Guides
China fulfillment, explained honestly
Working guides to the China leg for merchants who keep their own suppliers, the developers who integrate them, and the AI agents that increasingly run the stores. No day-count promises, no savings percentages, no invented customer counts — mechanisms, published defaults, and a way to verify each claim.
Start from your question
Which guide answers what
| If you are asking | Read |
|---|---|
| “How do I fulfill orders from China at all?” | How to fulfill orders from China |
| “Which vendor should I pick, and how do I check their claims?” | How to choose a China fulfillment partner |
| “What will this actually cost me?” | What China fulfillment actually costs |
| “Should I stock this SKU or keep forwarding it?” | Supplier forwarding vs stocked fulfillment |
| “Can four suppliers’ parcels ship as one box?” | How to consolidate parcels from multiple China suppliers |
| “How does this connect to my WooCommerce store?” | Fulfill WooCommerce orders from your own China suppliers |
| “How does multi-carrier shipping from China actually pick the carrier?” | Multi-carrier shipping from China |
| “Why am I quoted 8–12 days instead of 5?” | Why an honest shipping promise is a range |
| “What does a production API integration need?” | Integrating a China fulfillment API |
| “What is MCP for logistics?” | What is MCP for logistics? |
| “Agent, 3PL or coordination layer — what am I even buying?” | Coordination layer vs agent vs inventory 3PL |
| “Who preps my FBA units now that Amazon stopped?” | FBA prep from China after the 2026 policy change |
| “Who runs FNSKU labeling and polybagging at the China leg?” | FBA prep in China |
| “Can you ship batteries, cosmetics or liquids?” | Batteries, cosmetics and liquids from China |
| “How is this different from CJ Dropshipping, HyperSKU or Zendrop?” | Alternatives: dropshipping platforms compared |
All guides
The full set
Start hereHow to fulfill orders from ChinaThe three models, the six steps every order goes through, and what changes for the EU, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.Choosing a partnerHow to choose a China fulfillment partnerAn 8-point evaluation framework — goods ownership, procurement money, quote transparency, cargo classification — with a way to verify each point on any vendor.CostsWhat China fulfillment actually costsThe six layers of a fulfillment bill, which figures are published defaults and which are account-scoped, and the fees a clean structure should not contain.ShopifyFulfill Shopify orders from your own China suppliersAssigned fulfillment orders, per-line routing, the scopes the app asks for, and tracking pushed back to Shopify.WooCommerceFulfill WooCommerce orders from your own China suppliersThe end-to-end workflow: connect the store, route per line, buy from your supplier, approve the packed quote.Fulfillment modelsSupplier-direct forwarding vs stocked fulfillmentA per-SKU decision framework — with the promotion path from zero-commitment forwarding to selective stocking.ConsolidationHow to consolidate parcels from multiple China suppliersFour suppliers, one shipment: receiving with evidence, choosing what travels together, one measured quote.RoutingMulti-carrier shipping from ChinaThe three-layer routing decision — compliance gate, transit band, in-band cost — why it fails closed instead of guessing, and the per-parcel decision record.Transit bandsWhy an honest shipping promise is a rangeTransit bands over day-counts: banding by the upper bound, promises frozen on the parcel, empty bands never offered, slipping channels demoted.DevelopersIntegrating a China fulfillment API: idempotency, webhooks, reconciliationThe five properties a production integration needs, with Merchant API V1 as the worked example.MCPWhat is MCP for logistics?Agent-native shipping defined: logistics operations as typed, verifiable tools AI agents can call.ComparisonCoordination layer vs dropshipping agent vs inventory 3PLThree business models that get conflated, and what each one asks you to give up.Amazon FBAFBA prep from China after the 2026 policy changeFNSKU, polybag and palletize requirements — declared explicitly, never added silently.中文中国仓集运、寄存代发和海外仓的区别三种履约模式的现金占用、时效结构与风险点，以及为什么可以按 SKU 混用。