North America Remote Fulfillment is Amazon’s cross-border program that lets a seller with US FBA inventory fulfill orders placed on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.mx without holding separate Canadian or Mexican inventory. Amazon picks the order in a US fulfillment center, ships it across the border, handles customs clearance, and delivers to the Canadian or Mexican buyer. The seller pays a higher FBA fee per unit but avoids the cost of duplicating inventory in each marketplace.
How it works in practice
A NARF-enrolled seller lists eligible ASINs on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.mx. When a Canadian buyer orders, Amazon’s system pulls the unit from the seller’s US FBA inventory, ships it from a US fulfillment center via Amazon’s cross-border logistics, and delivers in roughly 9-12 business days. Amazon collects duty and tax from the buyer at checkout (the Landed Cost feature), so the buyer is never surprised at the door. The seller’s FBA fee is higher than domestic FBA but lower than the cost of maintaining a separate Canadian inventory pool for slow-moving SKUs.
Why it matters
NARF is the cheapest way for US-based sellers to test demand in Canada and Mexico without committing capital to in-country inventory. For a seller with 5,000 ASINs but only 200 fast-movers in the US, NARF lets the long tail be available in Canada without any logistics cost. Once a Canadian SKU proves volume, the seller can graduate it to FBA Canada with local inventory.
Common misconceptions
- NARF eligibility is per-ASIN, not blanket. Restricted categories (alcohol, certain electronics, hazmat) typically don’t qualify.
- NARF does not exempt the seller from being the importer of record on those cross-border parcels. Canadian tax and reporting obligations still apply.
- The 9-12 day delivery times are slower than FBA Canada with local inventory. NARF is the long-tail solution, not the speed solution.