The short answer
Amazon approves packaging in three tiers, under a program now called Ships in Product Packaging. An ISTA 6-Amazon test procedure proves each tier, and the tiers nest rather than sitting side by side.
Two things most guides miss. Amazon renamed the program, so older guides point at a tier that now goes by another name, and not every product needs a paid lab test.
Amazon packaging approval decides whether a product ships in its own box or gets wrapped, boxed and prepped at a fulfillment center. That split shows up in fees, in damage rates, and in how Amazon handles the listing.
The rules also move. Names change, Amazon revised a test procedure this year, and plenty of published advice still describes a setup that no longer matches Amazon’s own guidelines.
This reference covers the three tiers, which ISTA test proves each one, when you really need a lab, and how one test can cover a whole family of products.
The Program Changed Name
Tier 2 once went by Ships in Own Container, and the short form SIOC is still everywhere. In February 2024 Amazon renamed the program to SIPP, short for Ships in Product Packaging.
Amazon’s vendor guidelines now call Frustration-Free Packaging Tier 1 of the SIPP program. The test itself kept the older label, so a lab still quotes ISTA 6-Amazon.com SIOC while the program it satisfies goes by another name.
That mismatch causes more confusion than anything else here, and it is worth settling before you call a lab.
How the Three Tiers Fit Together
Most guides show the tiers as three options to choose between. They work more like a ladder, because the top tier contains the middle one.
Tier 1 and Tier 2 share a test procedure. What separates them is recyclability and how quickly a customer can open the box.
Tier 2 means the product ships in its own box and the fulfillment center adds nothing. Tier 1 asks for everything in Tier 2, plus recyclable materials and a box a customer can open inside two minutes.
Tier 3 sits apart. Prep-Free Packaging covers products that travel inside an Amazon overbox and need no extra padding, and it uses the Over-Boxing test rather than the SIOC one.
Cushion curves decide what goes inside the box at each of these tiers. Weight splits things further. Type A covers parcels under 50 lb, Type B runs from 50 to 100 lb, and Type C takes everything heavier.
When a Laboratory Is Actually Required
Test houses present lab work as the only route, which is no surprise given what they sell. The program bends more than that.
A non-fragile product under 50 lb in a rigid box can pass through a written self-test instead of a paid lab run. Fragile goods, liquids, and loose granular items in soft packaging all need an APASS network lab instead.
Sample counts differ too, and the gap is steep. A general parcel test asks for one sample. A fragile product under the Amazon rules needs five specimens, which changes both the cost and the weight of the evidence.
Check the self-test route first. A non-fragile item under 50 lb may never need a lab invoice at all. The saving is largest for exactly the sellers least likely to hear about it.
One Test, a Family of Products
Form-factor approval is the cost lever almost nobody mentions. Where a range shares one packaging format, a single tested product can carry the rest.
The others have to stay close to that lead product: within 25 percent smaller on one dimension, 25 percent smaller by volume, or 25 percent lighter. Only Type A SIOC or Over-Boxing leads qualify, and the rule shuts out liquids and packs that are more than half fragile.
For a seller with a shoe line or a tool range in stepped sizes, that turns a per-listing cost into a per-family one.
Certification Is Not Permanent
An approved listing can lose its status. Amazon watches damage rates afterward, and a product that starts arriving broken can lose the tier without any change to its box or its paperwork.
The tests move as well. Amazon revised the Over-Boxing test behind Tier 3, and from August 1, 2026 new Prep-Free enrollments must use the newer version. Listings already approved and in good standing need no retest, and the other tiers carry on as before.
Anyone holding a tier should watch two things: the damage rate on the listing, and whether Amazon has changed the test behind that tier since they ran it.
Common Questions
Is SIOC the same thing as SIPP?
Effectively yes. Amazon renamed Ships in Own Container to Ships in Product Packaging in February 2024, and SIPP is now the umbrella program with Frustration-Free Packaging on top. The test still carries the SIOC label.
Does every product need a paid laboratory test?
No. A non-fragile product under 50 lb in a rigid box can pass through a written self-test. Fragile items, liquids and loose granular goods in soft packaging need an APASS network lab.
Can one test cover several sizes of the same product?
Often, through form-factor approval. The others must sit within 25 percent of the lead product on one dimension, on volume or on weight. That lead also has to hold a Type A SIOC or Over-Boxing tier.
Does passing ISTA 3A satisfy Amazon?
No. A general parcel test and the Amazon tests are different runs with different sequences and sample counts. You need the ISTA 6-Amazon test that matches the tier you want.
Choosing a Tier
This reference has covered the rename, the three tiers and how they nest. It has also covered when a lab is really needed, and the rule that lets one test carry a family of products. Work out which tier the listing needs, check whether the self-test route applies, then call a lab.
The tier is worth having. It is also worth buying at the right size, since the gap between a per-listing cost and a per-family one adds up fast across a catalog.
Key takeaways
- Amazon renamed Ships in Own Container to Ships in Product Packaging in February 2024, though the test kept the SIOC name.
- Frustration-Free Packaging is Tier 1 and contains Tier 2, adding recyclability and a two-minute opening requirement.
- Prep-Free Packaging uses the Over-Boxing test, and new enrollments must use the revised version from August 2026.
- A non-fragile product under 50 lb may pass by written self-test rather than a paid lab run.
- Form-factor approval lets one test cover items within 25 percent of the lead on dimension, volume or weight.