A split shipment happens when Amazon asks you to send your FBA inventory to multiple fulfillment centers instead of just one.
Instead of shipping all your items to a single warehouse, Amazon divides them across different locations.
📦 Example of a Split Shipment
You create one shipment with 50 items.
Instead of:
Sending all 50 items to one warehouse ❌
Amazon may require:
20 items → Texas
15 items → California
15 items → Florida
👉 This is called a split shipment.
🔍 Why Amazon Splits Shipments
Amazon does this to:
Distribute inventory closer to customers
Improve delivery speed
Balance warehouse capacity
👉 It helps Amazon optimize fulfillment across their network.
💸 How Split Shipments Affect Sellers
⚠️ More Shipping Work
You may need to:
Separate inventory
Create multiple boxes
Print more labels
⚠️ Higher Shipping Costs
Multiple destinations can increase:
Carrier costs
Packing time
Labor effort
✅ Possible Lower Placement Fees
Amazon often charges:
Lower placement fees for split shipments
Higher fees for fewer destinations
📍 Types of Shipment Placement Options
Amazon may offer:
Amazon-Optimized Splits → Most splits, lowest fees
Minimal Splits → Fewer destinations, moderate fees
Single Destination → One warehouse, highest fees
💡 Can You Avoid Split Shipments?
Sometimes—but usually with added fees.
You can choose:
Minimal split options
Inventory Placement Service
👉 This allows you to ship to fewer locations.
🔄 How It Works in AccelerList
When creating shipments in AccelerList:
Amazon still determines the warehouse destinations
Shipment splits come directly from Amazon’s FBA system
👉 AccelerList does not control whether shipments are split.
✅ Summary
A split shipment means Amazon divides your inventory across multiple fulfillment centers. While this can reduce placement fees, it may also increase packing complexity and shipping costs.