Fulfillment
What is Multi-Channel Fulfillment?
MCF
Using Amazon's fulfillment network to ship orders that came from your other sales channels, drawing on the same stock pool. It means one set of inventory serves every channel, at the cost of packaging and delivery options you do not fully control.
Why it matters in practice
The appeal is simple: most sellers who run both Amazon and their own store end up holding two piles of the same product, and two piles means two chances to run out while the other pile sits full. Multi-channel fulfillment collapses them into one. The trade is control. You are handing your direct customer's delivery experience to a network built for a different storefront, so packaging, carrier choice and speed options are set by the program rather than by you. The comparison to run before switching is not sticker price against a 3PL rate card. It is total landed cost per order, including the storage you stop paying twice for, against how much the direct customer relationship is worth to you. For a brand whose own store is a real channel with its own unboxing, a 3PL usually wins. For a brand whose store is a small share of volume, one pool usually wins.
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