Private label importers need a landing point between the factory and Amazon. We receive full containers and LCL freight near the port of entry, prep and label units, and release replenishment into FBA as sell-through requires, so a single ocean order can feed months of Amazon sales without blowing through capacity limits.
Why importers need an upstream buffer
Importers need an upstream buffer because ocean freight arrives in big, lumpy batches while Amazon wants steady, modest inbound. A 40-foot container can hold several months of supply for a mid-size SKU, and sending all of it to FBA at once usually collides with your monthly capacity limit, pushes your storage utilization up and invites aged-inventory charges on the back half of the order.
Landing the container at a 3PL first separates those two rhythms. The full order is counted, checked against the packing list and stored by the pallet, then released into Amazon a few weeks of cover at a time. You keep your factory cadence and ocean savings, and Amazon only ever holds what it is about to sell.
Prep at the factory or at the 3PL
Prep can happen at the factory or at the 3PL, and the right choice depends on how reliable your supplier is with Amazon requirements. Factory prep with FNSKU labels applied at the line is often cheapest per unit, but errors are expensive to discover once a container is already in the U.S.
A common middle path is to have the factory apply FNSKUs and pack to a master carton spec, then have the 3PL inspect a sample on arrival, fix exceptions and handle anything that needs U.S.-side work: bundling, inserts, polybag replacement after damage, or relabeling when you change listings. Since Amazon no longer preps or labels units for U.S. sellers, one of the two must own compliance end to end.
Choosing the landing market
The landing market should sit close to your port of entry and to the Amazon fulfillment centers your inbound plans usually route to. Asia imports landing on the West Coast often stay in Southern California or the Pacific Northwest, while all-water services to the East and Gulf Coasts point toward New Jersey, Savannah, Charleston or Houston.
With operations in 25 U.S. markets, we can also split a brand across two coasts so each half of the country is replenished from nearby stock. That shortens inbound transit, makes Amazon-optimized placement splits cheaper to accept, and gives you a second inventory position if one lane is disrupted.
Frequently asked questions
Can you receive a floor-loaded container?
Yes. Floor-loaded and palletized containers can be devanned, counted by carton, palletized and put away, with any discrepancies against the packing list reported before inventory is released.
Should my factory apply FNSKU labels?
Often yes, if the supplier is reliable. Factory labeling is usually cheapest per unit, and a 3PL can inspect samples on arrival and correct exceptions before units are sent to Amazon.
Can one container feed both FBA and my other channels?
Yes. A container received upstream becomes one inventory pool that can replenish FBA, ship Shopify or Walmart orders and fill wholesale purchase orders.