A Seller’s Guide to Using Amazon’s Multi-Channel Fulfillment for Off-Amazon Sales
December 30, 2023Last Updated: February 7, 2024
0 8 minutes read
Amazon is the most popular e-commerce platform today. In fact, more than half of US consumers start product searches on Amazon. However, even if you don’t shop or sell on Amazon, there are still ways the e-commerce giant can get involved in the transaction.
One of these ways is using Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) to store and ship your products. The boxes may not bear the company’s familiar logo, but it’s very much involved in the process.
Here’s a complete guide to MCF for both Amazon and non-Amazon sellers.
What Is Amazon MCF and How Does It Work?
Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment is a program that allows e-commerce sellers to ship through Amazon’s fulfillment network for orders made outside of the site. Think of it as Amazon’s own third-party logistics arm that handles storage and fulfillment for off-Amazon orders. It’s also a way for non-Amazon sellers to use Amazon’s logistics network.
Whether the transaction is from a seller’s own site, a social media store, or other e-commerce platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce, it can be fulfilled by Amazon using MCF.
Products can be stored in Amazon’s warehouses. Orders are then shipped in unbranded packaging, so it would be easier for sellers to meet the requirements of other platforms.
Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment offers three delivery options for sellers, one of which is the same as Prime’s 2-day shipping:
Amazon MCF Delivery Options
Priority
2 business days
Expedited
3 business days
Standard
5 business days
The faster the shipping time the more expensive the cost.
MCF is available in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia and most of Europe BUT you cannot use MCF to ship cross-border, i.e. you cannot ship to a customer in Canada from Amazon.com (and vice versa) unless it is media products (books, DVDs, and music products).
Amazon MCF vs. FBA
A lot of people are confused about MCF and FBA, mostly because they work similarly. To simplify things, you can think of Multi-Channel Fulfillment as the FBA of sales made outside of Amazon.
Sharing the inventory. It’s noteworthy that Amazon FBA sellers can use their FBA inventories to fulfill orders made outside of Amazon. To illustrate, suppose the seller has his own e-commerce site called productsyoutrust.com, and a buyer orders from that site. The product will be taken from the seller’s FBA inventory and shipped in unbranded packaging to the customer.
MCF is more expensive than FBA. MCF and FBA have a few similar fees, but in general, FBA is cheaper than MCF fees.
MCF uses unbranded boxes. FBA uses Amazon-branded boxes while MCF uses unbranded ones to keep sellers compliant with other platforms (such as Walmart that does not allow you to use Amazon branded boxes)
Can I Use Amazon MCF to Deliver International Orders?
As mentioned before, you cannot use Amazon MCF to ship internationally unless they are media products.
How to Use Amazon Muti-Channel Fulfillment
There are two ways to sign up for Amazon MCF, depending on whether you are already an Amazon seller or not.
How to Sign Up for Amazon MCF If You’re Not an Amazon Seller
If you haven’t sold anything on Amazon yet, you can sign up at https://supplychain.amazon.com/sign-up. You’ll be asked to provide your personal and business information.
You will be taken to this page to sign up for an Amazon MCF account if you’re not an Amazon seller.
After signing up, you can then create orders just like an Amazon seller could. This is illustrated in the next subsection.
How to Sign Up for Amazon MCF If You’re Already an Amazon Seller
If you’re already an Amazon seller, that means you already have an Amazon Seller Central account. Just visit https://sellercentral.amazon.com/mcf to place your first order. Just click on “Try MCF” to get started.
You can choose to place a single order or a bulk order. All you have to do is fill out the necessary information and click on “Create Order.” Add products by entering the SKU or FNSKU.
How to Sign Up for Amazon MCF If You’re Already an Amazon Seller
After you create an order, you can track them on Seller Central through the “Orders” tab.
If you’re an FBA seller, you can use your inventory to fulfill orders both from Amazon and from your other sales channels. This means you can also take advantage of Amazon’s Warehousing and Distribution Program.
How Much Does It Cost to Ship Products Through Amazon MCF?
In general MCF is going to be far cheaper than what you'll pay for postage through UPS, USPS, Canada Post, etc. However, there are other fees you're going to pay including:
Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment Fees
Inbound fee
This is the fee you pay to send in your inventory to Amazon. The rates are currently the same as those of FBA.
Fulfillment fee
This includes picking, packing, and shipping.
Removal fee
This is paid by the seller when he/she needs to remove inventory from Amazon’s fulfillment centers.
Additional fees
These fees need to be paid if the product or transaction meets any of those described by Amazon (discussed later in the section).
The cost of sending orders using Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment depends on the following factors:
Aside from these fees, your orders may also require additional fees:
Amazon MCF Additional Fees
Product/Situation
Fees
Lithium batteries and items that contain lithium batteries
$0.11 per unit
If you block your MCF orders from being shipped by Amazon Logistics
5% surcharge
Any orders shipped to Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands
Remote area surcharge:
100% for standard-size items
200% for large bulky and extra-large items
Other fees such as storage, labeling, and removal fees, are the same for MCF and FBA.
Pros and Cons of Amazon MCF
The biggest advantage to using MCF is you get to take advantage of very cheap Amazon logistics costs. The biggest disadvantage is you have to get your products into Amazon fulfillment centers and pay the costs associated with this. Below are some of the other pros and cons to MCF.
Pros
Provides fast delivery using a well-established logistics network
Has built-in integrations to most major e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce
Can help sellers’ Inventory Performance Index (IPI) score by improving sell-through
May reduce cart abandonment because of the ability to add the “Fulfilled by Amazon” badge
Offers unbranded packaging to help sellers meet the requirements of other e-commerce platformsk
Cons
Some products are not eligible for unbranded packaging.
The seller is responsible for customer service as MCF orders are not covered by Amazon’s customer representatives.t
Does not handle customer refunds
Holiday peak fulfillment fees apply (usually from October to January)
Only standard size items are eligible for international shipping
Frequently-Asked Questions About Amazon MCF
Can I Use Amazon MCF If I Don’t Sell on Amazon?
Yes. Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment is a third-party logistics provider that is part of Amazon’s vast supply chain. It caters to sellers who are selling on platforms outside of Amazon. You don’t need to sell on Amazon to use MCF, but you need to sign up on the site to create orders.
Can I cancel an order created through Amazon MCF?
Yes, and it’s free as long as the order hasn’t shipped yet. To cancel, go to the Order Details page and click “Cancel.”
Can customers return products fulfilled using Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment?
Yes. To return the product, you can ask the customer to ship it back to Amazon using the following steps:
Go to Seller Central → Manage Orders. Enter the order ID in the Order ID search box. Under the MCF Order Details page, click on “Return” and enter the necessary information.
After this step, a Return Merchandise Authorization form will be generated. It includes a return mailing label, which the customer needs to affix to their return package so it goes to the appropriate fulfillment center. It also contains a return authorization slip containing the barcode and product description. This should be included in the package as well.
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How do I handle reimbursements and refunds for orders shipped using Amazon MCF?
Since the transaction technically occurred outside of Amazon, you as the seller are responsible for the refund.
What do I do if the e-commerce platform does not allow delivery using Amazon Logistics?
Some sites don’t accept Amazon Logistics as a carrier option. Fortunately, Amazon MCF uses multiple carriers, and Amazon Logistics is just one of them. In order to be able to use MCF for these platforms, you can block Amazon Logistics as a shipping carrier. But take note that this comes with a 5% surcharge as an additional fee.
