Amazon FBA vs self-ship (MFN) for global selling, which should I pick first?
The short answer
FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) wins for most first-time exporters: Amazon stores inventory in-country, ships in 1-2 days, and handles returns and customer service in the local language and time zone, all things you cannot replicate from Bengaluru. Self-ship (Merchant Fulfilled) keeps more margin and avoids shipping inventory upfront, but a 10-15 day delivery from India kills conversion on marketplaces where Prime-speed shipping is the norm. Start FBA on your best-selling SKU; self-ship the long tail once you understand demand.
A quick summary to orient you. The real value is below: the resources worth your time, from people who've actually done it, not us.
Here are the resources
Hand-picked from around the web, each with a note on why it earns your time. India-specific ones carry a badge.
3 resources2 India-specific3 link-checked
Read
📄 Article
✓ Link checkedIndiaFreeBeginner
Why we picked it
A clean four-step walkthrough, register, list, ship via FBA or self-fulfil, get paid, that answers 'how does the mechanics actually work' better than any third-party blog.
Why we picked it
The US-specific version of the playbook, useful once you've decided America is your first market and want the exact requirements (category approvals, FBA setup, tax forms) for that marketplace specifically.
Why we picked it
Covers the FBA-specific fulfillment options (FBA Export, remote fulfillment, Pan-European FBA) in more technical depth than Amazon's own India-facing pages, useful once you're past 'should I use FBA' and into 'which FBA fulfillment mode fits this market.'
