HomeOn December 5, 2025 Amazon announced Global Warehouse Distribution (GWD) at the Cross-Border Summit and confirmed the first GWD site will be in Shenzhen — scheduled to open to sellers in March 2026. This move, together with recent AGL route expansions and AI upgrades in Seller Central, signals a structural shift toward source-side consolidation, lighter product testing, and tighter platform control over cross-border rhythm.
What is GWD and why it matters
GWD moves storage, customs-preparation and cross-border sorting — tasks traditionally performed in overseas warehouses — forward to Shenzhen. Coupled with the expanding FFO (Fulfillment From Origin) model, sellers can ship inventory to Shenzhen and let Amazon allocate inventory to multiple marketplaces, reducing cross-border duplication and split stocking.
- Shorter supply chains and faster inventory turns
- Lower threshold for multi-market product testing
- Reduced duplicate replenishment across stations
Industry pain points GWD targets
High cost to test new products
Rising acquisition and advertising costs have made sellers cautious about stocking large quantities of new SKUs. GWD’s centralized origin handling reduces the financial and inventory exposure of multi-site experimentation.
Multi-site trial barriers
Platforms such as Temu lowered trial costs with full-service models allowing sellers to test markets with very small batches. GWD offers Amazon sellers a comparable path to low-cost market validation.
New rhythm, new tradeoffs
While GWD lowers trial costs and shortens lead times, it also shifts more control to platforms. Sellers may face reduced autonomy in replenishment cadence and production planning. Real-world performance and stability will depend on post-launch data once GWD is live.
Other key announcements from the summit
- AGL expansion: Amazon added Vietnam (Hai Phong & Ho Chi Minh) as AGL origin ports, with plans to expand destinations to Canada, Australia and Middle East markets in 2026.
- Seller Central upgrade: The new Seller Central introduces Agentic AI in the Seller Assistant to analyze sales, recommend actions and (where authorized) execute operational instructions — including FBA inventory optimization and ad management.
Goodship56 perspective — China–US supply chain opportunities
The combined effect of GWD, AGL route growth and AI in seller tools points to a future where origin consolidation and platform orchestration are central to cross-border logistics. For sellers and logistics partners, the practical outcomes will include:
- Lowered cost of market validation and multi-site testing
- More predictable inventory flows and improved turnover
- Greater importance of origin logistics (Shenzhen, Vietnam, etc.) in planning
How Goodship56 can help
As a specialist in China → USA transportation (sea and air), Goodship56 is positioned to help sellers transition smoothly to the new origin-centric workflows:
- Competitive sea & air freight — tailored fast/standard services for origin consolidation.
- Origin consolidation & pre-clearance — packaging, labeling and customs prep ready for origin-first models like GWD.
- US last-mile & FBA support — seamless handoff to FBA, FBM, or hybrid fulfillment strategies.
- Customized pilot plans — help sellers design low-risk, low-volume tests across multiple markets.
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Dec 08 2025
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Address: 216, Building A1, Fuhai Industrial Zone, Fuyong Community, Fuyong Street, Baoan District, Shenzhen, China
