Split Replenishment Planner: Air and Ocean for US FBA

Key planning facts

Use this guide to prepare a shipment-specific discussion. Verify current rules and operating instructions again before cargo is released, booked or presented for import.

Decision owner

The seller or importing entity confirms commercial, customs and receiving facts.

Primary milestone

Inventory received and available, not only port arrival or proof of delivery.

Risk control

Reopen the plan when cargo, importer, route or warehouse instructions change.

Quantify the exposed inventory window

Compare air and ocean on the date stock becomes usable, not only on airport or port transit. Origin cutoff, customs and receiving remain in both plans.

Start with the number of units exposed before the next reliable receiving window. Separate launch protection, stockout recovery and baseline replenishment because each has a different commercial cost of delay. The urgent quantity should be supported by a dated inventory model, not a reflex to send a percentage by air. Keep a buffer for customs and receiving so the urgent tranche is not planned only to airport arrival.

Build separate air and ocean SKU files

Air freight uses the greater of actual and volumetric weight under the selected carrier rule. Ocean comparisons should state FCL or LCL minimums and destination charges.

Create two shipment files from one approved SKU allocation. Each file needs quantities, carton identifiers, value allocation, labels, import data and a receiving reference that match its physical cargo. Mark which supplier cartons belong to air and which belong to ocean before final packing. If cartons must be opened or rebuilt, repeat the count and dimension check so both transport bookings and commercial records use the final state.

Model the split instead of choosing one mode

Model the cost of a stockout, launch delay or excess inventory alongside the transport cost. The lowest freight number may not produce the lowest inventory risk.

Compare three scenarios: all ocean, all air and a split. For each, calculate transport basis, origin cutoff, expected entry handoff, final receiving range and the commercial exposure of late stock. Air chargeable weight and ocean minimums should use finished carton data. The split is useful only when the earlier tranche protects enough contribution or launch value to justify its added cost and operating complexity.

Set reallocation and supplier cutoff rules

A split shipment can protect urgent units by air while the remaining volume moves by ocean. Keep SKU allocation and receiving references aligned across both movements.

Set a last decision point for changing the allocation. A late supplier, revised demand signal or altered carton size can change the urgent quantity, but reallocating after labels or customs files are finalized creates new risk. Name the person who can approve a mode change and require a revised count, value allocation and receiver instruction. Keep the superseded plan in the record so destination teams know which version controls.

Measure when both tranches become usable

Recalculate when carton dimensions, ready date or required inventory date changes; these inputs can reverse the practical mode decision.

Measure each tranche when it becomes usable, then compare the outcome with the original inventory assumption. Record whether the air units arrived early enough to protect the sales window and whether the ocean balance entered receiving as planned. Include extra handling, storage or redelivery in the result. This turns split replenishment into a repeatable decision model instead of a one-time freight-cost comparison.

Frequently asked questions