Which Amazon service, launched in 2006, lets outside merchants use Amazon’s warehouses and delivery network?

Amazon launched Fulfillment by Amazon in 2006, allowing third-party sellers to store inventory in Amazon warehouses and use Amazon’s order-processing and delivery services.

The service is commonly abbreviated FBA. Sellers send products to Amazon fulfillment centers, while Amazon handles storage, picking, packing, shipping, and often customer service and returns. This lets smaller merchants access logistics infrastructure that would otherwise be expensive to build.

FBA is different from Amazon Marketplace, which is the broader platform where outside sellers list products. It is also different from Amazon Prime, the subscription program that can provide fast shipping and other benefits. Sellers can use Marketplace without using FBA, and Amazon can fulfill some orders through other arrangements.

The service helped expand the marketplace model by separating product ownership from fulfillment. Amazon generally does not own the inventory supplied by FBA sellers, although it operates the facilities and delivery processes used for those orders.