{"id":161,"date":"2023-12-11T19:32:09","date_gmt":"2023-12-11T19:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/uk\/blog\/multi-channel-fulfillment\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T16:33:59","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T16:33:59","slug":"multi-channel-fulfillment","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/uk\/blog\/multi-channel-fulfillment\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment: How it Works, Use Cases, & Expert Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Table of Contents<\/p>

** Minutes<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

What is Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment? <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) vs. Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment (MCF)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment works <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment pricing <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment best practices & tips  <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ShipBob: the best alternative to Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment FAQs <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Amazon\u2019s Multi-Channel Fulfilment (MCF) program is one of many fulfilment options Amazon offers to sellers. By storing your inventory<\/a> at Amazon\u2019s warehouses, they\u2019ll handle fulfilment for your brand across select channels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But while there are advantages to using Amazon\u2019s Multi-Channel Fulfilment program, it also comes at some costs. Between fear of Amazon creating competing products and no ability to communicate with, remarket to, or access customer data of their own, many brands are wondering if they should stick with Amazon, switch to a 3PL, or manage retail fulfilment<\/a> in-house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this post, we\u2019ll go into the details of how Multi-Channel Fulfilment works, the pros and cons, and alternatives to Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment that can help your business grow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment<\/a> is a fulfilment service offered by Amazon. Using this service, multichannel ecommerce merchants can store their products throughout Amazon\u2019s network of warehouses, and have orders for all channels fulfilled from these Amazon warehouses.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The Multi-Channel Fulfilment program is a subset of the Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) service, with the addition that brands can fulfil non-Amazon orders from Amazon\u2019s facilities.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the difference between Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) and Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment (MCF)? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Amazon FBA and Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment are similar programs, so it\u2019s easy for sellers to get confused. Here\u2019s a deeper dive into how the two programs differ: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/td>FBA <\/td>MCF <\/td><\/tr>
Fulfills orders placed on: <\/td>Only Amazon.com <\/td>The seller\u2019s website Other marketplace websites (Etsy,  Social media channels Amazon.com <\/td><\/tr>
Shipping options <\/td>Next-day shipping and 2-day shipping <\/td>Next-day, 2-day, and standard (3-5 business days) <\/td><\/tr>
Fees <\/td>Amazon FBA fees<\/a> include: A flat fee per unit, based on the size and weight of the product 15% referral fee on sales Storage fees Shipping and handling fees <\/td>Amazon MCF charges FBA fees for Amazon Prime orders<\/a>, and has separate MCF fees<\/a> for orders placed on sites outside of Amazon that are based on order weight and size. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Amazon\u2019s FBA and MCF programs have one major difference: FBA focuses on sales made through Amazon\u2019s website while MCF focuses on sales made through all of a seller\u2019s channels.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Amazon FBA program, Amazon fulfils only orders that customers place through Amazon\u2019s website and platform. Because these orders come through the Amazon channel, they qualify for Amazon\u2019s famous fast shipping (usually next-day and 2-day delivery) and the standard fees for Amazon storage and fulfilment.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This makes Amazon FBA a great choice for brands that sell mainly on Amazon, or that only leverage one or two sales channels in total. However, brands with many sales channels may find it cumbersome to manage Amazon\u2019s rules, regulations, and pricing structures on top of other fulfilment solutions for their other channels.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For these multichannel brands, Amazon MCF may be a better fit. In the Amazon MCF program, Amazon will fulfil orders from any of a merchant\u2019s channels. This means that Amazon stores a brand\u2019s entire inventory (not just the units devoted to the Amazon channel) and fulfils orders placed on an ecommerce brand\u2019s website and other ecommerce marketplaces as well as those placed on Amazon.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For brands selling on a variety of platforms that are looking to streamline their fulfilment strategy, Amazon MCF may be a good solution. However, Amazon will not necessarily treat all orders the same under Amazon MCF. Orders from other channels may be shipped next-day or in 2 days, but they may also receive standard shipping (3-5 business days). Amazon MCF also charges separate MCF fees for orders placed on other channels, which are based on order weight and size.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment works <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment works similarly to how fulfilment with a third-party logistics<\/a> (3PL) company works: You store your products at their warehouses and they\u2019ll handle fulfilment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a step-by-step breakdown of the Amazon MCF process:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Store your inventory at Amazon fulfilment centres <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If your brand is not already a registered Amazon seller, you must first sign up and access your Seller Central account. From there, merchants using Amazon MCF<\/a> can start sending their inventory to Amazon for storage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merchants have two options for sending inventory to Amazon: you can either send it to a single Amazon Receiving Centre or fulfilment centre and have Amazon distribute the inventory across their network for an extra fee, or you can split the inventory yourself and ship it to multiple fulfilment centres for a smaller fee (or sometimes at no extra cost).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once your inventory arrives at the end fulfilment centre, Amazon stores it for you. Amazon will charge your brand monthly storage fees based on the amount of space your inventory occupies in its fulfilment centres, as well as long-term storage fees when applicable.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orders placed on your sales channels are received by Amazon <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In order for Amazon to receive and fulfil orders from your other channels, you need to first integrate those channels with Amazon\u2019s platform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amazon integrates with major ecommerce platforms like Shopify and Big Commerce, as well as popular supporting tools. By integrating your website and other channels with Amazon, any order that\u2019s placed is automatically sent to an Amazon warehouse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amazon picks, packs, and ships the orders <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once an Amazon warehouse receives an order from one of your sales channels, Amazon\u2019s fulfilment associates will pick the item(s) from the available inventory and pack that order. Amazon charges a standard fulfilment fee for each order, as well as surcharges during peak season when order volumes are highest.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is only the case for domestic orders within the US. Currently, Amazon MCF cannot support international fulfilment unless it is for media items, like books, videos, or DVDs.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once an order is picked and packed, Amazon will ship the order to the end customer. For orders from channels other than Amazon, merchants can select whether they want it to ship in 2, 3, or 5 days. One thing to note is Amazon prioritizes FBA orders over MCF orders from your website, so certain orders may be delayed.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can track orders as they go through the fulfilment process on your Seller Central account.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment pricing <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Amazon\u2019s Multi-Channel Fulfilment uses a fee-based structure. While you do not have to pay a 15% referral fee on orders places on non-Amazon channels, there are plenty of other fees that you must juggle in order to have Amazon fulfil your omnichannel orders.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: Any figures quoted reflect pricing as of October 15<\/em>th<\/sup><\/em>, 2023, and may not be up-to-date.  <\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standard storage & fulfilment fees<\/a> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Storage fees <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Amazon MCF merchants must pay a monthly inventory storage<\/a> fee to keep their inventory in Amazon\u2019s warehouses. This fee is calculated based on how much square footage your inventory takes up.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your inventory stays on shelves long enough, you may also incur a long-term storage fee on top of your standard monthly storage fee.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storage fees for Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment are also seasonal. During the busy holiday shopping and peak season, Amazon increases storage fees per cubic foot. This can quickly cut into your profits during the holiday season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fulfilment fees <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Source<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amazon charges you for each order that\u2019s fulfilled. The order fulfilment<\/a> fee is calculated using:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n