Overview

When expanding your Amazon business to international marketplaces, one of the most important decisions you'll face is how to fulfill customer orders. Amazon provides two primary paths: handling fulfillment yourself or leveraging Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). Each approach carries distinct cost structures, operational requirements, and strategic implications that can significantly impact your success in new markets.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Two fulfillment paths available — You can either ship orders to international customers yourself or enroll in FBA and let Amazon handle picking, packing, and shipping on your behalf.
• Customs duties fall on the seller — When shipping inventory internationally, all customs duties, import taxes, and destination-country fees are your responsibility. Amazon will not cover these costs, and shipments arriving at fulfillment centers with unpaid duties will be returned to sender.
• FBA does not automatically extend across marketplaces — If you already use FBA in one marketplace (e.g., Amazon.com), you must separately enroll your listings in FBA for each new marketplace where you want to sell.
• FBA availability varies by region — FBA services are currently offered in the US, Canada, Mexico, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and Australia, among others. Certain marketplaces like Amazon.in and Amazon.cn have restrictions for sellers based outside those countries.
• Returns policies differ by fulfillment method — Your chosen fulfillment approach determines how returns are handled, including whether customers must pay return shipping to a local or international address.

Self-Fulfillment: Shipping Orders on Your Own

Sellers who prefer direct control over their fulfillment process can ship orders internationally using private carriers or postal services. Before choosing this route, it's essential to research customs requirements for each destination country, as international shipments may be subject to import taxes, duties, and additional fees. Contacting your chosen carrier ahead of time to understand shipping costs, size restrictions, and weight limitations is strongly recommended. Amazon suggests researching business shipping rates and consulting their logistics provider directory to manage costs effectively. Even when self-fulfilling, Amazon still provides essential seller tools through Seller Central, including order management, inventory tracking, sales analytics, downloadable reports, and automated buyer communications such as shipment confirmations and payment processing.