Overview

In early 2020 the Serious Sellers Podcast released episode 121, bringing a logistics expert on board to explain how the COVID‑19 pandemic was reshaping shipping for Amazon merchants. The conversation highlighted mounting port backlogs, shrinking carrier capacity, and slower processing at Amazon fulfillment centers—issues that directly affect inventory availability, listing health, and profit margins for sellers.

Key Points

• Port backlogs surge — Container dwell times at major Asian gateways doubled within weeks, pushing inbound arrival dates back by several days.
• Carrier capacity tightens – Freight forwarders reduced sailings and cut air‑freight slots, forcing many merchants to explore alternate routes or absorb higher freight costs.
• FBA inbound handling slows – Reduced staffing at Amazon warehouses added extra days between pallet receipt and shelf placement.
• Last‑mile ground delays rise – Regional lockdowns caused ground carriers to extend transit times for small parcels, especially in high‑restriction zones.
• Safety‑stock becomes essential – Sellers who kept a two‑week buffer were able to stay sellable, while those without a cushion faced sudden “out of stock” notifications.

How Shipping Dynamics Changed (What’s Changing)

1. Fewer ocean sailings — Major carriers cancelled or postponed scheduled departures; a vendor importing 5,000 home‑decor units from Vietnam saw the original 30‑day ocean leg stretch to 45 days, requiring a new arrival forecast.
2. Air‑freight price spikes — With passenger flights grounded, cargo space grew scarce; a health‑supplement supplier paid roughly 1.5 times the normal rate to ship a 200‑kg load from the U.S. to Europe within a week.
3. Longer Amazon inbound processing — Staffing shortages at fulfillment centers added an extra 48 hours before newly arrived pallets were made available for sale, prompting sellers to shift restock timing.
4. Mixed‑mode transportation adoption — Some merchants combined rail and truck legs to bypass congested ports; for example, a bulk toy shipment was moved from the West Coast onto inland rail, cutting inland dwell time by about 50 percent.