Amazon SIPP Certification for Brands: Certify the Box Once or Pay for Packaging on Every Unit

By Bernardo Campelo, Forbes Business Council E-Commerce Leader, Amazon SPN Certified provider, Amazon SP-API authorized partner, and Founder of PrepVia.

As of October 29, 2026, Amazon's Ships in Product Packaging (SIPP) fee page takes $0.04 to $0.23 off the FBA fulfillment fee of each SIPP-certified standard-size unit, and charges Small Bulky and Large Bulky products that are not enrolled and need its packaging service a packaging fee of $1.51 to $4.04 a unit, both since January 15, 2026. Two weeks earlier, Amazon stopped offering prep and item labeling for FBA shipments in the US store, and on that notice it points sellers to SIPP "as it can lower prep needs and provide FBA discounts."

That makes the retail box a cost decision made at the factory. A box that passes Amazon's test once can go to the customer without Amazon-added packaging while it stays the same box. A box that never passes pays on every unit instead, depending on the product: a prep step before inbound, a packaging fee on bulky products, or a discount it never earns. For a brand selling through FBA, the money is in SIPP; Frustration-Free Packaging (FFP), Ships in Own Container (SIOC) and Prep-Free Packaging (PFP) are the certification tiers of Amazon's Vendor (1P) program, and the 2026 Over Boxing test that became mandatory on August 1, 2026 applies only to PFP enrollments.

Every date and name below was checked on October 29, 2026 against Amazon's Seller Central help pages, its packaging certification documents on amazon-packaging.com, its Seller Forums announcements and the Selling Partner API documentation, linked where they first appear. Amazon had not announced 2027 fulfillment fees on that date, and some of its pages disagree with each other on details flagged below.

SIPP, SIOC, FFP and PFP: Which Names Apply to an FBA Brand

SIPP is the program Amazon used to call Ships in Own Container. Amazon launched the renamed program for sellers on February 5, 2024, and its SIPP FAQ settles the overlap: "The packaging certification standards for SIPP are the same as SIOC." Products enrolled as SIOC were moved into SIPP automatically.

Frustration-Free Packaging is not a separate certificate for sellers: "There's no separate certification for FFP, but you can enroll FFP-compliant products in the SIPP program. FFP-compliant packaging doesn't grant different fee benefits beyond those offered for SIPP."

SIPP is open to FBA sellers in the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, and "There are no fees to enroll in SIPP." The costs are the packaging change and, for some products, a lab test. The three tiers come from Amazon's vendor certification guidelines, version 11.3, updated March 1, 2026; none of the seller-side SIPP pages offer a PFP tier.

What the Box Decision Costs in 2026

Amazon ties the benefit to the fulfillment fee: "The Ships in Product Packaging (SIPP) program offers lower Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) fulfillment fee for SIPP-certified products that weigh 20 lb or less." The amount depends on size tier and shipping weight, the greater of unit and dimensional weight. Selected rows from Amazon's 2026 standard-size table:

For bulky products the mechanism changed on January 15, 2026: "For Small Bulky and Large Bulky items, since most products now ship in their own packaging, we'll replace the SIPP discount with a lower fulfillment fees for SIPP items." The flat Large Bulky discount of $1.32 a unit ended that day. Instead, "non-enrolled SIPP products requiring packaging services will incur a packaging fee," priced by dimensional weight, averaging $2.07 a unit. "This fee won't apply to SIPP-enrolled products."

One of the worked examples under that table doesn't reconcile with it: Amazon's Small Bulky "Baby cot," at 7.77 lb of dimensional weight, shows a $1.97 packaging fee, while the table puts 5 to 10 lb at $1.68. Check the page of the day before budgeting either number. Amazon's 2026 fee page lists one bulky rate card for everyone, and the SIPP page's own 2026 examples bill an enrolled and a non-enrolled Small Bulky unit from the same $7.55 base; read that way, the practical SIPP difference on a bulky unit is the packaging fee an uncertified unit pays when it needs Amazon's packaging. More on that tier in our post on the 18-inch line.

The discount stacks with Low-Price FBA rates, and it is not retroactive: it applies to units received after the first arrival date you enter, and "Current inventory won't receive the SIPP discount." Fees also carry a 3.5% fuel and logistics-related surcharge since April 17, 2026, and holiday peak rates from October 15, 2026 to January 14, 2027; the SIPP pages don't say how the discount behaves inside either one.

So on a standard-size product the discount is cents a unit, and the stronger reason to certify is the prep it can remove; on a bulky product that needs Amazon's packaging, the fee is dollars. The rest of the 2026 schedule is in our list of FBA fee changes.

The Prep Line That Moved to Your Side of the Dock

With Amazon's US prep service gone, shipments created after January 1, 2026 "that arrive without proper prep and item labeling won't be eligible for reimbursement if damaged or untraceable." More in our post on the end of FBA prep.

Amazon's prep guide lists SIPP under "Alternatives to prep": "Ships in Product Packaging (SIPP) allows eligible products to be shipped in your custom-brand packaging without the need for prep or additional Amazon packaging." The same page leaves the call with the seller: choosing the prep "is your responsibility, even if prep guidance for your specific products is not available."

A boxed unit has to be six-sided and "must not easily give way when pressure is applied to any of the sides," and Amazon's packaging requirements say: "We may require over-boxing when there are safety concerns with shipping and handling the item." Fragile items that failed a 3-foot drop test after bubble wrap, hazardous liquids in glass containers over 4.2 oz and vinyl records are on that list, and a product over 10 lb that needs boxing goes in a double-wall corrugated box.

Inventory in packaging that fails those rules "may be refused or disposed of at your expense and will not be eligible for reimbursement." That is the per-unit side of the trade: every unit that needs bagging, bubble wrap or a box gets it before it ships, and the work repeats on every inbound. Amazon's prep drop test, five drops from 3 feet onto concrete, is a different test and enrolls nothing in SIPP.

"When a unit has to be bagged or boxed at a prep center before Amazon will take it, the packaging decision reached the dock too late. Certification moves it back to the factory: once the box passes Amazon's test, it can go to the customer without an Amazon overbox."

Bernardo Campelo, Founder of PrepVia

Certify Once: Who Tests and What One Test Covers

Enrollment runs through the SIPP portal in Seller Central, and Amazon also certifies some products on its own: its network "uses machine learning to identify, test, and then certify SIPP-compliant products with no action required from you." Amazon's enrollment guide adds that enrollment is done by region, NA or EU, and the portal only shows "ASINs that are buyable through FBA by you."

The SIPP FAQ allows a self-test when the product is not fragile, contains no liquids or sharp items, has no granules smaller than 1 inch, and "Weighs less than 50 lb (22.67 kg)." Amazon's MCF and Buy with Prime SIPP page draws the line at "Weighs less than 20 lb (9.07 kg)" instead. The two pages diverge, so check both on the day you plan a self-test for a product of 20 lb or more.

Amazon's test instructions send the rest to a lab: "If your product is fragile, OR contains sharp items, OR contains liquids, you cannot self-test. You must submit an ISTA-6A lab report from an ISTA-6 lab in Amazon's APASS network for certification." Fragile means "any item that could easily leak or break during the fulfillment process," such as glass, ceramic, porcelain, clay and liquids. The pages differ on the lab too: that test page asks for one in APASS, while the SIPP FAQ accepts a report from any ISTA-6 lab and points to the Sustainability Service Provider Network, APASS and ISTA's own list; an ISTA-6 lab that is also in APASS meets both.

The self-test is 17 drops onto faces, edges and corners in a set order, from marks at 18 and 36 inches; flexible packaging adds a hazard-box drop, and Amazon requires five photos for rigid packaging and six for flexible. A product fails on visible damage, loss of function, a compromised seal or tape, or wear customers would not accept.

Except for fragile and liquid products, one report covers a group when it comes from "the primary product, which is the heaviest and largest product of the product group." Amazon's product group rules let secondary ASINs ride on that test within these limits:

• Size. Up to 25% smaller on a single dimension or in total volume; nothing over 108 inches long or 165 inches in girth.
• Weight. Up to 25% lighter; items of 8 oz or less are not held to the 25% limit.
• Materials and packaging. Identical material composition and identical packaging type, design and specifications, down to the grade of corrugate, with a similar product-to-packaging ratio.
• Pack quantity. The same count per pack, though Amazon may grant an exception for soft products such as diapers, textiles, toilet paper and paper towels.

The last setting is the first arrival date, the day your SIPP-compliant product first reaches Amazon: enroll on March 1 for packaging that ships April 1, and Amazon's example says to enter April 1. Nothing is certified "while approval is pending," and the portal estimates savings per group from units shipped in the past 90 days.

What the Box Has to Be, and How It Stays Certified

Rigid SIPP is "six-sided boxes, either cube or rectangular, with secure seals." Flexible SIPP covers bags, pouches, padded mailers and envelopes.

Amazon's pages differ on two flexible details. The flexible guidelines call for film "greater than or equal to 2 mils (0.002 inches) Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)" or a tear strength of at least 130 grams, while Amazon's SIPP guidelines overview says material "at least 2 millimeters (0.08 inches) thick." The help page also says a tamper-evident seal on resealable closures "is required," while Amazon's PDF guidelines call it recommended. Confirm the current wording before you specify film.

Hazmat products and anything smaller than 6 x 4 x 0.375 inches "aren't eligible for SIPP certification," the small ones because "they can't accommodate the standard-size shipping label." Sensitive products qualify only if "marked or labeled and packaged discreetly," and an Extra-Large item with a longest side between 70 and 96 inches "must be classified as Ships in Product Packaging," without the lower SIPP fees.

SIPP does not change how inventory is sent in: "You'll continue to ship SIPP-certified products to our fulfillment centers the same way." Each unit still needs "a scannable item label (UPC, EAN, GTIN-12, or ASIN)," each carton a scannable carton label, at ANSI grade B or higher. Which barcode a unit may carry follows Amazon's barcode rules, explained in our FNSKU, UPC and manufacturer barcode guide.

Amazon's decertification page lists four events. Three are rates, judged at 90% confidence:

• Relative damage. The damage rate is 0.5% worse in SIPP than with Amazon-added packaging.
• Absolute damage. The damage rate is more than 5% when shipped SIPP.
• Non-compliance. The packaging non-compliance rate is above 5%.
• Escalation. A standard escalation confirms that inbound packaging is not SIPP-compliant.

After approval, "all units must meet SIPP standards or risk decertification," and after a decertification the seller help asks you to fix the packaging and re-enroll. It says nothing about expiry; Amazon's vendor documents spell out the rest.

The vendor section of Amazon's packaging FAQ gives an example of a decertification: "the vendor uses a new adhesive to seal the packaging and does not retest with the new seals." Amazon's vendor guidelines put it as a rule for vendors: "If there are any changes to packaging prior to certification or after certification, a new test is needed," and while product and packaging stay unchanged, "the certification itself will not expire."

So "once" means once per box, not once per brand. A supplier that changes the board grade, the adhesive or the closure has changed the certified packaging. A brand can also leave on its own: Amazon approves an unenroll request "within three business days," and the discount stops at approval. For most products, shoppers can choose Amazon packaging at checkout at no additional cost, and a SIPP item in a multi-item order "may be placed in an Amazon box, bag, or envelope"; the seller keeps the discount either way.

MCF and Buy with Prime: The Same Box Off Amazon

Since April 2026, certification follows the product into Multi-Channel Fulfillment and Buy with Prime orders in the US. Amazon's March 30, 2026 announcement said "Items already certified for the Ships in Product Packaging (SIPP) program on Amazon.com will ship without an Amazon overbox by default," with a discount, rolling out "from April 1-30, 2026." SIPP-certified FBA products were enrolled automatically.

Sellers who need an Amazon box can opt out with "Require Overbox" in Multi-Channel Fulfillment Settings, or on a single MCF order, and "Opted-out units will not receive SIPP fee discounts." The MCF table runs $0.04 to $0.07 for small standard and $0.04 to $0.23 for large standard, and also shows a $1.32 bulky line, while the same page says "Products that are eligible for SIPP discounts must be standard-sized." Confirm in Seller Central before you count on a bulky MCF discount. In the SP-API, Fulfillment Outbound v2026-07-04 sets an overbox field to REQUIRED or NOT_REQUIRED, and "SIPP is enabled by default."

If the Brand Is Also a Vendor: FFP, SIOC and PFP

Vendors work with all three tiers. Amazon's vendor qualifications page sets out what each tier asks of the packaging and which chargebacks it removes.

Both chargebacks are "currently limited to non-sortable ASINs across NA and EU." Amazon's packaging FAQ says products over 18 x 14 x 8 inches or 20 lbs, outside excluded categories, "must be certified as SIPP," and uncertified eligible products incur a chargeback of $1.80 to $4.40 a unit, by shipping weight. After a decertification, vendors get a 60-day grace period, and each vendor code needs its own certification.

Amazon's March 2026 notice revised the ISTA 6-Amazon.com Over Boxing test that PFP uses: "Effective August 1st 2026, all Prep Free Packaging (PFP) enrollments must use the new 2026 ISTA 6-Amazon.com OVERBOX test procedure." ASINs already certified "will remain certified as long as they remain in good standing." Version 11.3 sets PFP samples at 4, or 8 if fragile, under 15 lbs, and 1, or 5 if fragile, from 15 to 50 lbs.

Amazon's August 2026 form-factor rules restrict one-test grouping to SIOC Type A tests, SIOC self-tests of non-fragile, non-liquid ASINs under 50 lbs, and PFP Over-Boxing tests, with the same 25% limits. Fragile, liquid and motorized products are excluded apart from color, scent, flavor, wattage or plug variations, and under the vendor guidelines, test results must be submitted within 2 years of the report date. More on the vendor model in our Vendor Central vs Seller Central post.

Where a Prep Center Fits

A prep center does not certify packaging, and PrepVia does not run packaging tests. Amazon certifies, and the test comes from the brand's self-test or an ISTA-6 lab. Labeling still applies, because certification waives neither the item label nor the carton label.

A kit is a new ASIN, larger and heavier than the unit inside it. Amazon's SIPP pages don't address kitting, but rigid SIPP bars strapping packages together, and a set needs a label such as "Sold as set." Amazon's grouping rule only lets ASINs that are the same size or smaller, in identical packaging, ride on a primary's test, so a kit box meant to ship as SIPP needs a passing test of its own.

Before a certified box ships in volume, settle three things: who compares each production run with the packaging the test was run on, how the supplier warns the brand before it changes the box, and who applies the labels Amazon still requires. The first two sit with the brand and its supplier; the third is prep work.

PrepVia is an Amazon SPN Certified prep center at 8507 NW 72nd St, Miami, FL 33166, with a prep window of 24-36 hours. The team handles labeling, kitting and case packs, receives imported freight and routes it into Amazon FBA, and books Amazon partnered LTL and FTL. Discrepancies are reported within 24 hours of arrival, with photos. Pricing is quoted per account on a free 15-minute call.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Amazon SIPP certification?

Amazon's program for products that ship to the customer in their own packaging, without Amazon-added material. A seller submits self-test photos or an ISTA-6A lab report in the SIPP portal for Amazon's approval; Amazon also certifies some products automatically.

Is SIPP the same as SIOC?

For sellers, yes: SIPP is the program formerly known as Ships in Own Container, with the same certification standards. For vendors, SIOC is still the name of Tier 2.

How much does SIPP save on FBA fees in 2026?

On standard-size products, $0.04 to $0.23 a certified unit for non-apparel and $0.06 to $0.22 for apparel, on units received after the first arrival date. Bulky products not enrolled that need Amazon's packaging pay a packaging fee of $1.51 to $4.04 a unit instead.

Do I need an ISTA lab to certify a product for SIPP?

Yes for fragile products, products with liquids or sharp items, and products made of granules under 1 inch. Weight matters too, and Amazon's pages set the self-test limit differently: under 50 lb in the SIPP FAQ, under 20 lb on the MCF page. A non-fragile standard-size product with none of those traits can be self-tested.

Does SIPP apply to MCF and Buy with Prime orders?

Yes, in the US since April 2026. Certified items ship without an Amazon overbox by default and eligible ones get a discount, unless the seller requires an overbox in Multi-Channel Fulfillment Settings or on an MCF order.

What changed for Prep-Free Packaging on August 1, 2026?

Every new PFP enrollment must use the 2026 version of the ISTA 6-Amazon.com Over Boxing test. PFP is a vendor tier, so SIPP for FBA sellers did not change, and ASINs already PFP-certified stay certified while in good standing.

Final Take

Amazon has priced the box from both sides: no US prep since January 1, 2026, a few cents off each certified standard-size unit, and dollars a unit to package bulky products that aren't enrolled and need its packaging. Passing Amazon's test moves that decision to the factory.

The certification holds only while the box holds: same materials, same seal, damage inside Amazon's limits. Treat the packaging spec as a controlled document with your supplier, and check Amazon's pages on the day you plan, because several still disagree.