Booking transportation with Amazon Global Logistics

Once you have set up your Amazon Global Logistics profile, you can book transportation for your first shipment within three to five business days.

Create an FBA shipment as usual, and then use Book Transportation in the Send/replenish inventory workflow by following the steps further below. After booking transportation, you will be ready to prepare your shipment and generate box labels.

The inventory that you send to Amazon may be distributed among multiple shipments at the MSKU level. We’ll assign each shipment to a specific fulfillment center based on several factors, including the size and category of the product and other fulfillment network factors. This service is provided at no additional charge for select shipments through Amazon Global Logistics. The destination fulfillment centers will be available after you complete your booking.

For more information, visit these Help pages:

Shipping and routing requirements

Truckload delivery to Amazon

Packaging and prep requirements

Product compliance

After you book: Bill of lading, shipment tracking, and changing a booking

Paying for Amazon Global Logistics

Claims and reimbursements

Restricted products and dangerous goods (hazmat)

Before you book your first shipment with Amazon Global Logistics, make sure that you understand these terms:

Cargo ready date

The date your cargo is ready to ship from your supplier or shipper. This date may differ from the date that your cargo is shipped or picked up.

Shipping mode

The method that you choose for shipping freight: ocean full-container load (FCL), ocean less-than-container load (LCL), or air.

Port of departure

The port of origin from which your cargo departs.

Container freight station (CFS)

The location where ocean freight is consolidated, processed, and readied for transfer to a container yard.

Container yard (CY)

The location within a port where ocean freight is staged for shipment.

Shipping order

A document provided by the carrier confirming that a shipment has been received.

Port delivery date

The date your cargo needs to be delivered to the port of departure.

Incoterms

Commercial terms published by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) that are used widely for global trade. A description of each incoterm is available on the ICC website (note that the 2010 edition of incoterms remains valid).

When booking transportation, you will see an option to share your shipment information and book transportation in Shipper Central instead. This feature eliminates the need for sharing shipment information via email and re-entering that information on Shipper Central.

The Shipper Central user can be yourself or someone else. They will receive the information directly in Shipper Central as a pending FBA shipment. You can also withdraw shared information and restart the booking process.

To share your shipment information and book transportation in Shipper Central, follow these steps:

1. Click Edit next to Book on Seller Central above Generate a cost estimate.
2. Select Book on Shipper Central.
3. Under Shipper Central user email, enter the Shipper Central sign-in email of the user who will book your transportation. Contact the Shipper Central user if you do not know their sign-in email.
4. Click Confirm.

The Shipper Central user with whom you share information will receive an email prompting them to sign in to Shipper Central and book transportation. A pending FBA shipment will show on the right of their dashboard.

If the email address you enter in Seller Central does not match the sign-in address for the Shipper Central user, an email will still be sent to the address provided. The email will include a link to Shipper Central, and the recipient can sign in using the correct email address for their account.

If the party with whom you share shipment information does not yet have a Shipper Central account, they will be prompted to sign up and provide company information (including the business license).

To book transportation on Seller Central as usual, skip Book on Seller Central and go to Step 1 - Shipping information.

To begin booking transportation, do the following:

1. Use the Send/Replenish Inventory workflow.
2. Select Yes, I want to ship freight with Amazon.
3. Click Continue to shipping plan. You will be able to review your payment method and importer of record (IOR) setup.
4. Click Step 1 - Shipping information.
5. Enter your shipping information (you can also choose value-added services like palletization):
   • Shipping mode
   • Origin location
   • Incoterms
   • Pickup or drop-off preference
   • Cargo ready date
   • Weight, volume, and box count for your shipment

Pickup and drop-off options

Pickup and drop-off options vary depending on whether you ship ocean full-container load (FCL), ocean less-than-container load (LCL), or air. Amazon can also package and label your freight for a fee.

Ocean FCL

Loaded and picked up by Amazon: We pick up your boxes from your specified address and load them at our container freight station.

Loaded by shipper and picked up by Amazon: After the shipper loads the container, we pick it up from your specified address.

Dropped off by shipper at Amazon’s container freight station: After the shipper drops off loose boxes at our CFS, we load them into the container.

Dropped off by shipper at Amazon’s container yard: The shipper loads the container at its site and drop it off at the designated container yard at the port of departure.

For more information, download our ocean container guide in English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, or Spanish.

Ocean LCL

Pickup: We pick up your boxes from your specified address and load them into the container at our Amazon origin facility, which may be a container freight station.

Dropped off by shipper: After the shipper drops off loose boxes at an address provided by Amazon, which may be a container freight station, we load them into the container.

Air freight

Pickup: Amazon picks up your boxes from your specified address.

Dropped off by shipper: The shipper drops off the cargo at a location, day, and time provided to you by Amazon.

Coordinating shipment pickup or drop-off

For pickup, we will contact you to ask for your preferred loading date once the shipping order has been released. Ocean shipping orders are generally available seven days before the estimated departure date. Air shipping orders are generally available the same day or next business day.

For drop-off, the Amazon origin facility, which may be a container freight station, and port delivery date will be provided to you in Seller Central once the shipping order has been released. Ocean shipping orders are generally available seven days before the estimated departure date. Air shipping orders are generally available the same day or the next business day.

Box-count requirements and container sizes

To determine the number of units in your ocean LCL, ocean FCL, or air shipment, do the following:

1. Review your shipment contents while booking.
2. Review the number of MSKUs and units associated with your shipment. Make sure that your box count isn’t larger than the number of units.

Additional box-count requirements for ocean FCL

For ocean FCL shipments, the container dimensions and cargo weight must not exceed maximum limits:

Additional box-count requirements for air

For air shipments, the box dimensions and shipment weight must not exceed maximum limits:

You’ll get an instant quote after providing your shipment’s weight and volume. Use the Step 2 - Payment and costs tab under Generate a cost estimate.

To help you generate an accurate quote, we recommend that you ask your supplier or shipper for their weight and volume estimate.

Your quote will include costs for both end-to-end freight and for import and export customs clearance. It also includes palletization, container loading, or both if you choose these options. Your quote does not include import taxes or duties, FBA fees, or any additional costs. If Amazon is picking up your shipment, we will contact you within 48 hours of your booking to provide estimated pickup fees.

For more information, visit Paying for Amazon Global Logistics. You can also see a complete list of rates for shipments from China to the US on the Amazon Global Logistics portal.

Customs automation

You may see customs automation information in your estimated costs that shows how much you will save by providing a fixed product description, tariff code, customs value, and other product compliance information for each ASIN in your shipment. See Step 6 below for more information.

If you don’t see customs automation information in your estimated costs, you can still get a quote.

Quotes for ocean FCL

Enter the estimated weight, volume, and box count for your shipment and select the desired container size. If your shipment requires multiple containers, click Add another container size, select your second container size, and specify the quantity. Four container sizes are available:

¹ GP stands for “general purpose.” HQ stands for “high cube.”

Quotes for ocean LCL

Enter the estimated weight, volume, and box count for your shipment.

Quotes for air freight

Enter the estimated weight of all the contents in your shipment. Also enter the box dimensions and quantities for each box type: length, width, and height.

Commodity descriptions (also known as product descriptions) are required for the items that you will ship. Use the tab Step 3 – Product descriptions under Create a booking.

Commodity descriptions

Clear, accurate, and detailed commodity descriptions help reduce clearance and delivery times and ensure that your shipment complies with regulations. Vague, inaccurate, or incomplete descriptions can result in shipment delays, customs duties being incorrectly calculated, your shipment being held or rejected by customs, or all of the above.

For more information, visit Amazon Global Logistics product compliance.

Additional product compliance information

You may see an option to provide additional product compliance information:

• Manufacturer and supplier, and product origin
• Tariff classification (HTS codes)
• Anti-dumping and countervailing duties (ADD and CVD)
• Toxic Substance Control Act
• Radiation-emitting devices (RAD)
• Lacey Act

If you do not see this option, you can provide this information later in the booking process.

For more information, visit Amazon Global Logistics product compliance.

Your shipment contacts are printed on your bill of lading (BOL) and help Amazon identify the correct party to contact when questions or issues arise. Use the Step 4 - Contact details tab under Create a booking.

Make sure the information that you provide does not include nicknames, slang, abbreviations, or other unclear references. Below are the entities you will list in contact details:

Exporter of record (EOR): The party that coordinates origin customs clearance and clears your cargo for export (therefore, the shipper).

China-based sellers seeking assistance with exporter of record (EOR) requirements may find the EOR service providers listed in Amazon’s Service Provider Network (SPN) useful. SPN is a directory of services offered by third parties. It includes a list of EOR service providers in its International Shipping category. Under Value Added Service on the left-hand side, select Customs Brokerage, and then review listings for EOR services. EOR service providers can assist sellers with EOR qualifications who prefer to use a third-party qualified EOR title. Some EOR service providers also offer value-added services like foreign exchange receipts, tax-refund services, transportation services, and consulting services. All sellers can browse SPN’s full range of services on the SPN website.

Importer of record (IOR) : The party who coordinates destination customs clearance and clears your cargo for import.

Origin contact: The party who coordinates origin activities for your shipment like pickup and drop-off.

Destination contact: The party who answers questions related to delivery at the destination (also called the “notify party”).

If your ocean shipment requires an Importer Security Filing (ISF), you will be asked to review and confirm the following contacts:

ISF seller: The party that sells cargo or agrees to sell it. This party will likely be the FBA seller or the vendor for the FBA seller.

ISF buyer: The party that buys cargo or agrees to buy it. This party will be the IOR or FBA seller.

Consolidator: The name and address of the party that will load the cargo into the container, or that will arrange for the cargo to be loaded. This party can be the shipper.

Container-stuffing location: The name and address of the physical location where the cargo will be loaded into the container. This name and address can also be the shipper’s.

You might also be asked to review and confirm an ISF manufacturer. This is the party that made or assembled the cargo, or that supplied the assembled cargo from the country of export. This party can be the shipper.

For more information, visit Amazon Global Logistics importer setup and customs compliance and Amazon Global Logistics product compliance.

You can review your IOR information in the Step 5 - Review tab under Create a booking. If your information is approved, click Confirm booking. If necessary, Manage your shipping profile and update your IOR information.

For more information, visit Amazon Global Logistics importer setup and customs compliance.

Manage and monitor the documents required for your shipment in the Step 6 - Shipping documents tab under Manage your booking.

Product compliance

If you previously provided fixed product compliance information for all of the ASINs in your current shipment, you can skip this portion of Step 6.

If you haven’t provided fixed product compliance information for one or more ASINs in your current shipment, your compliance status in Step 6 will show as incomplete. You will then be prompted to manage compliance.

Enter product compliance information using the tabs at the top of the workflow: Manage compliance and Upload file for compliance. When your compliance information is complete, click Manage compliance. You can then manage and monitor the documents required for your shipment (see below).

Manage compliance

Under Manage compliance, you’ll see a compliance status for your ASINs that indicates how many are complete, broker coordinated, or incomplete.

You can add compliance information for any ASIN with an incomplete status. You can also add compliance information for multiple ASINs at once by clicking Bulk action. Required information includes manufacturer (or supplier), product origin, HTS code, customs value, and any information about standard import regulations and requirements. Once all the required information is entered, click Submit.

After compliance information has been submitted for an ASIN, you may have the option to copy it to other ASINs. In the pop-up window, click Apply, then click Save or Save all to confirm.

After you’ve provided compliance information, you can edit it at any time before the customs entry is filed. For ocean shipments, this is generally five days before arrival. For air freight, this is generally one day after departure.

Upload file for compliance

For selected ASINs, use a template to add or edit product compliance information. This information includes manufacturer, product origin, product description, HTS code, and customs value.

You may also be able to use a template to provide additional information about standard import regulations and requirements. Under Upload file for compliance, click Generate a template. Complete the template, then upload the file and monitor its status in your submission history.

For more information, visit Amazon Global Logistics product compliance.

Customs and shipping documents

Some documents are automatically generated for you:

• Commercial invoice
• Packing list
• Bill of lading (BOL)

If required, also upload these documents:

• Shipping instructions
• Freight-forwarder’s cargo receipt
• Letter of guarantee

You will see a due date next to any document that requires your review or that requires you to download a template and upload a completed copy. Note that when Review or Upload is grayed out, the document in question is not yet ready. Once the document is complete, click View.

For more information, visit Amazon Global Logistics importer setup and customs compliance.