How should barcodes and carton labels be prepared at the factory for Amazon FBA?

Main answer · Wecent Editorial Team

Short answer: Decide with Amazon’s current inbound requirements which barcode each unit needs, then give the factory a clear label specification: the barcode, its size, its position and the text on the outer carton. Check a sample before mass production, because relabelling in a prep centre is slow and costly. Follow Amazon’s own help pages, which change from time to time.

Start from Amazon’s requirements

Amazon sets rules for product barcodes, box content and shipment labels, and these can change. Read the current inbound guide in your Seller Central account before you brief the factory. Do not rely on an old template or on a forwarder’s memory.

Unit-level barcode

Each sellable unit must be scannable by the warehouse. Depending on your set-up, this may be a manufacturer barcode or an Amazon barcode label. Decide which applies to each product before production, because the barcode is printed on the retail box or on a label applied at the factory.

What to give the factory

1. The barcode file, sized and checked for scanning.
2. The label size, position and material.
3. The unit text, such as product name, model and made-in statement.
4. The outer carton marking, such as product name, quantity per carton and carton number.
5. A photo of how the label should look.

Outer carton

Shipment labels from Amazon are usually created after the shipment plan is made, and then printed and placed on each carton. If the factory ships directly, plan how those labels will be applied, perhaps by the forwarder.

Check before production

• Scan the barcode with a phone or scanner.
• Confirm that the code matches the listing.
• Check the label for smudges and position.
• Ask the factory to send photos of the first cartons.

Avoid common mistakes

• Barcodes that are too small or low in contrast.
• Labels on curved or glossy surfaces that peel.
• A barcode that covers a required warning or certification mark.
• Different barcodes on the same product.

Keep records

Save the barcode files, the approved label photo and the checklist with the order.

Quick summary

Check Amazon’s current rules, brief the factory with files and a photo, scan a sample before production and keep records. Rework at a prep centre costs far more than a correct label at the factory.

Where this answer says to confirm with Wecent, the detail is not published on the product page and has to come from the datasheet or the factory. General facts come from the regulators, standards bodies or device makers named in the text.