A Transparency Code SOP for 3PLs and Prep Centers

By Todd Welch, founder of T-Code Manager. Published October 13, 2026.

This is a standard operating procedure for 3PLs and prep centers that apply Transparency codes for brand clients. Copy it, change the names and adjust the steps to fit your building. The goal is simple: the right client's code on the right unit, each code used once and a record the client can trust.

If you want the background first, read the overview for 3PLs and prep centers.

Scope and roles

This SOP covers every unit of a Transparency-enrolled product that passes through your facility for a brand client, from onboarding the client to reporting back to them.

Assign these roles by name. One person can hold more than one.

Account owner: the client contact. Collects onboarding details, asks for codes and sends reports.
Code admin: loads code files, checks counts and owns the code inventory.
Station lead: runs labeling, checks the first label of every job and handles exceptions.
Packers: scan, print, label and count.

Part 1: Client onboarding

Before the first unit arrives, the account owner collects:

The list of enrolled products, with ASIN, UPC or EAN, SKU and FNSKU.
How codes will arrive: code files from the client, API access the client authorizes, or units already labeled.
The client contact who orders more codes, and how long it usually takes.
The label format and placement the client wants, plus any labeling guidance from their Transparency account.
Whether the FNSKU and the Transparency code go on one label or two. See Transparency vs FNSKU labels.
Whether units ship FBA, FBM or both.
What the client wants reported, and how often.
How the client wants misprints and damaged labels handled.

Don't accept the first inbound until items 1 through 4 are done.

Part 2: Code intake

When a code file arrives, the code admin:

Confirms which client and which product the file is for. If it isn't clear, stops and asks the client.
Saves the original file, untouched, in that client's archive with the product and date in the file name.
Counts the codes and confirms the count matches what the client said they sent.
Loads the codes into that client's inventory, against that product only.
Checks the available count for the product went up by the right amount.
Tells the client the codes were received and loaded, with the count.

Codes are never loaded into a shared list. Each client's codes stay in that client's space.

Part 3: Receiving units

When an inbound shipment arrives:

Check each SKU against the client's enrolled product list.
If units are supposed to arrive already labeled, scan a sample from each carton to confirm the codes are present and readable.
If units are supposed to be labeled by you, confirm there are enough codes on hand for the full quantity before the job is scheduled.
Record any shortfall, damage or unlabeled units that should have been labeled, and tell the account owner the same day.

Part 4: Labeling

At the station, for each job:

Select the client. Confirm it on screen before anything else.
Scan the product. Check the product shown matches the unit in hand.
Enter the quantity. It should equal the number of units in front of you, not the number on the work order if they differ.
Print. The station lead checks the first label of every job: correct size, readable code and correct product details.
Apply one label per unit. Follow the client's placement. Don't cover the product's barcode or any other barcode, and don't wrap a label around an edge or corner.
Count. Labels applied must equal labels printed. If there are leftovers, find out why before moving on.
Record the job reference. Shipment ID, work order or FBA shipment number.

Never print from a file someone emailed to the station. Labels come only from the client's code inventory.

Part 5: FBM orders

For clients who ship FBM through you:

Every unit needs its own code, reported when the order is confirmed.
If you label at pack-out, print one label per unit for that order, apply them and report the codes from those labels.
If units are pre-labeled, record the code on each unit at pack-out so the codes you report match what's in the box.
Log every code with the order ID.

The details are in the FBM labeling guide.

Part 6: Quality checks

First label check on every job (Part 4, step 4).
Sample scan of finished units before they leave the station. Pick a few from each job and scan the code.
Count check at the end of every job.
End-of-day check: codes used today by client should match units labeled today by client.

Part 7: Exceptions

Damaged or misprinted label: don't put it on a unit. Record the code as void with the reason, and handle it the way the client asked during onboarding.
Short on codes: stop the job. Tell the account owner right away. Don't borrow codes from another product or another client, ever.
Product doesn't match the code inventory: stop and ask the station lead. Don't print until it's resolved.
Units arrive unlabeled when they should be labeled: hold them and contact the client.
Printer problems: if a printer jams mid-job, record which job it was and how many labels came out. See how to print Transparency labels.

Part 8: Records and reporting

For every job, keep: client, product, quantity, codes used, who ran it, when and the job reference. For FBM, add the order ID.

Each month, the code admin reconciles each client: codes received equal codes used plus codes available plus codes void. Any gap gets explained before the report goes out. Here's how to reconcile Transparency codes.

The account owner sends each client their usage, their remaining codes and a reorder heads-up for any product running low.

Part 9: Training

New packers learn this before they touch a printer:

Each code is for one unit. Never print the same code twice.
Codes belong to the client and the product they were issued for.
Check the product on screen before printing.
Count labels in and labels out.
When in doubt, stop and ask.

Running this SOP in T-Code Manager

The Warehouse / 3PL plan is built for this procedure. It's $199 a month, or $159 a month billed annually, with unlimited ASINs and unlimited users.

Multi-client management: each client gets its own products and code inventory, and your team switches between clients in the app.
Scan to print: scan by ASIN, UPC, SKU or FNSKU and print 1" x 1", 1.25" x 2.25" Dymo or 2" x 1" labels. Codes are marked used when the label file is created, so two stations can't print the same code.
History: every print job and FBM dispense is logged with who ran it, when, the product and the shipment or order reference you enter.
Client share links and reports: give each brand a read-only view of its code inventory, with an optional password, and see usage by client.
Low-stock alerts: emails before a client runs out, so you can ask for more codes before a job stalls.

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