most common LTL rejections.

4. Polybag and bubble wrap requirements

Apparel and any unit with an opening over 5″ must be polybagged with a suffocation warning printed in the required font size. The polybag must be at least 1.5 mil thick and transparent enough for the FNSKU to scan through. Fragile units need at least 2″ of clearance on all sides inside the carton; bubble wrap counts only if it actually cushions, not as a wrap-and-tape decoration.

5. Expiration date formatting and placement

For consumables, the expiration date must be in MM-DD-YYYY or MM-YYYY format, printed on both the master carton and each unit, with at least 105-day shelf life remaining at the moment Amazon receives the shipment. Sellers using a Chinese MFG-coded date that requires translation are the most frequent source of expedited disposal in this category — and Amazon does not refund the units.

6. Hazmat and battery declarations

Any product containing a battery (including most electronics, watches, toys, and beauty tools) requires a hazmat review approval in Seller Central before the first shipment. Lithium battery products also need UN 3481 markings on the carton. Shipping hazmat without prior approval triggers Amazon’s three-strike inbound suspension policy — a single mistake here can pause your entire inbound flow for weeks.

7. Carton weight and dimension limits

Maximum carton weight is 50 lbs (apparel and softlines can go to 100 lbs with a “Team Lift” sticker; over 100 lbs needs “Mechanical Lift”). Maximum dimension on any side is 25″ unless the unit itself exceeds that. Over-weight cartons get rejected outright, and over-dimension cartons trigger a per-unit oversize handling fee that compounds for every unit inside.

8. Bundles, multi-packs, and the “Sold as Set” sticker

If your ASIN is a multi-pack (e.g., 3-pack of bottles), the outer unit needs a “Sold as Set — Do Not Separate” sticker and a single FNSKU. We see sellers ship multi-packs without this sticker every month, and Amazon either separates the units (destroying the SKU integrity) or charges a per-unit relabel fee — sometimes both.

The cost of getting it wrong

Amazon’s current unplanned service fees range from $0.20 per unit for minor labeling fixes to $1.20 per unit for full re-prep, plus per-shipment handling. On a 2,000-unit shipment, an avoidable compliance miss can cost $400 to $2,400 — often more than the freight itself. The good news is that nearly every issue on this list is preventable with a 15-minute pre-shipment QC pass.

If you would like our team to run the same pre-shipment QC against your next inbound batch at our Walnut, CA warehouse, get in touch and we will walk through the prep checklist with you.