#6 Things to look for when choosing Best FBA prep Centers in MEA
While it may seem like a no-brainer, the choice of the best FBA prep centers in the Middle East and Africa is not as simple as it might first appear. There are many factors to consider: location, reputation, expertise, customer satisfaction, and value for money.
What kind of company you have will determine which type of facility would be best for your needs. For example, if you have a small startup that’s just starting up or not very well established yet then a less expensive option with high-quality service might fit the bill just fine.
If on the other hand you’re more established and need a higher level of expertise from your chosen provider then there are options available to suit those needs too. It all boils down to what works best for you.
In this article, we’ll go through the various aspects of choosing FBA prep centers and give you some tips on what to look for when finding your dream location.
What is an Amazon FBA Prep Center?
In simple words, an FBA prep center is the facility you use to get your products ready for listing on Amazon.
What this means, for example, is that they will receive your inventory and take care of all necessary steps needed to sell your items as quickly and efficiently as possible on Amazon.
What Services do Amazon Prep Centers Provide?
An FBA Prep Center offers a whole range of services, from packaging to inventory checkouts, and everything in between.
These centers use Amazon’s fulfillment process to get your products from their distribution warehouses into the hands of customers.
They also guarantee your items will be prepared by an expert team that ensures every detail is taken care of.
They take care of packing, picking, sorting, and shipping your goods to Amazon’s warehouses for you. This means all you have to do is pack at your location then they will pick it up from there.
What are the advantages of using an FBA prep center?
If you are a small business or just starting out, an FBA prep service is an excellent option for you. It can save you time and money with the ability to focus on running your business instead of time-consuming tasks like packaging items and shipping them.
For established businesses, it is also a great idea to use amazon FBA prep services as they provide a high level of expertise and have found many creative ways to ensure your packages aren’t lost in transit to Amazon’s warehouses.
6 Things to look for when Hiring an Amazon FBA Prep services
While there are many businesses out there who claim to provide the highest level of service when it comes to preparing goods for sale on Amazon, not all of them live up to their promises.
To find a truly reputable Amazon prep company with a great track record, you need to consider certain things in order to determine which one is right for your needs.
Here is what to Consider When Choosing an FBA Prep Service:
#1 FBA Prep Center Location: Where To Find The Best MEA Amazon Prep Centers?
The most important thing a company should do before signing up with any FBA prep centers in the Middle East or Africa is to check out the location of the facility.
The best FBA prep centers in MEA are usually placed in a major urban center with a big population so it’s easier for customers and shoppers to find them. Prep centers should also be close to main transport links such as airports, ports, or highways.
Reputable companies will have more than one location with a presence in as many countries as possible. You may wish to check the business’ website to confirm it has foreign branches and what their locations are in case you need to ship items into a country where they don’t have an established presence yet.
Prep centers usually take up large areas of land, which can be difficult to find especially right next door to each other or if they’re spaced out too far apart from each other.
The closer they are together, the easier it is for you and your shipping company to reach them all in a timely manner. It’s also better for customers because there’s less traveling time involved between picking up their items and dropping off shipments.
It’s vital that the FBA prep company or warehouse you choose is in a safe, high-visibility area. If the facility’s location is not very secure or hidden away somewhere, then you may find buyers might be hesitant to use your business and will prefer to go elsewhere.
There are often other facilities such as logistics warehouses located nearby so that they can benefit from the same transport links and act as a backup if there’s damage to goods at one of the centers due to accidents or any natural disasters.
#2) Reputation Can Make Or Break A FBA Prep Center in MEA
The reputation of an FBA prep center in MEA will tell you much about their company culture and how well they do business with others.
- What kind of reviews does the prep company have on social media websites?
- Does it respond to customer inquiries in a timely manner?
- Who are its competitors and how do they rate compared to the business you’re looking at?
Reputation is an excellent way of determining if a prep company is trustworthy. If there have been many complaints about the provider from other customers, it may be best to choose another company as your preferred choice.
You can also check whether or not the business has any authority licenses that prove it’s up-to-date with all compliance requirements and regulations for shipping items in MEA.
You should also look at their reputation among other companies.
- Are they working well with others and do they share resources such as warehouses or transport links if needed?
- Is there a good relationship between them and Amazon or Alibaba too?
- Are there any companies that act as substitutes for the business you’re looking at in case your chosen FBA prep center is unable to fulfill an order?
#3) Expertise in the quality of FBA prep service.
The more experience a business has, the more skilled its employees should be and able to provide better solutions for your needs.
Experience can also help a business grow. When a prep company is established with good expertise in a particular industry or market, it will most likely attract loyal customers and get them to recommend their services.
They could even expand overseas to reach other national markets if they wanted because of their existing reputation and goodwill recognized by others in the same field of work as theirs.
You should check how many years the provider has been operating in MEA so you know that it has been helping businesses like yours handle Amazon orders when they were just starting out too.
A new company may not have the resources yet to help you in your business, which is why an experienced company should be your first choice.
#4) Customer Satisfaction Is Important At An FBA Prep Center MEA
When it comes to customer satisfaction, no matter how good their service may be, it’s essential that a business be able to keep up with demand.
Do they have enough staff or partners they can use when things get too busy? If so, will there still be plenty of space for you and your shipments without having to wait long periods between picking up and dropping off items?
Prep centers in MEA take on a lot of orders from various customers every day. Some are bigger than others but if another company has been left waiting for a period of time, it could result in bad reviews.
Check what the reputation is like for the FBA prep center you’re looking at and if they have a lot of complaints from other companies that use their services.
#5) Size of Your Business:
If you’re a small business, then in all likelihood you will be able to make do with one of the smaller-sized FBA prep centers. They are still large enough that they have room for your shipments and will allow you to move them into storage so that they can be sent out at a later time.
A small-sized service provider won’t cost too much money either and is likely to offer affordable prices for their services no matter how big or small your business is.
If the prep company has been established long enough, it should be financially stable with little risk in regards to going bankrupt anytime soon due to any losses from doing business instead of being overpriced like some of its competitors might end up being.
#6) Value for money without breaking the bank.
It’s important to pay a fair price for all services provided by an FBA prep center. If the cost of using their services is too much and there are cheaper providers out there that can do just as good a job, then it might not be worth your while paying more than you need to.
You should also consider whether or not the provider has any deals available or vouchers that could help you get discounts on future orders so it will be worth making up your mind with them.
Other factors include:
- What type of products do you sell?
- Subscription boxes
- Dedicated account manager
- FBA inspection
- Product tracking software
- Storage facilities
- and much more!
Can I do FBA prep myself?
Some businesses choose to handle their own fulfillment, especially when working with small orders. This is probably not such a great idea for most sellers since they don’t have the time or personnel necessary to make it work effectively and efficiently.
That’s why drop-shipping companies are so useful since they take care of everything on their end, essentially making them the middle man between customer and seller. They deal with shipping, handling returns, and answering questions while you simply sit back and wait for payments to roll in.
However, even companies specializing in dropshipping will usually not deal with small orders that are considered too far outside of their scope.
For these orders you may need to order directly from a fulfillment center but only if the products you’re selling are all under one category.
Otherwise, don’t bother wasting your time and instead just use an FBA prep company or Amazon itself as they have warehouses all over the world and will be able to get your items delivered much more efficiently than any other method available today.
In conclusion, hiring an FBA prep service center is close to essential for most sellers. They take care of all the hard work involved in getting your product ordered to customers around the world.
You simply have to concentrate on selling your products and nothing else. This will leave you free to focus entirely on building your business and increasing profits.
FAQ
How much do FBA prep services cost?
There are a number of factors that will impact the kind of prices you’ll be able to negotiate with the fulfillment by Amazon prep company. The price is generally calculated on an hourly basis and doesn’t include any hidden fees or extra charges.
This means you can shop around for the best rates possible without having to worry about false promises from providers using vague terminology in their advertising campaigns.
Why Do I Need This Service?
If you’re not able to perform the necessary steps for shipping and handling your products yourself, then it’s important to hire an FBA prep company.
They will save you tons of time and hassle because they can take care of everything from ordering the products from your suppliers to packaging them up before delivery.
What Type Of Products Do I Need to Sell?
The services offered by most FBA prep providers are standard and don’t vary based on what kind of items you sell.
In fact, this is something that makes these types of companies so reliable since they have a long history of fulfilling orders from different sellers specializing in a wide variety of different product categories.
This ensures that they’ll be ready for any requests made regardless if they’re small or large scale.
Drawbacks of Using a Prep Service
While they may offer benefits that outweigh the negatives in many cases, you should be aware of some potential drawbacks before making a final decision.
FBA prep services can take anywhere from 2 to 10 days or more to fulfill your orders and it could mean that your customers are unhappy with the extra time required for shipping. But again it all depends on the centers you’ll be working with.
Another worry is that your items could be handled improperly while in the possession of an FBA prep service. In these cases, your products could end up damaged or destroyed and you won’t be able to blame anyone since this is not technically your responsibility.
This means that it’s important to do thorough research on any companies you’re considering using for fulfillment so that you don’t end up regretting your decision afterward.
Outsource your Amazon FBA prep to Fulfillment Bridge today!
We understand how frustrating it can be to see other sellers getting ahead of you on Amazon just because they are better prepared than you are.
This makes us want to help others who might not have access to or knowledge about these important things so they can succeed too!
Our team at Fulfillment Bridge has years of experience helping small and large business owners prepare their products for sale on Amazon through our prep service.
If we were able to help thousands of companies like yours grow, imagine what we could do if we worked together!
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