All-in per-unit prep centers
All-in per-unit pricing is the simplest way to budget prep: one published rate covers the standard work on a single unit, so you multiply that rate by your
URI Prep and Ship
AL
Three-tier per-unit pricing: Basic $1.00 (≤3,999/mo), Standard $0.90 (4,000+/mo), Pro $0.80 (4,000+/mo)
Sprout Commerce
Pekin, IL, USA
Each client receives a dedicated on-site account manager and a custom Slack channel for direct communication
NOW Fulfillment
Liberty Center, IN, USA
No subscriptions, startup fees, or minimum quantities - explicitly stated on homepage
Montana Prep Solutions
Helena, MT, US
Explicitly markets Montana tax-free status as offsetting prep costs: 'the savings alone normally pays for our services'
Heroic Prep
Merrimack, NH, US
Amazon FBA only - explicitly serves no other platform or channel
United States Prep
Salem, NH, US
Salem, NH location - southern NH border town with easy access from MA metro areas
Prepare Less
New Hampshire, USA
Explicitly markets NH tax-free status as a core selling proposition
Network Prep
Lafayette, OR, USA
Currently at capacity - contact form leads to a waitlist only
Prep Ninjas
Oregon, USA
Family-owned business (Jeremy, Ava, Kathy, and Jonas Rasmussen) founded February 2018 as a side income project; now operates full-time with 3 employees
LBOE Prep
United States
All-in per-unit pricing tiered by monthly volume ($1.25 down to $0.75/unit) - each tier includes inspection, FNSKU, polybag, 14 days free storage, boxes, and shipment upload.
Automated3PL
East Hartford, CT, USA
Two-coast operation: East Hartford, CT (primary) + Perris, CA - both at identical per-unit pricing; only storage differs ($30/pallet East vs $50/pallet West).
Upstate Prep
South Carolina, USA
Two-location network: South Carolina (primary, near CLT2 Amazon FC) and Oregon (tax-free state for eligible products)
Marketplace Prep
Fort Worth, TX, USA
Processed 750,000+ glass items including 500,000+ hand-blown glass ornaments - demonstrated fragile/breakable specialization
Flat Rate Prep
Madison, WI, USA
Founded 2015; relocated to current larger facility in 2018 -- 620,000+ items prepped and 27,000+ shipments since relocation
FBA Prep Europe
Sofia, Bulgaria
Located in Sofia, Bulgaria - one of the lowest-cost EU prep locations with access to Amazon EU and UK FCs
Amazon Warehouse
New York, NY
FBA prep starts at $0.40/unit all-inclusive (labeling, bagging, shipment creation, inbound freight) with a written 'Zero Placement Fee Guarantee' via dedicated daily trucks to every Amazon FC.
Ecom Prep'n Pack
Chatsworth, CA
Located at 20850 Dearborn St, Chatsworth CA 91311; phone (818) 212-1292.
Honeybee Fulfillment
Plano, TX
Flat $1/unit all-in FBA prep rate with explicit 'no hidden fees' policy - no per-insert, per-sticker, or per-polybag charges and no Q4 peak-season surcharges.
Snapl
Gloucester City, NJ
Two warehouse locations totaling ~90,000 sq ft: 35,000 sq ft temperature-controlled in Gloucester City, NJ (410 Jersey Ave) and 55,000 sq ft temperature-controlled bonded warehouse in South Hadley, MA (755 New Ludlow Rd).
All-in per-unit pricing is the simplest way to budget prep: one published rate covers the standard work on a single unit, so you multiply that rate by your unit count and know the bill before any inventory ships in. That rate typically rolls receiving, inspection, FNSKU or label application, poly-bagging where required, and shipment creation into a single number. It is the opposite of a la carte pricing, where a base receiving fee sits on top of a stack of per-sticker, per-polybag, and per-box line items that are hard to forecast, and it differs from flat-monthly plans that charge a subscription no matter how much you actually send. Sellers filter for per-unit pricing when margin predictability matters more than anything else, which is most online and retail arbitrage and wholesale resellers watching cents per unit. The 19 centers on this page each publish or confirm an all-in per-unit model, and every one was checked live on its own site before it was listed. Where a center has a real Google rating, we pulled it independently rather than reprinting a self-reported badge, so you are comparing on the same footing. Each listing also carries at least two specific, verified facts so you can tell these centers apart on more than just headline price.
What an all-in per-unit rate actually covers
A true all-in per-unit rate is meant to cover the standard prep a unit needs to be marketplace-ready: receiving and check-in, a basic condition inspection, applying the FNSKU or marketplace label, poly-bagging or bundling where the item requires it, and creating the inbound shipment. Honeybee Fulfillment in Plano, TX is explicit about this, advertising a flat per-unit rate with no per-insert, per-sticker, or per-polybag charge and no Q4 peak surcharge. NOW Fulfillment in Liberty Center, IN goes further by adding no subscriptions, startup fees, or minimum quantities. The detail worth confirming with any per-unit center is the edge of that rate: oversized, heavy, or fragile items, freight receiving, and storage past a free window are the line items most likely to sit outside the headline number, so ask before you ship.
Who per-unit pricing suits, and who should look elsewhere
Per-unit pricing fits sellers whose volume swings month to month, since you only pay for the units you actually move. That describes most arbitrage and wholesale resellers, and it is why several per-unit centers here also pair the model with a tax-free location to stretch margins further: Montana Prep Solutions in Helena, MT markets the state's no-sales-tax status as offsetting prep cost, United States Prep sits in tax-free Salem, NH, and Upstate Prep runs a tax-free Oregon site alongside its South Carolina warehouse near the CLT2 Amazon fulfillment center. Very high, very steady volume can sometimes pencil out cheaper on a flat-monthly plan, and sellers who want every action itemized may prefer a la carte. If your shipments are unpredictable or you are still scaling, the all-in per-unit centers on this page give you the cleanest cost per unit to plan around.
Comparing per-unit centers on more than headline price
Two centers can both quote a per-unit rate and still be very different operations, which is why the structured data here matters. Marketplace Prep in Fort Worth, TX is a fragile and breakable specialist that has processed over 750,000 glass items, while Upstate Prep carries a Fulfill.com Top 50 US 3PL ranking and a dual-state footprint. Real Google ratings and review counts, independently pulled, sit alongside each listing so a center with dozens of reviews reads differently from one with a single five-star rating. Once you have shortlisted a per-unit center, Ecom Circles software can help you turn that per-unit rate into a real margin picture: COGS tracking records each unit's cost basis, and the 3PL and warehouse integration lets purchase orders, inventory check-in, and fulfillment run through one dashboard. Sellers who want to see profit after prep can sign up to track it per SKU.
Frequently asked questions
What does all-in per-unit pricing include that a la carte does not?
An all-in per-unit rate bundles the standard steps a unit needs into one number: receiving, inspection, FNSKU or label application, poly-bagging where required, and shipment creation. A la carte pricing instead charges a base receiving fee plus separate line items for each action, such as per-sticker, per-polybag, and per-box charges. The all-in model trades the flexibility of itemized billing for a cost you can forecast before you ship. Always confirm whether oversized, heavy, or freight handling sits inside or outside the per-unit rate.
Is per-unit pricing cheaper than a flat-monthly plan?
It depends on your volume and how steady it is. Per-unit pricing means you only pay for units you actually send, which usually wins for sellers whose shipments rise and fall month to month, including most arbitrage and growing wholesale sellers. A flat-monthly subscription charges the same regardless of volume, so it can pencil out cheaper only at high and very consistent throughput. If your volume is unpredictable, the all-in per-unit centers on this page give you the most predictable cost per unit.
Do per-unit prep centers charge extra for oversized or heavy items?
Often, yes. A headline per-unit rate is usually built around standard-size items, and oversized, heavyweight, or fragile units commonly carry a surcharge or a separate quote. Some centers are explicit that their rate has no hidden add-ons for standard prep, but oversized handling is the most common exception. Before shipping bulky inventory, confirm with the center how the per-unit rate changes for items above standard dimensions or weight, and whether fragile goods are quoted separately.
Is there a minimum order with per-unit pricing?
Not always. Some per-unit centers, such as NOW Fulfillment in Liberty Center, IN, explicitly state no minimum quantities alongside their all-in rate, which suits small or first-time shipments. Others apply a per-shipment minimum or a small-order surcharge to make low-volume jobs worthwhile. If shipping small batches matters to you, check our no-minimum facet, and confirm the center's minimum directly before sending inventory.
How do I budget my prep cost from a per-unit rate?
Multiply the published per-unit rate by the number of units in your shipment for the standard prep cost, then add any confirmed surcharges for oversized, heavy, or freight items and any storage beyond a free window. That gives a per-shipment estimate you can fold into your landed cost. To track it over time, Ecom Circles software lets you record prep as part of each unit's cost basis through COGS tracking, so you can see real margin after prep on every SKU.