When ordering a product from another country, say, China, you might expect to wait a few weeks or even a month for the product to show up on your doorstep. If you order from Amazon, it’ll arrive in five days. Or at least that’s the new deadline the e-commerce giant has recently given the makers and suppliers of small items.
Bloomberg, citing an email from Amazon to manufacturers, reports that the delivery of USB cables, smartphone screen protectors, cosmetics, and other small products must now be completed within five business days.
Previously, the orders were required to be delivered eight days after purchase.
The push for faster delivery appears to be Amazon’s reply to competition from other companies offering cross-border transactions, like Alibaba, eBay, and Wish.com, Bloomberg reports.
Those companies largely rely on a program called ePacket — an agreement between the U.S. Postal Service and China Post that provides Chinese merchants cheap access to U.S. shoppers on small packages — which can take anywhere from two weeks to a month for delivery.
While Amazon’s reduced shipping period may put a strain on some companies, the e-tailer has previously taken steps to make it easier for manufacturers, especially those in China, to get their products to customers quickly.
For example, Amazon registered with the Federal Maritime Commission to provide ocean freight for Chinese companies to ship goods directly to Amazon fulfillment centers, cutting out costs and inefficiencies.
Additionally, Bloomberg reports that earlier this summer Amazon cut the shipping fees it charges merchants who sell items through the company’s Fulfillment By Amazon Small and Light program.
Amazon Cuts Delivery Times in Threat to Alibaba, EBay, Wish.com [Bloomberg]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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