What Are Amazon Fulfillment Centers and How Do They Work?
Fulfillment Centers Amazon operates are the backbone of its FBA program, enabling sellers to store, pack, and ship products with ease. These massive warehouses are designed to streamline logistics, ensuring customers get their orders quickly, often in two days or less, thanks to Amazon Prime. But what exactly happens inside these centers, and how can they transform your business?
Role in FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon)
FBA allows third-party sellers to store their inventory in Amazon Fulfillment Centers. Once a customer places an order, Amazon handles the picking, packing, shipping, and even customer service. This hands-off approach frees sellers from the logistical headaches of managing warehouses or coordinating deliveries. Plus, FBA products often qualify for Prime shipping, giving you a competitive edge in visibility and sales.
How Inventory Moves Through These Centers
The process is seamless but intricate. When you send your products to an Amazon Fulfillment Center, they’re scanned, sorted, and stored in highly organized shelves or bins. Amazon’s advanced robotics and algorithms manage inventory placement to optimize picking efficiency. When an order comes in, the system identifies the nearest fulfillment center with your product, retrieves it, and ships it to the customer. Returns? Amazon handles those too, ensuring a smooth experience for both you and your buyers. By leveraging Amazon Fulfillment Centers, you tap into a logistics powerhouse that scales with your business.
How Many Amazon Fulfillment Centers Are There in the US?
Curious about how many Amazon Fulfillment Centers there are? As of 2025, Amazon operates over 100 active fulfillment centers across the United States, with numbers constantly evolving due to the company’s aggressive expansion. These facilities vary in size and specialization, from massive, sortable centers handling a wide range of products to smaller, specialized hubs for items like books or apparel.
Latest Statistics and Numbers
According to recent data, Amazon’s US network includes approximately 110 major fulfillment centers, with additional smaller facilities like delivery stations and sortation centers pushing the total footprint higher. These numbers don’t include temporary or seasonal pop-up centers that Amazon activates during peak periods like the holiday season. The company’s growth is relentless—new centers are announced regularly to meet rising demand and support faster delivery promises.
Constant Expansion and Future Trends
Amazon’s expansion strategy is driven by its goal to deliver faster and reach more customers. The company is investing heavily in automation, robotics, and even drone delivery to enhance efficiency. For sellers, this means more opportunities to store inventory closer to customers but also increased competition to optimize your FBA strategy. Staying informed about new center openings can give you a strategic advantage in inventory placement.
List of Amazon Fulfillment Centers by State
The list of Amazon Fulfillment Centers spans nearly every corner of the US, strategically placed to minimize shipping times. Here’s a breakdown of key locations by region to give you a sense of Amazon’s sprawling network.
Key Locations in Major Regions
East Coast: States like Pennsylvania (e.g., PHL1 in Allentown), New Jersey (e.g., EWR4 in Robbinsville), and Virginia (e.g., RIC1 in Richmond) host major centers due to their proximity to dense population hubs like New York and Washington, D.C.
Midwest: Illinois (e.g., MDW2 in Joliet), Ohio (e.g., CMH1 in Etna), and Michigan (e.g., DET2 in Romulus) are home to large facilities, capitalizing on central US logistics hubs.
West Coast: California dominates with centers like ONT8 in Moreno Valley and SCK1 in Stockton, while Texas (e.g., DFW7 in Fort Worth) and Nevada (e.g., LAS1 in North Las Vegas) support fast delivery to the Southwest.
Southeast: Florida (e.g., MIA1 in Miami) and Georgia (e.g., ATL6 in Lithia Springs) serve growing markets in the South.
Strategic Placement for Faster Delivery
Amazon’s placement strategy is no accident. Centers are located near major highways, airports, and urban areas to ensure quick delivery. For example, placing inventory in a California center like ONT8 can speed up shipping to West Coast customers, while a Pennsylvania center like PHL1 targets the Northeast. For FBA sellers, understanding this list of Amazon Fulfillment Centers helps you distribute inventory to minimize shipping costs and delivery times.
Where Are Amazon Fulfillment Centers Located?
Wondering where are Amazon Fulfillment Centers are? Their locations are carefully chosen to cover every region of the US, ensuring no customer is too far from a warehouse.
Map and Regional Breakdown
Amazon’s network spans over 40 states, with clusters in high-demand areas. California and Texas lead with the most centers, each hosting over a dozen facilities. Other key states include Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, which serve as central hubs for cross-country distribution. Smaller states like Delaware and Kansas also have centers to support regional logistics. You can find detailed maps on Amazon’s seller resources or third-party tools like SellerApp, which track center locations and codes (e.g., JFK8, LAX5).
Why Location Matters for FBA Sellers
Location directly impacts shipping speed and costs. Storing inventory closer to your target customers reduces transit times, which can boost your product’s ranking on Amazon’s algorithm (faster delivery = happier customers). For example, if your primary market is the Northeast, prioritizing centers like EWR4 in New Jersey can cut delivery times significantly. Conversely, spreading inventory across multiple regions ensures resilience against regional disruptions like weather or demand spikes.
Cost Breakdown of Using US-Based Amazon Fulfillment Centers
Using Amazon Fulfillment Centers comes with costs, but understanding them is crucial for profitability. Let’s break down the key fees and how they affect your bottom line.
Storage Fees (Monthly/Long-Term)
Amazon charges monthly storage fees based on the volume of your inventory (measured in cubic feet). As of 2025, standard storage fees are approximately $0.87 per cubic foot from January to September and $2.40 per cubic foot during peak season (October to December). Long-term storage fees apply to items stored for over 365 days, costing $6.90 per cubic foot or a minimum of $0.15 per unit. To avoid these, regularly audit your inventory and remove slow-moving stock.
Fulfillment Fees Per Unit
Fulfillment fees cover picking, packing, and shipping. These vary by product size and weight:
- Small Standard-Size: $3.22 for items under 16 oz.
- Large Standard-Size: $5.68 for items up to 3 lbs.
- Oversize Items: $8.66 plus $0.38/lb above the first pound.
These fees include Prime shipping eligibility, so factor them into your pricing strategy to maintain margins.
Additional Charges (Labeling, Prep, Removal Orders)
Optional services like labeling ($0.55 per unit) or prep (e.g., polybagging, $0.50–$1.50 per unit) add up if you don’t prepare products yourself. Removal orders, where Amazon returns or disposes of unsold inventory, cost $0.60–$1.00 per unit. Plan your inventory carefully to minimize these extras, and consider using Amazon’s FBA Prep Service only when time or resources are limited.
Tips for Choosing the Right Amazon Fulfillment Center Strategy
Optimizing your use of Amazon Fulfillment Centers can save you money and boost efficiency. Here are practical tips to refine your FBA strategy.
Distributing Inventory Across Multiple Centers
Amazon’s Inventory Placement Service lets you send all inventory to one center for a fee ($0.30–$1.30 per unit), but splitting inventory across multiple centers is often smarter. Use Amazon’s “Distributed Inventory Placement” option to let the algorithm assign stock to centers closest to your customers. This reduces shipping zones, cutting costs and speeding up delivery. For example, a seller targeting both coasts might store 50% of its inventory in California (e.g., ONT8) and 50% in Pennsylvania (e.g., PHL1).
How to Reduce Shipping and Handling Costs
- Bundle Products: Combine small items into sets to reduce per-unit fulfillment fees.
- Optimize Packaging: Use minimal packaging to stay within lower size tiers (e.g., small standard-size vs. large).
- Negotiate Supplier Terms: Work with suppliers to prep products to Amazon’s standards, avoiding extra prep fees.
- Use FBA Calculator: Amazon’s FBA Revenue Calculator helps you estimate fees and choose profitable products.
Planning for Seasonal Demand and Restocking
Peak seasons like Q4 (October–December) see higher sales and storage fees. Stock up early to avoid stockouts, but don’t overstock—high storage fees can eat into profits. Use Amazon’s Restock Inventory Tool to predict demand based on historical sales. For example, if you sell holiday decorations, send inventory to centers like MDW2 in Illinois by early September to ensure availability without incurring peak-season storage costs.
Tools to Track Inventory in Amazon Fulfillment Centers
Managing inventory across Amazon Fulfillment Centers requires precision. Thankfully, tools can simplify this process.
Amazon Seller Central Dashboard
Seller Central is your command center. The Inventory Dashboard shows real-time stock levels, sales velocity, and restock alerts. Use the “FBA Inventory” tab to monitor which centers hold
your products and identify stranded inventory (products not listed due to errors). Regularly check the “Restock Inventory” tool to avoid stockouts, especially during high-demand periods.
Third-Party FBA Inventory Management Tools
Tools like Jungle Scout, Helium 10, and Sellerboard offer advanced analytics beyond Seller Central. Jungle Scout’s Inventory Manager predicts restock needs based on sales trends, while Helium 10’s Alerts flag low stock or listing issues. Sellerboard provides profitability breakdowns per product, helping you decide which items to prioritize in specific centers. These tools integrate with Amazon’s API for seamless tracking.
Real-Time Alerts for Low Stock or Stranded Inventory
Set up notifications in Seller Central or third-party tools to alert you when stock dips below a threshold (e.g., 30 days of supply). For stranded inventory, tools like Helium 10’s Inventory Protector can identify and fix listing errors quickly. Pro tip: Schedule weekly inventory audits to catch issues before they impact sales.
Final Thoughts: Mastering the Amazon Fulfillment Network for U.S. Success
Navigating Amazon Fulfillment Centers is a game-changer for FBA sellers. With over 100 centers strategically placed across the US, Amazon’s network offers unmatched reach and speed. By understanding where Amazon Fulfillment Centers are, their costs, and how to optimize your strategy, you can minimize expenses and maximize customer satisfaction. Distribute inventory wisely, leverage tools like Seller Central and Jungle Scout, and plan for seasonal demand to stay ahead. At Dragon Dealz, we believe staying informed and proactive is the key to thriving in eCommerce. Keep tweaking your approach, and you’ll turn Amazon’s logistics machine into your competitive advantage.
FAQs:
Fulfillment Centers
Amazon Fulfillment Centers are large warehouses where sellers using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) store their inventory. Amazon takes care of the picking, packing, shipping, and customer service for these products, allowing sellers to focus on growing their business.
As of 2025, Amazon operates over 100 major fulfillment centers across the United States, along with many smaller facilities like delivery stations that support its vast logistics network.
Amazon Fulfillment Centers are spread across more than 40 states. Key hubs include California, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. These locations are strategically selected for their proximity to customers and major transportation routes.
To lower FBA costs, sellers can optimize packaging, distribute inventory smartly across multiple centers, use Amazon’s FBA Calculator for planning, and negotiate with suppliers for product prep to avoid extra fees.
Fulfillment center location directly impacts shipping speed and cost. Strategically placed centers help reduce delivery times, lower shipping expenses, and improve customer satisfaction, ultimately enhancing your product’s performance on Amazon.
Amazon Seller Central includes basic inventory management tools. For more advanced features, third-party platforms like Jungle Scout, Helium 10, and Sellerboard offer inventory analytics, demand forecasting, and low-stock alerts.
Use Amazon’s Restock Inventory Tool to forecast seasonal trends. Prepare early for peak periods (e.g., Q4 holidays), ensure adequate stock, and monitor your inventory levels to prevent stockouts or incurring high storage fees.
