Compare fulfillment routes using the goods, destinations and responsibilities the brand actually needs. A warehouse quote is only part of the decision; receiving restrictions, customs, returns and cash tied up in stock also matter.
Describe the routes consistently
For each option, record where the stock is held, who owns it, who imports it, who ships customer orders and where returns go. Use the same products, order assumptions and time period in each comparison.
Check whether the goods are accepted
Ask each provider and carrier about the exact products and packaging. Amazon's Global Logistics restrictions include product and dangerous-goods conditions. Its dangerous-goods guidance addresses documents needed for FBA review. Read both against the proposed service and destination.
An answer about one carrier or fulfillment method does not cover another. Keep the actual acceptance instructions in the route file.
Build the complete cost view
- Freight, customs and final delivery.
- Receiving, preparation and storage charges.
- Order handling, packaging and dispatch.
- Returns, inspection, disposal or removal.
- Stock transfers and charges for exceptions.
- Tax review and capital tied up in inventory.
Use provider quotes with validity dates and state what they exclude. Compare fixed receiving charges, per-order handling and storage separately; a route that fits one order pattern may have different costs for another. Separate actual costs from assumptions about volume or order mix.
Assign exception handling
Decide who acts when a shipment is held, a delivery is refused, stock is damaged or a return cannot be resold. Ask what evidence each party provides and how the business can retrieve its records and stock.
Select a route with reviewable conditions
Write down the reason for the choice and unresolved dependencies. Begin with a scope the team can track. Review actual receiving, order and return records before adding another stock location or widening the catalogue.
Start with your public Amazon pages
Get my free Amazon check: one dated page on who’s selling your products, who holds the Buy Box, price, stock and other sellers, and the three things we’d fix first. No account access, no sales call.