Overview

Amazon will stop allowing sellers to hand‑deliver small‑parcel shipments to its fulfillment centers starting in mid‑2025. From that date onward, every inbound pallet or box must travel through Amazon’s partnered‑carrier program, the Send to Amazon workflow, or an approved third‑party carrier. Sellers who previously relied on local drop‑offs need to redesign their inbound logistics to avoid rejected shipments and possible stockouts.

Key Points

• Self‑delivery ban effective mid‑2025 — Any small‑parcel shipment that arrives without a carrier label will be turned away at the dock, regardless of seller size or account health.
• Only carrier‑approved routes accepted — Shipments must use Amazon’s negotiated carrier rates, the Send to Amazon tool, or any third‑party carrier that can provide a valid Amazon‑compatible bill of lading.
• Immediate enforcement — After the cutoff, Amazon will actively reject non‑compliant deliveries, triggering a return to the seller’s address and delaying inventory availability.
• No grandfathering — The policy applies uniformly; there are no exemptions for high‑volume sellers, premium accounts, or sellers located within a few miles of a fulfillment center.
• Cost visibility increases — Because every inbound move will be tracked, Amazon can forecast dock staffing and inventory placement more accurately, which in turn tightens delivery windows for customers.

How Inbound Shipping Works

1. Create a shipment in Send to Amazon — A seller logs into Seller Central, selects “Create a shipment,” and inputs SKU, quantity, and destination FC. Amazon then generates carrier‑specific labels; for example, a seller in Dallas shipping 150 units of a kitchen gadget receives a UPS label with a unique Amazon tracking number.
2. Schedule pickup or drop‑off with an approved carrier — The seller books a UPS pickup for the next business day or drives the pallets to a UPS drop‑box that feeds directly into Amazon’s inbound network. If the seller prefers a regional carrier, they must upload that carrier’s bill of lading in the same workflow; otherwise the shipment is flagged as non‑compliant.