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Published on October 5, 2026 Written By Rachel Hand

If you sell on Amazon and at least one other channel, you’ve probably wondered whether Amazon could handle all your fulfillment. That’s exactly what Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) promises: use the same warehouse network behind Prime to ship orders from your Shopify store, Walmart listing, or any other sales channel.

It’s a tempting proposition. But like most things in ecommerce, the details matter.

This guide breaks down what Amazon MCF is, how it works, what makes up its cost in 2026, and when it makes sense to use it.

We’ll also cover where MCF falls short, how to pair it with a fulfillment partner like us at ShipBob, and expert tips for getting the most out of an Amazon MCF strategy.

What is Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment?

Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment is a service that lets sellers use Amazon’s fulfillment network to ship orders placed outside of Amazon.com.

If you already store inventory in Amazon’s warehouses through Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), MCF extends that infrastructure to orders from your own website, Walmart Marketplace, and other sales channels..

MCF can be a powerful tactical tool for specific fulfillment scenarios, but it’s not a complete supply chain solution for every brand. We’ll dig into those trade-offs throughout this article.

What’s the difference between Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) and Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF)?

FBA and MCF share the same warehouse infrastructure, but they serve different order sources. FBA handles orders placed on Amazon.com. MCF handles orders placed everywhere else, including your Shopify store, Walmart Marketplace, and other platforms.

Buy with Prime sits between the two. It lets Prime members check out on your own website with their Amazon payment and shipping details, and Amazon fulfills those orders with a separate fee structure: a 3% Prime service fee plus fulfillment and payment processing fees.

Key Takeaway: MCF is not a separate service you sign up for. It’s an extension of FBA, available to any seller with a Professional Seller Central account and FBA inventory.

How Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment works

The MCF process mirrors how fulfillment with a third-party logistics company works. You send inventory to Amazon, connect your sales channels, and Amazon picks, packs, and ships orders as they come in.

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how the process works.

1. Send your inventory to Amazon fulfillment centers

To use MCF, you need a Professional Seller Central account with FBA enabled. Once set up, you create inbound shipments to send inventory to Amazon’s warehouses.

Amazon offers two inbound options. You can send everything to a single receiving center and pay a placement fee for Amazon to distribute it, or you can split shipments across multiple locations based on Amazon’s instructions for a lower fee.

Monthly storage fees apply to all inventory based on cubic footage. Items stored longer than 365 days incur additional long-term storage fees, and storage rates increase during peak season (October through December).

2. Connect your sales channels to Amazon

When a customer orders from your Shopify store, Walmart listing, or another channel, that order needs to reach Amazon for fulfillment. MCF integrates with major ecommerce platforms through several connection methods.

The MCF app for Shopify provides a direct connector that syncs orders automatically. Seller Central serves as the hub for managing MCF orders manually. For higher-volume merchants, API and automation workflows allow programmatic order submission.

Since May 2025, Walmart’s marketplace policy permits sellers to fulfill Walmart Marketplace orders through Amazon MCF, as long as orders ship in unbranded packaging and Amazon Logistics is blocked as the carrier.

3. Receive your orders picked, packed, and shipped

Once an order reaches Amazon, its warehouse team picks the products, packs them, and ships them to the customer. MCF offers two shipping tiers:

Standard: three business days
Expedited: two business days

Amazon may use Amazon Logistics (AMZL) as the carrier for MCF shipments. For channels that don’t allow AMZL deliveries, such as Walmart, you can block it and use alternate carriers; Amazon normally charges a 5% surcharge for blocking AMZL but has waived it through January 14, 2027. Orders ship in free unbranded boxes, which are now available at nearly all US fulfillment centers.

Tracking information flows back to Seller Central and, depending on your integration, pushes to your connected storefront automatically. However, merchants are responsible for configuring how tracking emails and links reach customers on non-Amazon channels.

One important caveat: Amazon prioritizes FBA orders over MCF orders. So during peak periods, MCF shipments may experience delays.

Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment pricing

Amazon updated MCF fees on January 15, 2026, raising per-unit fulfillment fees by roughly $0.30 on average for single- and two-unit orders (orders of three or more units were unchanged).

Separately, Amazon applied a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge to MCF fulfillment fees starting May 2, 2026. Rather than listing specific rates that change frequently, here’s how the overall fee structure breaks down:

Fulfillment fees: Per-unit charges based on size, weight, and shipping speed. MCF fees run higher than standard FBA fees, while multi-unit orders get tiered discounts.
Storage fees: Monthly charges based on cubic footage, with higher rates during peak season and long-term surcharges for aged inventory.
Inbound placement fees: Charges for sending inventory to a single receiving center instead of splitting across locations.
Removal and disposal fees: Per-unit charges for pulling inventory out of the network.

Remote-area surcharges also apply to shipments headed to Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands: 100% of the base fee for standard-size items and 200% for oversize items.

Amazon did additionally introduce its 2026 Preferred Pricing initiative, offering up to 15% off MCF fulfillment fees plus $1 in FBA credits per unit for qualifying sellers. This signals Amazon is actively incentivizing MCF adoption among its seller base.

Check Seller Central for current requirements and the full MCF fee schedule.

Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment best practices and tips

MCF can be a solid fulfillment option when used strategically, so these tips should help you get the most value while avoiding common pitfalls.

1. Store all your inventory in one place

One of MCF’s biggest draws is consolidation. If you’re already using FBA, your Amazon inventory doubles as your MCF inventory, so no need to split stock across multiple warehouses or manage separate inbound shipments.

The trade-off: Amazon decides where your inventory sits within its network. You don’t get to choose which fulfillment centers hold your products. That lack of control can affect shipping costs and delivery times for customers in specific parts of the country.

2. Use Amazon’s scale to your advantage

Amazon’s warehouse technology and logistics infrastructure are built for massive volume. MCF gives you access to that efficiency without building your own operations. For brands with straightforward catalogs and predictable order patterns, this can significantly reduce the operational burden of fulfillment.

3. Offer fast shipping

MCF’s three-day standard and two-day expedited delivery tiers let you compete on speed. Many ecommerce platforms, including Shopify, can also display estimated delivery dates on product pages when connected to MCF. This visibility can improve conversion rates for shoppers comparing shipping options.

4. Watch out for product-specific restrictions

Amazon restricts certain product categories from MCF. Items requiring special handling, HAZMAT classification, or category approval may be ineligible or require additional review. Check Amazon’s restricted products list before committing inventory to MCF.

5. Evaluate the operational limitations

MCF comes with constraints that may not be obvious at first. For example, custom packaging is not an option: orders ship in Amazon’s unbranded boxes with no branded inserts or gift notes. You also have limited control over carrier selection, and B2B and EDI-compliant fulfillment is not available through MCF.

During peak periods, inventory allocation conflicts between FBA and MCF can leave your non-Amazon channels underserved. These limitations become more significant as your brand and channel mix grow.

6. Invest in your own customer service

Amazon doesn’t handle customer service for MCF orders. Your team owns all post-purchase communication, returns coordination, and delivery exception resolution for non-Amazon channels.

Budget for this from day one. Customers who order from your website expect support from you, not Amazon.

When to use MCF (and when you need more)

MCF is a good fit when you:

Sell primarily on Amazon and want to extend fulfillment to Shopify or one additional marketplace
Have a simple product catalog without special packaging or handling needs
Want to minimize the number of fulfillment vendors you manage
Are focused on the US market, though MCF does operate in 11 countries

MCF starts to break down when you:

Need branded packaging, inserts, or gift notes
Sell into (non-Walmart) retail channels that require EDI-compliant fulfillment
Are scaling internationally and need fulfillment in countries like the US, the UK, Canada, or Australia
Want control over carrier selection and inventory placement
Need real-time inventory sync across three or more channels with oversell prevention

Many brands find the answer isn’t one or the other. A hybrid model works well: use MCF for Amazon-adjacent fulfillment while partnering with a fulfillment expert for DTC, B2B, and international orders. That’s where we come in.

ShipBob: a smarter fulfillment partner for omnichannel brands

MCF has improved meaningfully over the past two years. Free unbranded boxes, Walmart integration, and faster shipping tiers are genuine steps forward. But for brands selling across multiple channels with diverse fulfillment needs, a dedicated partner can fill the gaps MCF can’t.

Inventory control and distributed fulfillment

Amazon controls where your inventory sits within its network. We give you the choice.

Our Inventory Placement Program lets you strategically distribute stock across dozens of fulfillment centers in the US. IPP uses an AI-powered decision engine that analyzes demand forecasting, historical sales trends, and seasonality data to recommend optimal placement.

You ship to one hub, and we distribute from there. Merchants using distributed inventory have seen meaningful cost savings on their bottom line by reducing their average shipping zone. IPP is currently available in the US.

“We started using ShipBob’s Inventory Placement Program to split inventory between two fulfillment centers, and it’s been going really well. We’re saving more than $3 per shipment on average between carrier rate shopping and inventory placement, and we’re only using two locations. ShipBob has fulfillment centers all over the US, so we could easily expand into 3 or 4 warehouses to drive shipping costs down even further.” Gregory Frye, VP of Operations at Hi-Altitude Brands

“We started using ShipBob’s Inventory Placement Program to split inventory between two fulfillment centers, and it’s been going really well. We’re saving more than $3 per shipment on average between carrier rate shopping and inventory placement, and we’re only using two locations. ShipBob has fulfillment centers all over the US, so we could easily expand into 3 or 4 warehouses to drive shipping costs down even further.”

Gregory Frye, VP of Operations at Hi-Altitude Brands

Real-time inventory sync and order accuracy

We sync live inventory counts to every connected channel, including Shopify, Amazon, and Walmart. Safety-stock thresholds prevent oversells. Our proprietary WMS powers floor-level accuracy from pick through pack and ship.

For brands selling across multiple channels, this visibility is critical. You see exactly what’s available, where it is, and when it’s moving, all from one dashboard.

“Integrating ShipBob’s WMS into our Miami warehouse has really helped our in-house business on so many levels. It did wonders for our inventory accuracy—having a system that would decrement inventory in real-time based on shipments gave us a lot more insight into our inventory movement and made our inventory counts in different fulfillment stages much more reliable. Before ShipBob, we used to do a lot of that tracking and updating manually and it was a lot more work for our team as well, so automating everything through ShipBob’s WMS has been very helpful. Also with the amount of sales volume that we drive, we have to nail our inventory tracking across the entire supply chain.” Rachel Tannenholz, President, and Melissa Mosheim, Director of Logistics at Aroma360

“Integrating ShipBob’s WMS into our Miami warehouse has really helped our in-house business on so many levels. It did wonders for our inventory accuracy—having a system that would decrement inventory in real-time based on shipments gave us a lot more insight into our inventory movement and made our inventory counts in different fulfillment stages much more reliable.

Before ShipBob, we used to do a lot of that tracking and updating manually and it was a lot more work for our team as well, so automating everything through ShipBob’s WMS has been very helpful. Also with the amount of sales volume that we drive, we have to nail our inventory tracking across the entire supply chain.”

Rachel Tannenholz, President, and Melissa Mosheim, Director of Logistics at Aroma360

Carrier intelligence and delivery reliability

We use a proprietary AI-powered transportation network engine to select the optimal carrier for every order based on cost, speed, and destination. Your customers get fast, cost-effective shipping without you managing carrier relationships.

“Shipping used to be a huge cost center for us, because our previous 3PL didn’t have any ability to do carrier rate shopping. They only worked with UPS, FedEx, DHL, and USPS, but we could only choose one of those to use for all of our shipments. ShipBob’s model is completely different. Their software has a carrier selection algorithm that automatically chooses the fastest, most cost-effective carrier for each unique package, and they work with the same, plus many more highly vetted carriers (for which they monitor performance and optimize lanes at the zip code level). Leveraging ShipBob’s intelligent carrier mix, vast network, and algorithms, our actual per shipment rate is at least a dollar less than it was before. Combined with every kind of fee being lower, switching to ShipBob has saved us $1 million dollars in one year alone.” Gregory Frye, VP of Operations at Hi-Altitude Brands

“Shipping used to be a huge cost center for us, because our previous 3PL didn’t have any ability to do carrier rate shopping. They only worked with UPS, FedEx, DHL, and USPS, but we could only choose one of those to use for all of our shipments.

ShipBob’s model is completely different. Their software has a carrier selection algorithm that automatically chooses the fastest, most cost-effective carrier for each unique package, and they work with the same, plus many more highly vetted carriers (for which they monitor performance and optimize lanes at the zip code level).

Leveraging ShipBob’s intelligent carrier mix, vast network, and algorithms, our actual per shipment rate is at least a dollar less than it was before. Combined with every kind of fee being lower, switching to ShipBob has saved us $1 million dollars in one year alone.”

Gregory Frye, VP of Operations at Hi-Altitude Brands

Custom branding and packaging

Amazon now offers free unbranded boxes at most US fulfillment centers, which is a real step forward. But for brands where the unboxing experience drives retention, unbranded packaging is not a substitute for branded packaging.

We support custom boxes, branded poly mailers, marketing inserts, printed gift notes, and a box selection algorithm that ensures each order ships in the most cost-effective packaging.

Brands provide their own branded packaging, and we store it as inventory. Our Customization Suite is built for DTC brands where the unboxing experience drives retention and repeat purchases.

GALLERY

“For us, elevating the unboxing experience is worth the extra cost. We’re spending money on it because we want to give our clients the best experience – not just starting when you use the product, but from the moment the package is placed on their doorstep. ShipBob’s Customization Suite enables us to use our own customer branded boxes in different sizes for different products, as well as high-quality materials like silk wrapping paper and a Particle sticker. The end result is a sleek, elegant package that’s especially curated for our customers and shows them they’re worth every penny.” Nadav Haras, VP of Supply Chain at Particle

“For us, elevating the unboxing experience is worth the extra cost. We’re spending money on it because we want to give our clients the best experience – not just starting when you use the product, but from the moment the package is placed on their doorstep.

ShipBob’s Customization Suite enables us to use our own customer branded boxes in different sizes for different products, as well as high-quality materials like silk wrapping paper and a Particle sticker. The end result is a sleek, elegant package that’s especially curated for our customers and shows them they’re worth every penny.”

Nadav Haras, VP of Supply Chain at Particle

International fulfillment and B2B compliance

MCF fulfills only domestically within each country it’s supported in (its cross-border export is limited to media products).

ShipBob’s network runs dozens of fulfillment centers across the US, Canada, the UK, the EU, and Australia, and lets you choose where inventory sits. We also offer DDP shipping to 250+ destinations for brands that need cross-border reach.

For brands selling into retail, we provide automated EDI fulfillment for major retailers like Target, Sephora, and Ulta from our US fulfillment centers.

Supplement brand Semaine Health uses our EDI solution to automate B2B distribution to retailers like Target and Walgreens.

After distributing inventory across four of our US fulfillment centers, cut average transit time by a third (from 5.2 to 3.6 days) while saving over $2 per order.

“We use ShipBob’s EDI connection to automate B2B retail distribution, and it’s been really straightforward. Everything flows through the system so easily now; we get a purchase order from a retailer, it ships out, and we don’t have to think about it. Our goal was always for B2B to essentially work the same way as our DTC business: something we could have on autopilot, that requires very little oversight from us. With ShipBob’s B2B solution, we’ve got that, and now our B2B is automated.” Matt Crane, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer at Semaine Health

“We use ShipBob’s EDI connection to automate B2B retail distribution, and it’s been really straightforward. Everything flows through the system so easily now; we get a purchase order from a retailer, it ships out, and we don’t have to think about it.

Our goal was always for B2B to essentially work the same way as our DTC business: something we could have on autopilot, that requires very little oversight from us. With ShipBob’s B2B solution, we’ve got that, and now our B2B is automated.”

Matt Crane, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer at Semaine Health

FBA Prep and hybrid fulfillment with ShipBob

You don’t have to choose between Amazon and a fulfillment partner. We offer FBA Prep services that prepare and ship your inventory to Amazon’s fulfillment centers. This lets you run a hybrid FBA and FBM strategy from a single partner.

Use Amazon for Prime eligibility and marketplace reach. Use ShipBob for DTC, B2B, international, and branded fulfillment.

FBA Prep is available for US merchants with automated processing and for merchants in nine additional countries with manual processing. The hybrid approach lets you capture Amazon’s strengths without giving up the control and customization your brand needs everywhere else.

“We use ShipBob’s FBA prep solution to kit orders and send them to Amazon for FBA. It’s really straightforward, but the best part of the service is the visibility we get. In ShipBob’s dashboard, we can see exactly how inventory is moving, and make sure everything is kitted properly. It’s been really helpful and eye-opening in some cases. It’s even helped us tidy up some of our current processes. Having the ability to see the statuses of these orders – being able to see they’re in the picking stage, the packing stage, if they’ve been shipped – has also been game-changing. It lets us either adjust timelines, give the proper information to the order’s recipient, or (when we’re reaching out to our freight carriers) see which dates we can expect FBA inbound shipments to arrive, sometimes down to the hour.” Oscar Gutierrez, Operations Fulfillment Manager at goPure

“We use ShipBob’s FBA prep solution to kit orders and send them to Amazon for FBA. It’s really straightforward, but the best part of the service is the visibility we get. In ShipBob’s dashboard, we can see exactly how inventory is moving, and make sure everything is kitted properly. It’s been really helpful and eye-opening in some cases. It’s even helped us tidy up some of our current processes.

Having the ability to see the statuses of these orders – being able to see they’re in the picking stage, the packing stage, if they’ve been shipped – has also been game-changing. It lets us either adjust timelines, give the proper information to the order’s recipient, or (when we’re reaching out to our freight carriers) see which dates we can expect FBA inbound shipments to arrive, sometimes down to the hour.”

Oscar Gutierrez, Operations Fulfillment Manager at goPure

Whether you’re looking to complement Amazon with a dedicated fulfillment partner or ready to simplify your entire supply chain, we can help you build the right strategy. Click the button below to connect with ShipBob’s experts.

Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment FAQs

Here are answers to some of the most common questions about Amazon MCF.

What is Amazon multi-channel fulfillment?

Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) is a service that allows sellers to use Amazon’s fulfillment network to ship orders placed on non-Amazon sales channels.

Sellers store inventory through FBA and can fulfill orders from Shopify, Walmart, and other platforms using the same stock. MCF is available in 11 countries and supports two shipping tiers: Standard (three days) and Expedited (two days).

Can you use Amazon fulfillment without selling on Amazon?

Yes. MCF requires a Professional Seller Central account, but you don’t need to actively list or sell products on Amazon.com. You can use Amazon’s warehouses exclusively for fulfilling orders from your own website or other marketplaces.

What are Amazon fulfillment alternatives?

ShipBob is an ecommerce fulfillment platform that serves as an alternative to Amazon MCF. ShipBob offers custom branded packaging, distributed inventory placement, EDI-compliant retail fulfillment, and an FBM solution that lets brands fulfill Amazon orders from ShipBob’s network instead of using FBA.

How do you connect Amazon MCF to Shopify?

Amazon offers a dedicated MCF app for Shopify that syncs orders directly to Seller Central for fulfillment. Install the app from the Shopify App Store, connect your Seller Central account, and map your products. For custom workflows or higher-volume automation, Amazon also provides API access.