Effective: November 4, 2026 · Version 1.0
This policy explains how an order travels from our supplier into your Amazon inventory, what each step costs, and who is responsible at each step. It is part of our Purchase terms.
1. The steps
| Step | What happens | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Placed | You place the order and we hold your payment (or wait for your bank payment to clear) | Order page and email |
| Bought | We buy from our supplier, within 2 working hours as a target, and charge you for the units bought | "Bought", with the units bought |
| To the prep centre | The supplier ships to our prep partner | "On its way to our prep centre" |
| Received and inspected | Our prep partner counts, checks condition and, where it can, photographs the units | Counts, and photos where taken |
| Prepped | Units are labelled, bagged or bundled as Amazon requires for the product | "Prepped" |
| Shipped to Amazon | We create the inbound shipment in your Amazon account and ship it | Amazon shipment ID and destination Amazon warehouse |
| Checked in | Amazon receives the shipment | Amazon's received count |
You see our steps and the shipment to Amazon. For the shipment you see its Amazon shipment ID and the Amazon warehouse it is going to; you follow its tracking in your own Seller Central. You do not see the supplier's parcel or its tracking, because our suppliers are confidential.
2. Our prep partner
We use one independent prep partner for all Member orders: Little Owl FBA Book Prep LLC, trading as Little Owl Prep, of Moraine, Ohio. It inspects, prepares and ships the units for us, with our fulfilment partners, and it has no contract with you. You do not register with it or pay it. Its per-unit fees are shown on every order line before you pay. Rate changes apply only to new orders.
You can set standing choices for prep and labelling in Settings (within the options our prep partner offers), and change them per order where the app allows it.
3. Shipping to Amazon
- We send units only into the Amazon seller account you have connected, on the US marketplace. Our team creates an inbound shipment in your account, and the units go to the Amazon warehouse that Amazon chooses, using the shipping options Amazon offers for your account.
- Amazon bills its shipping and its placement and inbound fees to your own Amazon seller account, because the inbound shipment is created in your account. Local Margin does not charge for them, and checkout has no line for shipping to Amazon (Purchase terms, section 3). The outgoing box is included in our per-unit prep price.
- You cannot change the destination account once the units have been prepped.
- We do not ship to your customers, to you or to any other address, except where Purchase terms, section 11 lets you ask us to ship units to your US business address because Amazon will not accept them.
4. Timing
We do not promise delivery or check-in dates. Supplier shipping, inspection, prep and Amazon's receiving times all vary. The order page shows each step as it happens. If a supplier is delayed, we update the order and tell you. If a delay is long, we may cancel the affected lines: lines not yet bought are released, and bought units that the supplier can no longer deliver are refunded under our Refund and return policy.
5. Who has the units, and who carries the risk
| Step | Who has the units | Who arranges it | Who carries the risk of loss or damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bought | The supplier | Local Margin buys, in its own name | Local Margin |
| On the way to our prep partner | The carrier | The supplier, for our purchase | Local Margin |
| At our prep partner | Our prep partner | Local Margin | Local Margin |
| On the way to Amazon | The carrier | Local Margin, in a shipment created in your Amazon account | Local Margin |
| Accepted by Amazon | Amazon | You, under your agreement with Amazon | You, with Amazon's own reimbursement rules |
Ownership of the units passes to you when we charge for them, and we hold and ship them for you from then on; the risk of loss stays with us until Amazon accepts the shipment (Purchase terms, section 9). Units that arrive damaged, wrong or short at our prep partner are found at inspection and handled under our Refund and return policy. We handle any claim against the supplier or carrier ourselves. You do not need to do anything, and we never name the supplier.
6. If Amazon rejects a shipment
If Amazon will not create or accept a shipment, we tell you at once. Where the cause is on our side (such as labelling or a shipment-plan error), we fix it at our cost before the units are sent. Where the cause is your account (a suspension, a lost approval or a full storage allowance), Purchase terms, section 11 applies.
7. Short or damaged on arrival at Amazon
If Amazon's received count is lower than what we shipped, or Amazon reports damage, the order page flags it. Report it within 7 days after check-in using Report a problem, and we investigate with our prep partner and the carrier. Where the shortage or damage happened before Amazon accepted the shipment, we refund or replace under our Refund and return policy. Where Amazon received the full count and the units went missing afterwards, you claim from Amazon.
Contact
Questions about an order's journey? Use the message thread on the order, or email support@localmargin.com.