Overview

Amazon has strict packaging standards for any product with sharp edges or points sent to FBA warehouses. Sellers who fail to meet these requirements risk having inventory refused, future shipments blocked, or units disposed of at their expense. Understanding these rules is essential for anyone selling knives, tools, hardware, or similar items through Fulfilled by Amazon.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Non-compliance has financial consequences — Sharp items that don't meet packaging standards can be refused at fulfillment centers, and disposed inventory is not eligible for reimbursement. You'll also be charged disposal fees.
• Sharp edges must be fully covered at all times — Packaging must prevent any sharp edge or point from becoming exposed during every stage of the process, from receiving through final delivery to the customer.
• Only puncture-resistant materials qualify — Shrink wrap, thin plastic bags, and non-corrugated boxes do not meet Amazon's standards because sharp edges can easily pierce through them.
• Packaging must stay secure throughout handling — It's not enough for packaging to cover sharp points initially. It must remain firmly in place through stowing, shipping, and delivery without loosening.
• Sellers bear full responsibility — You must ensure all sharp items comply with these guidelines before they arrive at any Amazon fulfillment facility.

What Qualifies as a Sharp Unit

Amazon defines sharp units as any object with an edge or point capable of cutting or piercing packaging material or human skin. When exposed, these items are classified as safety hazards for both warehouse associates and customers. The category covers a wide range of products including knives, scissors, saws, razor blades, barbed wire, axes, machetes, needles, pins, gardening tools like pickaxes, and various types of wire or nails. If your product has any component that could cut or puncture, it likely falls under these requirements even if you wouldn't typically think of it as a "sharp" item.

Acceptable vs. Unacceptable Packaging

Amazon specifies several packaging materials that meet their standards for sharp products. Approved options include hardened plastic enclosures, blister packs, clamshell packaging, hardened plastic sheaths, and thick corrugated cardboard in fully enclosed box form. The key requirement across all acceptable options is that the material must be cut-resistant and puncture-resistant, fully encasing the sharp edges so they cannot pierce through under any circumstances. Shrink wrap and non-corrugated cardboard boxes are explicitly called out as unacceptable because sharp points and edges can easily penetrate these materials during normal warehouse handling.