For Amazon FBA sellers, first-leg logistics is one of the most granular cost management areas. First-leg refers to the journey from your Chinese supplier or freight warehouse to the Amazon warehouse — it often accounts for 30%-50% of total logistics costs. Choosing the right first-leg method protects your margin while ensuring inventory availability.
Sea freight consolidation (LCL) is the top choice for most Amazon sellers. Consolidation suits中小卖家 with shipments of 2-10 cubic meters: several shippers share one container, splitting ocean freight and destination port charges, with costs as low as RMB 3-5/kg and transit of 18-25 days to the US. Full Container Load (FCL) suits sellers shipping over 15 cubic meters per order — lower cost but requires stable volume. Air direct is for emergency restocking or market testing. Air freight is typically 5-8x sea freight but with 7-10 day transit to the US, and high capital turnover efficiency. During peak seasons when stockout risk is high, air freight is the last line of defense for maintaining BSR rankings.
How to choose based on restocking cycles? Standard products with 3+ month cycles should go by sea; products within 1-2 months should use air or overseas warehouses. Also, FBA Liquidation is a useful tool to recover costs from excess inventory. Shaoxing Chungde Trading helps clients handle first-leg logistics end-to-end: factory pickup, sea/air booking, destination port customs clearance to Amazon warehouse, full tracking, no hidden fees.