How I Ship My Products from China to Amazon FBA
After your manufacturer finishes production, you'll need to get everything shipped to Amazon's fulfillment centers. This step requires some planning upfront, especially when working with overseas suppliers. Since most Amazon FBA sellers source from China, I'll walk through that scenario.
Your Three Shipping Options from China
When your products are ready to ship from China, you have three main routes to get them to Amazon:
Direct to Amazon: Your Chinese supplier ships straight to Amazon's warehouse. This is the most straightforward approach.
Through Your Home: Products come to you first, then you forward them to Amazon. This gives you a chance to inspect everything before it goes live.
Via Third-Party Service: A prep company receives your shipment, inspects and prepares your products, then sends them to Amazon.
Route 1: Direct Shipping to Amazon
Most sellers choose this path because it's both faster and cheaper. You avoid paying shipping costs twice, which makes a real difference when you're running on tight margins. Air freight or express shipping works particularly well with this method.
The main trade-off? You won't see your products before they hit Amazon's shelves. If quality issues arise, you'll be dealing with them after customers have already placed orders.
Route 2: Shipping Through Your Home
Some sellers prefer getting their hands on products before selling them. This approach helps ensure everything meets Amazon's strict requirements before you list items.
If you live near major ports like Los Angeles, this can work well cost-wise. But if you're inland, those extra transportation costs from the port to your location add up quickly. Plus, you'll be responsible for prepping products yourself – labeling, packaging, and following Amazon's detailed prep requirements. For beginners, this can be overwhelming.
Route 3: Using a Third-Party Prep Service
When you have extra budget and want professional handling, a prep service makes sense. These companies inspect your products, handle all Amazon prep requirements, and manage the final shipping to fulfillment centers.
The key is finding a prep service in the same state as your target Amazon warehouse. Cross-country shipping from your prep service defeats the purpose cost-wise.
Sea Freight vs Air Freight: The Big Decision
Sea Freight: Slow but Economical
Ocean shipping involves multiple steps and takes forever, but it's still how most bulk goods move internationally. The process breaks down into three stages:
- Chinese supplier to Chinese port
- Chinese port to US port
- US port to final destination
You'll work with freight forwarders on both sides who coordinate the entire process. Amazon won't help with customs clearance – that's between you, your forwarder, and customs officials.
Finding Your Own Forwarder vs Using Your Supplier's
If you plan to stay in this business long-term, finding your own reliable forwarder pays off. You can choose someone who speaks English fluently and operates in your time zone. Communication becomes much easier when you're not dealing with language barriers or trying to coordinate across a 12-hour time difference.
Your Chinese supplier should reduce their quote if you arrange shipping separately. The discount depends on whether your forwarder picks up from their warehouse or a Chinese port.
New sellers often let their supplier handle shipping because they don't have industry connections yet. This works fine if your supplier has experience with Amazon sellers – they'll already understand fulfillment center requirements and proper product prep. Just clarify whether their quote includes delivery all the way to Amazon or just to the US port.
The downside of supplier-arranged shipping is you miss learning the logistics side of your business. You're not building your own network of service providers.
Sea Freight Costs
Ocean shipping costs vary by origin, destination, and season, but expect around $300 per CBM (cubic meter) for all-in shipping from a Chinese port to an Amazon warehouse in the southern US.
Location matters significantly. West coast warehouses cost less to reach than east coast locations – sometimes substantially less.
There's typically a 2-3 CBM minimum for sea freight, but that's easy to hit when you're ordering inventory in bulk. Most fees in the import/export process are fixed regardless of shipment size, so the minimum helps freight forwarders cover their costs.
Sea Freight Timing
Plan on at least 30 days from a Chinese port to a west coast Amazon warehouse. East coast destinations add another 10 days, bringing total transit time to around 40 days minimum.
Timing gets tricky during peak seasons. If you're targeting Christmas sales, your shipment needs to leave China by late October. Holiday season creates massive port congestion, customs delays, and general shipping chaos.
Weather, labor issues, and seasonal patterns all affect delivery times. What looks like a 30-day shipment can easily stretch to 45-50 days during busy periods.
Air Freight: Fast but Expensive
Air freight makes sense for shipments over 1,000 pounds. Anything lighter, and express courier services like DHL, FedEx, or UPS become competitive.
Just like sea freight, air cargo goes through customs clearance and requires freight forwarder coordination. Make sure your forwarder quote covers all costs – you don't want surprise fees when your shipment arrives.
Air Freight Pricing
Air freight pricing depends on both weight and volume. Carriers charge based on whichever is higher – actual weight or dimensional weight.
To calculate dimensional weight: multiply your shipment's volume in CBM by 167. So a 60cm x 60cm x 60cm box equals 0.216 CBM, which gives you a dimensional weight of about 36 kilograms.
The cost difference is dramatic. A 2,000-pound shipment from Shenzhen to New York might cost $1,200 by sea but $4,000 by air.
Air Freight Speed
Airplanes move about 30 times faster than ships, so your shipment reaches Amazon in 3-7 days instead of 30-40 days. That speed premium costs serious money.
Air freight works when you're time-sensitive – rushing inventory for holiday sales, dealing with perishable goods, or shipping high-value electronics where the shorter transit time reduces loss and damage risk.
Environmental Impact
If sustainability matters to your business, the numbers are stark. UK government research shows an ocean vessel carrying 2 tons over 5,000 kilometers produces about 150kg of CO2 emissions. The same shipment by air generates over 6,600kg of CO2 emissions.
Import Duties and Taxes
Your freight forwarder handles the paperwork, but understanding the basics helps you budget accurately.
Customs Value Calculation
Technically, customs value should include product cost plus transportation to the Chinese port plus export clearance fees. In practice, forwarders often estimate customs value at 20-30% of the product's US retail value for declaration purposes.
HS Codes
Every product gets assigned a Harmonized System code that determines duty rates. Your forwarder typically handles this classification, but incorrect codes can result in wrong duty charges.
Since your forwarder or courier manages the entire customs process, you mainly need to understand these costs for budgeting. Once your products ship – or even before they arrive – you can start building your brand and preparing your Amazon listings.
