[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-en-global-lead-times-and-shipping-costs-for-amazon-restock":3,"blog-related-category-en-global-lead-times-and-shipping-costs-for-amazon-restock":54,"blog-translations-global-lead-times-and-shipping-costs-for-amazon-restock":67,"blog-related-latest-en-global-lead-times-and-shipping-costs-for-amazon-restock":68},{"id":4,"type":5,"locale":6,"slug":7,"title":8,"description":9,"body":10,"status":11,"section":12,"tags":13,"author":17,"cover_url":18,"published_at":19,"metadata":20,"template":48,"sort_order":49,"source_id":50,"search_vector":51,"created_at":52,"updated_at":53},"da32e3a1-bc43-4faa-8335-1f267ee63a6b","blog","en","global-lead-times-and-shipping-costs-for-amazon-restock","Global lead times and shipping costs for Amazon restock","Restock timing comes down to one number, the reorder point, daily sales times total lead time plus safety stock, measured leg by leg on your first order.","One number governs restocking: your reorder point, daily units sold multiplied by total lead time in days, plus safety stock. Total lead time is production plus inspection plus freight plus customs plus Amazon check-in. Measure each leg on your first order, because published estimates are consistently optimistic.\n\n## The short version\n\n- **Lead time has five legs.** Production, inspection, freight, customs, and check-in each add days, and each can slip independently.\n- **Cost and speed trade against each other.** Sea is cheapest and slowest, air is the reverse, and the right answer is arithmetic, not preference.\n- **The reorder point is a formula, not a feeling.** Daily sales times lead time, plus a buffer you sized deliberately.\n- **Cash leaves long before revenue arrives.** Deposit at order, balance at inspection, freight and duties before a single sale.\n- **Your first order is a measurement instrument.** Record real dates on every leg and plan the second order with them.\n\n## The five legs, and what controls each\n\nA validation-sized first order makes this urgent. Our Phase 1 runs are typically 200 units at $5,000 to $10,000 in cost, and a run that small can sell through faster than sea freight moves, which means the restock decision often arrives before the sales data is complete. Knowing your legs is what keeps that decision from being a guess.\n\n| Leg | What controls it | How to shorten it |\n|---|---|---|\n| Production | Factory queue and material availability | Order earlier, confirm materials are in stock at PO |\n| Inspection | Inspector availability and what they find | Book at PO time, agree the defect standard in advance |\n| Freight | Mode, routing, and season | Pick mode by landed cost, book ahead of peak season |\n| Customs and port | Documentation accuracy | Complete the document file before the vessel sails |\n| Amazon check-in | Receiving capacity at the fulfillment center | Ship compliant cartons, avoid known congestion windows |\n\n## The restock checklist\n\n1. **Measure every leg on order one.** Done properly means dated records from purchase order to sellable inventory, kept by you, not the forwarder's brochure numbers.\n2. **Choose freight mode with arithmetic.** Compute landed cost per unit by sea and by air, then decide what the time difference is worth in lost sales and rank erosion. A split shipment, a small air slice for continuity and the bulk by sea, frequently beats either pure option.\n3. **Set the reorder point.** Daily unit sales multiplied by total lead time in days, plus safety stock. Write it where you will see it, and let the trigger fire on schedule rather than on mood.\n4. **Size safety stock against cash, not fear.** More buffer means fewer stockouts and more frozen capital. A high-margin product justifies a deeper buffer than a thin one, because the cost of a lost sale is higher.\n5. **Time the cash.** The deposit leaves at order, the balance at inspection pass, and freight plus duties before revenue lands. Map those dates against your bank balance, because a restock that arrives on time and unpaid-for is still a failure.\n6. **Re-run the numbers for every new marketplace.** We restock brands across all 23 Amazon marketplaces, and each one adds its own customs leg, document set, and check-in behavior. The formula holds everywhere, the inputs never transfer.\n\nRestock planning is also a launch-stage decision, which is why inventory math sits inside our [Amazon FBA launch](\u002Famazon-fba-launch) roadmap from day one rather than appearing at week ten.\n\n## What most freight forwarders will not tell you\n\nA quote is a best-case scenario wearing a price tag. It usually assumes documents are perfect, the port is calm, space is available, and nobody re-inspects anything. Ask what the same shipment cost and how long it took in the worst month last year, and plan with the range, not the point estimate.\n\nQuotes also carry exclusions. Destination charges, peak season surcharges, and storage at port can appear after you have committed. Ask for the all-in landed number in writing, then ask what could still be added to it.\n\n## Related answers\n\n- [What to use for China to Amazon warehouse logistics](\u002Fblog\u002Fwhat-to-use-for-china-to-amazon-warehouse-logistics)\n- [How to manage Amazon prep and compliance from Asia](\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-manage-amazon-prep-and-compliance-from-asia)\n- [Week-by-week FBA growth checklist](\u002Fblog\u002Fweek-by-week-fba-growth-checklist)\n- [Budget allocation model for the first 90 days](\u002Fblog\u002Fbudget-allocation-model-for-the-first-90-days)\n- [Amazon seller roadmaps and capital: the complete guide](\u002Fblog\u002Froadmaps-and-capital)\n\nRestock planning comes standard with account management at [Flapen](\u002Famazon-consulting).\n\n## Keep learning\n\n- [Set up your Amazon seller account](\u002Fguides\u002Faccount-setup)\n- [Estimate your launch cost](\u002Ftools\u002Flaunch-cost-calculator)\n","published","getting-started",[14,15,16],"sourcing","amazon-fba","fees","joel-turcotte-gaucher","\u002Fimages\u002Fblog\u002Fclusters\u002Froadmaps-and-capital-04.jpg","2026-09-04T10:38:51.798+00:00",{"faq":21,"seo":42,"batch":43,"cluster":44,"cover_alt":45,"answers_prompt":46,"primary_benchmark":47},[22,26,30,34,38],{"id":23,"answer":24,"question":25},"global-lead-times-and-shipping-costs-for-amazon-restock-faq-1","Ask the factory for production days in writing, add your inspection window, get freight transit from two forwarders, and pad customs and check-in generously. Then treat the total as optimistic until your own measured dates replace it.","How do I estimate lead time before my first order?",{"id":27,"answer":28,"question":29},"global-lead-times-and-shipping-costs-for-amazon-restock-faq-2","Run the landed cost per unit both ways and price the time gap in lost sales. High-margin, lightweight products can justify air. Heavy, low-margin products almost never can, which is why the split shipment exists.","Sea or air for a routine restock?",{"id":31,"answer":32,"question":33},"global-lead-times-and-shipping-costs-for-amazon-restock-faq-3","Enough to cover the variability you have actually observed in your legs, weighted by margin. If your worst measured lead time exceeded your average by three weeks, a buffer sized for three days is a decision to stock out.","How much safety stock is enough?",{"id":35,"answer":36,"question":37},"global-lead-times-and-shipping-costs-for-amazon-restock-faq-4","Reorder smaller than the model suggests and bridge with an air slice if needed. An oversized second order on thin evidence is a common and expensive way to convert a maybe into a warehouse full of no.","What if the reorder decision arrives before the product is proven?",{"id":39,"answer":40,"question":41},"global-lead-times-and-shipping-costs-for-amazon-restock-faq-5","Yes. Freight space tightens, prices rise, and check-in slows across the network. Move every trigger earlier for orders that need to land between October and December, and book freight before the rush rather than during it.","Does the fourth quarter change the math?",{},"B13","C06","Flapen cover for Global lead times and shipping costs for Amazon restock: a Flapen operator planning a launch budget with a printed timeline and a calculator","global lead times and shipping costs for amazon restock","B7","tutorial",0,null,"'\u002Famazon-consulting':777C '\u002Famazon-fba-launch':606C '\u002Fblog\u002Fbudget-allocation-model-for-the-first-90-days':758C '\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-manage-amazon-prep-and-compliance-from-asia':741C '\u002Fblog\u002Froadmaps-and-capital':767C '\u002Fblog\u002Fweek-by-week-fba-growth-checklist':749C '\u002Fblog\u002Fwhat-to-use-for-china-to-amazon-warehouse-logistics':731C '\u002Fguides\u002Faccount-setup':786C '\u002Ftools\u002Flaunch-cost-calculator':791C '000':219C,222C '1':211C,351C '10':221C '2':378C '200':215C '23':560C '3':427C '4':463C 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'you':151C,371C,448C,624C,698C 'your':34B,41C,77C,173C,252C,527C,782C,788C","2026-09-04T16:27:39.083601+00:00","2026-09-04T16:37:17.613627+00:00",[55,59,63],{"slug":56,"title":57,"published_at":58},"roadmaps-and-capital","Amazon seller roadmaps and capital: the complete guide","2026-09-04T16:28:51.798+00:00",{"slug":60,"title":61,"published_at":62},"which-products-work-well-for-global-shipping","Which products work well for global shipping","2026-09-04T11:04:51.798+00:00",{"slug":64,"title":65,"published_at":66},"what-to-use-for-china-to-amazon-warehouse-logistics","What to use for China to Amazon warehouse logistics","2026-09-04T11:03:51.798+00:00",[],[69,73,77],{"slug":70,"title":71,"published_at":72},"brand-tiers","Amazon brand management tiers: the complete guide","2026-09-04T16:33:51.798+00:00",{"slug":74,"title":75,"published_at":76},"geography-and-marketplaces","Amazon marketplaces by geography: the complete 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