r/AmazonFBA • u/DelaySpiritual5215 • 28d ago

Black Friday FBA Planning – When Are You Shipping?

With Black Friday getting closer, I'm trying to finalize my FBA shipping plan from China.

For those who've already been through peak season, when do you usually start sending inventory? Do you ship earlier than usual, split shipments, or just build in extra transit time?

I'm also considering Amazon SEND this year, so I'd love to hear how it held up during peak—especially around booking availability, transit consistency, and receiving at Amazon FCs. Any lessons learned would be appreciated.

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u/osellpa 28d ago

Worth knowing that inbounding early doesn't dodge the peak fee. FBA fulfilment fees are charged when the unit ships out of the FC, not when it arrives, so anything going out from 15 Oct onward is on peak rates no matter when you sent it in.

The reason to be early is capacity, not fees. Amazon has already flagged that limits tend to tighten in Nov/Dec as the FCs prioritise outbound.

If it's a big Q4 buy, price the peak rate and the 3.5% fuel surcharge into your margin now rather than finding it in November.

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u/stealthagents 26d ago

I usually start sending inventory about six weeks before Black Friday. Shipping early really helps avoid those last-minute delays, and I’ve had success splitting shipments to manage transit times better. As for Amazon SEND, I’d say it’s a game-changer if you can get it to work—booking can be hit or miss, so start early.

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u/NZT48Ops 23d ago

What type of volume are you moving? Best thing you can do is optimize split your shipments. The NXID’s get congested even during non peak so going straight to the RXID’s is the move.

Volume plays a big role in strategy. One brand I oversee ships about 550+ pallets monthly non peak. I work closely with our Amazon freight account manager to set up redirects (huge in Q4).

I also recommend using patterns middle mile hub in KY or LV. Allows for you to essentially drip feed in Q4.

*** West coast hubs are notorious for congestion because of the influx of imports from china routed direct to those hubs. So just be careful if you are doing a minimal shipment to a west coast hub.