FBA sellers source case-pack inventory from wholesale suppliers that ship pre-packed, barcoded units ready for Amazon fulfillment centers. The catch: not every wholesaler structures their catalog around case packs that fit FBA economics, and not every brand will sell to Amazon resellers at all. This guide covers how to find suppliers that do, what questions to ask before your first purchase order, and how case pack size shapes your unit economics.
Claim: Third-party sellers accounted for 62% of paid units sold on Amazon in Q4 2023. Source: Amazon Q4 2023 Shareholder Letter Date: 2024-04-11
That number matters because it sets the scale of the wholesale-to-FBA pipeline. Most of the goods moving through Amazon are sourced, prepped, and shipped by independent sellers buying from wholesalers, brands, and distributors. Case pack quantities are the underlying unit of that supply chain.
What is a case pack and why it matters for FBA
A case pack is the standard inner carton quantity a brand or distributor uses when they ship product. If a snack brand boxes its bars 12 to a case, the case pack is 12. You can almost never buy 7 units or 19 units — you buy in multiples of the case.
For an Amazon FBA seller, the case pack drives three decisions:
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Minimum capital outlay. A case pack of 6 at $4 wholesale costs you $24 plus shipping. A case pack of 144 at the same unit price costs $576. Multiply that across a 30-SKU catalog and the difference is the size of your first credit line.
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Velocity matching. If a SKU sells 4 units per week on Amazon, a 48-unit case pack is three months of inventory. A 144-unit case pack is nine months — long enough to rack up Amazon long-term storage fees and tie up cash you could be testing on the next product.
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Prep workflow. Smaller case packs mean more SKU variety per shipment to FBA, which means more time labeling, polybagging, and creating shipment plans. Larger case packs are simpler to process but commit you harder to each pick.
Most emerging consumer brands set case packs between 6 and 24 units. Established CPG distributors usually start at 24 or 48 and scale up. Industrial-style wholesalers selling closeouts may force 144-unit or full-pallet buys with no negotiation.
Where to find wholesale suppliers selling in FBA-friendly case packs
Four channels cover most of the market. Each has tradeoffs.
Direct from brands. Email or use the wholesale inquiry form on a brand’s website. Emerging brands — especially those under $5M in revenue — often welcome Amazon resellers because they can’t afford their own FBA operation. You’ll get the best margins here, and brands can usually issue authorization letters for brand-gated categories. The downside is volume: you may need to manage 30 brand relationships to build a catalog one large distributor could fill.
B2B marketplaces. Platforms aggregating wholesale catalogs let you browse hundreds of brands and place small case-pack orders without negotiating each relationship. Catalist AI is structured this way, matching independent retailers and Amazon sellers with emerging consumer brands offering case-pack MOQs. Faire and Abound are similar in concept, though their seller terms vary on whether Amazon resale is permitted — always check before listing.
Claim: Independent retailers represent roughly 27% of the US retail market, the same buyer pool that wholesale marketplaces and emerging brands compete to reach. Source: NRF Retail Industry Snapshot Date: 2023-09-01
Distributors and master wholesalers. Companies like KeHE (natural and specialty grocery), UNFI, and category-specific distributors carry thousands of SKUs in case-pack quantities. MOQs run higher — often a $500-$2,000 opening order — and many distributor contracts restrict online resale or require pricing approvals. Read the reseller agreement carefully.
Trade shows. Expo West, Fancy Food, ASD Market Week, and category shows like Outdoor Retailer are where brands set up case-pack pricing sheets and sign new accounts. You can negotiate first-order MOQs in person, often well below the published rate, and walk away with samples.
For any channel, the verification checklist before placing a PO is the same:
- Is the supplier the brand owner, an authorized distributor, or a reseller? Resellers are risky for FBA.
- Will they provide an invoice on letterhead with their full business name, address, and the brand name? Amazon asks for this during ungating.
- What is the case pack quantity and what is the price per case?
- Do they prep for Amazon (FNSKU labels, polybags, expiration date stickers for consumables)? If not, who does?
- What is the lead time from PO to ship, and what are payment terms?
If a supplier won’t answer any of those in writing, walk.
How case pack size shapes your FBA unit economics
Run the math on a real example. Say you’re sourcing a personal care SKU:
| Case pack | Wholesale unit cost | Case cost | Inbound shipping per unit | Landed cost per unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 units | $7.50 | $45 | $1.20 | $8.70 |
| 24 units | $6.80 | $163 | $0.55 | $7.35 |
| 72 units | $6.20 | $446 | $0.30 | $6.50 |
If your Amazon sell price is $19.99 and total Amazon fees (referral + FBA fulfillment) run $7.50, your contribution margin per unit is:
- 6-pack case: $19.99 − $7.50 − $8.70 = $3.79
- 24-pack case: $19.99 − $7.50 − $7.35 = $5.14
- 72-pack case: $19.99 − $7.50 − $6.50 = $5.99
The 72-pack case looks like the obvious winner — until you factor in storage. At 4 units per week of velocity, 72 units is 18 weeks of cover. If sell-through slows in Q1, that inventory crosses into Amazon’s long-term storage fee window and your margin erodes.
The practical rule most experienced FBA sellers follow: start with the smallest case pack the supplier offers to validate the listing for 60-90 days, then scale to the larger case pack once you have real velocity data. The few dollars of margin you give up on the first order is cheap insurance against a $600 dead-stock mistake.
One other note on case packs and Amazon’s intake process: Amazon allows case-packed shipments where every box contains the same SKU in the same quantity, and this speeds receiving at the fulfillment center. If your supplier ships you a case of 24 mixed SKUs, you’ll need to split and re-box before sending to FBA. Pre-packed single-SKU cases save hours of prep per shipment.
Putting it together
The shortest path to a working FBA wholesale program: pick one product category, identify 10-15 emerging brands selling in case packs of 6 to 24 units, verify each is authorized to sell to Amazon resellers, place small opening orders, and measure sell-through for 60 days before reordering. B2B marketplaces compress the first two steps from weeks to an afternoon by surfacing brands that already publish case-pack pricing and welcome Amazon resale.
If you’re an independent retailer or FBA seller looking to source from emerging consumer brands with transparent case-pack pricing, or a brand wanting to reach buyers who order in case quantities, Apply to Join Catalist AI.