The Maze: Amazon has added two ways for sellers to fly stock from China into its US warehouse network. These services help businesses that buy or make goods in China and need inventory ready for US customers. Amazon Global Logistics, its international shipping service, carries the goods. Sellers can choose regional warehouse delivery in an estimated 7–10 days, or a cheaper 11–15-day route to Los Angeles. The decision is practical: save on transport, avoid a distribution fee, or get goods in before the business runs out of stock.
The seller books the shipment; Amazon moves the stock. These are options for businesses importing goods into Amazon’s US storage and order-handling network. Amazon Global Logistics connects international transport with delivery to Amazon facilities. Sellers book through Amazon’s program portal; newcomers must first complete its account setup and confirm their shipment is eligible. Fulfillment by Amazon is the service that stores a seller’s products, packs orders and sends them to customers. The new routes help refill that stock. They do not establish a faster delivery promise for an individual shopper.
The regional option removes a specific warehouse-distribution fee. Air Seller Managed Placement, called Air SMP, means the seller divides the shipment in China before it flies to a fixed Amazon warehouse in each of five US regions. Daily flights leave Shanghai and Hong Kong. Estimated arrival is 7–10 calendar days from pickup in China. Amazon does not charge its inbound placement fee: the charge for distributing incoming stock across its warehouse network. The announced extra charges for apparel, electronics and lithium-battery products also do not apply. The seller still pays for the flight and must confirm the full shipping quote.
The cheaper option gives sellers a longer wait. Economy Air flies from Shanghai or Shenzhen to Los Angeles in an estimated 11–15 days, at rates below Amazon’s standard air service. The reported standard-air journey typically takes about seven days. Economy Air can therefore suit a seller that needs goods sooner than a ship would deliver them, but has enough products available to keep selling during the longer flight service. Amazon has not published a discount percentage or a dollar comparison. Nor has it announced that Economy Air receives the regional option’s placement-fee waiver.
The consequence depends on whether the shelves stay stocked. Amazon promotes both services for holiday preparation, replacing sold-out products and time-sensitive launches. For a seller with plenty of stock left, a lower shipping quote may be useful. For one close to running out, the extra days can mean missed orders. That is a business tradeoff, not a measured sales result from the launch. Sellers need to compare transport charges, remaining fees, warehouse destinations and arrival estimates. Splitting goods across regions existed in Amazon’s earlier sea-shipping service; the new air option applies that approach to faster restocking.
Why it matters: A seller can have customer demand and still miss the sale if the product is stuck between a Chinese supplier and a US warehouse. Amazon’s additions give that seller more ways to balance shipping cost, arrival time and where stock is stored. The regional service can remove one distribution charge; Economy Air lowers the transport rate but takes longer. Neither guarantees a bigger profit. The useful comparison is the complete shipping bill against the orders a delay could cost.
Sources: Supply Chain Dive · Amazon announcement · Amazon Global Logistics · Amazon placement guide, 2025
Images: Cover AI-generated
