Sea Freight That Reaches Amazon, Walmart, and Your Warehouse on the Date We Quoted
FCL and LCL ocean freight from China, India, Vietnam, and Europe, received at 50+ US and Canada warehouses and delivered on Middle Mile with the dock appointment already booked.
A container from Shenzhen reaches a Los Angeles port in 14 to 20 days and your Amazon listing 2 to 3 weeks after that, if drayage, receiving, prep, and the inbound appointment are planned before it sails. AMZ Prep plans all of it under one quote: booking, ISF and customs, port drayage, receiving, FBA or retail prep, and appointment-booked delivery to Amazon FBA, Vendor Central, Walmart, Target, Costco, and your own DTC nodes.
BRANDS THAT SHIP OCEAN FREIGHT WITH AMZ PREP
- China to the US West Coast runs 14 to 20 days port to port by FCL; East Coast 25 to 35. Door to door adds 5 to 10 business days, so plan 6 to 8 weeks from factory to a sellable unit.
- FCL (one sealed container, from about 15 CBM) and LCL (shared container, 1 to 15 CBM) are both quoted; a 20ft China to US West Coast container runs $1,500 to $3,500, LCL $40 to $120 per CBM.
- The port-to-warehouse leg decides check-in speed. AMZ Prep drays the container to the nearest of 50+ warehouses, receives it into Navigate, and preps it the same day.
- From the warehouse, Middle Mile delivers to Amazon with zero placement fees and 2 to 4 day check-in; the same appointment-booked lanes serve Walmart, Target, Costco, retailer DCs, and Vendor Central PO docks.
- ISF, HTS classification, duties, and broker clearance are filed by the same team that books the vessel. Every container is tracked in Relay.
What is sea freight shipping?
Ocean freight carries over 80 percent of global trade by volume. For ecommerce brands it is the mode for planned replenishment: large volumes, low cost per unit, and transit measured in weeks rather than days. The two formats are Full Container Load, where one shipper takes a sealed 20ft or 40ft container, and Less Than Container Load, where several shippers share one.
Where most ocean shipments go wrong is not on the water. The container arrives at Long Beach on schedule, then sits for a drayage slot, gets unloaded at a warehouse that cannot see the inbound ASN, and reaches Amazon ten days later than the forwarder's quote implied. This page covers the vessel leg and that last leg, because the second one is where the date is won or lost.
FCL vs LCL: which should you book?
| Factor | FCL (Full Container Load) | LCL (Less Than Container Load) |
|---|---|---|
| Container | Entire 20ft or 40ft container, sealed at origin | Shared container with other shippers |
| Volume | 15 CBM and up (cost-effective threshold); a 40ft holds up to 67 CBM | 1 CBM minimum, up to about 15 CBM |
| Pricing | Flat rate per container, $1,500 to $5,500 depending on lane | Per CBM, $40 to $130 depending on lane |
| Cost per unit | Lowest at volume | Higher per unit, lower total spend |
| Transit | Loaded once, no consolidation delay | Adds 3 to 7 days for consolidation and deconsolidation |
| Handling | Loaded at origin, unloaded at destination | Several handling points; higher damage risk |
| Best for | Brands shipping 15+ CBM per order, regular replenishment, fragile or high-value goods | Growing brands under 15 CBM, test shipments, seasonal top-ups between FCL orders |
AMZ Prep quotes both. The freight team recommends the mode from your cargo volume and the date you need stock sellable, and the CBM Calculator shows where your shipment sits against the 15 CBM breakpoint.
How does sea freight shipping work with AMZ Prep?
One team handles every step from factory pickup to the dock appointment at Amazon or the retailer DC. There is no handoff between a forwarder, a drayage company, a prep center, and a carrier, because they are the same company.
Request a freight quote
Share product details, origin, destination, cargo volume, and the date you need stock sellable. You get one all-in quote covering ocean freight, customs, drayage, receiving, prep, and delivery within 24 hours.
Book and schedule pickup
AMZ Prep books vessel space and coordinates factory pickup. FCL cargo gets a dedicated sealed container; LCL cargo is consolidated at the origin port warehouse.
Export documentation and ISF filing
Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin where preferential duty applies, and the Importer Security Filing, all completed before the vessel loads.
Ocean transit with live tracking
Vessel tracking in Relay with port ETA monitoring. A delay is flagged while there is still time to adjust the inbound plan, not after the container lands.
US or Canada customs clearance
HTS classification, duty calculation and payment, licensed broker clearance at the port of entry, and any inspections or permits. Canada-bound containers clear with CBSA the same way.
Drayage, receiving, prep, delivery
The container is drayed to the nearest AMZ Prep warehouse, received into Navigate, and prepped the same day. FBA prep runs under $1.50 per case on a first-pick-plus-additional-pick model. Inventory moves out on Middle Mile with a booked dock appointment.
How long does sea freight take by route?
| Origin | Destination | FCL transit | LCL transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| China (Shanghai, Shenzhen, Ningbo) | US West Coast (LA, Long Beach) | 14 to 20 days | 18 to 25 days |
| China (Shanghai, Shenzhen, Ningbo) | US East Coast (NY, NJ, Savannah) | 25 to 35 days | 30 to 40 days |
| China (Shanghai, Shenzhen) | Canada (Vancouver) | 12 to 18 days | 16 to 22 days |
| China (Shanghai, Shenzhen) | Canada (Toronto, Montreal) | 28 to 35 days | 32 to 40 days |
| India (Mumbai, Nhava Sheva, Chennai) | US East Coast | 25 to 32 days | 30 to 38 days |
| India (Mumbai, Nhava Sheva) | Canada (Vancouver, Toronto) | 28 to 38 days | 33 to 42 days |
| Europe (Rotterdam, Hamburg, Felixstowe) | US East Coast | 12 to 18 days | 16 to 22 days |
| Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh, Hai Phong) | US West Coast | 16 to 22 days | 20 to 28 days |
Estimates from current carrier schedules; weather, port congestion, and routing change them. Ask the freight team for live ETAs on your lane.
A West Coast container that lands on day 18 and a listing that goes live on day 32 is a normal outcome. The two weeks in between are the subject of the next section.
What happens between the port and your Amazon listing?
This leg is the first mile in practice, and it is where a forwarder's quote and a brand's calendar usually part ways. A forwarder's responsibility ends at the port or at a warehouse door. If the drayage carrier, the receiving warehouse, and the inbound carrier are three companies, each one waits on the one before it, and none of them has booked the Amazon appointment.
Drayage from the port
Container pickup from Long Beach, LA, Newark, Savannah, Vancouver, or Prince Rupert to the nearest AMZ Prep receiving warehouse, with chassis and demurrage managed so the box moves inside the free period.
Receiving and counting
Cartons are unloaded, counted against the packing list and ASN, and received into Navigate. Discrepancies are flagged before prep, not discovered at Amazon.
Prep to the destination spec
FNSKU labeling, poly bagging, bundling, and shipment plan creation for FBA; routing-guide carton labels and ASN for Vendor Central, Walmart, and other retailers.
Appointment-booked outbound
Prepped inventory moves on Middle Mile to Amazon FCs with zero placement fees and 2 to 4 day check-in, or on booked appointments to retailer DCs. Pallet and temperature-controlled freight runs as Middle Mile Plus.
Woof, a pet brand, ships stock from China to AMZ Prep and on to Amazon on a 3 to 5 day inbound cycle with zero placement fees. Receiving and FBA prep happen in one building, so a container that lands on Monday is in Amazon's receiving queue the same week.
How much does sea freight cost?
| Service | Rate range | Pricing unit |
|---|---|---|
| FCL 20ft, China to US West Coast | $1,500 to $3,500 | Per container |
| FCL 40ft, China to US West Coast | $2,500 to $5,500 | Per container |
| FCL 20ft, China to US East Coast | $2,500 to $5,000 | Per container |
| LCL, China to US | $40 to $120 | Per CBM |
| LCL, India to Canada | $50 to $130 | Per CBM |
| LCL, Europe to US | $45 to $110 | Per CBM |
Indicative ranges; volume, commodity, and season move them. The Freight Rate Calculator gives an instant estimate; a custom quote includes drayage, receiving, and prep.
What moves the price
Container type and size
20ft standard, 40ft standard, and 40ft High Cube carry different base rates. A larger container costs more and cuts cost per unit once it is full.
Origin and destination ports
West Coast ports are cheaper from Asia than East Coast ports because the voyage is shorter. East Coast delivery can still win when the inventory is headed to eastern Amazon regions and the drayage leg is short.
Season
Peak runs August through October as brands stock for Q4, and again before Chinese New Year. Booking 8 to 12 weeks ahead holds space and rate. Carrier peak surcharges, October to January, are passed through at cost.
Fuel and port charges
Bunker Adjustment Factor and terminal handling charges are added to base rates. AMZ Prep quotes them inside the all-in price.
Drayage and demurrage
Distance from port to warehouse, chassis availability, and how fast the container is returned. A container that overstays its free days accrues demurrage; receiving near the port avoids most of it.
Duties
Import duty depends on HTS code and origin. The Import Duty Calculator estimates landed cost before you ship.
Can AMZ Prep deliver ocean freight to Amazon, Walmart, retail DCs, and Vendor Central?
Zero placement fees into FBA
Inbound shipments are consolidated across sellers onto full truckloads to the same Amazon regions, which removes the per-seller placement fee. Check-in runs 2 to 4 days against a 7 to 10 day industry average.
Middle Mile Plus for pallets and cold chain
Palletized, oversized, and temperature-controlled goods run on the same booked lanes on reefer or dedicated equipment. If your container holds meltables, it goes from the port to FDA-registered cold storage and into Amazon cold.
Retail DCs under the routing guide
Walmart, Target, Costco, Nordstrom, and other retailer deliveries are built to each routing guide with EDI, ASN, and the appointment window booked through our B2B fulfillment team.
Vendor Central purchase orders
1P freight is a delivery against a PO: routing guide, ASN, booked appointment, and a chargeback if any of it slips. Our Vendor Central team labels cartons and files the ASN before the load leaves.
DTC and marketplace warehouses
Ocean freight that feeds your Shopify, TikTok Shop, or Walmart Marketplace orders is received into Navigate and fulfilled from the same inventory pool, with Prep Parcel on the final mile.
One login, origin to shelf
Relay tracks the vessel, the container, and the inbound truck. Navigate shows the units inside it. The quoted date and the live status sit side by side.
Sea freight or air freight: which fits your inventory plan?
| Factor | Sea freight | Air freight |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per kg | $0.10 to $0.50 (FCL) | $3.50 to $8.00 |
| Transit, China to US | 14 to 35 days port to port | 3 to 7 days airport to airport |
| Capacity | Up to 67 CBM per 40ft container | Limited by weight and aircraft space |
| Minimum | 1 CBM (LCL) | 45 kg standard; none for express |
| Planning horizon | 6 to 8 weeks factory to sellable | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Best for | Regular replenishment, bulk inventory, cost-sensitive goods | Stockout recovery, launches, high-margin or time-sensitive goods |
The freight team builds the plan from your sales velocity: containers on a cadence for the base demand, air for the spike. Both land in the same Navigate inventory and the same Middle Mile lanes.
Sea freight shipping FAQ
Port to port, China to the US West Coast runs 14 to 20 days FCL and 18 to 25 days LCL. China to the US East Coast runs 25 to 35 days FCL and 30 to 40 days LCL. Door to door adds 5 to 10 business days for pickup, customs, drayage, and receiving. Plan 6 to 8 weeks from factory to a sellable unit.
FCL books an entire 20ft or 40ft container for one shipper and is sealed at origin. LCL consolidates several shippers into one container and adds 3 to 7 days for consolidation and deconsolidation. FCL costs less per unit above roughly 15 CBM; LCL suits shipments between 1 and 15 CBM.
A 20ft container from China to the US West Coast runs $1,500 to $3,500 and a 40ft $2,500 to $5,500. China to the US East Coast runs $2,500 to $5,000 for a 20ft. LCL runs $40 to $120 per CBM China to US. Rates change with season and fuel surcharges; AMZ Prep quotes within 24 hours.
Choose sea freight when your inventory timeline allows 25 to 40 days of transit and the goods are not perishable or launch-critical. Per kg, ocean runs $0.10 to $0.50 against $3.50 to $8.00 for air, so planned replenishment goes by sea and stockout recovery goes by air.
Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, Importer Security Filing (ISF, filed before the vessel loads at origin), and certificate of origin where preferential duty applies. AMZ Prep prepares and files all of them as part of the managed freight service.
AMZ Prep files the ISF, classifies goods by HTS code, calculates and pays duties, works with licensed customs brokers at the port of entry, and manages inspections or permits. For Canada-bound containers the same team handles CBSA clearance.
A truck drays the container to the nearest AMZ Prep warehouse, where it is unloaded, counted, and received into Navigate. Cartons are prepped to Amazon or retailer specifications and move out on Middle Mile lanes with a booked dock appointment. That port-to-warehouse leg is the first mile, and it is where most check-in delays start when it is handled by a separate provider.
Yes. Containers are received at an AMZ Prep warehouse, prepped, and delivered on Middle Mile to Amazon fulfillment centers with zero placement fees and 2 to 4 day check-in. The same appointment-booked model delivers pallets to Walmart WFS, Target, Costco, and other retailer DCs under each routing guide, and PO freight to Amazon Vendor Central inbound docks.
Tell us the origin, the cargo, and the date you need it sellable
One all-in quote covering ocean freight, ISF and customs, drayage, receiving, prep, and appointment-booked delivery, within 24 hours.
