DF

In the Direct Fulfilment model, also known as Dropship, Amazon acts as the seller on the marketplace but relies on the vendor to handle storage, packaging, and shipping of orders directly to the end customer.

This is different from the standard Amazon Retail (1P) model where vendors send stock to Amazon Fulfilment Centers (FCs), and Amazon handles order fulfilment.

Key features of DF:

• Amazon sends orders in real time to the vendor when customers purchase
• Vendors must ship quickly (usually same or next business day)
• Requires EDI or API integration for order flow and tracking
• Amazon provides the shipping label (at its own cost) to maintain control over delivery

Benefits for vendors:

• No need to send bulk inventory to Amazon FCs
• Test new products or expand selection with minimal upfront logistics
• Gain exposure via Amazon while keeping inventory in-house

Challenges:

• High operational standards (speed, accuracy, packaging)
• Strict chargebacks and penalties for non-compliance
• Limited visibility into Amazon's customer communications

💡 Example: A furniture brand uses Direct Fulfilment to list bulky items on Amazon that are too large for regular FBA fulfilment - shipping them from its own warehouse as orders come in.

In short:
DF (Direct Fulfilment) is a 1P program where vendors ship directly to customers for Amazon orders, allowing flexible inventory control while fulfilling orders on Amazon’s behalf.