Prep Center Index: 59 FBA Prep Centers, Scored and Compared

Find your FBA prep center without calling all 59

The Prep Center Index compares 59 third-party Amazon FBA prep centers in four no-sales-tax states (Oregon, Montana, New Hampshire and Delaware), scored one way for online arbitrage sellers shipping 100 to 1,000 units a month. Enter your order and see what each center really charges per unit.

The advertised rate is not what you pay

A prep center's home page shows a base rate. Your invoice adds the rest: inbound cartons, polybags, bundles, outbound boxes, liquids, fragile items, shoes and apparel, inspection, and sometimes a monthly plan fee or a minimum you have not reached yet. Every center prices these differently, and many do not publish them at all.

The Index puts all 59 centers on the same order, so you compare the real cost per unit and not the headline rate.

What you get (one ZIP download)

• Interactive index (HTML file). Opens in any web browser and works with no internet connection. Nothing you enter leaves your computer.
• Editable spreadsheet (XLSX). Works in Excel 2007 or later, Google Sheets and Apple Numbers.
• Two-page quick-start guide (PDF).

Two files, one dataset. Use whichever fits how you work.

What you can do with it

• See your real prep cost per unit. Enter your units per month and your share of liquids, fragile items, shoes and 2-packs. Every center's cost updates: base rate plus every surcharge.
• Check the minimums before you call. If a center needs more volume than you ship, the Index says so and shows the number it requires.
• Re-weight the score for how you sell. If speed matters more to you than price, or easy access more than either, move the sliders and the ranking follows.
• Print your own shortlist. One button builds a report of your top centers with full fee tables, the questions to ask each one and every source.
• See your savings per unit. Enter your home-state sales tax and what your time is worth, and compare each center with shipping to yourself, paying sales tax and prepping it yourself.
• Log the quotes you get. The spreadsheet has a tab for the rate each center quotes you and the fees it confirms in writing.

Coming from the free snapshot?

The free PDF shows the top four centers in each state at 300 units a month, on our default weights. The full Index gives you all 59, at your volume, with your product mix and your weights, plus the fee tables, the questions to ask and the source behind every number.

How the score works

Six factors, 100 points at the default weights: prep cost on a standard order (30), turnaround (20), access for a newer seller (20), fee transparency (15), Google reputation (10) and OA operations fit (5).

• Every number is tagged verified (read on the center's own website) or reported (a directory or third party), with the source page and the date it was checked.
• Fees a center does not publish are flagged, never guessed.
• 60 more centers we found but did not score are listed, each with the reason.
• Not a single prep center has paid to be on the list.

Scores are computed from the data file using a fixed rubric. The default weights reflect how we coach: prep cost on a standard order, turnaround, and access for a newer seller carry most of the weight. Differences under 3 points are not meaningful.

Who it is for

Online arbitrage sellers sending 100 to 1,000 units a month to FBA who want a prep center in a no-sales-tax state. It works whether you are choosing your first center or checking that the one you use is still competitive.

Data date

Prices and terms as of October 4, 2026. Pricing, minimums, and turnaround were read from each center's website or a public directory on the date shown next to each center. Centers change rates, plans, and ownership without notice. Confirm directly before you ship your first box.

Good to know

The savings here come from destination-based sales tax on online orders shipped to a no-sales-tax state. They apply to online arbitrage only. Inventory bought in a physical store is taxed at the register no matter where you ship it afterward. This is sourcing math, not tax advice. Using a prep center in another state can raise questions about that state's income or business-activity taxes at higher volumes; ask a CPA who knows e-commerce.

Questions

What do I need to open it?
A web browser for the interactive index. Excel 2007 or later, Google Sheets or Apple Numbers for the spreadsheet. No account and no software to install.

How do I get the files?
You get a download link on the order confirmation page and the same link by email right after checkout.

Is this a subscription?
No. One payment for the October 2026 edition, and the files are yours to keep. We refresh the data each quarter, and when we do, you get the new edition by email at no charge.

Why only four states? Alaska has no sales tax either.
It does not, but the cost of shipping from Alaska to Amazon's warehouses rules it out for FBA. The Index covers the lower 48, where four states have no sales tax.

How was the research done?
Research compiled by Official Olsons with AI assistance and reviewed by us. Every number carries its source page and the date we checked it, so you can verify any of it yourself.

Can I share it with my group or my students?
No. Your purchase is a personal license for your own selling business. Please do not share, post or resell the files.

What if it is not what I expected?
Contact us and we will make it right, up to a 100% refund.

Pick your prep center with the numbers in front of you

59 centers, four states, one way of scoring. Your order, your weights, your shortlist.