When you start selling on Amazon, one of the first decisions is how your orders get to customers. There are two main options: Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) and Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM). Neither is "better". They suit different situations.
What is FBA?
With FBA, you send your inventory to Amazon's warehouses. When an order comes in, Amazon picks, packs, and ships it, and handles customer service and returns for those orders. Your listings are typically Prime-eligible.
Good fit if: you have limited space or time to pack orders, you're selling items that move quickly, and you're comfortable paying Amazon's fulfillment and storage fees.
What is FBM?
With FBM, you store the inventory yourself and ship each order when it sells. You keep full control over packaging, shipping carriers, and customer communication.
Good fit if: you're testing products in small quantities, you have space to store and pack items, or you're selling slower-moving or oversized items where storage fees would eat your margin.
Side by side
- Who ships: FBA = Amazon. FBM = you.
- Costs: FBA adds fulfillment and storage fees. FBM means you pay for shipping labels and supplies, and spend your own time.
- Control: FBM gives you more control over packaging and customer contact.
- Speed to start: FBM lets you list an item you already have today. FBA requires preparing and sending a shipment first.
What we recommend for most beginners
Start with FBM on a handful of items so you learn pricing, fees, and customer expectations with little money at risk. Once you know which products sell reliably, move those to FBA if the fees make sense.
How FBM shipping works day to day
- Check unshipped orders in Seller Central.
- Download your order report or connect a shipping tool like Shippo.
- Buy and print labels on a 4x6 thermal printer.
- Pack securely and ship within your handling time, with tracking.
Next steps
Get the free First-Sale Checklist, or the Amazon Seller Guide for Beginners ($47). It walks through account setup, LLC and EIN, supplies, sourcing with SellerAmp and Keepa, your first listing, and the full FBM shipping workflow with Shippo.
Amazon's programs and fees change often. Check Seller Central for current details. No income guarantees.