A shipment from Asia is planned weeks before it reaches the US, but Amazon decides where it goes and when it can be received. Three Amazon rules shape the US leg of a DDP shipment: inbound placement, capacity limits and appointments.
Inbound placement: one destination or many
| Option | What it means | Cost effect |
|---|---|---|
| Minimal split | Ship to as few fulfilment centres as possible (often one) | Inbound placement service fee per unit |
| Partial split | A few destinations chosen by Amazon | Lower fee |
| Amazon-optimised split | Amazon spreads the shipment across its network | Fee reduced or waived, but more destinations to deliver to |
Amazon revised these fees in January 2026, and they vary by size and weight tier. For a full container, the real comparison is: placement fee saved versus the extra trucking to several fulfilment centres. Sometimes the cheapest answer is AWD, which feeds FBA without placement fees on its replenishments — see direct to FBA vs 3PL vs AWD.
Capacity limits
- Amazon sets limits on how much inventory each seller can send and store, and shows them in Seller Central.
- Plan production and booking around the limit: a container that leaves Vietnam with more units than the account can receive will sit in a US warehouse — at the seller's cost.
- A 3PL or AWD buffer lets you ship full containers and release stock into FBA as capacity opens.
Appointments and delivery
- Shipments delivered by truck (LTL or FTL) need a delivery appointment at each fulfilment centre, booked by the carrier.
- Most containers are unloaded near the port (transloaded) onto pallets and trucks per destination — see transloading.
- Missed appointments mean rebooking and waiting; meanwhile container demurrage or warehouse storage runs — see demurrage and detention.
- From September to December, appointments are scarce and receiving slows — ship earlier, see peak season.
What to put in the DDP quote
- The number of destinations assumed and the price per extra drop.
- Free time for waiting on appointments and the daily storage rate after it.
- Which Amazon fees the seller pays directly (placement, storage) — so nobody is surprised.
Amazon changes its inbound rules, fees and capacity limits regularly, and US duties change too. Use this article as general guidance and check the current requirements in Seller Central and your HTS code before each shipment.
Balance Trans delivers DDP from factories in Vietnam and Cambodia to Amazon fulfilment centres, AWD and US 3PL warehouses — export clearance, sea or air freight, US customs with an importer of record, duties paid and appointment delivery. See DDP to the USA or send your shipment plan for a quote.