E-commerce sellers importing full containers face a problem traditional importers do not: Amazon fulfillment centers will not receive an ocean container on your schedule. FBA appointments are strict, carton and pallet specs are exacting, and inventory limits can change between the day you ship from Asia and the day your container lands. The fix is a drayage and transload strategy built for marketplace logistics. Here is the playbook South Florida FBA sellers use.
Why you can’t just dray a container to an FC
Amazon FCs generally require floor-loaded or palletized freight booked through their appointment systems, with carton labels and pallet specs to standard. Ocean containers arrive floor-loaded and mixed; delivering one directly means an appointment your carrier may wait hours for, with strict rejection risk. Most sellers instead route containers to a 3PL near the port, prep and palletize, then forward in LTL or FTL shipments matched to open appointments.
The South Florida FBA import flow
Step 1: Dray off the terminal fast
Free time at PortMiami and Port Everglades terminals is short. An asset-based carrier pulls your container within free time and moves it to a secured yard — avoiding demurrage that eats margin on thin-margin SKUs. Track your last free day from the moment the vessel berths.
Step 2: Transload and prep
At the container freight station, the container is devanned, cartons are counted and inspected, and freight is palletized to spec. Damaged cartons get caught here — before Amazon refuses them.
Step 3: Stage and release against appointments
Rather than pushing everything at once, sellers stage inventory and release shipments as capacity limits and appointments allow. Storage at a yard or CFS costs far less than airfreighting replenishment after a stockout — or paying storage surcharges for overstocking.
Step 4: Return the empty clean
Per diem clocks run until the empty is returned. A carrier that manages empty returns aggressively keeps surprise charges off your books.
Costs FBA sellers should model
- Drayage: terminal to yard/CFS, typically a flat local rate.
- Devan and palletization: priced per container or per carton; pallets and wrap extra.
- Storage: daily or weekly, per pallet or per container.
- Forwarding legs: LTL or FTL to FCs — inland Florida FCs are a short, cheap run.
- Avoided costs: demurrage, per diem, FC rejections, and stockout airfreight. These usually dwarf the handling fees.
Get the drayage leg priced instantly with our quote calculator.
Why South Florida is a smart FBA gateway
Miami offers direct services from Asia and Latin America, less congestion than the largest gateways, and a dense cluster of FCs within a day’s drive across Florida. For sellers whose demand skews Southeast — or who source from Latin America — routing through PortMiami with a Miami transload hub often beats trucking inventory across the country from West Coast ports.
What to ask a drayage partner before FBA season
- Can you guarantee pulls within terminal free time during Q4 peak?
- Do you offer transloading, palletizing, and carton inspection at one facility?
- How do I see my containers and released shipments in real time?
- Can you hold inventory and release against my appointment schedule?
Go Drayage runs company trucks, a 5-acre bonded yard, and transloading under one roof in Miami — talk to us before your next container books.
Frequently asked questions
Can you deliver an ocean container directly to an Amazon fulfillment center?
Technically yes with a proper appointment, but most sellers transload instead: FCs receive palletized freight more reliably, appointment windows are strict, and container detention during long FC unloads gets expensive fast.
How long can my FBA inventory stay at your yard?
As long as you need. Sellers commonly stage inventory for weeks and release shipments against Amazon capacity limits. Yard and CFS storage rates are designed for exactly this buffer role.
Do you handle FBA prep like labeling and palletizing?
We handle devanning, palletizing, and carton-level staging at our container freight station, and coordinate forwarding to FCs. Ask our team about specific prep requirements for your SKUs.