Which freight forwarder should a small seller use?
For most small businesses and Amazon FBA sellers importing from Asia, Ship4wd is the best freight forwarder in 2026. You book ocean or air freight online, lock your rate, add customs clearance in the same checkout, and can even pay for the freight after your cargo arrives. Amazon Global Logistics makes sense if you only sell on Amazon, and Flexport suits brands that have outgrown a single marketplace.
We judged each forwarder on the questions small sellers ask us most. Can you get a price without a sales call? Will someone handle customs so you don’t need a separate broker? Can the forwarder deliver straight to an FBA or AWD warehouse? And does the payment model protect your cash between paying your supplier and selling your stock?
Freight rates move every week, and tariffs on Chinese goods have changed several times since 2025. Treat every price below as a guide and run a live quote before you book.
1. Ship4wd: the freight forwarder built for small importers
Ship4wd is a digital freight forwarder backed by ZIM, one of the world’s large container shipping lines, and it was built for small and midsize businesses in the US and Canada. You quote, book, pay and track on one platform, and a real support team answers around the clock. Kat Chrysostom, founder of BeneFab, says she has emailed the team on a Saturday night and heard back within the hour.
Shipping options and rates
You choose between three modes. Full container load (FCL) gives you a dedicated container and guaranteed space when capacity gets tight. Less than container load (LCL) lets you share a container and pay only for the space your cartons use, which suits a first order or a test with a new supplier. Air freight covers urgent restocks and high value goods.
Ship4wd publishes rough price ranges for the China to US lane. FCL runs about $2,200 to $4,300 per container, LCL about $0.80 to $1.90 per kg, and air about $6.50 to $10 per kg. Ocean shipments take around four to six weeks from factory to warehouse, and air freight takes five to ten days door to door. You can lock your quoted rate for up to 45 days, which protects your landed cost when the market jumps. See current rates and transit times for shipping from China to the US with Ship4wd.
What helps FBA sellers most
Ship4wd delivers to Amazon FBA fulfillment centers and to Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD), coordinating the reference IDs and delivery appointments Amazon requires. Customs clearance plugs into the same booking. Ship4wd works with a licensed customs broker on your CBP entry, and you see and pay estimated customs costs upfront instead of chasing a separate bill later.
Two features stand out for cash strapped sellers. Pay After Arrival lets you defer the freight bill until your goods land, which covers the gap between paying your factory and selling your stock. Pre-shipment inspection checks your goods at the supplier, so you catch a bad batch before Amazon rejects it at the dock. Ship4wd also runs a sourcing service that connects you with verified factories on 1688, so one account can cover the product and the freight.
Limits to know
Ship4wd focuses on routes from China, India and Vietnam into the US and Canada. If you sell into Europe or source from Turkey or Mexico, you will need a second partner for those lanes.
2. Amazon Global Logistics: Amazon’s own forwarder for FBA only sellers
Amazon Global Logistics (AGL) is Amazon acting as your freight forwarder. You book, pay and track inside Seller Central, and Amazon moves your inventory from China or Vietnam straight into FBA fulfillment centers or AWD in the US. AGL offers standard and fast ocean freight, both FCL and LCL, plus air freight out of China. The quoted price covers pickup at origin, export declaration, ocean freight, US customs clearance and delivery to the Amazon warehouse, though import duties and FBA fees come on top.
The convenience is the selling point. Amazon books the FBA delivery appointment for you, so you skip the back and forth that delays so many inbound shipments. New FBA sellers can also get an onboarding discount when they first create an AGL profile.
The trade off is lock in. AGL only delivers into the Amazon network, so it does nothing for your Walmart, Shopify or wholesale stock. Your goods must be FBA ready before they leave the factory, because AGL is a freight service, not a prep service. And since freight shows up as one line in Seller Central, it is easy to stop comparing rates. Run a quote with an independent forwarder every few months to check you are not overpaying.
3. Flexport: freight plus fulfillment for growing multichannel brands
Flexport handles freight forwarding, customs brokerage, insurance and order management, and it bought Shopify Logistics, which added a fulfillment network for direct to consumer orders. That makes Flexport a strong pick if you sell on Shopify and Amazon at the same time and want one partner for the whole chain. Flexport runs a Los Angeles warehouse that FBA sellers can use as their Ship From address, with Amazon prep and direct delivery available for shipments headed to California fulfillment centers.
Flexport fits brands moving steady volume across several channels. For a seller shipping a few pallets a quarter, its platform can feel like more than you need, and you will get more hand holding from a forwarder built around small importers.
4. AMZ Prep: freight with FBA prep under one roof
AMZ Prep pairs freight forwarding with its own prep and fulfillment network, so your cartons land at an AMZ Prep warehouse, get labeled and prepped, and then move on to Amazon check in. That matters more than it did a year ago. From January 1, 2026, Amazon stopped offering FBA prep services and item labeling in US fulfillment centers, so every unit now has to arrive ready.
AMZ Prep suits sellers whose suppliers can’t handle FBA labeling reliably, or who split inventory between FBA and other channels. If your factory already preps to Amazon standards, you are paying for a warehouse step you may not need.
How to choose a freight forwarder as a small business
Start with where your stock needs to go. If every unit ends up in FBA, Amazon Global Logistics or a forwarder that delivers straight to FBA and AWD will both work. If you also sell on Walmart, Shopify or to retailers, pick a forwarder that delivers anywhere you tell it, so you are not running two freight setups.
Next, size your shipments honestly. Under roughly 15 cubic meters, LCL usually beats a full container on price. Once you regularly fill a 20 foot container, FCL gets cheaper per unit and faster at the destination, because nobody has to unpack a shared box before your goods move on.
Then look at your cash. Most sellers pay the factory a deposit, pay the balance before loading, and then pay freight before they have sold a single unit. A forwarder that lets you lock a rate and pay after arrival takes pressure off that gap.
Finally, ask who handles customs. Tariffs on Chinese goods change often, and a wrong HTS code can cost you more than the freight itself. A forwarder that books a licensed customs broker into the same shipment saves you from hiring and managing one on your own.
FAQ
What is the best freight forwarder for Amazon FBA sellers?
Ship4wd is the best fit for most small FBA sellers importing from China, India or Vietnam. It delivers to FBA and AWD, bundles customs clearance into the booking and offers pay after arrival. Amazon Global Logistics is a good alternative if you sell only on Amazon.
How much does it cost to ship from China to the US?
Ship4wd’s current guide puts FCL at about $2,200 to $4,300 per container, LCL at about $0.80 to $1.90 per kg and air freight at about $6.50 to $10 per kg. Duties, tariffs and FBA fees come on top, and rates shift with the market.
How long does shipping from China to Amazon FBA take?
Plan for about four to six weeks by ocean from factory to warehouse, including customs and inland delivery. Air freight takes roughly five to ten days door to door. LCL can run longer than FCL because your cargo is consolidated and unpacked with other shipments.
Do I need a customs broker if I use a freight forwarder?
You need a licensed broker to file your CBP entry, but you don’t have to hire one yourself. Ship4wd and Amazon Global Logistics both include customs clearance in the booking.