Recently, there have been voices in the market saying that some freight forwarders can waive the warehouse configuration fee by cooperating with Amazon. Is this true? Amazon’s recently released warehouse configuration service fee, warehouse defect fee and low inventory fee and other new fees have attracted industry attention.
1. Controversy about warehouse configuration fee
Some sellers said that the warehouse configuration fee can be waived with the help of some freight forwarders. In addition, changing the place of shipment to Mexico or Canada is said to circumvent the air transportation time limit to some extent, and it may be easier to allocate to the US West Coast warehouse. Some voices pointed out that service providers may adopt some gray area practices.
2. Details that sellers need to know
According to the customer service reply, the warehouse configuration function can only be charged after it is turned on. Regular Amazon shipments do not currently need to pay this fee, but there may be a warehouse split. Sellers can avoid warehouse splitting and use a single packaging box or create it through EPR software.
3. Other new fees: warehouse defect fee and low inventory fee
In addition to the warehouse configuration fee, Amazon also proposed a warehouse defect fee and a low inventory fee. Inbound defect fees occur when a shipment is delivered to the wrong location or does not arrive on time. Amazon also charges a low inventory fee for products whose inventory levels are maintained at too low a level for a long time. This is intended to encourage the maintenance of moderate inventory levels to ensure the circulation of goods in Amazon’s logistics distribution network.
Reasonable planning of logistics and inventory
In summary, Amazon’s new fee policy requires sellers to treat it with caution. When choosing a suitable logistics solution, sellers need to make a choice based on their own situation and fully understand the impact of the latest policy on their business to reduce unnecessary expenses. In addition, sellers should also plan inventory management reasonably to avoid additional costs caused by low inventory.