More and more US buyers ask Asian factories for one thing: “deliver it into Amazon.” For a factory, delivering to an Amazon fulfilment centre is simply another DDP destination — but one with stricter labelling, appointment and paperwork rules than a normal warehouse. Getting those right turns Amazon brands into repeat customers.
Three business models, three responsibility maps
| Model | Who owns the Amazon account | Who is importer of record |
|---|---|---|
| Factory supplies a US Amazon brand | The brand | The brand, or the factory's DDP provider if the sale is DDP |
| Factory sells its own brand on Amazon US | The factory (or its affiliate) | The factory as non-resident importer, through a DDP provider and customs broker |
| Trading company or sourcing agent in between | The brand | As agreed in the contract — write it down |
Amazon is never the importer of record. An Amazon fulfilment centre can be the delivery address, but someone else must clear US customs and pay duties. Under DDP that is arranged on the seller's side — see importer-of-record rules for DDP.
What a DDP-to-Amazon price should cover
- Prep and labelling done at the factory — Amazon stopped offering prep and item labelling in the US from 1 January 2026; see FBA prep at the factory.
- Export clearance in Vietnam or Cambodia and ocean or air freight.
- ISF filing, US customs entry, duties, taxes and fees.
- Delivery to the assigned fulfilment centres by appointment — or to AWD or a 3PL first; see direct to FBA vs 3PL vs AWD.
Amazon's own fees — inbound placement, storage, fulfilment — are charged to the seller's Amazon account, not by the forwarder. Make sure your quote says which side pays them; see inbound placement and appointments.
From factory to fulfilment centre, step by step
- The Amazon account owner creates the shipment and shares the labels and destination fulfilment centres.
- The factory applies unit labels, box labels and any required packaging, then passes a pre-loading inspection.
- Export clearance and loading — FCL for full programmes, LCL or air for launches and top-ups; see FCL vs LCL.
- US entry with duties paid under DDP.
- Transload or direct delivery to each fulfilment centre on its appointment.
A step-by-step version for sellers is in shipping from Vietnam to Amazon FBA. Factories in Cambodia have extra routing choices — see Cambodian factories to Amazon US.