Sourcing Products for Amazon FBA — What NZ Sellers Need to Know
Why FBA Sourcing Is Different
Sourcing for Amazon FBA is not the same as sourcing for a retail store or your own eCommerce site. Amazon's fulfilment centres have strict requirements — and when you get them wrong, Amazon doesn't give you a warning. They charge you, reject your inventory, or suppress your listing.
The most common FBA sourcing failures:
- Wrong labelling — FNSKU barcodes in the wrong position, wrong size, or missing entirely
- Missing poly-bagging — products that need to be bagged before entering the fulfilment centre arrive unbagged
- Carton dimension violations — oversize cartons that Amazon's receiving system can't process
- Quality inconsistency — bulk production doesn't match the approved sample; returns and negative reviews follow
- Undercounting — fewer units than the purchase order, creating inventory discrepancies
All of these are preventable. Epic Sourcing builds FBA requirements into the factory brief from day one — so your inventory arrives compliant and ready to sell.
How Epic Sourcing Sources FBA Inventory
Step 1: Brief and Scoping
We start with a free discovery call. You tell us what product you want to source, your target COGS, and your FBA requirements. We scope the project and provide a flat rate quote.
Step 2: Factory Identification
We find manufacturers in China or Vietnam with experience supplying FBA sellers. Not all factories understand Amazon's requirements — we filter for those that do.
Step 3: Sampling
We coordinate your sample order, review the product against your brief, and confirm FBA compliance requirements (labelling, packaging, dimensions) before you approve for bulk production.
Step 4: Production and Pre-Shipment Inspection
During bulk production, we conduct pre-shipment inspection at the factory — checking quality, count, labelling, poly-bagging, and carton specs against Amazon's requirements. Issues are resolved before the container ships.
Step 5: Freight and Customs
We coordinate with your freight forwarder to ensure goods arrive at your prep centre or Amazon's fulfilment centre on time and correctly documented.
China vs Vietnam for FBA Products
Both markets work well for FBA sourcing. The right choice depends on your product category:
- China — best for electronics, home goods, tools, kitchenware, fitness equipment, toys. Widest factory range, strongest component supply chain.
- Vietnam — best for clothing, activewear, footwear, furniture, and natural fibre products. Often lower MOQs.
Epic Sourcing can source from both markets and will recommend the right one for your product category during the scoping call.
Private Label FBA Sourcing
Private label FBA is one of the most common requests we receive. You find a product opportunity, we find the factory that makes it, and we help you brand it as your own. The process:
- Product research and opportunity validation
- Factory identification and shortlisting
- Sample with your branding and packaging
- Bulk production with pre-shipment QC
- FBA-compliant freight to Amazon
Epic Sourcing has helped NZ sellers launch private label products across multiple Amazon marketplaces. Whether you're targeting Amazon AU, Amazon US, or Amazon UK, we've sourced for those requirements before.
Ready to Source FBA Inventory?
Let's Build Your FBA Supply Chain.
Book a free discovery call. Tell us what you want to source and we'll tell you whether it's viable, what the realistic COGS looks like, and what the process involves. No pressure, no obligation.
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