How to Choose the Right Fulfillment Strategy on Amazon
July 22, 2025
Choosing the right fulfillment method is one of the most critical decisions for any Amazon seller—it influences how quickly customers receive their orders, how often your listings appear in search results, whether they qualify for the Prime badge, and how much control and profit you retain over your operations.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the four main Amazon fulfillment methods—FBA, SFP, FBM, and MCF—so you can understand how each one works and which is the best fit for your business.
What Does Fulfillment Mean on Amazon?
Fulfillment refers to everything that happens after a customer clicks “Buy Now”—including order picking, packing, shipping, delivery, returns, and customer service. On Amazon, there are four ways to manage this process:
Amazon, through its network of Fulfillment Centers (FBA)
You or your 3PL (third-party logistics provider) (FBM or SFP)
Amazon, for orders coming from your off-Amazon sales channels (MCF)
Each method offersdifferent benefits and trade-offs when it comes to cost, speed, visibility, and control.
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA): Your Fast Track to the Prime Badge
With FBA, you ship your products to Amazon’s fulfillment centers and Amazon handles everything else: shipping, returns, and customer service. FBA listings automatically qualify for the Prime badge, which boosts visibility and sales potential. Customers will see “Ships from Amazon“ and “Sold by [Your Business]“.
Why Sellers Choose FBA:
Hands-off logistics: Amazon handles everything: packing, shipping and support.
Prime badge eligibility: Instant trust, better SEO, and higher conversion rates.
Buy Box advantage: Prime-eligible listings are more likely to win.
Faster delivery: Same-day or next-day for most Prime customers.
What to Consider:
Fees: FBA charges for storage, fulfillment, and long-term warehousing.
Strict inventory rules: Overstocking or understocking can affect costs.
No control over packaging: All shipments use Amazon's standard packaging.
FBA is ideal for sellers aiming for rapid growth, operational simplicity, and maximum visibility. On average, FBA listings outsell FBM listings by a 2-to-1 margin.
Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP): Prime Badge Without Amazon Warehousing
SFP allows you to fulfill orders yourself or via a 3PL while still offering the Prime badge—but you’ll need to earn it by proving your ability to meet Prime-level delivery standards. Customers will see “Ships from [Your Business]” and “Sold by [Your Business]”.
How SFP Works:
Prequalify: You must have a professional selling account and meet recent performance metrics (like <2.5% cancellation rate, >95% tracking accuracy).
Trial Period: You complete a 30-day trial shipping at least 100 Prime trial orders with strict delivery metrics.
Enrollment: After passing the trial, you gain access to Prime branding.
Maintenance: You must continuously meet performance standards to stay enrolled.
Why Sellers Choose SFP:
Amazon handles post-order support and return approvals
Prime badge eligibility without storing inventory at Amazon
Full customization: Use your own boxes and branding to reinforce brand identity
What to Consider:
Not available to new sellers
You need top-tier fulfillment capabilities—either in-house or through a high-performing 3PL
Ongoing performance monitoring is critical; fail to meet standards and you’ll lose Prime eligibility
This method is ideal for brands with established fulfillment infrastructure and a desire for more control over branding and packaging, while still benefiting from the Prime badge.
Fulfilled by Merchant (FBM): Full Control, Without Prime
With FBM, you take full responsibility for the entire fulfillment process. This means you (or your 3PL) store, pack, ship, and support customer orders. Customers will see “Ships from [Your Business]” and “Sold by [Your Business]”.
Why Sellers Choose FBM:
Lower costs: You avoid FBA storage and fulfillment fees.
Full customization: Use personalized packaging to showcase your brand.
Better multi-channel alignment: One inventory can be used for Amazon, Shopify, Walmart, and more.
What to Consider:
No Prime badge, which means less visibility and trust with Prime shoppers
You must handle all shipping logistics, returns, and customer service
Your account health is more vulnerable to fulfillment-related issues
FBM is great for oversized, heavy, seasonal, or specialty items. Also ideal for sellers with a massive fulfillment infrastructure.
Tip: Many sellers use FBM for slow-moving SKUs and FBA for fast sellers.
MCF lets you use Amazon’s fulfillment network to ship orders from other sales channels—like your Shopify store, TikTok shop, or Walmart listings.
How MCF Works:
You ship inventory to Amazon’s FCs.
Customers order from your non-Amazon store.
Amazon picks, packs, and ships those orders in unbranded packaging
Why Sellers Choose MCF:
Speed: 2-day and 3-day delivery options available
Reliability: Over 97% on-time delivery rate, 99.8% undamaged
Inventory optimization: One centralized pool for Amazon and DTC
Brand protection: Orders ship in plain packaging, not Amazon-branded boxes
Automation-friendly: Integrates with most ecommerce platforms
What to Consider:
No Prime badge for MCF orders
MCF fees are similar to FBA (but often lower than many 3PLs)
You’ll need systems to route orders to Amazon from your external stores
This method is best for DTC-focused brands that want Amazon's speed without giving up their brand identity or investing in separate logistics.
Why the Prime Badge Matters (A Lot)
The Prime badge tells customers they can trust your product to arrive fast and reliably. With over 200 million Prime members worldwide, many shoppers filter search results to only show Prime-eligible listings.
Benefits of Prime:
Increased visibility in search results
Higher conversion rates
Stronger Buy Box performance
Free shipping and returns for customers
How to Earn the Prime Badge:
Automatically, by enrolling in FBA
By qualifying for SFP through the required trial
Key Takeaways
Final Thoughts
There’s no single “best” fulfillment option. The right strategy depends on your business model, product type, and available resources.
New to Amazon? Start with FBA for ease and visibility.
Want Prime and control? Work toward SFP.
Selling heavy or seasonal products? Consider FBM.
Running your own store? Use MCF to fulfill with Amazon’s speed.
Note: Top-performing sellers often use a hybrid approach—leveraging FBA for fast-turn products, FBM for oversized or niche items, and MCF for DTC channels.
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