Equipment You Need To Start Amazon FBA In 2022
Updated: Jul 24, 2022
By Claire The Millennial Londoner
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links that help me support this blog site at no extra cost to you.
One of the best online business opportunities right now is selling products on Amazon. For the past few years, Amazon has grown exponentially making its founder Jeff Bezos the 3rd richest man in the world (according to Forbes).
For anyone that doesn't know how to sell on Amazon, it can feel really daunting, you don't know how or where to start, what you need and how much it will cost. I'll do an in-depth breakdown of all the expenses, materials and how to start FBA in a future post but for now, I'll give you a list of items you NEED to have if you want to sell on Amazon.
If you want to try selling on Amazon I suggest you start with the cheaper option and then work your way up to private label.
This is just a suggestion please don't take it as legal advice and always speak to a legal advisor before starting any online business.
The typical journey for sellers is to start with Retail/Online Arbitrage, Wholesale and then progress to private label. This gives sellers a chance to understand the ropes of selling on Amazon before scaling it so in this post I'll be giving you a list of all the things you need to start Retail/Online Arbitrage.
Whether you're already an FBA seller or are aspiring to become one this blog post will give you all the equipment you will need for your Amazon FBA journey.
Starting out you won't need any nifty gadgets you can make do with a smartphone (for the Amazon seller scanning app), a computer (to access the full seller central, the app is limited), a printer (not an inkjet) and packaging equipment. Once you scale the business your time will be important and you'll have to invest in equipment to help you be more efficient or outsource the work using a prep centre.
Starting off here is a list of items you HAVE to use in order to comply with Amazon FBA's policies, failure to do so can result in Amazon taking action or even shutting down your store completely.
IMPORTANT ITEMS |
1. Laser Or Thermal Printer
Amazon does NOT allow labels and barcodes to be printed using inkjet printers as they can smudge or fade. You should either use a laser or a thermal printer (thermal printers are cheaper).
A laser printer requires toner instead of ink which will cost more than buying ink but will last longer than inkjet cartridges so you'll save money AND will comply with Amazon's policies.
Laser Printer
An example of a laser printer is this HP Laserjet MFP110we it is around £100 and you get 6 months of toner so you can kick start your FBA journey without worrying about buying new cartridges every month. I personally love HP cause of their ink service, I don't have to worry about ordering new ink as the printer alerts HP when i'm running low and they automatically send out new ink.
If you want to buy this printer you can purchase it from the following retailers below
Thermal Printer
A thermal printer is slightly different, these printers don't require ink or toner instead, they use heat to print and require special thermochromic coated paper. These are by FAR the cheaper option and I personally love using a thermal printer.
One of the leading brands for thermal printers is Dymo. They have a series of different printers including the popular 450, 550 and 4XL models. I love my Dymo printer because it makes labelling FBA products easy, you don't have to faff around trying to print all the barcodes on an A4 page. You simply just add the barcode to the Dymo Connect app and it prints a stream of barcode labels you just tear off.
If like me you want an easy device to use to print off your SKU labels then I highly recommend a Dymo label writer.
If you want to buy a Dymo Labelwriter you can purchase them from the following retailers below.
These aren't wide enough to print shipping labels they are just for barcodes.
The next set of DYMO label writers are perfect for shipping labels
The Dymo 4XL and 5XL are perfect for printing shipping labels. You can print barcodes on this too but will need to purchase the correct size label roll to put in the printer.
You can print shipping labels with ease just make sure you stock up on labels cause they run out quite quickly.
If you want to purchase the DYMO XL range you can purchase them from the retailers below
2. Poly Bags With Suffocation Label
Another essential item Amazon requires you to use when sending products to their fulfilment centres is poly bags. Poly bags are plastic bags that protect the products from dust or dirt e.g clothes, soft toys etc.
When sending products like soft toys for example, you don't want customers receiving them looking like they have just come out of an attic. So to prevent this you must have poly bags that are transparent/clear bags with suffocation labels on them like the image below.
If you'd like to purchase these labels you can buy them from the retailers below
The size of the poly bag will depend on the size of the product but I'd play it safe and buy a pack with mixed sizes.
If you'd like to purchase these labels you can buy them from the retailers below
I'm not sure what the consequences are if you don't use a poly bag. I've always made sure to follow FBA's policies but I'd imagine you'd either get bad feedback/refunds from customers or Amazon would add poly bags themselves which will cost you a fee per item.
If you'd like to purchase these poly bags you can buy them from the retailer below
3. Boxes (Ideally Double Walled, Images Will Vary)
The next important item for any FBA seller is boxes. Cardboard boxes are obviously essential if you want to ship products to Amazon's fulfilment centres.
The box doesn't have to be fancy or blank you can use any cardboard box because Amazon will use their own branded boxes and packaging at the warehouse so you just need a box that will fit your goods in.
Amazon won't accept boxes that exceed 63.5cm, anything bigger than this might be refused by Amazon. It's important to try and keep your products small and light as any box exceeding 23kg will also cause issues sending your shipment to Amazon's fulfilment centres.
You also should make sure they're double-walled as that will provide more protection to your items so they don't get damaged in transit.
According to the Seller Central page, Amazon will NOT accept boxes that are filled with the following:
All types of packing peanuts, including those made of biodegradable material or corn starch
Foam strips
Crinkle wrap
Shredded paper
Thermocol chips
Styrofoam
If you'd like to purchase these boxes you can buy them from the retailers below
This leads me on to the next important item you need for FBA...
4. Stickers Fragile, Over Weight etc
Stickers indicating if a shipment is overweight or fragile is another important item you need in order to do FBA. Even if you don't ship heavy products it's best to have them just in case your box exceeds 15kg.
If you'd like to purchase these labels you can buy them from the retailers below
The same goes for fragile items cause the last thing you want is your products being damaged whilst being delivered to Amazon.
Play it safe by labelling your boxes with these fragile stickers.
If you'd like to purchase these labels you can buy them from the retailers below
If you're bundling your products you might want a sticker for that, wrapping them up as a bundle should be enough but if you want to label the box so there is no confusion in the FBA centres then these labels will do the job.
These are 3 essential requirements for Amazon FBA that you HAVE to comply with otherwise you'll run into issues with Amazon and could potentially risk having your store shut down.
If you'd like to purchase these labels you can buy them from the retailer below
ESSENTIAL ITEMS |
These items are essential for any FBA seller but not important as the previous ones, Amazon don't have specific requirements for these.
5. Packing Tape
This one doesn't need much explaining but having strong tape is essential for shipping products to Amazon. Don't get the cellotape that you use to wrap Christmas and birthday presents cause you'll need a lot of cellotape to secure the bottom of the box.
Any packaging tape will do but make sure it's strong tape so your box doesn't break apart during transit to the fulfilment centre. Amazon recommends brown packing tape but I've used both brown and clear tape with no issue so it's up to you which tape you use.
I personally buy tape in bulk so I always have some, check out Costco or other wholesalers that supply packaging to get some cheaper deals.
If you'd like to purchase this packing tape you can buy them from the retailer below
6. Postal Scales
Next up is postal scales this is essential for weighing your shipments. If you're just starting your Amazon FBA journey then can use a regular weighing scale until you earn enough to buy postal scales. The beauty of postal scales is you will get a more accurate reading than using bathroom or kitchen scales.
When you start your workflow on Seller Central you'll not only have to give the dimensions of the box but the weight of it too. So having as accurate a reading as possible is so important and will save you paying extra fees for underestimating the weight of the box.
I personally use the scales in the picture above, I've had it for 2 years and it hasn't broken or let me down. The batteries last well too, I've not needed to replace them yet and the scales cost £36 which is pretty decent compared to other scales.
If you'd like to purchase this postal scale you can buy them from the retailer below
7. Barcode/Shipping Labels Paper (Skip This Step If You Have Bought A Thermal Printer)
Next up are barcode and shipping labels, these are essential as you won't be able to send anything to Amazon without them. If you have a thermal printer you'll just buy the rolls for that whereas if you're using a laser printer, you'll have to buy barcode label paper to print your barcodes out.
If you'd like to purchase these labels you can buy them from the retailer below
After trying both the laser printer and thermal printer I prefer the thermal printer because it's so much easier to use. With laser printers, you have to match the barcode paper with the number of barcodes (this caused me to waste so much time trying to get the barcodes to not overlap onto the next label sticker).
It's completely up to you and your preferences but if you choose a laser printer you'll need barcode label paper (usually 24 or 27 per sheet) and shipping labels.
If you'd like to purchase these barcode stickers you can buy them from the retailer below
8. Bubble Wrap/ Box Filler
Next up is bubble wrap and box fillers, like I said earlier it's important to double check on Seller Central what Amazon does and doesn't allow you to fill boxes with.
Bubble wrap is one of the better options because it cushions your products as well as filing the air gaps.
Just a reminder these are the things you must NOT fill the boxes with;
All types of packing peanuts, including those made of biodegradable material or corn starch |
Foam strips |
Crinkle wrap |
Shredded paper |
Thermocol chips |
Styrofoam |
I personally buy this along with the packing tape, boxes etc in bulk to save money. You can buy bubble wrap pretty easily it doesn't matter which one you buy.
Other box fillers you ARE allowed to use are;
Bubble Wrap |
Full Sheets Of Paper (Heavy-Weight Kraft Paper Is Best) |
Inflatable Air Pillows |
Polyethene Foam Sheeting |
Basically, you have to have solid box fillers nothing that makes a mess like polystyrene, packing peanuts etc.
Again you can buy all these items in bulk on Amazon with an Amazon Business Account so you save money.
If you'd like to purchase this bubble wrap you can buy them from the retailer below
9. Ruler
When sending products to Amazon you need to give the box dimensions when building the shipment workflow. So it's important to be as accurate as possible to avoid extra fees, it's okay if you're a few millimetres off but if you say the box is 60cm X 60cm X 60cm and it's actually 65 X 65 X 65cm then you'll likely be refused from sending those products into Amazon.
To avoid any issues it's important to either get a ruler, a regular 30cm ruler will work as long as you make sure you measure it as close to the nearest cm as possible.
If you'd like to purchase these rulers you can buy them from the retailer below
NOT ESSENTIAL BUT NICE TO HAVE |
Next up are things that aren't essential or important in the beginning stages of your FBA business. As you evolve and scale the business these will help you be more efficient and save time when you're shifting hundreds of products.
10. Barcode Reader
A barcode reader will save you time because time is money, the quicker you can shift your products over to Amazon the quicker you can start looking for new products to flip.
The beauty of a barcode reader is you don't have to type the ASIN of each individual product. You can just scan and paste the ASIN.
TIP FOR APPLE USERS: I have a little hack you can use if you have an iPhone and Macbook (not sure if you can do it on Android).
You can use the Seller App on your phone to scan the ASIN, click copy in the search bar and then on your Macbook click paste and it will paste the ASIN from your phone. |
This method can save you from buying the barcode scanner but if you'd prefer the scanner you can purchase it from the retailer below.
11. Tape Dispenser Gun
Tape dispenser guns are so handy to have cause you don't have to faff around trying to find the end of the tape and cut each piece with scissors.
When you're sending multiple boxes to Amazon then this item will save you so much time and make taping the boxes so much easier.
It doesn't matter what brand or colour tape you use as long as it's strong packing tape. You don't want your boxes breaking apart in transit so this is a super handy dandy tool to have.
If you'd like to purchase this tape dispenser gun you can buy it from the retailer below
12. Scotty Peelers
Last up on my list is Scotty peelers/ label removers. They are handy to have especially if you buy products from Argos, they have a tendency to put their barcode labels on their products.
Not all retailers add labels to their products' packaging but just in case they do it's handy to have one of these lying around so you don't damage the product and potentially lose money.
If you'd like to purchase a Scotty peeler/sticker remover you can buy them from the retailer below
And there you have it, a list of equipment you need to start Amazon FBA in 2022. Let me know if there's any I missed or if you found value from this post cause feedback is always appreciated. Be sure to check out my other posts and subscribe to stay notified when a new blog post is posted.
