Amazon FBA sourcing from China works when you pick a product with enough margin to absorb freight, duties and Amazon fees, choose a verified supplier, and get compliance and FBA prep right before goods leave China. For European sellers, the most common failures in 2026 are not about price but about missing product documentation, unclear importer responsibilities and underestimated fees. This guide walks through the process from product idea to units checked in at an Amazon fulfilment centre.
Key takeaways
- Target a landed cost of no more than about 25-30% of your selling price to leave room for Amazon referral fees, FBA fees, advertising and returns.
- Amazon EU requires product compliance evidence, an EU responsible person for many products under the GPSR, and EPR registrations such as packaging in France and Germany.
- FBA labelling, barcodes and carton rules should be in your purchase agreement so the factory prepares goods correctly.
- Sea freight to Northern Europe typically takes 30-45 days port to port; rail around 18-25 days; air around 5-10 days.
- Amazon's 2026 peak-season fees in the UK and Germany run from 15 October 2026 to 14 January 2027, and storage costs nearly double in that period.
How to choose a product to source for FBA
Good FBA products from China usually share a few traits:
- Small and light, to stay in lower FBA size tiers
- Selling price roughly €20-€60, enough to absorb fees
- Not heavily regulated (avoid batteries, children's products, cosmetics and food-contact items for a first launch unless you are prepared for testing)
- Room for differentiation through design, bundles or packaging, ideally as a private label product
- Steady demand rather than one short seasonal peak
How to find and vet suppliers for Amazon
- Build a long list of 10-20 suppliers on Alibaba, Made-in-China, a supplier database or at the Canton Fair.
- Send an identical RFQ with your spec, target quantity, packaging and Incoterm (FOB is a sensible default).
- Verify the top five: business licence, export experience, test reports and a live video call. Our supplier verification guide lists the checks.
- Order samples from two or three finalists and test them like a customer, including packaging drop tests.
- Ask whether the supplier already sells to Amazon sellers. Experienced suppliers understand FNSKU labels and carton limits.
- Negotiate price and MOQ with a clear forecast; factories are more flexible when they see a credible reorder plan.
What compliance does Amazon EU require?
Amazon increasingly blocks or removes listings without proper documentation. Typical requirements include:
| Requirement | What it means | Applies to |
|---|
| CE marking and Declaration of Conformity | Product meets relevant EU directives or regulations | Electronics, toys, machinery, PPE and more |
| Test reports | Lab evidence, ideally from recognised labs | Most regulated categories |
| EU responsible person (GPSR) | EU-based economic operator named on product or packaging | Most consumer products sold in the EU |
| Packaging EPR | Registration and reporting for packaging placed on the market | France, Germany and other countries |
| WEEE and battery EPR | Registration for electrical items and batteries | Electrical and battery products |
| Labelling | Manufacturer details, warnings, language requirements | Product-specific |
Start with our CE marking and EU product compliance guide and verify requirements with a compliance specialist for regulated categories.
How to prepare goods for FBA in China
Put Amazon's prep rules in your purchase agreement so the factory handles them before shipping:
- FNSKU labels on each unit (or use manufacturer barcodes if eligible)
- Polybags with suffocation warnings where required
- Carton labels generated from your shipment plan
- Carton weight and size limits: Amazon EU sets maximum carton weights (commonly 15 kg for standard cartons in Europe, with exceptions) and maximum dimensions; check the current Seller Central rules for your marketplace
- Units per carton consistent across the shipment
A pre-shipment inspection should check FBA labelling as well as product quality. A wrong barcode can turn a good shipment into a costly relabelling job in Europe.
Shipping from China to Amazon fulfilment centres
| Mode | Typical transit (China to Northern Europe) | Best for |
|---|
| Sea FCL | About 30-45 days port to port | Larger volumes, lowest unit cost |
| Sea LCL | About 35-55 days including consolidation | Smaller first orders |
| Rail | About 18-25 days | Mid-speed, mid-cost |
| Air | About 5-10 days door to door | Urgent restocks, light goods |
Amazon does not act as importer of record. You, or a service provider acting for you, must clear customs in the EU, pay duties and import VAT, and deliver to the fulfilment centre on an appointment. Many sellers ship to a prep or 3PL warehouse first, then replenish FBA in smaller batches to control storage fees. Many sellers use air for a first small batch to start sales quickly, then switch to sea or rail for replenishment.
What does an FBA unit really cost?
Example for a product selling at €29.99 on Amazon.fr (all figures illustrative):
| Cost item | Per unit |
|---|
| Factory price (FOB) | €4.50 |
| Sea freight, insurance and EU delivery | €0.90 |
| Import duty (example 4% of customs value) | €0.20 |
| Inspection and samples (amortised) | €0.15 |
| Landed cost | €5.75 |
| Amazon referral fee (about 15%) | €4.50 |
| FBA fulfilment fee | about €3.50-€4.50 |
| Advertising (example 10%) | €3.00 |
| Returns and storage allowance | €1.00 |
| Margin before VAT and overheads | about €6-€7 |
Remember that the selling price includes VAT (20% in France), which you remit. Build your own model with our landed cost guide.
If you also sell in the US, budget for higher duties. Since the US Supreme Court struck down IEEPA tariffs in February 2026, most Chinese goods face existing Section 301 duties (7.5% or 25% by list) plus a 12.5% Section 301 duty in force since 24 July 2026, on top of normal MFN rates. US de minimis treatment remains suspended. Read China plus one and tariffs in 2026 for the full picture.
Common mistakes first-time FBA importers make
A short list of avoidable errors accounts for most failed first launches:
- Ordering without a sample of the final branded product, then discovering packaging or colour issues on arrival.
- Forgetting import VAT and duties in the margin model, or calculating duty on the wrong HS code.
- Choosing a product just below a size tier, so a slightly larger carton or polybag pushes it into a more expensive FBA fee band.
- Ignoring EU responsible person and EPR requirements, which can block listings on Amazon.fr and Amazon.de.
- Shipping everything to Amazon at once, then paying high storage fees in peak season or hitting inventory limits.
- Skipping inspection because the samples were good. Production batches can differ from samples.
A simple pre-launch checklist that covers compliance, FBA prep, inspection and a cash-flow plan removes most of these risks.
How Cina helps
Cina's supplier directory helps you build an FBA supplier shortlist from more than 41,000 Chinese suppliers. The sourcing, logistics and Incoterms guides cover verification, freight choices and documents, and the templates include specification and inspection checklists you can adapt for FBA labelling. To move goods, compare providers in the freight forwarders directory or consolidate stock through warehouses in China. See the Cina resources page for details.
Conclusion
Successful Amazon FBA sourcing from China in 2026 depends on margin discipline, verified suppliers and compliance prepared before production, not after. Put FBA prep in your contract, inspect before paying the balance, and plan shipments around peak-season fees. Get these basics right and China remains a highly competitive source for EU Amazon sellers.
