Can an Indian company import into the USA without a US entity?

Yes, as a non-resident importer. The Indian company obtains a customs assigned number, appoints a US customs broker, and posts a continuous bond. QShip arranges this with its broker partner. Sales tax and marketplace tax collection are separate questions for your accountant.

How quickly can the warehouse replenish an FBA warehouse?

Prep and dispatch normally happen within two working days of the replenishment request. Transit to the FBA warehouse is one to five days depending on distance, plus the appointment date Amazon gives. Plan on about a week from request to Amazon receiving the stock.

Does the warehouse handle returns from Amazon or customers?

Yes. Removal orders from FBA and customer returns can be delivered to the warehouse, where they are inspected, graded and either restocked, repacked or held for your decision. This avoids Amazon disposing of returned units and gives you a second sale on sellable stock.

What is the minimum inventory to make US warehousing worthwhile?

There is no contractual minimum, but the receiving and monthly fees only make sense at a few pallets and up. A seller moving one container every two or three months, with more than a handful of SKUs, is the typical starting point. Below that, shipping direct to FBA is usually simpler.

Can you ship from the US warehouse to Canada or Mexico?

Yes, as export shipments from the USA with the relevant customs entry at the border. Many sellers use the US warehouse to serve Amazon.ca through the North America Remote Fulfillment programme or by direct replenishment. We quote these movements case by case.

Inventory inside the United States

US Warehousing

US warehousing lets an Indian seller hold stock in a partner warehouse in the United States and replenish Amazon FBA, Walmart WFS and direct customers with domestic shipments. QShip moves the bulk cargo from India by sea, clears it under DDP, and the warehouse stores, preps and forwards it on your instructions.

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Why hold stock in the USA instead of shipping straight to FBA?

Amazon caps how much inventory a seller can send in, and storage fees inside FBA climb steeply for anything sitting more than a few months. A warehouse outside Amazon gives you a buffer: ship a full container from India every couple of months, then feed FBA in small replenishments as sales draw down. The same buffer serves Walmart WFS, Shopify orders and wholesale customers from one stock.

Direct to FBA compared with a US warehouse buffer
	Ship direct to FBA	US warehouse plus replenishment
Inventory limits	Bound by FBA capacity limits	Only the FBA replenishment is limited
Storage cost	FBA monthly and aged-inventory fees	Warehouse rate per pallet, no aged surcharge
Restock speed	Six to eight weeks from India by sea	Two to five days domestic
Channels	Amazon only	Amazon, Walmart, own store, wholesale
Freight cost	Lower, one movement	Higher, adds domestic legs

Where are the warehouses?

QShip works with partner 3PL warehouses near the main ports of entry, so the container is drayed a short distance after clearance. West Coast stock is held in the Los Angeles and Inland Empire area, close to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. East Coast stock is held in New Jersey, close to the port of New York and New Jersey and within one day's trucking of most FBA warehouses in the Northeast.

How does the flow from India to the US warehouse work?

1Ship a container or LCL consignment from India under DDP with the warehouse as delivery address
2QShip clears the cargo through a US customs broker and pays the duty on your behalf
3The container is drayed from the terminal to the warehouse and unloaded within free time
4Cartons are counted, checked against the packing list and put away by SKU
5You raise a replenishment in Seller Central or WFS, and the warehouse preps and ships it
6Stock reports show what is left, and a low-stock alert tells you when to book the next container

What does US warehousing cost?

Charges are in US dollars and follow the 3PL's tariff: receiving per pallet or per carton, storage per pallet per month, pick and pack per order or per carton, and prep per unit for labelling and bagging. Outbound freight to FBA is quoted per shipment as LTL or small parcel. We pass through the tariff with our management fee shown separately, so you can compare it with any other 3PL on the same basis.

As a rough guide, a pallet of consumer goods costs less to store for a month in a partner warehouse than the same goods incur in FBA storage fees once they pass the aged-inventory threshold. Fast-selling SKUs are better placed straight into FBA; slow and seasonal SKUs are better held outside it.

What do I need in place before shipping to a US warehouse?

An importer of record in the USA: your own US entity, or a non-resident importer arrangement we set up with a customs bond
Product compliance for the category: FDA registration for food and cosmetics, CPSC testing for children's products, FCC for electronics
UPC or FNSKU labels on every unit, and carton labels matching the packing list
ISPM 15 pallets and cartons within the marketplace's size and weight limits

How does a US warehousing booking work with QShip?

1
Pick the coast
We look at where your inventory is placed and where it sells, and recommend Los Angeles or New Jersey.
2
Set up the importer of record
Your US entity, or a non-resident importer arrangement with a continuous bond.
3
Ship from India under DDP
Sea or air, cleared by our US broker, delivered to the warehouse.
4
Receive and store
Counted, checked, put away by SKU, with the stock report issued.
5
Replenish and fulfil
FBA and WFS shipments prepped and forwarded; direct orders picked and shipped.

Questions customers ask

Transit times, charges and document requirements on this page were last reviewed on 5 September 2026.