Amazon says Prime delivery can run on merchants’ sites at no added MCF cost
U.S. merchants using Amazon’s Multichannel Fulfillment can offer Prime delivery on their own websites at no cost beyond standard fees, Amazon says. Amazon verifies Prime membership after checkout, so shoppers don’t log in to Amazon and merchants keep their own checkout while handling returns and customer service. Separately, Amazon says its MCF Preferred Pricing Program can lower fulfillment fees 15% to 25% for eligible FBA sellers during their first six months, with benefits continuing through a 12-month program.
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Key facts, context, and what it means.
Key takeaways
The Prime badge now costs an MCF merchant nothing beyond the fulfillment fee it already pays, and the checkout page stays the merchant's own.
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Among the merchants who tried it early, more than 40% of eligible orders shipped with Prime delivery, on average.
Amazon says the option comes without any additional costs beyond standard MCF fees. It is available to new and existing MCF merchants selling in the U.S., including the hundreds of thousands already using the service. Separately, ASCS launched the MCF Preferred Pricing Program. Under that program, sellers who use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) can cut their fulfillment fees by as much as 25% on orders that come in through their own websites, marketplaces and social media channels.
The detail that matters most for the person running a brand's ecommerce operations is where the Prime check happens. Amazon verifies membership after checkout, so the shopper never logs in to Amazon, and the merchant doesn't touch its payment processing, order management or store policies. The Prime badge now costs an MCF merchant nothing beyond the fulfillment fee it already pays, and the checkout page stays the merchant's own.
Two routes to a Prime checkout
Amazon presents the new option as a companion to Buy with Prime, its older program for putting Prime on outside websites. The two split along one line: who handles the customer once the order is placed.
Buy with Prime
When Amazon announced Buy with Prime, FreightWaves reported that it would start as invitation-only for FBA merchants. Participating merchants would pay service, payment processing, fulfillment and storage fees, but no fixed subscription.
Prime delivery through MCF
The new route keeps returns and customer service with the merchant. Amazon says merchants can turn it on more than 70% faster, on average, than standalone Buy with Prime.
The Prime badge now costs an MCF merchant nothing beyond the fulfillment fee it already pays, and the checkout page stays the merchant's own.
The split suggests fairly clean sorting. The MCF option lets merchants keep their existing returns and customer service, while Buy with Prime pairs Prime delivery with shopper customer service and easy returns.
The early numbers, and how far they go
What Amazon and outside research say about the Prime badge
Amazon survey (Prime member figures); Baymard Institute 2025 study (abandonment figures)
Amazon's named customer is Skinnies Instant Lifts. General manager Gabriella Luksander said in the release that sales rose nearly 10% after the company turned on Prime delivery, that orders leave in about a day and a half, and that "where is my order?" inquiries have nearly stopped. For a support lead, that last one is the easiest to check: count order-status tickets before and after switching it on.
The abandonment figures come from a 2025 Baymard Institute study cited in Amazon's own fulfillment guide. Shipping cost and delivery speed are two of the reasons carts get left behind.
There's a real limit here. The Prime member survey measures what people say they'd do, not what they bought. A brand whose customers mostly don't have Prime memberships could see a smaller effect.
How the Preferred Pricing Program works
The Preferred Pricing Program combines a discount on MCF fulfillment fees with FBA credits on each unit shipped, and Amazon says merchants get deeper discounts the more they ship. The 15-25% savings apply during a merchant's first six months. That introductory window doesn't end the program, though: Amazon Supply Chain Services told MarketScale that merchants can keep receiving Preferred Pricing benefits through a 12-month program. Sellers sign no long-term contracts, and once they enroll, the discounts apply automatically when they ship.
Treat the 15-25% as the introductory tier for the first six months, not the long-run rate. Before signing, ask Amazon what Preferred Pricing looks like in months seven through 12, and compare that figure against your current 3PL.
Shopify first, APIs next
Amazon says merchants can enable Prime delivery in minutes through the Amazon MCF and Buy with Prime app for Shopify. PYMNTS notes that more integrations are planned through Amazon's Selling Partner API and third-party partners.
For now, merchants add the option through Amazon's MCF and Buy with Prime app for Shopify, with additional integrations planned through the Selling Partner API and third-party partners.
Updated Oct. 1, 2026, to clarify that Preferred Pricing benefits continue beyond the six-month introductory period through a 12-month program.
Sources
- Merchants can now add fast, free Prime delivery to their own websites and save up to 25% on fulfillment fees with Amazon Supply Chain Services ↗
- Merchants Can Now Add Fast, Free Prime Delivery to Their Websites ... ↗
- Amazon Lets Merchants Add Free Prime Delivery to Their Own Websites ↗ · PYMNTS
- Amazon Buy with Prime a potential game-changer for e-commerce ↗ · FreightWaves
- Optimize your ecommerce fulfillment with a third-party logistics provider ↗
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