Suffocation warnings on pet toy bags for Amazon: what we print and where
Amazon's own packaging requirements in Seller Central are the version to check for suffocation warnings on poly bags. We avoid the question of which bags need one: every poly and vacuum bag we pack gets the warning, on the outside, side by side with the barcode.
- For Amazon FBA sellers
- Poly and vacuum bags
- About 5 minutes to read
The wording we use
We print the same text on every bag and do not edit it per order:
WARNING — To avoid danger of suffocation, keep this plastic bag away from babies and children. Do not use this bag in cribs, beds, carriages, or playpens. This bag is not a toy.
The warning is about the bag, not the toy inside it. A pet toy is not meant for babies, but the plastic bag it arrives in ends up in a home where there may be young children.
The wording itself is long established. Virginia's statute on plastic bags for freshly cleaned clothing, for example, requires the sentences "WARNING: To avoid danger of suffocation, keep this plastic bag away from babies and children. Do not use this bag in cribs, beds, carriages or playpens." on bags of 25 inches or more and less than one mil thick, in at least 36-point type (Code of Virginia § 18.2-320). That law covers bags for cleaned clothing, not pet toy bags, but it shows where the familiar text comes from.
Why we label every bag instead of measuring
Amazon's packaging requirements page in Seller Central is the place to check. That page sits behind a Seller Central login and we could not read it for this article, so check the current version there rather than relying on a figure quoted on a blog. We deliberately do not quote one.
On the packing floor, a size rule is easy to get wrong:
- One product, several bag sizes. A single chew, a set of 2 and a set of 3 each go into a different bag. A size rule that applies to one may not seem to apply to the next.
- Vacuum bags shrink. Measure a coffee wood bag after vacuum sealing and you get a smaller number than the real bag. When we quote a bag size, we measure the bag before it is sealed.
- A missing warning is harder to fix later. Adding it after the cartons are closed means opening them again. Printing one more warning than strictly needed is the easier mistake.
So the rule on our floor is simple: every bag, every time.
Where the warning goes on the bag
Each element of the bag has a fixed place, so the barcode can be scanned and the warning read at the same time.
| Element | Where |
|---|---|
| Suffocation warning | Outside, side by side with the barcode, on the same face |
| Your FNSKU or UPC/EAN barcode | Outside; you create the codes, one per size, and we print them |
| Size sticker | Outside |
| Your brand tag | Inside, placed before the bag is sealed |
| Desiccant pack (coffee wood) | Inside |
The same applies whichever bag the material needs. Coffee wood and shaped loofah are vacuum-sealed, 1, 2 or 3 pieces per bag; hemp balls and coco coir balls go into plain poly bags. The bag-by-bag detail is in FBA prep for natural pet toys.
How we check it before the cartons close
Labels are where small mistakes turn into big ones, because they are repeated on every unit. Three habits help:
- Count labels and tags on arrival. We count printed warnings, barcodes and your tags as soon as they reach us. Finding a shortfall the day before the goods are due is too late.
- Label one carton first. We label a single trial carton, you approve it, and only then do we label the rest.
- Photograph the inside of the carton. Before a carton is taped shut, we take a photo of what is inside.
The carton itself carries the FBA label, the shipping mark and a Made in Vietnam label beside the FBA label. Cartons, sets and barcode files are covered in selling natural dog chews on Amazon FBA, and our general approach is on the packing page.
What the bag warning does not cover
The suffocation warning protects children from the bag. It says nothing about the toy, and it does not replace the safety lines your listing and tag should carry for the dog or cat: supervise play, replace the toy when it has worn small enough to swallow, and remove loose pieces. Suggested wording for those is in how to write a natural dog chew listing without overpromising.
If you sell sets, a set of 2 or 3 goes into one bag, and that bag carries the warning. How we pack 2- and 3-piece sets is in set 2 and set 3 bundles on Amazon.
Questions sellers ask about bag warnings
Do pet toy poly bags need a suffocation warning on Amazon?
Check Amazon's current packaging requirements in Seller Central. We put the warning on every bag, so you do not need to measure.
What wording do you print?
"WARNING — To avoid danger of suffocation, keep this plastic bag away from babies and children. Do not use this bag in cribs, beds, carriages, or playpens. This bag is not a toy."
Where does the warning go on the bag?
On the outside, side by side with the barcode on the same face. Your brand tag goes inside the bag before it is sealed.
Do vacuum-sealed bags get the warning too?
Yes. Coffee wood and shaped loofah are vacuum-sealed, and every one of those bags carries the warning, the same as our plain poly bags.
Who creates the barcodes?
You do, in Seller Central or with your own UPC/EAN codes, one per size. We print them and place them next to the warning.
Get your FBA packing right from the first order
Send us your barcode files and listing plan, and we label one trial carton for your approval before the rest.