One of the first decisions every Amazon UK seller faces is how to fulfil orders. Should you use Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA), where Amazon stores, packs and delivers your products, or Fulfilment by Merchant (FBM), where you handle orders yourself or through a third-party warehouse? Both can work well. The right choice depends on your products, margins and how much control you want.
What Is Amazon FBA?
With FBA, you send your inventory to Amazon’s fulfilment centres. When a customer orders, Amazon picks, packs and ships the item, and handles customer service and returns for those orders. FBA products are usually eligible for Prime delivery.
What Is Amazon FBM?
With FBM, you store your own stock and ship orders to customers yourself, or use a 3PL fulfilment partner to do it for you. You keep control of packaging, delivery and the customer experience.
FBA: Pros and Cons
Advantages
- Products are typically eligible for Prime, which can increase sales
- Amazon handles delivery, customer service and returns for FBA orders
- Less day-to-day work once stock is in Amazon
- Easier to scale without your own warehouse space
Disadvantages
- Fulfilment and storage fees reduce your margins
- Strict prep, labelling and packaging requirements
- Storage limits and long-term storage fees
- Less control over packaging and branding
FBM: Pros and Cons
Advantages
- No Amazon fulfilment or storage fees
- Full control over packaging and the unboxing experience
- Works well for bulky, slow-moving or high-value items
- One stock pool can serve Amazon, Shopify, eBay and more
Disadvantages
- You must meet Amazon’s delivery performance standards
- More work handling orders, returns and customer queries
- Products may not show the Prime badge unless you qualify for seller-fulfilled Prime
Which Should You Choose?
FBA often suits small, fast-selling products with healthy margins, where Prime eligibility is likely to boost sales.
FBM often suits large or heavy items, slow-moving stock, products with thin margins, or sellers who sell across many channels.
Why Many UK Sellers Use Both
Many successful sellers use a hybrid approach. Best-sellers go into FBA for Prime visibility, while slower or bulky items are fulfilled by merchant. Keeping backup stock outside Amazon also means you can switch to FBM if you run low in Amazon’s warehouses or hit storage limits.
How a Prep Centre Helps With FBA and FBM
A prep centre like Prep Centers can support both models from one London warehouse:
- FBA prep and shipping to Amazon for your FBA stock
- Storage for backup inventory
- FBM and multi-channel order fulfilment for everything else
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