Do you know if it’s legal or possible to ship the products from Amazon instead of a third-party?

Product Development & Sourcing
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Topic summary

Core Question:
Can Amazon be used to fulfill orders for a Shopify store by purchasing products and shipping directly to customers?

Key Concerns:

  • Legal compliance with Amazon and Shopify terms of service
  • Tax and policy implications
  • Feasibility of this fulfillment method (known as “Amazon arbitrage dropshipping”)

Amazon’s Policy:

  • Strictly prohibits dropshipping unless you are the seller of record
  • Cannot ship with Amazon branding, invoices, or packaging to end customers
  • Buying retail items for resale violates terms—accounts risk suspension

Shopify’s Position:

  • No explicit ban, but sellers remain responsible for customer experience
  • Risk of chargebacks/disputes due to inconsistent packaging

Major Risks Identified:

  • No control over inventory availability or shipping times
  • Amazon-branded packaging confuses customers and damages brand perception
  • Potential account bans on both platforms

Status:
Technically possible but not compliant. Discussion suggests using structured third-party suppliers with branding control as safer alternatives.

Summarized with AI on October 27. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Do you know if it’s legal or allowed to use Amazon to fulfill orders for my Shopify store instead of relying on a traditional third party warehouse?

For example, if a customer places an order on my website, can I buy the product on Amazon and have it shipped directly to the customer?

I’m trying to understand if there are any legal, tax, or policy issues with this kind of fulfillment, either from Shopify’s side or Amazon’s terms of service.

2

This type of Amazon-based fulfillment model (also known as “Amazon arbitrage dropshipping”) gets asked a lot, and the short answer is:

:warning: It’s technically possible but not fully compliant with Amazon or Shopify’s policies.### ### :magnifying_glass_tilted_left: Let’s break it down:

1. Amazon’s Terms of Service:
Amazon strictly prohibits dropshipping unless:

  • You are the seller of record.

  • You do not ship with Amazon branding or invoices.

  • You are not buying retail items and shipping to other customers.

If you buy from Amazon and ship to someone else with an Amazon invoice or packaging, it’s against their policy. Your Amazon account can be suspended if they detect abuse of this method.

2. Shopify’s Terms of Service:
Shopify doesn’t explicitly ban it, but:

  • They hold you responsible for the customer experience.

  • If customers complain about inconsistent packaging (Amazon box, no custom branding), you risk chargebacks and disputes.

### :prohibited: Why it’s risky:- You have no control over stock availability or shipping speed.

  • Items can arrive with Amazon-branded packaging, confusing your customer.

  • Some sellers get banned from Amazon or flagged by Shopify due to complaints.

What’s a safer alternative?

Use a platform that offers:

  • Reliable third-party suppliers (with branding control)

  • Multiple sourcing options including Amazon, but in a structured, compliant way

  • At Zopi, we offer for dropshippers to import products from Amazon to their store but they still go to Amazon to make the fulfillment by themseves