AWD
Also known as: Amazon Warehousing & Distribution
Amazon's upstream warehousing service that stores bulk inventory before it auto-replenishes to FBA.
AWD (Amazon Warehousing & Distribution) is Amazon's bulk-storage offering for sellers who need to receive container-level inventory but don't want to send it all to FBA at once. You ship to an AWD facility in pallet or container quantities. AWD then auto-replenishes your FBA inventory based on velocity, capacity limits, and replenishment thresholds you configure.
The practical value: AWD storage is materially cheaper than FBA storage, especially during the Q4 surcharge window, and it sidesteps the inbound placement fee structure that hits sellers shipping directly to multiple FCs. It's designed for sellers with high-volume catalogs that would otherwise be stuck choosing between paying high FBA storage or pushing inventory through 3PLs.
Limitations: AWD doesn't cover every category, ramp-up time on new SKUs can be slow, and replenishment latency can leave you with FBA stockouts if you under-configure thresholds. SellerVault's placement fee intelligence accounts for AWD as one of three placement strategies (AWD, standard inbound, paid placements) when calculating restock cost.