When you’re paying for a prep center, can they deduct their fees directly from your profit, or do you have to make a separate one-time payment each month?
It really depends on your sales volume, shipment frequency, and your relationship with the prep center. For example, I’ve been working with one in Sayreville, NJ for six years, and sometimes they don’t charge me until three months later.
Most prep centers charge separately, not from your Amazon profits. You usually pay them monthly or per unit, outside of Amazon. Just check their billing method - some invoice weekly, others monthly.
Which prep center are you using?
Prep centers can’t deduct fees from your Amazon “profit” because Amazon pays disbursements directly to your bank, so you typically pay the prep center separately by invoice.
Most centers bill per shipment or monthly, auto-charge a card on file, or ask for a small deposit or prepaid balance they draw down. If they purchase carrier labels for you, they may recharge those label costs on the same invoice, but it’s still a separate payment from Amazon payouts.
The only time fees come out of sales proceeds is in rare consignment arrangements where the 3PL sells on your behalf, which isn’t how standard FBA prep works and is risky from a compliance standpoint.
Best practice is to keep clean separation: get a clear rate card, pay via business card or ACH, reconcile invoices in your books, and never route Amazon disbursements to a third party.
More likely separately, I don’t think it works any other way.