Frequently Asked Questions
Get answers to frequently asked questions about Amazon Multichannel Fulfilment (MCF)
Simplify your order fulfilment with MCF today
Interested in getting started with Amazon Multichannel Fulfilment (MCF)?
If you’re new to selling on Amazon contact us to sign up. If you currently sell with FBA, get started here.
No. MCF is open to all businesses, whether or not you sell on Amazon. If you do not have an Amazon Seller Central account, you can sign up here.
Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) allows you to fulfil orders placed on Amazon while MCF fulfils orders on any of your channels, including your own website.
Yes. If you are an existing Amazon seller using FBA, your inventory will serve both Amazon customers and customers from your MCF sales channels.
Yes. MCF is also available in Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Italy, United Kingdom, Mexico, Spain and the United States.
Sellers can select from two click-to-delivery speeds: Standard (2-3 business days) and Expedited (1-2 business days).
MCF offers an unbranded packaging program, which enables sellers to fulfil their MCF orders in Germany in unbranded packaging. All MCF sellers are auto-enrolled in the program at no additional cost. Unbranded packaging is available for eligible sortable items. The unbranded packaging program works in two simple steps:
Inbound shipment creation: Send your inventory to Amazon fulfilment centres using the standard inbound process you follow for MCF. MCF will automatically place your inventory in the Amazon network for unbranded packaging fulfilment.
Order routing: MCF orders will be prioritised to ship in unbranded packaging when inventory is available for unbranded packaging.
Locate your MCF orders via the ‘Orders’ tab in Seller Central. If the order has not been shipped, there will be an estimated ship date and estimated delivery date within the shipment details of the order. Once the order has been shipped, you will be able to see the tracking number associated with the shipment, along with a link to the Swiship tracking website that provides real-time updates for shipped packages regardless of carrier.
You can check order delivery, request reimbursement, or report other issues with your order here.
You can choose to handle returns in one of two ways: you can use your own returns solution to return items to your own warehouse or you can ask the customer to return them the Amazon fulfilment centre. In either scenario, you can now benefit from the use of ReturnGO, which integrates seamlessly with MCF to handle returns to Amazon fulfilment centres or to your own warehouses. Using ReturnGO you can also manage your returns and exchanges all in one place and offer your customer different refund alternatives with the MCF ReturnGO integration. See how the process works here.
When a customer contacts you to initiate a return, you have the choice of asking the customer to ship the return back to Amazon. By electing to ship products back to Amazon, the return can be incorporated back into your Amazon inventory.
The Return Merchandise Authorisation (RMA) form will be generated. The RMA contains the below two sections:
Additional details on MCF returns can be found here.
When a return is received at the Amazon warehouse, our associates validate the state of the product. If it’s deemed to be in a sellable condition, we incorporate the unit back into your Amazon inventory. If the unit is unsellable, you must follow the Amazon removals procedure to receive the defective product. Please read more about the required removal process here.
For MCF orders, because order placement and payment occurred outside of Amazon, you are responsible for refunding the customer.
After initiating a return, check the ‘Return Status’ tab within the ‘Order Details’ page to for details on the return. The page will indicate if the return has been received by Amazon, and what the disposition of the item is.
If your order is not delivered within seven days after the estimated delivery date, you are eligible to file for lost reimbursement by contacting Selling Partner Support. The reimbursement amount is calculated according to the MCF Reimbursement Policy.
You have up to 90 days after the promised delivery date to submit your claim, which must include all of the following:
1. Order ID
2. Proof of the original non-Amazon order, such as a screenshot of your Shopify order. The order must include the customer’s name and address.
3. Proof of refund or replacement provided to the buyer, including the buyer’s name and address
Amazon reimburses you, not the customer. It is your responsibility to resolve the issue with the customer. To send a replacement item from your inventory, submit a second MCF order for a replacement order.
If Amazon accepts responsibility for the damage, you can submit a reimbursement request. If you process the return yourself, provide photos of the damaged item when you submit your request. If Amazon processed the return, you will be reimbursed in accordance with the MCF Reimbursement Policy.
For any damage that occurs after an order is delivered, you must determine whether you will refund or exchange an item. Amazon does not take responsibility for defective items or items that are damaged when not under the control of the fulfilment centre or the partner carrier. If an item is damaged and Amazon or the carrier is not at fault, you may want to have the merchandise sent to you directly, instead of back to a fulfilment centre.
Note: Amazon does not offer reimbursements for MCF fulfilment orders that were created to fulfil a non-customer order. For example, leveraging MCF to ship inventory back to your own warehouse. To qualify for a reimbursement, please create a standard removal order.
If your item qualifies for a reimbursement, our goal is for the reimbursement amount to match your estimated proceeds from a sale of that item. If we don’t have enough information to calculate the estimated sale price of a unit by using a comparison of several price indicators, we assign an estimated sale price based on the price of a comparable product. We may ask you for additional information or documentation to help us determine that value.
Referral fees are not charged for MCF orders. When we estimate the proceeds of a sale, we start with an estimated sale price. Because multichannel fulfilment orders occur outside of the Amazon website, we don’t have a record of the sale price. Therefore, we determine the estimated sale price based on your MCF sales, and we use the fees that are applicable to FBA sales to determine a fair estimation of the proceeds of sale.
Important: Starting August 23, 2024, the maximum reimbursement amount for an eligible single unit fulfiled by MCF is €275. For items valued at more than the maximum reimbursement amount, we recommend that you buy third-party insurance.
Shipping cost calculations are based on dimensions, weight, product size, and shipping speed. MCF is pay as you go, with no long-term contracts.
Yes. MCF offers discounts up to 25% for multi-unit orders.
Download our rate card to learn more.
Yes. Long-term storage fees apply to units that have been stored in an Amazon fulfilment centre for more than 271 days. The long-term storage fee is in addition to the monthly inventory storage fee. If you submit a removal order for items before the next inventory cleanup date, those items won’t be subject to long-term storage fees. For more information, see FBA long-term storage fees.