APASS Lab Testing for Amazon Packaging Certification
Megalab is a member of the Amazon Packaging Support and Supplier Network. We run the ISTA 6-Amazon testing behind FFP, SIOC and PFP certification at our accredited lab in Aurora, Ontario.
- An APASS Member Lab: Amazon requires certification testing from a lab in its own network. Megalab is in it.
- All Three Tiers: Frustration-Free Packaging, Ships In Own Container and Prep-Free Packaging, tested in house.
- ISO 17025 Accredited: The ISTA 6 Series sits on our A2LA scope, so the report is accredited data.
- Canadian Turnaround: No cross-border freight for your samples, and a quote back within one business day.
Accredited package testing
ISO/IEC 17025
A2LA #5179.01
ISTA certified
Certified test laboratory
*Tell us the product weight, the box dimensions and which tier your buyer asked for. A lead engineer will respond within one business day.
Trusted by industry leaders
What is APASS?
APASS stands for the Amazon Packaging Support and Supplier Network. It is Amazon’s vetted network of laboratories and packaging suppliers. Amazon accepts certification testing from an APASS lab, from any ISTA certified laboratory, or in several categories from the selling partner’s own self-drop test. The exception is the one that matters commercially: a rigid fragile product under 50 lb has to be tested at an ISTA certified laboratory rather than self-tested, and it needs more samples than a non-fragile one.
Megalab is an APASS member lab. We are also an ISTA certified laboratory, audited by ISTA, and the ISTA 6 Series sits on our A2LA ISO/IEC 17025 scope. Those are three separate credentials and all three matter here: APASS decides whether Amazon will accept the report, ISTA certification covers running the procedure, and the A2LA scope is what makes the data accredited.
Which Amazon tier do you need?
Amazon groups certified packaging into three tiers under its Ships in Product Packaging programme. The tier decides whether Amazon adds an over-box, and which ISTA 6 procedure you run.
- Tier 1, Frustration-Free Packaging (FFP): ships in its own box with no Amazon over-box, uses fully curbside-recyclable materials, and opens within 120 seconds with minimal use of scissors or a box cutter. Tested to ISTA 6-Amazon SIOC. See FFP certification testing.
- Tier 2, Ships In Own Container (SIOC): the retail box is the shipping box. No over-box, no added dunnage. Tested to ISTA 6-Amazon SIOC across eight package types. See SIOC testing.
- Tier 3, Prep-Free Packaging (PFP): for items too small to qualify for the other tiers, below 6.0 x 4.0 x 0.375 in (152.4 x 101.6 x 9.5 mm). Amazon adds an over-box, and your primary packaging has to survive without extra bagging or bubble wrap. Tested to ISTA 6-Amazon Over-Boxing. See Over-Boxing testing.
If you are not sure which applies, the short version is this: ships bare in its own retail box goes to SIOC, needs an added outer box and Kraft dunnage goes to Over-Boxing, and FFP is SIOC plus recyclability and ease-of-opening criteria on top.
What an APASS lab does, and what it does not
We run the test, record the result and issue the report. Getting that report accepted, and the listing flagged as certified, happens on Amazon’s side through Vendor Central or Seller Central. The ISTA 6-Amazon protocols themselves carry no submission workflow, so anyone promising to file the certification for you is describing Amazon’s process, not the test.
One thing to settle before samples ship: the product damage tolerance. Both Amazon protocols require the shipper and Amazon to agree, in advance, what counts as damage and what post-test condition is acceptable. Get that in writing at the start rather than after a borderline result.
Related Amazon and package testing
Start at Amazon package testing for the overview, or go straight to SIOC, FFP or Over-Boxing.
Selling through other channels too? The ISTA 6 Series also covers FedEx, and we run Costco vendor testing and ASTM D4169 for buyers who specify it. Everything sits under package testing services.