Yes, you can keep using Amazon’s logistics after you open your own store. The Amazon MCF Shopify connection lets Amazon’s Multi-Channel Fulfillment pick, pack and ship orders placed on your Shopify store from inventory already sitting in Amazon fulfillment centers.
Amazon offers a free Shopify app for it, and fees are pay-as-you-go. What you do not get is Amazon’s customer service: Amazon’s own FAQ puts customer service, refunds and returns handling on you. Packaging is unbranded by default, within size and weight limits.
For an Amazon seller adding a store, this can remove the hardest part of launch, which is building a fulfillment operation from nothing. It also ties the new store’s deliveries to your Amazon relationship, which is worth weighing before you rely on it.
Last checked: September 24, 2026. Every Amazon and Shopify statement below was read on its official page on that date. Fees, surcharges and supported countries change, so confirm them on the current pages before you commit.
How the Amazon MCF Shopify connection works
Multi-Channel Fulfillment, usually shortened to MCF, is Amazon’s service for fulfilling orders that were not placed on Amazon. Amazon’s MCF page describes it as serving “orders placed on any third-party channel: DTC sites, other marketplaces, and social platforms.”
The connection to Shopify rests on three facts from Amazon’s and Shopify’s own pages:
- One pool of stock. Amazon’s Shopify integration page says “MCF uses a single pool of inventory across Amazon and Shopify, and you control which products are fulfilled through Amazon.” The same units can fill an Amazon order through FBA or a Shopify order through MCF.
- Selling on Amazon is not required, but an account is. Amazon’s MCF FAQ says: “MCF is open to all businesses, whether or not you sell on Amazon.” Shopify’s help page lists having “an Amazon Seller Central account” among the requirements.
- An app made by Amazon connects them. Amazon’s integration page calls it a “free Shopify app.” Shopify’s help page on Multi-Channel Fulfillment by Amazon (checked on 2026-09-24) describes storing inventory in Amazon fulfillment centers and having Amazon “pick, pack, and ship your Shopify orders,” and notes that “Multi-Channel Fulfillment is pay-as-you-go.”
Amazon is also building the connection from its own side. In a recent announcement on its About Amazon news site (read on September 24, 2026), Amazon described Seller Central tools that let a seller select a Shopify order, fulfill it through Amazon, and have tracking updates flow back to Shopify automatically. Amazon says those tools will roll out gradually to US sellers over the coming months.
One discrepancy to check before you start: Shopify’s help page lists “You fulfill orders in the United States” and “You sell to customers with US addresses” as requirements for this app, and points to a different app for other countries.
Amazon’s integration page says the app “supports US, UK, CA, DE, FR, IT, ES, JP, IN.” If you sell outside the US, confirm on both current pages which app covers your market.
Setting it up, in order
The details sit in the app and in Shopify’s help page, but the sequence is short:
- Have the account in place. An Amazon Seller Central account with inventory in Amazon fulfillment centers.
- Install Amazon’s app from the Shopify App Store and connect it to that account.
- Choose which products Amazon fulfills. Amazon’s page confirms you control which products go through MCF. Products you pack yourself stay with you.
- Assign inventory to the app’s location. Shopify’s help page says you can “manually assign the inventory to the app’s location.” Products without that assignment stay with your store’s own location, and sellers who used an earlier FBA setup may need to update inventory by hand.
- Match shipping speeds to your rates. Amazon’s MCF page lists a Standard speed that delivers “in 3 business days” and an Expedited speed that delivers “in 2 business days.” Whatever delivery promise your Shopify shipping rates make should match the speed you select.
- Place a test order and follow it through to tracking before real customers arrive.
What it costs: how the fees are built
The cost arrives mostly per order, with storage billed monthly on top, and each part has its own rule. At the time of writing (September 2026), Amazon’s MCF pricing page says:
- Fulfillment fees: “Fulfillment fees are based on product size, shipping weight, units per order, and delivery speed.”
- Storage: “Amazon charges monthly inventory storage fees for the space that your inventory occupies in fulfillment centers.”
- Fuel surcharge: “A 3.5% fuel and logistics-related surcharge applies to MCF fulfillment fees in the US.”
- Holiday peak: holiday peak fulfillment fees apply from October 15, 2026 to January 14, 2027, with the 3.5% surcharge applied on top.
- Remote areas: orders shipped outside the 48 contiguous states and Washington D.C. carry a surcharge of “100% for standard-sized items and 200% for oversized items.”
Amazon’s MCF FAQ adds one more: blocking Amazon Logistics as a carrier normally carries “a 5% surcharge,” which Amazon says it is waiving “until January 14, 2027.”
This article does not quote per-unit figures, because they depend on your products and change with Amazon’s rate card. Amazon’s pricing page links to a calculator for your actual items. The useful comparison is your current cost to ship one order yourself, including packaging and your time, against the MCF total for the same order.
The app itself is free to install, but as with many “free” apps, the charges arrive elsewhere. How Shopify app charges actually work covers why the Shopify bill alone understates what a store costs, and Amazon’s charges for MCF are a separate line again. Your existing FBA costs are covered in Amazon’s seller fees explained.
The trade-offs that come with the convenience
This is where MCF differs most from running your own fulfillment, and where the trade-offs are easiest to overlook.
You handle customer service. Amazon’s MCF FAQ (checked on 2026-09-24) says: “It’s your responsibility to provide customer service for your MCF orders. This includes handling delivery inquiries and requests for replacements, refunds, and returns.” Amazon moves the box. The conversation with the customer is yours.
Refunds and returns run through Amazon’s process. Amazon’s guide to MCF returns (published January 16, 2024, read September 24, 2026) says: “You are responsible for handling customer refunds for MCF orders, because order placement and payment occurred outside of Amazon.” The guide describes creating a return authorization in Seller Central, with a mailing label and an authorization slip. Units that meet Amazon’s standards go back into your inventory. Unsellable units have to be removed through Amazon’s removal process. The current FAQ adds that returns can go to an Amazon fulfillment center or to your own warehouse.
Packaging is plain, within limits. Amazon’s MCF page says orders are packed “with unbranded packaging by default.” The FAQ sets the limit: the unbranded packaging feature “does not support items that exceed 56 inches for the longest side or are heavier than 49.9 lb.” There is also an “Only ship with blank boxes” option. Amazon’s pages describe unbranded packaging, not your own branded packaging, so if the unboxing is part of what you sell, MCF will not reproduce it.
Your store’s deliveries depend on your Amazon account. Fulfillment and inventory sit inside your Seller Central account. That is efficient while everything is in good standing. It is also a concentration of risk, and a question worth putting to yourself plainly: what happens to your store’s orders if your Amazon account has a problem? Scoring your marketplace dependency risk is a structured way to answer it.
When MCF fits, and when it does not
| MCF tends to fit when | MCF tends to fit poorly when |
|---|---|
| Stock is already in FBA | Nothing is in FBA yet and you would be starting from scratch |
| Products are small and light | Items exceed the unbranded packaging size or weight limits |
| Fast, reliable delivery matters more than presentation | Branded packaging or inserts are part of the product |
| You can answer customer questions and process refunds yourself | You wanted fulfillment to include customer service |
| Store volume is modest and uneven | You are trying to reduce dependence on Amazon |
None of these settles it alone. A seller with small products in FBA and a new store with uneven early volume has a strong case for MCF during the first months. A seller whose reason for opening a store is to depend less on Amazon has a reason to keep at least one fulfillment path outside it, even if MCF handles most orders.
FAQ
Do I need to sell on Amazon to use Amazon MCF with Shopify?
No. Amazon’s MCF FAQ says MCF is open to all businesses whether or not they sell on Amazon. Shopify’s help page does list an Amazon Seller Central account as a requirement for the app.
Will my Shopify orders arrive in Amazon boxes?
Amazon says MCF orders are packed in unbranded packaging by default. Its FAQ notes that the unbranded feature does not support items longer than 56 inches on the longest side or heavier than 49.9 lb, and it offers an “Only ship with blank boxes” option.
Who handles returns and refunds for MCF orders?
You do. Amazon’s FAQ says customer service, including replacements, refunds and returns, is your responsibility. Amazon’s returns guide describes creating a return authorization in Seller Central, after which sellable units are restocked into your inventory.
Is the Amazon MCF app for Shopify free?
Amazon describes it as a free Shopify app. Fulfillment itself is pay-as-you-go, with fees based on product size, shipping weight, units per order and delivery speed, plus storage and any surcharges listed on Amazon’s pricing page.
Can MCF also fulfill Walmart Marketplace orders?
Amazon’s MCF FAQ says yes, provided you select unbranded boxes and block Amazon Logistics as a carrier. Check Walmart’s own current seller policy as well before relying on it.