E-commerce logistics from Spain: FBA restocking, D2C fulfilment and marketplace seller freight by road

The goods inside an e-commerce shipment are ordinary consumer products — boxed, palletised, shrink-wrapped. They are not dangerous, not perishable (in most cases), and not unusually fragile. What makes them 'e-commerce freight' is the destination and the labelling requirements, not the cargo itself. A pallet of cosmetics bound for an Amazon FC in Metz is physically identical to a pallet of cosmetics bound for a retail distribution centre in Lyon; the difference is the barcode label on each carton.

This means e-commerce freight slots into exactly the same road-freight infrastructure as any other palletised cargo. SAVA's scheduled groupage departures — Monday, Wednesday, Friday from the Castellar del Vallès hub near Barcelona, across owned and partner carriers — carry e-commerce pallets alongside automotive parts, food products and industrial machinery. A few pallets ride groupage; a full trailer of FBA inbound moves as a dedicated load. Either way, it is standard curtainsider work.

Not all e-commerce freight goes to Amazon. Brands shipping D2C — direct to consumer — through their own fulfilment centres, or replenishing third-party logistics (3PL) warehouses across Europe, have the same road-freight need: palletised product moved from a Spanish production site or warehouse to a European DC. The packaging and labelling requirements are set by the 3PL or the brand's own warehouse, not by Amazon.

The freight profile is identical to FBA restocking: EUR pallets, shrink-wrapped, within footprint, labelled with the 3PL's intake reference. Transit times and pricing work the same way — feed the dimensions and weight into the LDM and pricing calculators at /resources, then request a written quote at /quote. The only difference is that a 3PL may be more flexible on delivery windows than an Amazon FC appointment slot, which can simplify scheduling.

E-commerce restocking is, from a VAT standpoint, an intra-community supply like any other B2B sale between EU member states. The Spanish seller invoices the goods at 0% Spanish VAT (an entrega intracomunitaria), provided the buyer has a valid VIES-enabled VAT number in the destination country and the goods physically leave Spain — proven by the signed CMR. The buyer self-accounts for the VAT under reverse charge on their own return.

The fact that the goods are going to an Amazon FC or a 3PL does not change the VAT mechanics. What matters is who owns the goods and where their VAT registration sits. If you are selling to Amazon (Vendor Central), Amazon is the buyer and the VAT rules apply to that B2B transaction. If you are sending your own stock to FBA (Seller Central), you may need a VAT registration in the destination country because you are importing stock into your own inventory there. This is a tax question for your adviser, not the carrier.

SAVA carries the goods and issues the CMR — the dispatch proof that supports the Spanish zero-rating. It does not handle your VAT registrations, filings or reverse-charge accounting. The intra-community VAT guides in the related links below walk the mechanism step by step for specific corridors.

The UK is outside the EU, so FBA restocking to UK fulfilment centres is an export. That means a Spanish export declaration, a UK import clearance, and potential customs duty depending on the goods' origin and HS code. An EORI is required on both sides, and any solid-wood packaging needs ISPM-15 heat treatment.

Customs declarations are lodged by licensed broker partners coordinated by SAVA — we handle the transport and hand the broker what they need; we do not lodge the declarations ourselves. Build the broker lead time into your schedule: the clearance step, not the driving, sets the timeline on UK lanes. Our Spain → UK customs checklist guide covers the post-Brexit documentation requirements in detail.

SAVA's network is built for exactly this kind of freight. Scheduled groupage three times a week from Barcelona covers the routine restocking cadence — a few pallets of product heading to an FC or 3PL in France, Germany, the Netherlands or Italy. Dedicated full loads handle the big seasonal pushes: Prime Day prep, Black Friday inventory builds, January replenishment.

On the transport side, we issue the CMR (your dispatch proof for VAT zero-rating), handle the physical movement across owned and partner carriers, and coordinate customs-broker partners for UK and Switzerland exports. What we do not do is your Amazon account management, your VAT filings, your FC appointment booking, or your product labelling — those are the seller's functions.

For pricing, feed your pallet dimensions, weights and stackability into the calculators at /resources, then request a written quote at /quote — turned around in about 15–20 minutes and valid for 24 hours. Flag whether the load includes any ADR items (lithium batteries in electronics, for example, fall under ADR Class 9), whether it is UK-bound (so customs coordination starts early), and any FC appointment constraints.

FBA shipping plan created and FC assigned — do not palletise until you have the shipment ID and the label PDFs. Carton and pallet labels printed from the plan, applied clearly, not obscured by wrap, pallet labels on all four sides. FNSKU on each sellable unit, covering any conflicting retail barcodes.

Pallets built to spec: EUR 1200 × 800 mm, max height per FC guide (typically 1.8 m), max weight ~750 kg, square, within footprint, shrink-wrapped and stable. Stackability marked correctly — it sets your groupage price.

VAT position confirmed: VIES-enabled VAT number for intra-EU, or destination-country VAT registration if sending own stock to FBA. UK lanes: EORI, customs broker lined up, ISPM-15 wood if applicable. FC delivery appointment booked and aligned with the transit time from Spain.

Pricing: dimensions and weights through the calculators at /resources, then a written quote at /quote. Flag ADR items, UK export, and appointment constraints at quote stage. This is general guidance — confirm the VAT and Amazon compliance specifics with your adviser and Amazon's own seller documentation.