China to United States. Amazon FBA
FBA freight forwarder, China to USA, for a small business
Shipping into Amazon is ordinary international freight with an unforgiving last mile bolted on. The sea leg is the commoditised part; what separates forwarders is whether they can deliver into a fulfilment centre on an appointment, with the right labels, in the right cartons, on a shipment the customs entry actually matches. This page sets out what is different about FBA freight and where small sellers lose money.
| Option | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea freight, forwarder managed door to FBA Restocking on a planned cycle | The forwarder books the ocean leg, clears customs, and delivers into the fulfilment centre on an appointment, with prep and labelling handled or checked. | Predictable replenishment where you can plan six to ten weeks ahead. | Ask whether they are a licensed ocean transportation intermediary. The Federal Maritime Commission licenses NVOCCs and ocean freight forwarders, and verifying with the agency is better than accepting a claim. | Appointment failures and refused deliveries at the fulfilment centre, which is where an otherwise clean shipment becomes storage charges. | Per container or per cubic metre plus customs, delivery and any prep. Ask what is inside the number. | Do you book the FBA appointment, and what happens if the delivery is refused? |
| Air freight for launch or stockout Rescuing a stockout or launching | The same process on a much shorter clock and a much higher rate. | Stockouts, launches and anything where being out of stock costs more than the freight. | Same licensing question. Air adds handling agents at both ends, so ask who does what. | Treating air as a habit rather than an exception. It is a margin decision, not a logistics one. | By chargeable weight, which is the greater of actual and volumetric. Light bulky goods are punished. | Is this quoted on actual or volumetric weight, and how is volumetric calculated? |
| Express courier direct Samples and very small first orders | A courier moves the cartons and clears them, often on a simplified entry. | Samples, tiny quantities and testing a supplier before committing. | Little to verify; the courier is the whole chain, which is the appeal and the limitation. | Cost per unit at any real volume, and simplified entries that obscure the classification you will need later. | By chargeable weight, with duty and clearance often billed after delivery. | What HS code did you clear this under, and can you send me the entry? |
| Supplier arranges everything Almost nothing, at any volume | The factory offers a delivered price including freight and arranges it through their own forwarder. | Convenience on a first order, and it is where most avoidable problems start. | You typically cannot verify who is carrying, what was declared, or under what code. | You remain the importer of record and carry the customs liability for an entry you did not see. If the shipment is held, your leverage is with a party chosen by your supplier. | Opaque by design; freight margin is buried in the unit price. | Who is the forwarder, whose bill of lading applies, and can I see the customs entry? |
How this compares, and why no rates appear
This compares the ROUTES into a fulfilment centre rather than named forwarders, because the route determines who holds the customs liability and who is responsible when a delivery is refused. Rates are excluded deliberately: China to US freight moves weekly with capacity and season and any figure here would be stale within a month.
Order runs from the cheapest and most exposed to the most managed, which is also the order of how much of the process you personally have to understand.
Customs statements point at the International Trade Administration on classification. Your position as importer is a legal one and worth confirming with a customs professional rather than with a forwarder's sales team.
We arrange no freight and recommend no company. Tell us the lane and volume and forwarders quote you directly.
- Sea freight, forwarder managed door to FBA Federal Maritime Commission
- Air freight for launch or stockout International Trade Administration, Harmonized System (HS) codes
- Express courier direct International Trade Administration, Harmonized System (HS) codes
- Supplier arranges everything International Trade Administration, Harmonized System (HS) codes
FBA Forwarders is an independent site operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to any agency or company named here, and nothing on it is legal, customs, regulatory or trade advice. We take no commission and carry no paid placements. No freight rates are published here because China to US prices move weekly with capacity and season. Marketplace receiving requirements are set by the marketplace and change; confirm current requirements with it directly rather than relying on this or any other third party summary. Your classification and your status as importer of record are legal questions for a customs professional. Regulatory positions are summarised from the agencies' own pages on the date shown and are a starting point for your own enquiries, not a substitute for them.
Want quotes from suppliers that fit?
Tell us the lane, the product and the volume. Forwarders who handle FBA deliveries will contact you directly.
What is different about FBA freight, and where small sellers lose money, 2026
Last updated
Most FBA freight problems are not freight problems. They happen in the last two hundred metres, at a fulfilment centre with rules the shipper never read. This table separates the ordinary freight risks from the FBA-specific ones.
This table describes the structure of shipping into a fulfilment centre and the compliance obligations that attach to the importer. It quotes NO rates, because China to US freight prices move weekly with capacity and season. Customs statements reference the International Trade Administration on Harmonized System classification; your classification and your status as importer of record are legal questions for a customs professional. Marketplace receiving requirements are described in general terms because they are set by the marketplace and change; confirm the current requirements with the marketplace itself rather than relying on any third party summary, including this one.
| Where it goes wrong | Ordinary freight or FBA specific | Consequence | What to ask, in writing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wrong or missing carton labelling | FBA specific | Refused or unreceivable shipment | Do you check labelling before delivery, or only deliver? |
| No delivery appointment booked | FBA specific | Storage at the forwarder's warehouse while you wait | Who books the appointment, and what is the lead time? |
| Carton weight or dimension limits | FBA specific | Rejected cartons at receiving | Do you verify carton weights and dimensions against current limits? |
| Customs entry does not match the goods | Ordinary | Hold, inspection, storage and possible penalty | What HS code will you file, and can I see the entry? |
| Importer of record unclear | Ordinary | You carry liability for an entry you never saw | Am I the importer of record on this shipment? |
| Detention and demurrage | Ordinary | Daily charges while cargo waits | How many free days, and what is the daily rate after? |
| No cargo insurance | Ordinary | Carrier liability is capped, often by weight | Is cargo insurance included, and at what limit? |
- The importer of record carries the duty and compliance liability, and on an FBA shipment that is normally the seller rather than the factory.
- Duty and admissibility follow the Harmonized System classification rather than the description on a commercial invoice.
- Fulfilment centres receive on booked appointments, so a shipment that arrives without one incurs storage rather than being received.
- The Federal Maritime Commission licenses ocean transportation intermediaries, so a forwarder's licensing status is verifiable with the agency.
- Air freight is charged on the greater of actual and volumetric weight, which penalises light bulky goods disproportionately.
Cite this page
“What is different about FBA freight, and where small sellers lose money, 2026”, FBA Forwarders, https://fbaforwarders.com/ (updated 2026-08-15). This table describes the structure of shipping into a fulfilment centre and the compliance obligations that attach to the importer. It quotes NO rates, because China to US freight prices move weekly with capacity and season. Customs statements reference the International Trade Administration on Harmonized System classification; your classification and your status as importer of record are legal questions for a customs professional. Marketplace receiving requirements are described in general terms because they are set by the marketplace and change; confirm the current requirements with the marketplace itself rather than relying on any third party summary, including this one.
The detail
Sourced, dated, kept current.
- What makes FBA freight different from ordinary importing
Labelling, carton limits and booked appointments turn a clean shipment into a refused one. The last two hundred metres, explained.
- You are the importer of record, and what that means
The importer carries duty and compliance liability for the entry. Why that stays with you even when the supplier books the freight.
- How to choose an FBA forwarder as a small seller
Licensing, appointment handling, prep capability and what the quote includes. The four questions that separate them.
Questions, answered directly
What does an FBA freight forwarder do differently?
The ocean leg is the same commodity service everybody buys. What differs is the last two hundred metres: booking a delivery appointment at the fulfilment centre, checking carton labelling and weight and dimension limits before dispatch, and delivering against a shipment the centre is expecting. A forwarder who does those things is providing the part that actually goes wrong; one who delivers to an address is selling you the easy half.
Who is the importer of record on an FBA shipment?
Normally you, the seller, not the factory and not the forwarder. That means you carry responsibility for the accuracy of the entry, the duty payable and whether the goods are admissible, and it does not transfer because somebody else filed the paperwork. Ask directly whether you are the importer of record on a shipment; if the answer is unclear, that is itself the problem to fix before it ships.
Should I let my supplier arrange the freight?
It is convenient and it is where most avoidable problems start. A delivered price buries the freight margin in the unit price and removes your visibility of who is carrying, what was declared and under what code, while leaving you as importer of record. If a container is held, your leverage sits with a forwarder chosen by your supplier. At minimum, ask who the forwarder is, whose bill of lading applies and to see the customs entry.
How do I check an FBA forwarder is legitimate?
The Federal Maritime Commission issues licensure to ocean transportation intermediaries, which covers NVOCCs and ocean freight forwarders, and reviews business records and practices for compliance with the Shipping Act. Ask which category the company operates in and verify with the agency rather than with the company. It is the one credential in this chain you can check independently.
When is air freight worth it?
When being out of stock costs more than the freight, which usually means a launch or a stockout rather than routine replenishment. Air is charged on the greater of actual and volumetric weight, so light bulky products are penalised disproportionately; ask how volumetric weight is calculated before comparing quotes. Sellers who use air habitually normally have a forecasting problem rather than a freight problem.
What happens if my delivery is refused?
The goods go into storage somewhere while it is resolved, and somebody pays for that. Refusals usually come from a missing appointment, labelling that does not match, or cartons outside current weight or dimension limits. Ask any forwarder in advance what they do if a delivery is refused and who bears the cost, because the answer varies and it is not something to discover on the day.
Do I need cargo insurance for FBA shipments?
Carrier liability is not insurance and is commonly capped by weight rather than by value, so a pallet of high value goods can carry the same limit as a pallet of low value ones. If losing the shipment would hurt, insure it. Ask whether cover is included in the quote, at what limit, and what it responds to, since general average, delay and inadequate packing are all common gaps.
Sources
The problem is the last mile
What differs about FBA freight, why you are the importer of record, and the four questions that separate forwarders.