--- title: "Amazon Adds Air Shipping With Zero Placement Fees for FBA Sellers" description: "New AGL options bring Amazon air shipping with zero placement fees, plus an Economy Air service from Shanghai and Shenzhen to Los Angeles in 11 to 15 days. Amazon just gave FBA sellers a way to fly inventory from China into the US in as little as 7 days. The bigger surprise is what’s missing..." featured_image: "https://myamazonguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Amazon-Air-Shipping-With-Zero-Placement-Fees-Debuts-Featured-Image.png" url: "https://myamazonguy.com/news/amazon-air-shipping-with-zero-placement-fees/" date_modified: "2026-10-04T10:53:15-04:00" --- ![Amazon Air Shipping With Zero Placement Fees Debuts](https://myamazonguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Amazon-Air-Shipping-With-Zero-Placement-Fees-Debuts.png) ## New AGL options bring Amazon air shipping with zero placement fees, plus an Economy Air service from Shanghai and Shenzhen to Los Angeles in 11 to 15 days. Amazon just gave FBA sellers a way to fly inventory from China into the US in as little as 7 days. The bigger surprise is what’s missing from the bill, since Air SMP shipments carry no FBA inbound placement service fee. Amazon air shipping with zero placement fees arrives right as sellers plan their final Q4 restocks. From my seat at an [Amazon agency](https://myamazonguy.com/), this is one of the more practical logistics updates of the year, and the details are worth a few minutes. ## Air SMP Offers Amazon Air Shipping With Zero Placement Fees Amazon Air SMP is the AGL service that carries the zero placement fee.[ According to Amazon’s announcement](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/d984c79c-1813-4507-aa22-6299ec59ba71), sellers divide their inventory before it leaves China and fly it to an assigned fulfillment center in each of Amazon’s five regions across the US. Each region is tied to a single fulfillment center, so sellers know ahead of time where their cartons will arrive. Amazon estimates the trip at 7 to 10 days from pickup at origin, with flights departing daily from Hong Kong and Shanghai. The service also removes the FBA inbound placement service fee, bringing Amazon air shipping with zero placement fees to sellers who use it. Amazon lists the fee waiver as a feature of Air SMP specifically, separate from its Economy Air option. Amazon also says it will not add surcharges to Air SMP shipments of electronics, apparel, or products powered by lithium batteries.[ EcomCrew reported](https://www.ecomcrew.com/amazon-is-bringing-0-placement-fees-to-air-freight-check-the-math-first/) that Air SMP requires a minimum of five matching cartons for each product, the same rule Amazon applies to ocean SMP. ## AGL Economy Air Offers Lower-Cost Air Freight to Los Angeles AGL Economy Air is the second new option and the lower-cost of the two.[ Amazon’s update explains](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/d984c79c-1813-4507-aa22-6299ec59ba71) that it moves freight from Shenzhen or Shanghai into Los Angeles in an estimated 11 to 15 days. Amazon says Economy Air is priced below AGL’s standard air service. [AMZ123, a cross-border ecommerce news site](https://www.heycross.com/article/QQJGebv9PDMqk), estimated that it costs roughly two to three times as much as ocean freight. Unlike Air SMP, Economy Air sends every shipment to a single US destination, Los Angeles. [An industry analysis of the launch](https://alketrade.com/amazons-logistics-pivot-analyzing-the-expansion-of-seller-managed-placement-and-economy-air/) noted that the Los Angeles-only route could add ground transit time and cost for sellers whose customers are concentrated on the East Coast. The announcement ties the zero placement fee to Air SMP and does not mention a fee waiver for Economy Air. Sellers considering Economy Air can confirm pricing and any fees in the AGL portal before booking. ## Air SMP and Economy Air Compared The main difference between Air SMP and Economy Air comes down to speed, destination, and fees. Air SMP reaches the US faster and spreads inventory across five regions, while Economy Air takes longer and lands in Los Angeles. Both services fly freight from China to the US through AGL. The table below summarizes the details Amazon shared in its announcement. | | Air SMP | Economy Air | | --- | --- | --- | | Ships from | Shanghai, Hong Kong | Shanghai, Shenzhen | | Ships to | 5 US regions | Los Angeles | | Transit time | 7 to 10 days | 11 to 15 days | | Flights | Daily | Not stated | | Placement fee | $0 | Not stated | | Category surcharges | None | Not stated | | Cost | See AGL portal | Below standard AGL air | Air SMP is the only one of the two that Amazon lists with a $0 FBA inbound placement service fee. It also carries no surcharges for electronics, apparel, or items with lithium batteries, which Amazon’s post does not address for Economy Air. Amazon describes Economy Air as cheaper than its standard AGL air service but did not publish rates for either option. The seller education site added that Economy Air was already live, while Air SMP was scheduled to begin at the start of Q4. ## Amazon Targets Peak Season, Stockouts, and Launches With AGL Air Freight Amazon recommends the new Amazon Global Logistics air freight options for three situations where ocean freight is too slow.[ Amazon’s announcement](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/d984c79c-1813-4507-aa22-6299ec59ba71) lists getting ready for peak season, recovering from a stockout, and launching products on a tight schedule as the main use cases. Air SMP is the faster of the two services, with an estimated transit of 7 to 10 days from pickup. Economy Air takes an estimated 11 to 15 days but costs less than AGL’s standard air service, according to Amazon. Amazon says Economy Air still gets inventory to the US weeks ahead of ocean freight. The cross-border news site put typical ocean transit from China to the US at 30 to 45 days, compared with 3 to 7 days for express air. Sellers who manage inventory in-house or through an[ Amazon agency](https://myamazonguy.com/services/full-service-management/) can compare these transit times against their Q4 inbound plans. The seller education site noted that Amazon’s ocean SMP FAQ recommends the program for shipments above 10 CBM, a size most air loads fall well below. ## Sellers Can Book Amazon Global Logistics Air Freight Through the AGL Portal Sellers can book both new services through[ Amazon’s AGL program portal](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/gssportal/index.html?ref=SNUSAGLLGNG), which lists rates, service terms, and booking steps. Amazon’s announcement did not publish rates or a start date, so current pricing for Air SMP and Economy Air is listed in the portal. Sellers who have not used AGL before can sign up through the same portal. Amazon says the portal guides new users through account setup and their first shipment booking. Amazon’s post does not list eligibility requirements for the new air services. The cross-border news site reported that AGL generally requires FBA registration, an active AGL account with a payment method, and Importer of Record paperwork. More inventory planning information is available in these[ in-depth Amazon guides](https://myamazonguy.com/articles/) and[ free Amazon resources](https://myamazonguy.com/services/free-amazon-resources/). Sellers can also read[ Amazon’s full announcement](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/d984c79c-1813-4507-aa22-6299ec59ba71) on the Seller Forums.