Switching prep centers feels risky because your inventory is the thing in motion. Most of the delay comes from three avoidable gaps: supplier shipments still going to the old address, no one owning the plan for stock already on the shelf, and a first inbound that is also the first test of the new center.
This post is a cutover plan, not a vendor comparison. For that, see FBA prep centers in Texas.
You can switch FBA prep centers without delaying shipments by running both centers in parallel for about four weeks: send a pilot inbound of 3 to 5 SKUs to the new center in week 1, redirect supplier shipments in week 2, move or sell down the old center's stock in weeks 3 and 4, and close the account only after the last Amazon shipment from the old center is checked in. Keep at least 2 to 3 weeks of FBA supply on hand before cutover so a slow start cannot cause a stockout.
How long does it take to switch FBA prep centers?
Plan on four weeks for a seller at 5,000+ units a month, and start earlier than feels necessary. The calendar is set by two things you do not control: how long your suppliers need to change a delivery address and how long Amazon takes to check in a shipment. Amazon ended US prep and item labeling services on January 1, 2026, so there is no fallback where Amazon fixes a mislabeled batch for you. Source: Amazon AWD shipping requirements.
| Week | What happens | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| 0 (before you sign) | Pull SKU list, prep rules, FNSKU and bundle specs, and current stock count at the old center. Read the exit terms in your contract. | You have a written number of units on hand at the old center and the notice period. |
| 1 | Onboard the new center. Send a pilot inbound: 3 to 5 SKUs, mixed (a label-only, a poly-bagged, a bundle). Old center keeps running everything else. | Pilot units are checked in at Amazon with no prep flags. |
| 2 | Change supplier ship-to addresses for new purchase orders. Move one pallet of stock from the old center as a test of the transfer route. | Next 2 POs are routed to the new center. Transfer pallet counted in with no variance. |
| 3 | New center takes all new FBA shipments. Old center ships out its last open FBA plans. | No open shipment plans created at the old center. |
| 4 | Move or sell down the remaining old stock. Final count reconciled. Close the account. | Old center count is zero or a documented transfer is complete. |
Dates move with ocean freight and supplier lead times. If a container is already in transit to the old center, let it land there and move it by pallet afterwards. Do not redirect it mid-journey.
What should you do with stock sitting at the old prep center?
Pick one of four paths per SKU, not one path for the whole building. The right answer depends on how much is left and how fast it sells.
| Situation | Best path | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Under about 2 weeks of sales left | Sell it down: keep creating shipments from the old center until it hits zero. | Slow SKUs can drag the exit date out. Set a cutoff. |
| A few pallets of slow movers | Palletize and ship by LTL to the new center, then prep and ship to Amazon from there. | Counts and damage. Ask for a photo of each pallet before it leaves. |
| Full truckload of mixed SKUs | Book one consolidated move to the new center and receive it as a single inbound. | Old center fees for pallet pulls and outbound labor. Check your contract. |
| Already prepped, labeled units | Send straight to Amazon from the old center as the last shipments before the account closes. | Do not re-prep what is already compliant. Re-handling adds cost and error. |
Read your contract before you give notice. Notice periods, minimum monthly fees, pallet-out charges and any lien on stored goods can add cost or delay your exit. Our guide to negotiating a 3PL contract covers the clauses that matter.
How do you avoid a stockout while you switch?
Build a cushion in FBA before you start, not during. A switch fails when a pilot inbound slips a week and a top SKU runs out. Target at least 2 to 3 weeks of cover in FBA for your top SKUs before the new center sees its first shipment, and do not put your best seller in the pilot.
Bridging with extra FBA units is not free. At 10,000 units a month (about 2,300 a week) and 0.075 cubic feet per unit, an extra week of cover is about 173 cubic feet. At Amazon's January to September standard-size storage rate of $0.78 per cubic foot that is about $135 a month; from October to December, at $2.40, it is about $415 a month. Peak-season storage is the price of the cushion, and it is small next to a top-seller stockout. Source: FBA monthly inventory storage fees.
Check inventory placement too. If the new center sends Amazon shipments to a single location, Amazon charges an inbound placement fee that your old center may have avoided with optimized splits to five or more locations. Standard-size minimal-split fees in 2026 are $0.14 to $0.32 per unit for small standard and $0.20 to $1.90 for large standard, depending on weight. Source: FBA inbound placement service fee. Ask the new center which split option it will use before you compare prep rates.
What should the pilot inbound include?
A pilot should be small enough to lose and varied enough to find problems. Send 3 to 5 SKUs and 300 to 500 units total, and include one of each prep type you use.
- One label-only SKU, to test FNSKU accuracy and label placement.
- One poly-bagged SKU, to test bag size, seal and warning label.
- One bundle or multipack, to test "sold as set" labeling.
- One SKU with an expiry date or special rule, if you carry any.
Measure four things: receiving count against your packing list, days from receipt to ship, Amazon check-in result, and how fast the center answers questions. Check results against the FBA prep mistakes checklist. Move to full volume only when all four are clean.
What information does the new prep center need from you?
Send everything in one packet so onboarding does not stall on back and forth:
- SKU list with ASIN, FNSKU, UPC, dimensions and weight.
- Prep rule per SKU: label only, poly bag, bubble wrap, bundle, or other.
- Bundle build sheets with component counts and photos.
- Supplier names, usual carton sizes and typical lead times.
- Your preferred freight method and split option for Amazon shipments.
- A named contact on your side who can approve exceptions the same day.
Where Orderfy fits
Orderfy Prep is a tech-enabled, modern prep center in the center of the US, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with no volume minimum. Clients get an included prep WMS, custom built in-house, that works as an inventory manager, photo records of shipments, and direct communication channels for 24/7 access to the warehouse team, which helps during a pilot because questions get answered quickly instead of in a ticket queue. Inbound shipments are created by uploading a buy list with a UPC for every item: how to create an inbound shipment. Shipments into Amazon can go by small parcel, LTL or lower-cost consolidated freight into Amazon. Orderfy helps brands transition in, including all software setup, and has written documentation for onboarding, transitioning and ongoing support on its WMS. Inbound inventory is typically received and sellable the same day, and the WMS tracks Amazon FBA prep from arrival at the warehouse to sellable on Amazon. Ask for a quote on a stock transfer from your current prep center. See Orderfy Prep.
Orderfy is not the right move if most of your inventory and Amazon destinations are on a coast and you only need a bare label-only service at the lowest published rate. Compare quotes line by line first with the FBA prep cost guide.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, and it is the safest way to switch. Run the old center for existing stock and open shipments while the new center takes new POs. Split by SKU or by PO, never by unit, so counts stay clean.
Your seller account stays the same. What changes is the ship-from address on new shipment plans and who creates and prints the labels. Confirm with the new center whether they build the plan in your account or from your files.
Ask the old center to hold the delivery and ship it to the new center by pallet. Do not let it sit; many centers charge storage after a short free period, so agree the terms in writing before cutover.
Palletize and ship by LTL or FTL to the new center. Take a count and photos before the pallet leaves and after it arrives, and raise any variance immediately while it can still be checked.
Avoid it if you can. Check-in times lengthen, FBA storage peaks at $2.40 per cubic foot for standard-size items, and any slip is harder to recover. If you must, pilot with a slow-moving SKU and keep your best sellers at the old center until after the holidays.
Sources
- FBA monthly inventory storage fees, Seller Central, read October 2026
- FBA inbound placement service fee, Seller Central, read October 2026
- AWD shipping requirements, Seller Central, note on the January 1, 2026 end of prep and labeling services
Get a quote
Tell us your volume and where your stock is today, and we will quote prep and freight and map the cutover with you. Get a quote.