In the fast-paced world of ecommerce, time is money. For Amazon sellers managing both Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) and Fulfilled by Merchant (FBM) operations, automation is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. Managing orders, syncing inventory, handling shipping, and ensuring accurate reporting across FBA and FBM manually can lead to errors, overselling, and time-consuming processes. That’s where Linnworks steps in.

Linnworks offers a powerful, centralized platform that connects Amazon FBA and FBM workflows, enabling sellers to scale efficiently while maintaining control over operations. In this blog, we’ll explore how Linnworks helps automate Amazon FBA and FBM processes, and why it’s the smart choice for multichannel ecommerce businesses.

Understanding the Difference: FBA vs FBM

Before diving into automation, it’s essential to understand the key differences between FBA and FBM:

• FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon): Amazon stores, picks, packs, and ships your products. It also handles customer service and returns.
• FBM (Fulfilled by Merchant): You (the seller) handle storage, shipping, customer support, and returns.

Each has its pros and cons, and many Amazon sellers choose to use a hybrid model—leveraging the speed and trust of FBA with the flexibility and cost control of FBM.

Why Automation Matters

Managing FBA and FBM simultaneously comes with challenges:

• Inventory fragmentation across multiple warehouses and locations
• Separate workflows for Amazon and other marketplaces
• High risk of overselling or stockouts
• Manual errors in order processing and shipping

Linnworks offers seamless automation that reduces manual work and increases visibility across your operations—letting you focus on growth.

Automating FBA with Linnworks

1. FBA Inventory Sync and Tracking

Linnworks provides real-time inventory syncing between your Amazon FBA account and your central inventory dashboard. Whether you’re selling on Amazon US, UK, or globally, your FBA stock levels are constantly updated in Linnworks.

• Automatic FBA inventory updates
• Track inventory across multiple FBA warehouses
• Centralized visibility for accurate forecasting

2. Inbound Shipment Automation

Creating and managing FBA shipments manually can be tedious. Linnworks streamlines this by automating the creation of inbound shipments to Amazon:

• Plan and send FBA replenishments directly from Linnworks
• Print and manage shipping labels
• Track shipment progress to Amazon fulfillment centers

3. Order Routing to FBA

With Linnworks, you can set rules to automatically route certain Amazon or even non-Amazon orders to FBA for fulfillment. This is especially useful if you sell on multiple platforms.

• Route Shopify or eBay orders to FBA using automation rules
• Reduce shipping costs and increase speed
• Gain full control over multichannel fulfillment

Automating FBM with Linnworks

1. Order Management & Centralization

FBM orders are pulled into Linnworks in real time, whether they’re from Amazon or other channels. Linnworks gives you a single interface to manage picking, packing, and dispatching.

• Automatically assign shipping methods based on customer location
• Print pick lists, invoices, and shipping labels in one click
• Real-time order status updates sent back to Amazon

2. Shipping Integration and Label Printing

Linnworks integrates with major shipping providers like Royal Mail, FedEx, UPS, DPD, and more. FBM orders are automatically assigned couriers based on pre-set rules.

• Avoid delays with instant shipping label generation
• Use service mapping to auto-select cheapest/best courier
• Track shipments and update Amazon with tracking numbers

3. Returns and Customer Service Automation

For FBM orders, customer service and returns can become overwhelming. Linnworks helps streamline this by:

• Automatically generating return labels and authorizations
• Tracking return status and updating inventory
• Centralizing customer communication logs

FBA + FBM Hybrid: Custom Automation Workflows

Many successful Amazon sellers run both FBA and FBM models based on seasonality, storage availability, or margins. Linnworks supports hybrid fulfillment strategies with flexible automation tools:

• Split Order Fulfillment: If part of the inventory is in FBA and part in your local warehouse, Linnworks can split the order accordingly.
• Rules-Based Fulfillment: Set rules like “Send Prime orders to FBA, bulk orders to FBM”.
• Stock Prioritization: Use FBA inventory first, fall back on FBM when FBA is out of stock.

This flexibility means you can maximize efficiency and customer satisfaction without sacrificing control.

Reporting and Insights

Data drives decisions. Linnworks offers robust analytics for FBA and FBM, including:

• Inventory aging reports
• FBA vs FBM cost comparison
• Sales performance by channel and fulfillment type
• Out-of-stock and low-stock alerts

These insights allow you to optimize your fulfillment strategy, reduce costs, and improve customer experience.

Managing Amazon FBA and FBM together doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With Linnworks, you gain full control and visibility over your ecommerce operations while reducing manual tasks, human errors, and fulfillment delays. Whether you’re a small business scaling up or a high-volume seller optimizing margins, automating Amazon fulfillment with Linnworks empowers you to focus on what matters most: growing your brand.