What happens to my Amazon orders if I use ShipNetwork instead of FBA?

If you fulfill Amazon orders through ShipNetwork instead of FBA, you'd operate under Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) or potentially Seller Fulfilled Prime. Under FBM, you lose the Amazon Prime badge unless you qualify for Seller Fulfilled Prime, which requires meeting Amazon's delivery speed and accuracy metrics. Many brands choose the hybrid approach - keeping FBA for Amazon orders to maintain Prime eligibility while using ShipNetwork for all other channels - to provide expedited shipping on Amazon without sacrificing brand control everywhere else.

What is the difference between Amazon FBA and a 3PL?

Amazon FBA is a fulfillment service tied to the Amazon marketplace. You send inventory to Amazon's fulfillment centers, and Amazon handles picking, packing, and shipping for Amazon orders. A third party logistics provider like ShipNetwork is channel-agnostic - it can fulfill orders from any sales channel (your own website, Shopify, Amazon, wholesale, retail) while giving you control over brand control, packaging, and customer experience. The key differences extend to pricing transparency, inventory management flexibility, dedicated support, and retail compliance capabilities.

Can I use a 3PL and Amazon FBA at the same time?

Yes. Many brands run a hybrid model: FBA for Amazon marketplace orders (maintaining Prime eligibility and the prime badge) and a 3PL like ShipNetwork for DTC, wholesale, and retail channels. ShipNetwork also offers FBA prep services to prepare and ship inventory to Amazon's fulfillment centers, consolidating your supply chain through one partner. The trade-off is managing split inventory, but for brands with meaningful Amazon revenue, the hybrid approach often delivers the best results.

What are common reasons brands move away from Amazon FBA?

The most frequent reasons include: FBA fee volatility and hidden costs (2026 brought new surcharges, tier changes, and a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge); lack of branding control (Amazon FBA requires Amazon-branded packaging for all products); inability to handle retail compliance for wholesale partners; limited and impersonal account support; high storage costs during Q4 (FBA storage fees peak at $2.40 per cubic foot in Q4); and long term storage fees that reach $6.90 per cubic foot after 365 days. Brands selling on multiple platforms often find these constraints untenable as their business model evolves.

Does ShipNetwork integrate with Amazon?

Yes. ShipNetwork supports Amazon as one of many sales channels. You can route Amazon orders through ShipNetwork via Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) or Seller Fulfilled Prime if eligible. ShipNetwork also integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, and other platforms via API, and provides FBA prep services for brands that want to keep FBA for Amazon orders while using ShipNetwork for everything else.

Is switching from FBA to a 3PL difficult?

There's operational friction involved: inventory migration from Amazon's fulfillment centers, platform integrations, packaging design, receiving setup, and establishing workflows for returns and reverse logistics. But the process is well-defined and many brands complete the transition successfully. ShipNetwork's dedicated account teams manage onboarding end-to-end, including integration with your existing sales channels, to reduce costs and minimize disruption during the switch.

ShipNetwork vs Amazon FBA:

Which Is Better for Multi-Channel Brands?

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EDI-enabled. Retail-compliant.

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Real people. No ticket blackholes.

The Key Difference:

What is Amazon FBA? Who is ShipNetwork?

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Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service where Amazon stores, picks, packs, and ships inventory for orders placed on its marketplace.

ShipNetwork is a U.S.-based 3PL with 25+ years of expertise that fulfills across every channel you sell on as an extension of your brand.

98%

of US in1–2 days

99.98%

Order accuracy

97%

Client retention

10

Fulfillment centers

The single biggest difference

Amazon FBA wins for brands that sell predominantly through Amazon and depend on the Prime badge to drive conversions. ShipNetwork wins for ecommerce business brands selling across multiple platforms - DTC, wholesale, retail, and Amazon - that need consistent branding, predictable fulfillment costs, retail compliance workflows, and a dedicated support team.

What makes us different

ShipNetwork vs Amazon FBA: How They Compare at a Glance

Factor	ShipNetwork	Amazon FBA
Best for	Multi-channel brands, including DTC, wholesale, retail, and Amazon	Amazon-centric sellers needing Prime eligibility
Channel support	Multi-channel: Shopify, Amazon, DTC, wholesale, retail	Primarily Amazon marketplace orders. MCF available with limitations.
Pricing model	Transparent, SLA-backed fee structure. 3PL pricing is negotiable based on volume and service levels.	Storage and fulfillment fees subject to frequent change. Surcharges added periodically.
Account support	Dedicated U.S.-based account manager	Self-service support model via Seller Central
Branding control	Custom packaging and branded unboxing available. 3PLs allow custom packaging and branded inserts for products.	Amazon FBA requires Amazon-branded packaging for all products.
Inventory control	Brand controls placement across fulfillment network with full SKU visibility	Amazon algorithm controls inventory placement with limited seller choice
Retail compliance	EDI, routing guides, labeling, and compliance workflows	Not designed for wholesale or retail channel compliance
Click-to-ship	12 hours or less	Varies by FC and product category
Order accuracy	99.98% with 100% guarantee	Generally high but no public accuracy guarantee
Client retention	97%, 62 months average relationship	-
Founded	2001, 25+ years	FBA launched around 2006–2007

WHICH ONE FITS YOUR BRAND

Amazon FBA vs. ShipNetwork: Which Should You Choose?

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The right choice depends on your channel strategy and growth trajectory. For brands at an inflection point, where DTC and retail are growing alongside Amazon, the advantages of a dedicated 3PL compound over time.

Choose Amazon FBA if:

The large majority of your revenue comes from Amazon marketplace sales and Prime eligibility is a meaningful conversion driver for your category. For Amazon-first brands with limited off-Amazon sales, FBA's marketplace integration and Prime badge visibility are genuine advantages.

Choose ShipNetwork if:

You sell across multiple channels, whether that's your own website, Shopify, wholesale, retail partners, or Amazon, and need consistent branding on every order. ShipNetwork consolidates the operational fragmentation of relying on FBA alone, with retail compliance workflows, flexible pricing, and a dedicated team that knows your business.

clear indicators to switch

The Hybrid Model: Using Both FBA and ShipNetwork

Many brands don't choose one or the other - they use both. FBA handles Amazon marketplace orders (preserving Prime eligibility and the Amazon Prime badge), while ShipNetwork handles DTC, Shopify, wholesale, and retail fulfillment. This hybrid approach acknowledges that both solutions have genuine merit in their respective domains.

Your Brand

One inventory pool

↓

Amazon Orders

Marketplace only

↓

Amazon FBA

Prime badge preserved

↓

All Other Orders

DTC, wholesale, retail

↓

ShipNetwork

Your brand on every box

ShipNetwork FBA prep and restock: preparation, labeling, and shipping of inventory into Amazon FBA.

You can use both to your advantage

For brands selling on multiple platforms, channel flexibility isn't a nice-to-have - it determines whether your fulfillment process can keep pace as your business grows.

signals to use a hybrid model

The Hybrid Model Makes Sense When:

Amazon is a major channel, not your only one

Amazon drives enough revenue that you won't gamble with the channel — but not so much that everything else is a rounding error. If DTC, wholesale, or retail are growing alongside it, you're running two different fulfillment problems and only one of them is solved.

The Prime badge is doing real work for you

In crowded, price-competitive categories the badge often decides the Buy Box, and moving those orders to Fulfillment by Merchant means giving it up. If you can see the conversion difference in your own Amazon data, keep FBA where it earns its fee and move everything else.

FBA can't deliver what your other channels require

Amazon FBA requires Amazon-branded packaging for all products, and it isn't built for EDI, routing guides, or compliance labeling. If unboxing is part of your brand, or a retail partner has sent you a routing guide, those orders need a fulfillment path FBA was never designed to provide.

You're paying Amazon rates on inventory that isn't selling on Amazon

Multichannel Fulfillment adds per-unit costs on non-Amazon orders, and FBA storage climbs to $2.40 per cubic foot in Q4 — $6.90 after 365 days. Moving off-Amazon volume to a 3PL takes that inventory out of Amazon's fee structure without touching your Prime eligibility.

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TRUSTED BY HIGH-GROWTH BRANDS

Brands That Have Scaled with ShipNetwork

Pooja, COO

"Our partner since 2022. They customized our fulfillment processes as we scaled DTC and wholesale, handled EDI, retail compliance, and adapted with us every step of the way."

Jen, CEO

"Amazing transition with ShipNetwork! The onboarding was smooth and straight forward. The customer service is great, so fast to respond and help us solve our challenges."

Erin, Operations Manager

"The team has been very responsive and flexible. Orders ship fast, even during peaks and flash sales. Customers love the fast delivery."

Jay, CEO

"ShipNetwork gives us peace of mind that packages get to customers on time. They handle supply chain challenges gracefully and help us scale our business."
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Tavis Malcolm, Founder

"ShipNetwork helped us with our fulfillment. Even as a small client, we always felt supported. No other partner promoted Morrison Outdoors the way ShipNetwork does."

Brad, Operations Director

"[ShipNetwork] consistently exceeds expectations by accommodating time-sensitive requests, showcasing unparalleled commitment to our customers and the overall success of our organization."

Elizabeth, Founder

"We grew our website sales 10x after switching from in-house fulfillment to ShipNetwork fulfillment services. Partnering with them feels like a true extension of our team."