The rise of cross-border e-commerce has changed the business landscape, and export overseas warehouses, as an important part of it, have further accelerated the pace of global trade. As one of the world’s largest e-commerce platforms, Amazon has also actively invested in the construction and operation of overseas warehouses, making the circulation of goods more efficient. So, what kind of overseas warehouses does Amazon generally send?
Amazon’s overseas warehouses are divided into several main types: Amazon FBA warehouses, third-party overseas warehouses, and corporate self-operated overseas warehouses.
Amazon FBA warehouse: FBA is the abbreviation of “Fulfilment by Amazon”, which means “fulfilled by Amazon”. This service is extremely simple: sellers send goods to Amazon’s warehouses around the world in advance. Once an order is generated, Amazon will be responsible for packaging, labeling, delivery and customer service. This model efficiently saves sellers’ time and energy and enables goods to be quickly delivered to consumers around the world.
Third-party overseas warehouses: This type of warehouse is an institution that provides localized warehousing and distribution services for cross-border e-commerce. Some are also built by large sellers and provide logistics services to the outside world. For example, Zongteng’s barn and Zhiyu Middle East overseas warehouse are all third-party overseas warehouses. These warehouses undertake many commodities that cannot enter the FBA warehouse, meeting the diverse logistics needs.
Enterprise self-operated overseas warehouse: This is an overseas warehouse established by cross-border e-commerce enterprises independently, and the entire logistics process is under the control of the enterprise. This model stores domestic commodities in overseas warehouses, so that orders can be shipped directly from overseas warehouses after they are generated, greatly shortening the delivery time and providing a better logistics experience. In addition, if buyers have questions about the goods, they can also temporarily store the products in overseas warehouses by returning them, reducing the cost burden of sellers.
How to choose overseas warehouses for cross-border e-commerce: When choosing overseas warehouses, cross-border e-commerce enterprises need to consider factors such as storage location, funds, personnel, software and hardware. Small and medium-sized enterprises with relatively small strength can choose platform warehouses or third-party overseas warehouses, while enterprises with strong comprehensive strength can consider building their own overseas warehouses. This decision involves the overall strategy and operation scale of the enterprise and requires a comprehensive assessment.
Customs declaration of cross-border e-commerce export overseas warehouses: Whether it is a cross-border e-commerce platform warehouse, a third-party overseas warehouse or a self-built warehouse, the customs supervision method is 9810. Before conducting cross-border e-commerce export overseas warehouse business, domestic enterprises need to register with the customs, and their credit rating should reach general credit or above.
Customs filing information requirements: Taking Tianjin Customs as an example, the declaration requirements include two “registration forms”: “Cross-border E-commerce Export Overseas Warehouse Enterprise Filing Registration Form” and “Cross-border E-commerce Overseas Warehouse Information Registration Form”. In addition, it is also necessary to submit ownership documents of overseas warehouses (such as self-owned overseas warehouses) or lease agreements (such as leased overseas warehouses), as well as other relevant information that can prove the use of overseas warehouses (such as screenshots of overseas warehouse warehousing information, and information related to overseas online sales of overseas warehouse goods).
As an important part of cross-border e-commerce, Amazon’s overseas warehouses have brought a more efficient and convenient logistics experience to global trade. Through different types of overseas warehouses, companies can choose the most suitable logistics model according to their own situation, thereby achieving a wider range of market coverage and better service quality. In the future, with the continuous advancement of technology and the continuous development of the market, Amazon’s overseas warehouses will continue to play an important role in the field of cross-border e-commerce.