Amazon FBA: the polybag, the barcode and the suffocation warning
FBA rejects baby textiles for three reasons more often than any other: the bag, the warning printed on it, and a barcode the scanner cannot read. All three are settled at the factory, before the goods ship.
Updated 2026-09-10
The bag
Soft goods going into a fulfilment centre have to arrive bagged, and the bag has to be transparent so the unit can be identified without opening it. Amazon's published requirement is a thickness of at least 1.5 mil, and the bag must not extend more than 3 inches beyond the product — a bag much bigger than the piece inside is as much of a problem as no bag.
The warning that has to be printed on it
Any bag with an opening of five inches or more — 12.7 cm — has to carry a suffocation warning, printed on the bag itself rather than stuck on afterwards. Our polybag comes with the warning already printed, which is why it is the default in the configurator and why it costs €0.15 rather than nothing.
The barcode
Each unit needs a scannable FNSKU on the outside of the bag, and it has to be the only scannable barcode showing — a manufacturer's EAN left visible underneath is a common cause of receiving errors. We apply the FNSKU and the warning here, as part of the run, for €0.12 a piece. Send us the label file with your order.
Why a kraft box will not do it on its own
A gift box is not a substitute for a bag: soft goods still have to be bagged, so a box goes into a polybag and you pay for both, and the box adds shipping volume on top. The configurator will not let you tick FBA-ready and choose a kraft box at the same time — it switches you to a polybag and tells you why rather than quietly changing your order.
Check your own category
Amazon's requirements differ by category and by marketplace, and they change. What is written here is what we prepare against for baby textiles into Amazon.de; if your category has something extra, tell us before the run and we will do it here rather than leave it to you and a spare afternoon.
Orientation from a factory that ships into the EU every week, not legal advice. The rules below are named so you can look them up, and your own advisor should confirm anything you are about to print on a label.