How to Work with FBS: The Model, Warehouse, Picking and Dispatch

FBS means selling from your own warehouse: the goods sit with you, orders come in from the marketplace, you pick them and hand them over to the platform, and the platform takes delivery to the buyer on itself. Here is the model step by step: warehouse and stock, picking and labels, dispatch — and how FBS differs on Wildberries, Ozon and Yandex Market.

FBS (Fulfillment by Seller) is a model in which storage and picking sit with the seller, while delivery to the buyer sits with the marketplace. The full order cycle looks like this:

1. 1A buyer places an order — a picking task appears in your seller account.
2. 2You pick the order: find the item, pack it, and apply the label printed from your seller account.
3. 3You hand the parcel over to the platform — at a drop-off point, a sorting center or to a courier.
4. 4From there the marketplace delivers the order to the buyer itself and handles returns through its own network.

How the model differs from its neighbors: with FBO the goods live in the platform's warehouse — see the cost comparison in the guide FBO vs FBS vs rFBS; with realFBS and DBS the seller is responsible for delivery as well (realFBS on Ozon, DBS).

Who FBS suits: a launch with a small batch (no inbound shipment to the platform's warehouse required), a wide assortment with infrequent demand, seasonal stock and oversized goods that are expensive to keep on FBO.

An "FBS warehouse" does not have to be a rented hangar: it can be an office, a garage or a room you are physically able to pick orders from every day. In the platform's seller account the warehouse is created as an object: address, working hours, dispatch method. After that you upload stock to it — manually, by file, or via API from your inventory system.

The core discipline of the model is that the stock in your seller account must match what is on the shelf. The platform sells whatever you declared and does not check whether the item actually exists.

For every order the platform allows a set picking time — you choose it when configuring the warehouse and it is visible in each picking task. Within that window you have to manage it all: find the item, check its condition, pack it to the platform's requirements (WB packaging, Ozon packaging) and apply the label.

The label is printed from your seller account for each parcel and carries the barcode the platform uses to move the parcel through its network. Formats and sizes differ from platform to platform and change periodically — the current requirements are always in your seller account, in the FBS dispatch instructions. At volume, labels are printed on a thermal printer; for one-off orders an ordinary printer and self-adhesive paper are enough.

Picked parcels are handed over to the platform in one of several ways: you bring them to a drop-off point or a pickup point that accepts FBS parcels, deliver them to a sorting center, or hand them to the platform's courier on a schedule. The method is fixed in the warehouse settings and determines what each dispatch costs you in time and logistics.

The dispatch deadline is part of the promise to the buyer: it is baked into the delivery time the platform shows on the product card. Missing it hurts twice — a penalty from the platform, and cancellations from buyers who are not willing to wait.

Wildberries. Selling from the seller's own warehouse is historically called "Marketplace" in the seller account. Dispatch goes through pickup points that accept FBS shipments, or through sorting centers; parcels are grouped into an FBS inbound shipment that is closed at hand-over. Check the economics of the model through WB commission and WB logistics costs.

Ozon. Classic FBS: picking tasks, labels from the seller account, dispatch to a pickup point, a sorting center or a courier. Not to be confused with realFBS, where the seller delivers the order themselves (realFBS explained). Rates and deductions are in the guide Ozon commissions.

Yandex Market. FBS sits alongside FBY — the FBO equivalent, where the goods are stored by Market (FBY inbound shipment). FBS orders are dispatched to a sorting center or a pickup point on the warehouse schedule.

On FBS you pay the platform nothing for storage and inbound handling, but you carry your own operations: space, packaging, a person's time on picking, and the trip to the drop-off point. These costs rarely show up in the seller account, which is why you have to calculate the full cost per unit — WB unit economics and Ozon unit economics.

The usual trajectory: a SKU starts on FBS with no dead-stock risk, and once the sales rhythm stabilizes and the margin can absorb the platform's storage fees, the fast movers migrate to FBO (how an FBO inbound shipment to Ozon works). The working practice is a hybrid: top SKUs on FBO for delivery speed, the long tail on FBS. The algorithm for choosing a model by turnover, dimensions and margin is in the guide FBO vs FBS vs rFBS.

If there is no one to run operations, they are handed to a contractor — what fulfillment is.

If it is more cost-effective to hand FBS operations in Moscow to a contractor — here are the capital's top 10 fulfillment operators. The selection method, full profiles and the rules for choosing are in the separate Moscow ranking; all data comes from the operators' official websites, snapshot as of July 2026.

The St. Petersburg market is the second most saturated; full profiles are in the St. Petersburg ranking.

Outside the two capitals the market rests on federal networks and strong local players. Below are ten operators whose infrastructure covers the million-plus cities; the local leaders in each city are in the city rankings.

The ranking for your city:

• Fulfillment in Moscow: ranking — 10 vetted operators.
• Fulfillment in St. Petersburg: ranking — 10 vetted operators.
• Fulfillment in Novosibirsk: ranking — 9 vetted operators.
• Fulfillment in Yekaterinburg: ranking — 8 vetted operators.
• Fulfillment in Kazan: ranking — 10 vetted operators.
• Fulfillment in Nizhny Novgorod: ranking — 6 vetted operators.
• Fulfillment in Chelyabinsk: ranking — 4 vetted operators.
• Fulfillment in Krasnoyarsk: ranking — 3 vetted operators.
• Fulfillment in Samara: ranking — 5 vetted operators.
• Fulfillment in Ufa: ranking — 2 vetted operators.
• Fulfillment in Rostov-on-Don: ranking — 5 vetted operators.
• Fulfillment in Krasnodar: ranking — 8 vetted operators.
• Fulfillment in Omsk: ranking — 4 vetted operators.
• Fulfillment in Voronezh: ranking — 5 vetted operators.
• Fulfillment in Perm: ranking — 4 vetted operators.
• Fulfillment in Volgograd: ranking — 5 vetted operators.

"What is FBS in plain language?" You store the goods yourself and pick the orders yourself, while the marketplace takes the payment and delivers to the buyer. The platform is the storefront and the logistics; the warehouse and the picking are yours.

"How do I start selling via FBS?" Create a warehouse in your seller account (address, schedule, dispatch method), upload your stock and switch on selling from your own warehouse. The product paperwork is the same as under any model: certificates, declarations, labeling.

"How much time do I get to pick and dispatch an FBS order?" The standard depends on the platform and the warehouse settings — you choose it when creating the warehouse and it is visible in every picking task. Missing the deadline counts as a violation: anything from a fine to restricted sales, so the dispatch schedule is planned around your real throughput.

"What labels do I need for FBS?" A label with the parcel barcode is printed from the platform's seller account for every parcel. Platforms set sizes and formats in their own instructions and update them periodically — check against your seller account, not against someone else's screenshots.

"Can I work with FBS without my own warehouse?" Yes — a fulfillment operator takes over the operations: it stores, picks and dispatches on your behalf. A model where the goods stay with the supplier is already dropshipping, and it carries its own risks.

"Which is more profitable — FBS or FBO?" It depends on the turnover, dimensions and margin of the specific SKU: fast-moving items are usually better off on FBO, slow-moving and oversized ones on FBS. The selection algorithm with the calculations is in the guide FBO vs FBS vs rFBS.