I ignored the negative reviews of thefbaPrep because I trusted their replies to those complaints. Unfortunately, I now regret giving them that chance.
I ignored the negative reviews of thefbaPrep because I trusted their replies to those complaints. Unfortunately, I now regret giving them that chance. My review is long, but so were the hours I wasted trying to resolve issues with this company — so if you’re considering them, I hope this saves you some trouble.
Payment tip: If you do decide to try them, pay by card. I will now be trying to open a dispute with Stripe in order to at least recover my top-up balance, after already losing valuable time and facing serious disruption to my business operations. For Amazon sellers, late shipments and long waits can mean unhappy customers, lost sales, and damaged account performance.
Hidden fees & VAT surprises: At the UK warehouse, prices shown don’t include VAT — that gets added later at +21%. Shipping fees also increased without warning, usually with the excuse that “package sizes changed after final packaging,” even when I knew my sizes were accurate. They claim they only profit from services and storage, but their shipping prices were higher than standard retail rates — anyone can check the published prices on carrier websites to see the difference. Even uploading your own label costs an extra £1 per order.
Constant delays: Dispatching items always required chasing. Their “24–48 hour” promise regularly turned into requests to wait 5 business days. From what I saw, delays and excuses were the norm, not the exception.
UK warehouse issue: My first package arrived in the UK. I topped up my balance and asked them to ship, only to be told my payment “did not go through.” Their own system generated invoices proving it had. After I sent the invoices, they asked me to wait 5 business days for “investigation.” But when I hinted that I might share my experience on the same platforms where people recommend them, what they wanted me to wait 5 business days for was suddenly resolved within minutes — no explanation given.
Germany warehouse issue: Soon after, I sent packages to their Germany warehouse and topped up again. This time, they told me to wait 5 business days because they suspected “accounts with unpaid balances” were linked to mine. This made no sense since their services are fully prepaid. Again, when I said I’d share my experience, the case was closed within hours. But instead of shipping my items, they said they’d use my prepaid balance to cover these supposed accounts and refused service. Even though they had already received my packages from another country, they told me to travel there in person to collect them, because they would not use the top-up funds I had paid to actually ship my orders to customers. For international sellers, this is simply unrealistic and leaves inventory stuck.
Why it matters: This wasted a huge amount of my time and energy. Twice I was simply told to “wait 5 business days” while my customers were waiting for their orders, and I couldn’t even provide them with a tracking number. For Amazon sellers who depend on reliable and timely prep, that’s unacceptable. Can you really trust a company with your Amazon shop when their answer to urgent shipping requests is just to tell you to wait 5 business days? In my experience, both warehouses showed the same pattern: hidden costs, repeated delays, and shifting explanations.
Time, energy, and money were lost. For Amazon sellers, late shipments don’t just cause stress — they risk customer complaints, negative feedback, and even account suspensions. Ask yourself whether a company that repeatedly delays, holds balances, and adds unexpected charges can be trusted with your inventory.
This is my honest, firsthand experience, shared so others can make an informed decision before committing funds or stock to thefbaPrep. I’ve seen them respond defensively to other 1-star reviews, but my experience is exactly as described and has caused me serious stress and damage to my business.
If the company actually resolves this by releasing and dispatching my items, I will update this review.
If this review is not updated, it means that, up to now, my orders still have not been sent to customers.
Reply from TheFbaPrep
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We always welcome honest reviews as they help other businesses understand both our services and our standards. However, it is important to clarify several key points regarding this case so that future customers have the full picture.
1) Multiple linked accounts with unpaid invoices:
Our investigation confirmed that the products sent under your current account were identical to products previously shipped under four other accounts, each of which has outstanding unpaid balances. Despite repeated attempts to contact the account holders by email, these invoices remain unresolved. In line with our Terms & Conditions — which all customers agree to upon registration — we reserve the right to offset outstanding amounts and refuse further services when there is evidence of misuse or linked accounts with unpaid debts.
2) Clear notice of investigation and grounds provided:
The reason and basis for initiating the investigation were fully outlined in our written communication. We explained why the account review was triggered, the evidence linking the accounts, and the decision-making process that followed. This was not arbitrary — it was conducted according to our Terms & Conditions and company policy, with full transparency regarding the findings.
3) Prepayment and VAT requirements:
Our services now operate strictly on a prepaid basis, but at the time these accounts were active, billing was issued weekly. This allowed services to be rendered before payment was due — and unfortunately, this system was abused in this case, as invoices totaling several hundred pounds and euros were never settled. VAT is also clearly stated on all invoices and required by UK and EU law. It is not a hidden fee but a legal tax obligation that applies to all business customers who are either VAT-registered in the EU or importing into EU countries.
4) Service times and operational policy:
Our processing times are up to 48 hours for both inbound and outbound handling, depending on workload and order complexity. Same-day dispatch is not part of our service outline. We do our best to process orders quickly, but we will not bypass company policy or legal requirements — particularly when account irregularities are detected.
5) Shipping costs and handling fees:
Shipping rates reflect not only carrier fees but also packaging verification, labeling, and handling. Customers may upload their own labels; however, a small handling fee applies for processing externally provided labels. These details are clearly stated in our pricing and Terms & Conditions.
6) Account termination decision:
Due to repeated violations of our Terms — including creating multiple accounts to avoid payment — we formally informed you that our services could no longer be provided. Your goods remain securely stored, and you are welcome to arrange collection by providing at least two working days’ notice, as explained in our written communication.
We regret that this situation caused you inconvenience. However, we must ensure fair treatment for all customers and protect our business from unpaid services and misuse of our platform.
We stand by our decision as consistent with our published Terms & Conditions and the professional standards expected in the logistics industry. For any future collection arrangements, our team remains available at help@thefbaprep.com to assist.
Kind Regards,
TheFbaPrep Support Team