How to ship from China to Amazon FBA warehouse? Amazon FBA sellers always have to make a choice: Direct shipment or ship to you first then to Amazon FBA warehouse.
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You don’t have to worry anymore because here you’ll get all the information regarding how to ship products from China to Amazon warehouses. We will show you the advantages and disadvantages of each way. 
Hope this information will help you in this import game. Let’s get start.

Would you like to do direct shipping? Get introduced to the advantages and disadvantages

Here are advantages if you ship directly from China to Amazon FBA warehouses

  • You’ll not face any delay on your side. So direct shipping will be done at faster transportation.
  • It will save your money because you don’t have to pay an extra cost to store the products.
  • You’ll be tension free because factories will oversee your products. They will fulfill all the necessary shipping requirement of Amazon FBA packaging. Apart from that, they will also do FBA label, FNSKU label, etc.
  • Less transportation means less damage to the items.

Now let’s concentrate on the disadvantages:

  • You have to ship your products to multiple locations or warehouses as per as Amazon requirements.
  • Amazon is not going to pay anything. So you have to pay all duties and freight on your own.

Below you’ll get all the information in details.

Multiple location / warehouse of Amazon
source in China and ship to Amazon

This one is the most significant disadvantage you’ll face if you are shipping directly to Amazon. Amazon always wants you to send the product to different warehouses. You can quickly get rid of this problem by turning on the Inventory Placement.
For example, if you are sending four boxes to four different locations it will be much more exorbitant than shipping those four boxes to just one site. You have to spend almost double amount to do so.
So the best way is to turn on the “Inventory Placement.” You can do it very quickly. Just click on setting and then hit the “Fulfillment by Amazon” option. Just choose your desired warehouse, and you can directly send the items to the distribution center.

Pay in advance for All Duties and Freight

Always keep in mind one thing before shipping that your products must be Delivery Duty Paid because Amazon is going to pay anything to accept it. You have to be extremely careful about it. Just think you send your products by paying $300 in air freight. Later on, if Amazon has to pay only $30 to receive it, they will expel your shipment without wasting a single moment.
We have good news for you. If the shipping goods worth $800 and if you are sending it to Amazon FBA USA site, you’ll be free from all duty charges because it falls under $800 de minimis threshold.

Do you prefer to shipping to you first? Check out the advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of shipping to you:

  • One consolidated package from China can be broken down into several shipments in the at your side U.S.

Challenge/disadvantage:

  • You have to spend extra money as you need to pay for the warehouse and worker for doing your job.
  • FBA will receive your shipment after an extended period.
  • You have to take care of everything, from packaging to shipping specifications. Even you have to affix FNSKU label etc. on the gift boxes on your own.

Much more time taking than direct shipping

If you prefer to ship via a mediator or if you want the freight to be delivered to you first it will take more time to reach FBA. After receiving your stock, it’ll add 6 to 8 days to prepare it. Another option is Amazon’s partnered carrier. It will also take 9 to 13 days in transit time. In short, you’ll spend more than 3 to 4 weeks to get to Amazon FBA.

Expensive than direct shipping

If the products are shipped to you first, it will charge you extra money than straight shipping from China.

Know detailed packaging and shipping requirements

People usually concentrate on the labelling requirements and also on packaging before sending it FBA via FedEx or UPS. But if you are about to post a small package you need to focus on the scannable barcode which is also known as FNSKU. It is much more vital than other things. Along with that, never forget to attach a carton label on the outer side of each box.

Things usually become accumulatively sensitive, if you ship full container loads or pallets.

When you should ship directly to Amazon FBA warehouse

  • If you are shipping a small parcel, you can send it directly. For example, let’s say just one carton.
  • If the product charges worth $800 or less than $800, you can try this shipping option.
  • If you want to get your work done as soon as possible, try this option.
  • If you already have previous experience with your Supplier.
  • Your suppliers are familiar with Amazon FBA packaging requirement or you’ve used a sourcing agent in China who has rich experiences in assisting Amazon seller.


In my opinion, if you’re relatively new to the whole importing game or Amazon FBA game, you should be very careful and partner with a sourcing company in China Who will guide you on how to work with factories to ship direct to Amazon FBA.

When you should ship products to you first

  • If you are working for the first time with a supplier who has less experience in shipping to Amazon FBA warehouse.
  • It’s also a cheaper option as one consolidated shipment will be shipped from China.

Keen Sourcing is a leading sourcing company in China, helps small business and Amazon seller source from China. We provide complete sourcing service for Amazon sellers. Please feel free to contact us if you need any assistance.