Amazon inbound risk checklist
FBA inbound reject checklist: catch label and packaging failures before China shipment.
Amazon warehouse holds often start with labeling and packaging — not only product defects. Use this checklist during pre-shipment inspection so cartons clear inbound without expensive rework.
Direct answer
Before goods leave China, verify unit labels, poly-bag warnings, carton marks, carton strength, and weight/dimension spot checks against the listing. Pair those FBA checks with standard AQL workmanship sampling. Most inbound pain is preventable with a documented PSI day.
Checklist
- FNSKU / ASIN label correct, scannable, and placed per prep rules.
- Country-of-origin marking present where required.
- Poly bags meet thickness rules; suffocation warning present when applicable.
- Bundle / multi-pack labeling matches the single FNSKU rule for the SKU.
- Carton shipping marks match the shipment plan; seals intact for containers.
- Carton weight and dimensions within expected tolerance vs listing data.
- Team-lift / overweight labels applied when cartons exceed handling limits.
- No crushed corners, moisture damage, or open flaps that fail warehouse handling.
- Inner packaging protects product during parcel or FC handling.
- AQL sample shows workmanship within agreed major/minor limits.
Carton drop test: what it proves before your container leaves
A carton can pass every label check on this page and still arrive crushed, because that failure happens in handling rather than in inspection. The drop test is the FBA check that attacks the carton itself: the packed box is dropped in the sequence the applicable standard defines — one corner, then three edges, then all six faces, ten drops in total — from a height the standard sets by package weight, and then the box is opened and the contents checked.
| Drop | What it exposes |
|---|---|
| Corner | Corner crush, and whether the corner protector is actually doing work |
| Three edges | Flap and tape failure, edge crush, opened cartons at the FC |
| Six faces | Interior movement, product-to-product contact, dividers that collapsed |
Which height applies is set by the standard and by package weight, and it is not a forum number: a consumer-electronics carton and a 22 kg furniture carton are not tested the same way. ISTA 1-series procedures cover packaged-product integrity, while retailer and marketplace own-container programmes reference the ISTA-6 series for tests run on the shipping container itself. Ask the party setting the requirement which procedure applies, and write the drop height into the inspection brief so the test is repeatable rather than anecdotal.
After the drops we open the carton and record three things: whether the product still works and is intact, whether the inner dividers and corner protection survived, and whether the unit label, poly bag and carton mark are still readable and scannable. A crushed corner with a perfect product is a packaging finding; a working product with a cracked housing is a claim. That difference is why every drop test we run is documented with the carton number and before/after photos.
Drop testing is destructive, so we test spare cartons — the factory packs extra cartons for the purpose, and where the order is small we test from the first hour of production and the end of the run, plus one carton from the bottom of a finished pallet. Those are the cartons that carry the most load and spend the longest under it. Most of the packaging failures we find are cheap to fix at the factory and expensive to discover in an FC: a missing divider, two fewer layers of board, tape over the seam instead of a proper H-tape.
FAQs
Does Amazon require a carton drop test for FBA shipments?
Amazon’s published inbound requirements deal with labeling, weight and dimension limits, and carton condition rather than mandating a drop-test protocol for ordinary FBA cartons — the consequence of a failing carton still lands on the seller. Drop testing shows up as an evidence requirement in own-container and SIOC-style programmes, in retailer vendor manuals, and in claims where the other side argues the packaging was adequate. Running it before loading is how you find out on your side of the ocean.
How do I know the drop test was run on my cartons?
The report names the carton numbers tested and shows the box before and after each drop, with the product and inner packaging photographed once the carton is opened. Because the test destroys the carton, the sample comes from spare cartons packed for the purpose — never from a carton you are paying to ship — and no saleable unit is sacrificed to produce the evidence.
Can a drop test replace AQL sampling?
No, and they answer different questions. AQL sampling tells you how many units in a defined lot fail workmanship criteria. The drop test tells you whether the packaging method survives distribution. A shipment can pass AQL and still arrive broken because the carton was under-engineered, which is exactly the gap a drop test closes alongside the FBA checks on this page.
How CloudSpects uses this on-site
Label close-ups, carton marks, and defect examples attached to the English report.
Findings mapped to rework actions before loading or final payment.
Standard inspection days from $169/man-day in covered hubs.
Related: PSI vs DPI · $169 vs TIC · China PSI · Dispute evidence: the QC file