An AGL alternative with prep and QC built in
Amazon Global Logistics moves cartons. It doesn't inspect them, prep them, or consolidate your suppliers, and since January 2026 Amazon no longer preps inventory in US fulfillment centers. We run the whole China-to-FBA flow at forwarder rates: factory pickup, inspection, FNSKU labeling, carton checks, and door-to-door freight to FBA or AWD.
FBA_Lane // CN → US
FIST carrier network · ShipTrack visibility in Seller Central
Most FBA logistics costs aren't on the freight invoice. They show up as prep fees, receiving delays, placement fees, and returns, and nearly all of them start in China.
Amazon ended its US FBA prep and item-labeling services on January 1, 2026. Units that arrive without the right polybags, labels, or protection can be refused or held at receiving. The cheapest place to prep is the factory floor.
Amazon charges an inbound placement fee unless you accept its optimized splits across several fulfillment centers. Accepting splits means one shipment becomes several deliveries. A forwarder can run that from one origin booking. Most suppliers can't.
Damaged or off-spec units come back as returns, negative reviews, and listing suppressions. Catching them in China, before the balance payment, costs a fraction of fixing them after check-in.
Three suppliers means three shipments, three sets of cartons arriving on different days, and three chances for a receiving problem. Consolidating in China turns them into one planned inbound.
Overweight boxes, oversized cartons, and missing or reused box labels are the most common reasons a shipment sits at receiving. We measure and weigh every carton before it leaves.
Platform freight rates are built for convenience: one price whether you ship one pallet a year or a container a month. As volume grows, lane-specific pricing is where the savings are.
AGL is Amazon's own freight service from China into its network. It's convenient for simple shipments. This is what changes when you run the same shipment through your own supply chain.
| What matters | Amazon Global Logistics | Your logistics, run by ECOMCARE |
|---|---|---|
| Freight price | Amazon-set rates, built around Amazon's own network and cut-offs. | Forwarder rates per lane and mode, reviewed as your volume grows. |
| Origin pickup | Cargo enters Amazon's origin network on Amazon's schedule. | We collect from each factory to fit your production schedule, even several suppliers. |
| Quality control | Not included. | Inspection at the factory before freight is booked, with photo and video report. |
| Prep & FNSKU | Your supplier's responsibility, and Amazon US no longer preps at the FC. | FNSKU, polybags, bubble wrap, bundles, and carton labels applied and checked in China. |
| FC splits | Each split is another inbound for you to coordinate. | Amazon-optimized splits, the option without a placement fee, delivered from one origin booking. |
| Destinations | Amazon fulfillment centers and AWD. | FBA, AWD, your prep center or 3PL, and non-Amazon channels from one shipment. |
AGL can be a good fit for occasional, simple shipments. We quote against your actual AGL quote for the same cartons, so the comparison is like for like.
Your numbers, not ours
Share what you pay today (marketplace program or forwarder) and get a side-by-side for your next shipment within one business day. No commitment.
This is how an FBA shipment runs through ECOMCARE. You approve at two gates: the inspection result and the freight quote. We handle everything between them.
Before a deposit leaves your account we confirm the supplier is a real, licensed manufacturer that can make your product at your volume.
Supplier auditAt 80% production an inspector samples your order against your checklist with AQL rules, including packaging and FNSKU placement. You see the report live or the same day.
Product inspectionFNSKU stickers, polybags with suffocation warnings, bubble wrap, bundles, and inserts are applied in China, where labor is cheaper and errors are fixed on the spot.
Prep centerGoods from several suppliers are combined into one shipment. Every carton is weighed and measured against Amazon's limits and gets its own FBA box label.
Sea, air, or express, or a split of all three. We book the carrier, prepare export documents, and can deliver duty-paid (DDP) so customs never lands on your desk.
Logistics servicesWe deliver Amazon's FC splits from the same booking and track the shipment through check-in, with status visible in Seller Central through ShipTrack.
Estimate freightThese are the requirements that most often delay FBA shipments from China. We check every shipment against them before it leaves.
Since January 1, 2026, Amazon no longer offers prep or item-labeling services in the US. Inventory must arrive prepped for its category: polybagged, bubble-wrapped, bundled, or boxed as required.
Each sellable unit needs an FNSKU label, or an eligible manufacturer barcode, that scans cleanly and covers any other barcode on the packaging.
Standard cartons should stay within 25 inches on any side and 50 lb, unless they hold a single oversized unit. Heavier cartons need team-lift or mechanical-lift labels.
Every carton needs its own FBA box ID label from the current shipment. Labels can't be photocopied, reused, or shared between shipments.
Decide before booking: accept Amazon-optimized splits across several FCs, or send to fewer locations and pay the inbound placement fee. The choice changes how freight should be planned.
Products with lithium batteries, liquids, or aerosols go through Amazon's dangerous-goods review and need documents such as an SDS and UN 38.3 test summary before shipping.
Amazon updates inbound requirements regularly. We check each shipment against the current Seller Central rules before freight is booked, so changes are caught in China, not at the dock.
Service Provider Network
01Amazon SPN provider group
Carrier-side integration
02FIST carrier network
Shipment visibility
03ShipTrack in Seller Central
Platform recognition
04Temu-certified warehouse
Amazon, Amazon FBA and Amazon Global Logistics are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. TikTok and TikTok Shop are trademarks of ByteDance Ltd. Temu is a trademark of Whaleco Inc. Shopify is a trademark of Shopify Inc. WooCommerce is a trademark of Automattic Inc. ECOM.CARE is an independent service provider and is not affiliated with or endorsed by these platforms.
Guides from the Seller Academy that cover this channel in detail.
Amazon ended its US FBA prep and item-labeling services on January 1, 2026. Here's what prep now means, your three options for doing it, and why prepping at the source in China is usually the cheapest.
Read guideFrom purchase order to check-in at the fulfillment center: supplier checks, FNSKU labels, prep, carton rules, freight mode, customs, and the mistakes that delay first FBA shipments from China.
Read guidePlatform freight programs are convenient, and the convenience is priced in. Here's where marketplace logistics costs scaling sellers margin, and how to switch to your own supply chain without hiring a logistics team.
Read guideYes. Instead of handing cargo to Amazon's freight program, you book door-to-door freight through ECOMCARE. We collect from your factories, inspect and prep the goods, consolidate cartons, and deliver to FBA or AWD at forwarder rates for your lane. We quote against your actual AGL quote so you can compare the same shipment line by line.
Yes. Since Amazon stopped prepping inventory in US fulfillment centers on January 1, 2026, prep has to happen before the goods arrive. We apply FNSKU labels, polybags with suffocation warnings, bubble wrap, bundles, and inserts in China, and check carton labels and weights before departure.
When you accept Amazon-optimized splits to avoid the inbound placement fee, your shipment goes to several fulfillment centers. We plan the cartons per destination in China and deliver every split from one origin booking, so you get the lower fee without coordinating several separate shipments.
Yes. We deliver to AWD as well as to FBA fulfillment centers. Many scaling sellers keep bulk stock in AWD or a 3PL and replenish FBA from there, with base stock moving by sea and urgent top-ups by air.
It depends on mode, lane, and season. Express is usually the fastest, at around a week door to door. Air freight typically takes one to two weeks including customs and delivery. Sea freight usually takes four to seven weeks door to FBA, depending on the port and the receiving FC. Our logistics calculator shows current sea routes, and we confirm timing on every quote.
Yes. Under DDP we pay duties and taxes and deliver cleared cargo to the fulfillment center, so you don't deal with customs yourself. We confirm the HS classification and the duty estimate with you before shipping.
Share your current AGL or forwarder quote, or just the SKUs, carton count, and pickup city. We return a door-to-door quote to FBA or AWD for the same shipment, with inspection and prep as separate lines.
Step 2 of 4
One supply chain from China can feed every channel. See how the same flow works on the others.
Restock fast enough for creator campaigns without paying air rates on every carton.
Move to semi-managed with a Temu-certified warehouse and bulk freight to your own stock.
Swap per-parcel shipping from China for bulk freight into your own 3PL, now that de minimis is gone.
