Who Creates the Shipping Plan?
This varies by prep centre and by seller preference. Some prep centres create shipping plans on your behalf — you tell them what to send to Amazon and they handle the logistics in Seller Central. Others expect you to create the shipping plan yourself and provide them with the shipment labels and box content information to follow. Both approaches work, but each has trade-offs.
Prep Centre Creates the Plan
When the prep centre creates shipping plans, you save time and they can optimise box sizes and weights based on what they are physically packing. They know exactly how many units fit in each box because they are doing the packing. The downside is that they need access to your Seller Central account (or a linked user account), and you have less direct control over how shipments are structured.
You Create the Plan
When you create the shipping plan, you maintain full control over your Seller Central account and shipment decisions. You decide what goes where and when. The downside is that you need to coordinate with your prep centre about box configurations, and there may be discrepancies between how you planned the shipment and how it physically gets packed.
The Hybrid Approach
Some sellers and prep centres use a hybrid approach — the seller creates the shipping plan and sends the plan details to the prep centre, who then packs and ships according to those specifications. This gives the seller control while keeping the physical execution with the prep centre.
What Precision Does
At Precision, we offer flexibility based on what works best for each client. Some prefer to handle their own shipping plans; others prefer us to manage the process end to end. We discuss this during onboarding and set up whichever workflow suits your business. The key is clear communication about responsibilities so nothing falls between the gaps.