Pallet exchange
The Amazon Freight pallet exchange solution is now available for all shipments to Amazon-owned locations in Germany, Poland, France, Italy and the Netherlands.
This additional service for spot and contracted lanes means that, beyond getting the benefits of our direct assistance on your shipments like reduced push-outs and delivery time to fulfilment centres, when you transport pallets and reuse them, you’re making the more economical choice. Start optimising your costs and keeping track of your palletised freight supplies with us.
What is pallet exchange?
When you move freight with Amazon, your shipping pallets can be exchanged for reuse. Loaded pallet deliveries that are brought to an Amazon distribution centre or warehouse are swapped for the same number of empty pallets to ensure both sides have the same amount of pallet supplies in their inventories.
The transaction is a collective agreement, registered and documented accordingly for proper management. That means both Amazon and the recipient have to agree on how many pallets will be exchanged and record the agreed amount. Amazon provides a monthly pallet account statement, but it is important that you keep your own accounting notes specifying what you need and expect, communicating if any are defective or redundant supplies.
What are the benefits?
Regular pallet collection and delivery can involve complex logistical problems for those managing warehouses and supply chains. Arranging storage space, repairs and pallet retrieval are all time-consuming tasks which can delay delivery services. An exchange program for wooden pallets across the freight distribution network was developed to save more time that could be used more efficiently. Other benefits of pallet shipping services include:
Balance tracking
After your first delivery with pallet exchange you will receive, on a monthly basis, a pallet account statement
that can be reconciled with your own pallet accounting.
Quality selection
For spot orders, depending on your warehouse automation requirements or contamination risks for goods, you can
select your required pallet quality grade. For contract orders we offer a single pallet quality.
Price transparency
The price of exchange is available on a per-pallet basis for all spot-orders. That means you pay what you ship, allowing you to send partially filled trucks at lower costs. For contract orders, the pricing model is on a per-load basis.
Support team
In case of any disruptions, you can contact amazonfreight-palletex@amazon.com and our support team will quickly assist in resolving the issue.
How does it work?
As an Amazon Inbound Shipper, you can select “Pallet Exchange” when you create a new shipment on the website, or opt in when you sign up for a contracted lane. Every time you book a load, your pallet balance is updated based on the number you have sent to Amazon. At the end of each month, you receive a pallet account statement.
Within two weeks of your pallet balance reaching a predefined number of pallets (threshold), you will be contacted by our partner to arrange delivery of the empty pallets to your facility. After a successful pallet return, your pallet balance will
be updated.
Spot orders
For spot orders, there must be 250 pallets of the same quality grade (equivalent to 9 loads).
Contract orders
For contract orders, there must be 495 pallets of the same quality grade (equivalent to 17 loads).
Pallet quality grades
DE: Grade A, B and C
PL, FR, IT & NL: Grade A and C
Please note that the thresholds for pallet returns are determined by the number of pallets of the same quality grade (A, B, C).
How do I book pallet loads?
1. To get started, simply create an account on the Amazon Freight website.
2. We will then conduct a business verification and credit check after which you will be able to get access to credit.
3. To book your loads, select the “New Quote” button in your account (top right). Specify that the shipment is to an Amazon facility and choose the fulfilment centre node codes in the dropdown section.
4. After selecting “EU pallets” as handling units and entering the number of pallets, make sure to checkmark “Pallet Exchange” as a special service and determine your desired pallet quality grade. Pallet shipping rates are incorporated automatically into overall freight shipment rate.
If your shipments are run on contracted lanes, please speak to your account manager about contract-specific pallet exchange conditions. For instant booking, competitive freight shipment rates and reliable pallet transport, create your Shipper Account today to start shipping with us.
In case you have any queries, please drop us an email at freight-eu-interest@amazon.com (EU) with your Monthly FTL volumes and our sales team will contact you.
Downloadable assets
View our free Pallet Exchange Solutions guide here.