Overview

Effective September 1 2023, Amazon increased the fees it charges sellers for small‑parcel shipments sent to fulfillment centers through DHL’s Partnered Carrier option. The adjustment mirrors rising costs across the logistics sector and automatically appears in Seller Central when new inbound shipments are created. Sellers who rely on DHL for their FBA inventory need to understand the new pricing and evaluate whether alternative carriers might now be more economical.

Key Points

• Rate hike for DHL small parcels — The per‑package charge for DHL‑handled inbound shipments has been raised to align with current market pricing.
• Automatic update in Seller Central — No manual entry is required; the new rates populate instantly when you build a shipment in the “Send to Amazon” flow.
• Applies to shipments after September 1 2023 — Any inbound order created on or after this date will be billed at the revised amount.
• Only DHL small‑parcel lane affected — UPS partnered rates, LTL services, and other carrier options remain unchanged.
• Competitive despite increase — Even with the uplift, DHL’s partnered pricing typically stays below retail shipping costs offered by third‑party logistics providers.

How the Partnered Carrier Program Works

1. Negotiated bulk pricing — Amazon contracts with carriers such as DHL and UPS to secure volume‑discounted rates, then makes those rates available to sellers inside the “Send to Amazon” wizard. Example: A seller shipping 150 lb of inventory to the Dallas fulfillment center sees a DHL rate of $0.85 per pound, lower than the $1.10 they would pay using a standard DHL retail quote.
2. Selection during shipment creation — While assembling an inbound shipment, the seller chooses “Partnered Carrier” and picks the desired carrier from a dropdown list. The system instantly displays the applicable charge per unit or per pound. Example: When a seller adds 30 small‑parcel boxes to a shipment, the interface shows a total DHL fee of $25.50 based on the new rate.