To ship products from Amazon AWD back to seller-controlled addresses, you file a Multi-Channel Distribution (MCD) order, not an FBA removal order. The path is Seller Central > Supply Chain > Send to Amazon > Move from AWD, then the distribution type Multi-Channel Distribution (Off-Amazon Destinations) (data checked 2026-09-05, per Amazon’s Multi-Channel Distribution using Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) help page). If the SKU has no active listing, MCD refuses it and the only remaining route is a support case for manual removal.
This page is the exit. If you are still deciding what to send into AWD — inbound cost, who the program fits, common errors, Q4 cut-offs — that is the Amazon AWD guide; this one covers getting the goods back out. If the units you want sit in Amazon fulfillment centers instead, the tool is an FBA removal order — the fulfillment-center path, which does not reach AWD stock at all.
AWD Removal vs. FBA Removal Order: Two Different Exits
Amazon’s help pages scope the two routes to different buildings: the Remove inventory overview page lists options “to remove inventory from a fulfillment center”; MCD is documented as the way to “replenish inventory in bulk from Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) to your own warehouse or your third-party warehouses, wholesalers, distributors, and other locations outside of Amazon” (data checked 2026-09-05).
| MCD order (out of AWD) | FBA removal order (out of FBA) | |
|---|---|---|
| Moves | Cartons in an AWD distribution center | Units in Amazon fulfillment centers |
| Entry point | Supply Chain > Send to Amazon > Move from AWD | Manage Inventory, Remove Unfulfillable Inventory, or Fix Stranded Inventory |
| Fee shape | Outbound processing per box + transportation per pound by distance band | Per unit removed, by size tier and shipping weight |
| Destination | Commercial address, contiguous 48 states; no residential, P.O. Box, or FBA fulfillment centers | You, your warehouse, supplier, or distributor; no PO/APO/FPO/DPO boxes, no fulfillment centers |
| Typical timing | Average 14 days from AWD DC to destination | 10–14 business days to process; 30 days or more in holiday season |
| Cancel after submit | Not possible | Documented on the FBA side |
| Dispositions | Ship-out only | Return, disposal, recycling, liquidation |
The practical consequence: an FBA removal order filed against a SKU whose stock sits upstream in AWD moves nothing. Check the AWD Inventory dashboard first — the AWD inventory help page separates Available in AWD from Available in FBA for this reason (data checked 2026-09-05).
How to Ship Products From Amazon AWD Back to Seller Using MCD
MCD needs a destination on file before it accepts an order, so the first two steps are one-time setup.
- Create a channel. Supply Chain > Manage channel destination > Add new channel. The channel legal name and “sent from” name appear on the Bill of Lading and manifests. Set Shipment labeling to Standard carrier labels unless the receiver supplies its own GS1-128 labels.
- Create a destination. Open the channel, choose Create new destination, enter the address. Amazon states the delivery address “must be a commercial address”; residential addresses, P.O. Boxes, and FBA fulfillment centers are not supported. Pick a mode the site can handle: cases as small parcel delivery (SPD), or pallets accepted at destination (palletized/LTL). A 3PL with a dock takes pallets; a small office does not.
- Build the order. Send to Amazon > Move from AWD, distribution type Multi-Channel Distribution (Off-Amazon Destinations), then select origin warehouse, destination, SKUs and quantities. A blank SKU list usually means both were not selected.
- Compare both shipping modes. Amazon displays a fee estimate before submission and lets you toggle between SPD and palletized. This is the only cost preview.
- Upload custom labels if the channel requires them. PDF only, 3.5 x 5.5 to 4 x 6 inches, portrait, scannable barcode, count matching the cartons or pallets. Failed validation gives a 24–48 hour correction window before automatic cancellation.
- Submit. Amazon’s help page is blunt: “Once you submit an MCD order, it cannot be canceled and the destination address cannot be changed.”
Tracking sits under Supply Chain > Manage shipments with Off Amazon Distribution selected; MCD order IDs use the repl- prefix, and tracking numbers appear only after the carrier collects from the AWD facility (data checked 2026-09-05).
One naming trap: MCD is not Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF). MCF ships single customer orders out of FBA; MCD moves full cartons out of AWD to a business address, and its help page states MCD “does not support direct replenishment to end customers.”
What an MCD Removal Costs in 2026
Three charges land on an MCD order; only one is MCD-specific.
- AWD storage accrues until the boxes leave: base rates from 15 January 2026 are $0.57 per cubic foot per month in the West Coast region, $0.48 in the East Coast, South East and South Central regions. (FBA storage fees work differently.)
- AWD outbound processing: $1.40 per box, on all three rate tiers. The AWD fee types and reports page states the processing fee is charged “separately at inbound when your inventory is received in our distribution center, and again at outbound when a replenishment order is successfully delivered to our fulfillment network or your other sales channels” (data checked 2026-09-05).
- MCD transportation, which replaces the AWD transportation fee charged on FBA replenishments ($1.40/cu ft base, $1.26 Amazon Managed). It is distance-based, per pound of shipping weight: the greater of actual and dimensional weight (length × width × height in inches ÷ 139 for a box, ÷ 250 for a pallet).
MCD transportation, per pound of shipping weight, effective 15 January 2026:
| Box load (SPD) | Fee/lb | Palletized (LTL) | Fee/lb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–150 mi | $0.50 | 0–250 mi | $0.11 |
| 151–300 | $0.58 | 251–500 | $0.15 |
| 301–600 | $0.63 | 501–1,000 | $0.21 |
| 601–1,000 | $0.76 | 1,001–1,500 | $0.27 |
| 1,001–1,400 | $0.95 | 1,501–2,000 | $0.32 |
| 1,401–1,800 | $1.13 | 2,001+ | $0.42 |
| 1,801+ | $1.26 | — | — |
Rates from Multi-Channel Distribution fees and Amazon Warehousing and Distribution fees, data checked 2026-09-05.
Amazon’s worked examples show why mode choice dominates the bill. A 13 lb box over 1,309 miles sits in the 1,001–1,400 band: 13 × $0.95 = $12.35 per box. A 322.6 lb pallet over the same distance sits in the 1,001–1,500 band: 322.6 × $0.27 = $87.10 per pallet. Add $1.40 per box of outbound processing, plus accrued storage.
For contrast, FBA removal order fees are billed per unit: $1.04 for a standard-size unit of 0 to 0.5 lb ("$0.84 from January 15, 2026 onwards" per the same page), rising to $2.89 + $1.06/lb above 2 lb (data checked 2026-09-05). A 40-unit case pack means 40 fees on the FBA route and one box’s processing plus its weight on the AWD route.
MCD charges appear in the Payments dashboard as “AWD MCD Transportation Fee”, with a matching monthly report.
Timelines, Minimums, and Hard Limits
- Transit. “The replenishments take an average of 14 days to move from an AWD distribution center to a destination,” dependent on distance.
- Geography. MCD ships only to physical addresses in the contiguous 48 states — no Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. territories, P.O. Boxes, or international destinations.
- Minimum quantities. SPD takes 1 to 40 cartons. Single-SKU palletized orders need at least 16 cubic feet; below that the LTL option does not appear. Multi-SKU pallets combine up to 3 SKUs.
- No unit-level work. MCD “does not offer unit-level services such as relabeling or repackaging at the AWD facility” — relabel before inbounding, or route the pallets to a prep service.
- Failed deliveries bounce back. Undeliverable cartons are re-stowed into the nearest AWD distribution center under a new inbound PO, and “if cartons are lost or damaged during return transit, reimbursement will be processed.”
For discrepancies in an MCD shipment, Amazon’s help page directs sellers to open a support case under the AWD, transportation, and logistics option. Checking what Amazon actually credits is a separate job on the FBA side: ReimburseOps audits an uploaded Seller Central FBA Reimbursements CSV against an optional cost file and flags under-reimbursed and inconsistently valued rows, on a free tier plus a $19/month Pro plan with no commission on recovered funds (checked 2026-08-27). It reads the FBA reimbursement report, so AWD-side shortages still start with the support case; the wider process is in the Amazon FBA reimbursement guide.
When MCD Won’t Take Your FNSKU: The Support-Case Route
MCD is gated on listing status. Amazon staff account KJ_Amazon, relaying the AWD partner team’s guidance in a Seller Forums thread (posted 2026-08, read 2026-09-05), described “two methods available, depending on the status of your listing”: MCD when the listing is Active or Out of Stock, manual removal via the Contact Us form “if your listing is not available (for example, if your account has been deactivated or the listing has been deleted).”
Three situations force the manual route.
- The listing went inactive. One seller reported the error string “This product is ineligible to be shipped from AWD as it no longer active in an Amazon marketplace. Please reactivate the product or reach out to seller support for assistance” after a compliance takedown. The MCD troubleshooting table confirms the rule: SKUs with inactive listings cannot be moved via MCD.
- The account is deactivated. With back-end access gone, the case is the only channel. If the account is recoverable, that work runs in parallel — see Amazon account suspension appeal.
- Hazmat. Amazon states AWD MCD “does not support Hazmat (hazardous materials) products through the standard MCD order flow” and that such inventory “must be handled through an offline removal process. Submit a Seller Central support case.” Classification rules sit in the hazmat review guide.
In a separate forum reply, KJ_Amazon wrote that “for FNSKUs which are ineligible for MCD removals, sellers should create a support case requesting manual removal” and listed the fields the request should carry:
- Background/reason for removal
- FNSKU
- ASIN
- Quantity
- Carton quantity
- Requested destination address
- Point of contact
- Operating hours
Supply all eight in the first message. A 2023 thread on the same forum records a case that bounced between Seller Support and the MCD team for weeks; the seller’s summary was that the MCD department could not help but “forwarded our request to another AWD department that could and did finish the request.” Naming AWD and MCD in the subject line, and stating why MCD is unavailable, shortens that loop.
Common Mistakes
- Filing an FBA removal order for AWD stock. It moves nothing. Confirm the units are under Available in AWD, not Available in FBA, before touching either form.
- Entering an address that cannot receive freight. Residential addresses are rejected outright, a P.O. Box is on Amazon’s published list of automatic cancellation reasons, and pallets need a dock.
- Closing the listing first. Deactivating the listing to stop sales before the removal is filed converts a self-service order into a support case.
- Undersizing an LTL order. Below 16 cubic feet the palletized option disappears and the order ships as parcels, at four to six times the per-pound pallet rate.
- Expecting rework at the AWD facility. No relabeling, kitting, or bundling happens there.
- Treating submission as reversible. MCD orders cannot be cancelled and the destination cannot be edited afterwards.
Pre-Submit Checklist
- Units confirmed as Available in AWD (not reserved, in transit, or under investigation)
- Listing status is Active or Out of Stock
- Destination is a commercial address in the contiguous 48 states
- Receiver accepts the chosen mode and has staff during the delivery window
- Carton count checked against the SPD 1–40 range or the 16 cu ft LTL threshold
- Custom labels, if required, are PDF, correctly sized, and count-matched
- Fee estimate compared across both modes; destination phone and email current
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use an FBA removal order to get inventory out of AWD?
No. Amazon’s Remove inventory overview page scopes removal orders to inventory “from a fulfillment center”, and the AWD partner team’s guidance lists only two routes out of AWD: an MCD order, or a manual removal support case (data checked 2026-09-05).
How long does it take to ship products from Amazon AWD back to seller?
Amazon states MCD replenishments “take an average of 14 days to move from an AWD distribution center to a destination,” varying with distance. The support-case route has no published service level.
How much does it cost to remove inventory from AWD?
Accrued AWD storage, outbound processing at $1.40 per box, and MCD transportation per pound by distance — $0.50 to $1.26 for box loads, $0.11 to $0.42 for pallets, effective 15 January 2026 (data checked 2026-09-05).
Can MCD ship to my home address or to a 3PL?
To a 3PL, yes, if it is a commercial address in the contiguous 48 states that can receive the mode you pick. To a home address, no — Amazon lists residential addresses as unsupported.
What happens if my listing is inactive or my account is deactivated?
MCD blocks the order. Amazon’s guidance is to submit a removal request through the Contact Us form with the item details listed above.
Can I have AWD inventory disposed of instead of returned?
The MCD help page documents no disposal disposition and the AWD fee pages publish no AWD disposal rate (data checked 2026-09-05), so it has to be raised in a support case. The published disposal and liquidation dispositions apply to FBA stock — see FBA removal orders.
Conclusion
Getting stock out of AWD is a different machine from getting it out of FBA: different menu, different fee shape, different destination rules, no cancel button. Confirm the units are genuinely in AWD, keep the listing alive until the order is submitted, price both shipping modes before committing, and keep the eight-field support-case template ready for the FNSKUs MCD refuses. The upstream decision — whether to put inventory into AWD at all — sits in the Amazon AWD guide, with the regional variant in Amazon AWD Europe.