Domestic vs International Shipment Strategy
How to decide between U.S.-based prep, freight forwarder handoff, and direct import.
Once you're shipping at scale, the choice between domestic and international routing becomes a strategic decision, not just a shipment-by-shipment one.
At low volume, routing every shipment through the same path - the same freight forwarder, the same domestic prep center - is simplest to manage. At higher volume, that same simplicity can mean paying more in transit time and cost than a slightly more deliberate routing strategy would.
Routing options to weigh
- When to use U.S.-based prep
- Freight forwarder handoff
- Direct import to prep center
- Supplier-direct fulfillment
Factors that should drive the decision
- Which FBA regions your volume is actually headed to
- Total landed cost, not just per-unit freight cost
- How much prep the product needs before it can move
- How much visibility and control you want over each leg
Scenario
A seller importing from an overseas manufacturer has been having their freight forwarder deliver every shipment to a single domestic prep center, regardless of which FBA region it's ultimately headed to. As volume grows, they realize routing some shipments to a prep center closer to their West Coast FBA destinations - instead of always through the same East Coast receiving point - cuts both cost and transit time on those specific lanes.
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