Amazon FBA Poly Bag Requirements, Explained Simply

When Amazon requires bagging

Amazon's FBA prep guidance groups products into prep categories, and bagging is one of them. The published guidance lists categories that commonly need bagging: apparel, fabrics and textiles, plush products, baby products, jewelry and small products, liquids, and items with perforated packaging, pellets, powders, or granular contents. The common thread is that the item is either loose, soft, small enough to be lost, or able to leak.

The underlying rule is simpler than the category list: every unit must arrive as one secure, scannable package. Amazon states that units not in secure packaging, such as loose sleeves or pouches, must be bagged or secured with a non-adhesive band or removable tape. Footwear must be fully enclosed, either in shoe boxes or poly bags with a suffocation warning.

• Apparel, textiles, and plush items generally need bagging
• Liquids, powders, pellets, and granular items appear on Amazon's bagging list
• Small or loose items that could separate in transit need a single secure unit
• Footwear must have no exposed material, in a box or a poly bag with a suffocation warning

Suffocation warnings on poly bags

Amazon's beginner prep guide explicitly calls for a suffocation warning on poly bags used for footwear. The excerpts reviewed here do not establish warning wording, print size, or which other bags need it. Check Amazon's current poly bag requirements in Seller Central before ordering bags. Warning-printed stock bags may be an option, but verify that their wording, size, and placement meet the applicable requirements.

If you buy stock warning bags, check that the printed warning is not obscured by your FNSKU label. If you print custom bags, the warning can be part of the printed design, which is one reason sellers move from stock bags to printed poly bags as volume grows.

• Keep any warning visible and uncovered by other labels
• Printed bags can integrate the warning into the artwork
• Confirm current wording and size specifications in Seller Central before ordering

Barcode and label placement on bags

Amazon identifies inventory with scannable barcodes. For Amazon barcode labels, its guidance calls for a smooth, flat surface away from corners, edges, and curves, with labels on the outside of any extra packaging. As a practical recommendation, choose a flat area away from seams and gussets. Confirm the barcode method assigned to the listing before labeling. When using an FNSKU label, cover competing product barcodes that could be scanned instead; when manufacturer-barcode tracking is permitted and selected, keep that barcode scannable through or on the outer packaging. Do not cover required Transparency codes.

For sellers printing Amazon barcode labels, the cited guide specifies labels 1 to 2 inches tall and 2 to 3 inches wide, with black ink on non-reflective adhesive paper, and recommends a 300 DPI laser printer for best results. It also specifies a scannable barcode, corresponding FNSKU number, product title, and product condition. Amazon does not accept damaged or photocopied labels. Check the filled bag to ensure the label remains flat and scannable.

• Label on the flattest face, away from seams and gussets
• When using FNSKU labels, cover competing product barcodes; do not obscure required Transparency codes
• For Amazon barcode labels, use black ink on non-reflective adhesive paper, 1 to 2 inches tall and 2 to 3 inches wide
• Reprint rather than hand-correct damaged labels

Bag sizing and closure

The sources reviewed here do not give a bag dimension rule, but the practical goals drive sizing: the bag should fully contain the unit, close securely, and present a flat labeling surface. As a recommendation, avoid bags so tight they strain the film and bags so loose that excess film wrinkles the label area.

Possible bag closure designs include adhesive strips, zip closures, and heat seals, but the excerpts do not establish which methods Amazon accepts for each product. Confirm the current closure requirements before choosing a bag. For multi-piece sets sold as one unit, Amazon says to package the items together and clearly mark the outside with wording such as Sold as set or This is a set - do not separate.

• Size the bag so the unit fits fully with modest slack, not tight stretch
• Compare closure usability during sample prep, and verify the selected closure against current Amazon requirements
• Sets must be packaged together and marked so they are not separated
• Avoid gussets or heavy seams running through the label area

A hypothetical prep example

Suppose a hypothetical seller ships 300 plush toys, each approximately 8 by 6 by 4 inches, in flat self-seal poly bags. For an initial estimate, treating each toy as a rectangular block gives width plus depth of 6 + 4 = 10 inches and length plus depth of 8 + 4 = 12 inches. These sums are rough starting points, not finished bag dimensions or guaranteed minimums. Usable internal dimensions, seams, insertion clearance, and closure allowance affect fit. A hypothetical 12 by 15 inch bag could be a sample candidate, but confirm how the supplier measures it and test that the toy fits, the closure works, and the label lies flat. Plush compression also changes the fit.

For labeling, the seller prints 300 FNSKU labels at 2 inches wide by 1 inch tall. Each label goes on the center of the bag's front face, away from the self-seal strip. The stock bags carry a pre-printed suffocation warning on the back face. If prep takes a hypothetical 20 seconds per unit for bagging and labeling, 300 units take about 6,000 seconds, or 100 minutes. Moving to custom printed bags would add branding, but bagging and FNSKU labeling would still be needed. Labor savings would come only from steps the seller actually removes, such as applying separate warning stickers. These numbers are illustrative for planning, not benchmarks.

• Add slack to product dimensions when estimating bag size, then confirm with a sample
• Verified integrated warnings may remove separate warning-sticker steps; bagging and any required barcode labeling remain
• Estimate prep labor per unit before deciding between stock and printed bags

Stock bags versus printed poly bags

Compare stock warning bags and custom printed bags by fit, presentation, order quantity, and total project cost. Stock options have supplier-specific pack sizes and may allow separate branding labels. Custom printing can incorporate branding and a warning verified against current requirements, while reserving space for any required barcode label. Printing alone does not ensure a flat label surface; check the filled bag. Compare quotes and sample prep at your own volumes rather than assuming either option is cheaper.

Teal Packaging produces custom printed poly bags with no setup, plate, or tooling fees, which lowers the barrier for smaller runs, and our standard minimum is 50 units. Pricing is quoted per project.

A pre-shipment checklist

This checklist is Teal's editorial planning framework for FBA poly bag prep. The sources cited below support only the specific Amazon requirements mentioned, such as bagging categories and label specifications, not the checklist itself. Work through it before your first shipment and again whenever Amazon updates prep guidance.

• Determine whether your product requires bagging or another prep method under Amazon's current product-specific requirements
• Verify current suffocation warning wording and print requirements in Seller Central
• Confirm whether your units use manufacturer barcodes or FNSKU labels, and cover any conflicting barcodes
• Check each bag fully encloses the unit with no exposed material
• Apply labels to a flat face, away from seams, edges, and curves
• Mark multi-piece sets so they are not separated
• Confirm closures hold under a gentle pull test on a few sample units
• Record the prep method you used so future shipments stay consistent

Scope and limits

This guide covers general FBA poly bag prep for non-hazardous, non-food products. It does not cover dangerous goods, temperature-sensitive items, or food-contact packaging, each of which has separate requirements. If your poly bags will contact food, note that the FDA evaluates recycled plastics for food-contact use case by case and publishes chemistry guidance for manufacturers; food-contact claims require supplier documentation specific to your material, not a general assumption. Child-resistant packaging requirements under the Poison Prevention Packaging Act apply to regulated household substances and are certified by the end-product manufacturer, not by a bag supplier. Amazon's Ships in Product Packaging program, which can reduce fulfillment costs on certified items, has its own flexible and rigid packaging guidelines and testing steps, including self-testing for items under 50 pounds without liquids or sharp contents, or ISTA 6 lab testing where required. Confirm all current requirements in your own Seller Central agreement before shipping.

• Not covered: dangerous goods, cold chain, and food-contact compliance
• For food-contact PCR plastic, ask your material supplier for documentation of the recycling process's food-contact suitability. FDA gives case-by-case informal advice and no longer individually evaluates tertiary PCR-PET or PCR-PEN processes.
• Child-resistant certification is the end-product manufacturer's responsibility under PPPA
• Ships in Product Packaging has separate guidelines and testing requirements

Questions about Amazon FBA poly bag requirements