The Amazons of the world are all discrete – free shipping from Amazon.com does not mean free shipping from Amazon.co.uk, a gift card for Amazon.fr does not work for Amazon.de, and being FBA on Amazon.in means nothing on Amazon.co.jp. That last concern is about to change, however, at least for those living in Canada, the U.S., or Mexico.
Products that are Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) enjoy many perks, and thanks to Amazon’s North America Remote Fulfillment program (NARF), individuals in Mexico and Canada can enjoy Amazon.com’s FBA perks. This U.S.-based inventory expander lets sellers on Amazon.com display FBA products on Amazon.ca (Canada) and Amazon.com.mx (Mexico). This is not only a big move for sellers, it’s also a fantastic opportunity for buyers, as (aside from import duties) the products are available at the US price. This means that US-based inventory is used to meet all North American international orders.
NARF is certainly not nothing, since it provides two more markets available for FBA sales, all without having to ship goods directly to our neighbors in the north and south. NARF manages to accomplish this via a global SKU, which creates a fluid inventory count across all three marketplaces. Simple, effective, and efficient, NARF provides the opportunity to test new markets without making large initial investments. NARF also lets you save on inventory costs instead of looking for some solution to international shipping.
The Amazons of the world are not going to unite – but for North America, the opportunity has arisen for FBA to reach more than just the USA.