Amazon Global Logistics (AGL)
Amazon Global Logistics (AGL) is Amazon's own freight-forwarding service. It moves a seller's inventory by ocean or air from origin (typically China) directly into Amazon FBA fulfilment centres, with Amazon handling customs, drayage and inbound check-in.
Amazon Global Logistics (AGL) is Amazon's own freight-forwarding service. It moves a seller's inventory by ocean or air from origin — predominantly China but expanding from Vietnam, India and parts of Europe — directly into Amazon FBA fulfilment centres, with Amazon handling customs clearance, drayage, and inbound check-in as a single integrated workflow.
AGL is Amazon's attempt to absorb the freight-forwarding step into the FBA value chain. For sellers, the trade-off is simplification at the cost of optionality.
What AGL actually does
End-to-end AGL covers:
- Pickup at origin (factory door or origin warehouse).
- Origin customs export.
- Ocean / air freight to destination port.
- Destination customs clearance.
- Drayage to FBA fulfilment centre.
- Inbound check-in to FBA inventory.
The seller drops off cartons at the factory; Amazon handles every step until units appear as "available" in Seller Central. Compare to traditional freight where the seller juggles forwarder, customs broker, trucker and FBA appointment.
When AGL is the right choice
- First-time importer. AGL removes the broker-finding learning curve.
- Small-volume shipper without leverage to negotiate forwarder rates.
- Predictable routes AGL serves well (China → US, China → EU FBA).
- Pan-EU placement where Amazon's destination optimisation is genuinely useful.
When AGL is the wrong choice
- High-volume, mature operations already getting better forwarder rates than AGL publishes.
- Specialty cargo (hazmat, oversized, temperature-controlled) where a specialist forwarder is required.
- Routes AGL doesn't serve well. Less-trafficked origin/destination pairs often cheaper and faster through specialist forwarders.
- Cash-flow-sensitive sellers — AGL payment terms are typically less flexible than negotiated forwarder terms.
AGL vs traditional freight forwarder
| AGL | Traditional forwarder | |
|---|---|---|
| Quote process | Self-serve, instant | Manual, 1–3 days |
| Pricing transparency | Published rate cards | Negotiated, opaque |
| Customs handling | Bundled | Separate broker engagement |
| FBA appointment | Auto-booked | Manual via Amazon |
| Tracking | Inside Seller Central | Forwarder portal |
| Service edge cases | Limited support | Account manager available |
| Negotiation leverage | None | Rises with volume |
For a seller doing 1–3 containers a month from China to FBA, AGL is often the operational winner. Above ~10 containers a month, a negotiated 3PL forwarder usually beats AGL on landed cost.
Cost implications
AGL pricing tends to be:
- Competitive on ocean LCL (less-than-container-load) — Amazon consolidates well.
- Mid-pack on full containers — specialist forwarders often undercut.
- Higher on customs duty/clearance for complex tariff codes.
- Bundled drayage — no separate trucking line item, which obscures cost comparison.
The single most important pre-decision: request a like-for-like quote from an independent forwarder before committing to AGL on a recurring lane. The savings are real but only visible when benchmarked.
Common mistakes
- Using AGL without benchmarking. Convenience makes the line item invisible — sellers leak 10–25% on freight unaware.
- Assuming AGL handles all customs edge cases. Restricted products, anti-dumping duties, FDA-regulated goods often need a specialist broker.
- Confusing AGL inbound with IPSF. AGL gets the freight to FBA; IPSF is Amazon's additional inbound-placement fee on top of that.
- Locking into AGL for the catalogue. Mix forwarders by lane and cargo type — there is no single best freight partner.