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What are Inbound Placement Fees on Amazon?

A guide explaining what Amazon Inbound Placement Fees are, why they are charged, and how they affect FBA shipment workflows and costs.

Inbound Placement Fees are charges from Amazon for sending your FBA inventory to fewer fulfillment centers.

These fees were introduced as part of Amazon’s updated FBA inbound shipping system.


📦 Why Amazon Charges Inbound Placement Fees

Normally, Amazon may split your shipment and ask you to send inventory to multiple warehouses.

If you prefer to:

  • Send everything to fewer locations

  • Reduce shipment splitting

  • Simplify packing and shipping

👉 Amazon may charge an Inbound Placement Fee for that convenience.


🔍 How It Works

When creating an FBA shipment, Amazon may offer options like:

  • Amazon-Optimized Shipment Splits
    → Lower or no placement fees
    → More warehouse destinations

  • Minimal Shipment Splits / Fewer Locations
    → Easier shipping workflow
    → Placement fees apply


💸 What Affects the Fee?

Inbound Placement Fees depend on:

  • Item size and weight

  • Number of units

  • Number of fulfillment centers used

  • Shipment configuration selected

👉 Larger or heavier items usually have higher fees.


📊 Why Sellers Use It Anyway

Even with added fees, some sellers prefer fewer shipment locations because it:

  • Saves packing time

  • Reduces shipping complexity

  • Makes prep easier

  • Simplifies workflow for large shipments


⚠️ Important Notes

  • These fees are separate from normal FBA fulfillment fees

  • Fees are shown during shipment creation before approval

  • You can choose cheaper options with more shipment splits


💡 Best Practice

Before approving a shipment:

  • Compare placement fee options

  • Calculate total shipping cost vs convenience

  • Decide whether fewer destinations are worth the extra fee


🔄 How It Relates to AccelerList

When creating shipments in AccelerList:

  • Amazon still determines placement options and fees

  • Fees shown come directly from Amazon’s FBA system

👉 AccelerList does not control the placement fee amount.


✅ Summary

Inbound Placement Fees are Amazon charges for sending your inventory to fewer fulfillment centers. They help reduce shipment splitting and simplify your workflow, but may increase overall inbound costs.

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