Amazon prep and compliance WMS: avoiding chargebacks before they happen

Amazon does not forgive compliance mistakes. If cartons are labeled incorrectly, pallets are built wrong, or paperwork is missing, the penalty shows up as a chargeback or a delayed inbound. There is no grace period for learning on the job.

That reality is why operators search for an Amazon prep and compliance WMS. They are not trying to optimize marginal gains. They are trying to stop preventable fines, rework, and strained Amazon relationships that quietly drain margin.

Prep and compliance is not a checklist. It is a system that has to work every time.

Why Amazon prep and compliance is harder than it looks

On the surface, prep looks simple. Apply the right label. Use the right carton. Follow the routing guide. In practice, those requirements change by program, by SKU, and sometimes by shipment.

As volume grows, relying on tribal knowledge or manual checks stops working. One missed rule can invalidate an entire shipment.

Bryan Wright, CTO and COO of G10, explains why systems matter more than good intentions. "A good WMS tracks inventory through the warehouse at every point that you touch it." That same discipline is required for prep steps. If the system does not enforce them, mistakes slip through.

Compliance failures usually start upstream

Most chargebacks are blamed on labeling or paperwork. Often, the real cause is earlier in the process.

The wrong item is picked. The wrong quantity is packed. The system does not recognize a prep requirement until it is too late. By the time the label prints, the error is baked in.

Connor Perkins, Director of Fulfillment at G10, sees accuracy and compliance as inseparable. "One of the pain points our clients have experienced with previous 3PLSs is inventory accuracy; maybe their previous 3PL wasn't great at picking the orders accurately." If the pick is wrong, no amount of perfect labeling fixes the shipment.

What a real Amazon prep and compliance WMS must do

A prep and compliance WMS must enforce rules, not just document them. It should know which SKUs require prep, which labels apply, and which carton configurations are allowed before the order reaches packing.

It should block non-compliant actions automatically instead of relying on someone to catch them at the end.

Scan-based execution is critical. Perkins states the baseline rule. "You want everything to be scanned in the warehouse, nothing done on paper." Scans confirm that the right item, the right label, and the right package are being used.

Why Amazon inbound prep magnifies small mistakes

Inbound shipments to Amazon are unforgiving. A single error can result in an entire pallet being rejected or reworked.

That rework costs time and money. Worse, it can delay inventory availability inside Amazon, leading to stockouts and lost sales.

Wright explains why systems built for B2B compliance perform better here. "With B2B, you're shipping to places like Target or Walmart. They have routing guides that make you specific labels on and put them in a specific place on the box." Amazon inbound operates on the same logic.

Prep requirements change faster than most teams expect

Amazon updates prep rules, labeling standards, and program requirements regularly. A static process becomes outdated quickly.

If a WMS cannot be updated or configured quickly, teams fall back on workarounds. Workarounds are where compliance breaks.

Wright explains the advantage of fast configuration. "With G10 we can make that change extremely quickly because we have our own development staff." That speed keeps compliance current instead of reactive.

Multi-warehouse prep multiplies risk without system control

When prep happens in multiple warehouses, consistency becomes critical. One location doing prep differently than another creates unpredictable outcomes.

A centralized WMS with enforced rules ensures every site follows the same requirements for the same SKUs.

Holly Woods, Director of Operations at G10, describes why distributed execution needs alignment. "Now it's not just one site working on these orders. We have three sites that are working on orders for you." Prep and compliance rules must travel with the order, not live in someone's head.

Visibility reduces compliance anxiety

Compliance issues feel stressful when they are invisible. A shipment leaves the warehouse, and days later a chargeback appears.

Visibility changes that experience. When teams can see prep steps, label generation, and shipment status in real time, they can intervene before mistakes ship.

Maureen Milligan, Director of Operations and Projects at G10, explains the value of transparency. "What these real-time portals provide our customers is 100% visibility." That visibility turns compliance from a guessing game into a managed process.

Why Amazon compliance failures hurt beyond the fine

Chargebacks are the obvious cost. The hidden costs are worse.

Compliance failures consume time. They distract teams. They damage confidence with Amazon. Over time, they can affect account health and program eligibility.

Joel Malmquist, VP of Customer Experience at G10, summarizes the strict reality. "Walmart's pretty intense with their labeling rules." Amazon operates under the same philosophy. Repeated mistakes signal risk.

How to tell if your prep and compliance system is failing

Warning signs appear quickly. Chargebacks become routine. Teams double-check everything manually. Shipments get delayed for last-minute fixes.

If compliance depends on heroics instead of systems, it will eventually break.

A healthy prep and compliance WMS feels calm. Labels print correctly. Shipments move on time. Chargebacks become rare exceptions.

How G10 supports Amazon prep and compliance

G10 supports Amazon prep and compliance with a scan-based WMS that enforces rules automatically across all locations. Prep requirements are built into workflows, not left to memory.

Perkins describes the integration depth behind that approach. "We have experience with omni-channel integration setup and we're capable of doing any EDI, API, flat file, XML, any type of integration needed throughout the omni-channel for the marketplaces out there." Compliance depends on clean, consistent data.

When questions arise, Malmquist describes the support experience. "If you're working with G10, your experience for getting help is that you can either email or call your direct point of contact. It's that simple." Compliance issues move fast, and support has to move faster.

If Amazon chargebacks or inbound delays are becoming routine, the fix starts with a system that enforces prep and compliance by default. Bring your SKU requirements, your Amazon programs, and your warehouse footprint, and we will show you how to keep compliance boring and predictable.