Why Shoes and Clothing Require Special Prep — and Why There’s an Extra Fee
Why Shoes and Clothing Require Special Prep —
AND WHY THERE’S AN EXTRA FEE
If you have ever wondered why there is an additional fee for prepping shoes and clothing on top of standard per-item pricing, you are not alone. What many people do not realize is that Amazon has strict requirements when it comes to prepping these types of products — and they take more time and care to handle properly than most other items. Our team, both at intake and on the prep floor, puts in extra work to ensure your shoes and clothing are ready to meet Amazon’s standards.
Why Shoes Take More Work
Shoes, in particular, require several extra steps to avoid issues at Amazon:
- Verify that each pair of shoes is matching in color, style, and size
- Confirm left and right shoes are present (yes, this has been an issue before!)
- Check and remove price tags or stickers
- Inspect the condition of the box — Amazon will ding you for damaged packaging
- Rubber band the shoe box to indicate that inspection is complete and keep it secure
- If shoes arrive without a box (think Crocs, slippers, etc.), we polybag them to meet Amazon’s requirements
- Lastly, we double-check that what we are sending matches what is listed on Amazon — shoes can be tricky with variations
Why Clothing Requires Extra Attention
Clothing also comes with its own set of Amazon requirements that add time to each unit we prep:
- Remove or cover any price tags, especially if they show pricing
- Polybag all apparel and fabric items — Amazon requires this, but the bag must not extend more than 3 inches past the item, so we often need to trim, tape, or resize the polybags
- Sometimes we tape down polybags to reduce space — helping minimize your Amazon storage fees
- Verify size, color, and style to make sure the product matches your listing
Why This Matters
At Swifthouse, we take the time to get it right so you do not end up dealing with Amazon returns, chargebacks, or compliance issues. Amazon is strict, and our job is to protect your account and reputation by making sure everything is done properly before it ever leaves our warehouse.
Also, to ensure quality and prevent issues, we do not accept commingled items unless we’ve discussed and approved it ahead of time.
If you have special prep requirements for any of your units, reach out to your account manager so we can pass that along to the team.
We are here to make sure you can focus on growing your business while we handle the details.
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Family-owned and committed to excellence, Swifthouse is a Philadelphia-based warehouse, servicing the East Coast and beyond for more than 15 years. We continually invest in technology, processes, people and facilities to optimize and expand our service offerings.