🚨 Prep Warning for Next Year

Quick heads-up on a quiet 2026 FBA change that can torch profits if you’re not watching it.

Most sellers will obsess over the “$0.08 average fee bump.”

But that’s not the only threat.

🚨 Another threat: inbound defect fees (next year)

Starting January 15, 2026, Amazon is turning inbound mistakes from pennies into dollars per unit.

You’ll get hit when a shipment is:

• mislabeled

• sent to the wrong FC/region

• doesn’t match the shipping plan

• missing/extra units

• abandoned/edited after labels

If you send lots of smaller shipments - you’re more exposed than most sellers.

📌 Quick pipeline note (this reduces inbound chaos)

Want to cut down the scramble that leads to inbound mistakes? FBA Lead List gives you consistent, vetted OA leads so you can batch smarter shipments instead of sending a bunch of rushed small ones. Cleaner pipeline = fewer defect fees.

• Instant access. 10+ fast-moving, high-profit OA leads every morning

• 85% avg ROI, $14+ avg profit/unit. Lists capped to prevent saturation

• One flip can cover your month’s subscription. No lock-in periods.

📋 2-minute shipment QA (do this every time)

Before you ship, run this quick check:

✅ Plan = cartons
 Carton count + units per carton match the plan.

✅ Right labels
 FNSKU on product (or confirmed stickerless) + box labels from the same plan.

✅ Destination check
 Verify FC/region before buying shipping.

✅ No edits after labels
 If the plan changes, redo labels.

✅ Prep confirmation
If working with a prep team, send them the final plan PDF and have them confirm everything matches.

✅ Screenshot trail
 Saves you if you ever need to dispute a fee.

📦 Want to avoid this hassle?

A reliable prep center is basically “inbound defect insurance” now.

We personally know the great team that runs Elite Prep Center, and they’re who we recommend if you want this handled for you. They receive, inspect, prep/label to Amazon standards, build the shipping plan, and send it into FBA.

OA-friendly setup (low minimums), fast turnaround, pricing starts around $1/unit.

👉 Get a free quote from Elite Prep today.

🎯 Bottom line

With these new fees, one sloppy shipment can erase the profit from a whole flip.

Not trying to scare you—just saving you 2026 pain.

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