What are Amazon FBA inbound placement fees?
Inbound placement fees are charged when you send inventory to fewer FBA fulfillment centers than Amazon prefers. Sending to more locations is free or cheaper, sending to one location costs more per unit. Amazon uses the fee to push sellers toward distributed inbound.
Jul 26, 2026 · 3 min read
How the options price out
Amazon offers three inbound options: minimal shipment splits, partial splits, and amazon-optimized splits. Minimal splits ship to one location but cost the most per unit. Amazon-optimized splits ship to several locations and cost the least, sometimes free.
How to decide
Model total landed cost. Splitting a truck across three destinations may cost more in trucking than the placement fee you save. For pallet-scale replenishment, minimal splits often win. For LTL parcel-scale, amazon-optimized usually wins.
Frequently asked questions
Do inbound placement fees apply to AWD shipments?
No. AWD transfers to FBA use different mechanics.
Are the fees the same in every marketplace?
No. Placement fee structures rolled out first in the US and have expanded selectively. Check the current Amazon fee schedule for your marketplace.
Can I choose a different option per shipment?
Yes. You pick the placement option each time you create a shipment plan in Send-to-Amazon.
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