What is Amazon Global Logistics and Supply Chain by Amazon?

So you’ve done the research, found the perfect product, and created an optimized listing; now, the next step is to get your products from your supplier to an Amazon FBA fulfillment center. 

This step is a big hurdle for many Amazon sellers — Do you need a freight forwarder? How do you deal with customs? How do you create a shipment in Seller Central from your supplier to Amazon? You get the idea. 

Supply Chain by Amazon and Amazon Global Logistics simplify this process for Amazon sellers by providing end-to-end supply chain management.

But what is Amazon Global Logistics and Supply Chain by Amazon exactly, and how do they work? Continue reading to learn more about Amazon’s new supply chain service and why you should use it.

What is Amazon Global Logistics?

Amazon Global Logistics (AGL) is a service offered by Amazon that simplifies and streamlines the international shipping process for sellers on its platform. 

It’s a door-to-door solution that takes care of everything from picking up your inventory from your manufacturing facilities in China to shipping it directly to Amazon’s fulfillment centers in the U.S., U.K., and E.U. 

Benefits of Amazon Global Logistics

Shipment internationally can be a very long, expensive, and complicated process. AGL aims to help sellers save time and money on booking shipments from China to Amazon. Instead of working with multiple third parties to get your shipment from A to B, AGL streamlines the process. 

• Freight pick up. Amazon will pick up your shipment from your supplier and deliver it to the shipping port. 

• Ocean freight. AGL offers Standard Ocean freight for cost-effective shipping or Fast Ocean freight for faster yet still cost-efficient shipping compared to other shipping methods, such as air freight.

• Customs clearance. AGL takes care of all the customs clearance paperwork and processes for you by working with customs brokers to expedite the customs clearance process, so you don’t have to worry about it.

• Ship directly to FBA or AWD. You can ship inventory directly from China to Amazon fulfillment centers, and Amazon Warehousing & Distribution (AWD) facilities. AWD is a low-cost bulk storage solution to help you stay in stock in FBA.

• Lower your costs. Since your supply chain will be more streamlined, you can save on FBA inventory management costs, and book freight transportation at much more competitive rates. 

• Easy to book shipments. Easily book, pay, and track your freight shipment right within your Amazon Seller Central account. 

What is Supply Chain by Amazon?

Supply Chain by Amazon is a full end-to-end supply chain management for Amazon and other sales channels. 

According to Amazon, “With Supply Chain by Amazon, we pick up inventory from your manufacturing facilities, ship it across borders, handle customs clearance and ground transportation, store inventory in bulk, manage replenishment across Amazon and other sales channels, and deliver directly to customers.”

So, Amazon Global Logistics is just a small part of Amazon’s total supply chain management system. 

If you have lots of inventory that need to be stored or you need a service that can fulfill orders from your own ecommerce store or other marketplaces, then look into all of the services provided by Supply Chain by Amazon. 

How to get started with Amazon Global Logistics

If you want to start using AGL for your international shipments, follow these steps.

Step 1: Create an Amazon Global Logistics profile in Seller Central. 

Step 2: Set up a payment method, provide your importer of record (IOR) details, and upload the required documents.

Step 3: Once your profile is set up, you can begin booking ocean shipments in your Seller Central account. 

If you need help with the AGL onboarding process, Amazon has a guide: 

Onboarding with Amazon Global Logistics on Seller Central – US Guide.

Will you try Amazon Global Logistics?

If you ship a lot of inventory from China to Amazon, using AGL and Supply Chain by Amazon may help simplify your process, while saving you money. 

Let us know if you have used AGL and how it went for you!

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