In RestockPro, whenever you create an order, set lead times, or select your store's Restock Model, there are two options: direct and local. Here's how to decide which you should use.
Use direct when:
- Your supplier will prep and ship the items to FBA for you, and you can create a shipment in Seller Central first without needing to have a PO.
- You are the supplier/manufacturer, and you have a quick manufacturing turnaround time. (Learn more about RestockPro for manufacturers.)
Use local when:
- You keep inventory in a warehouse.
- You have a prep center or use a third-party service that preps your items for FBA.
- You sell kits (SKUs that are a combination of units from your supplier), so the kit parts have to be received and "built" before going to FBA.
- Any other situation where your supplier will ship items somewhere that is not an Amazon Fulfillment Center.
- You are the supplier/manufacturer, and you need to track your manufacturing process as a PO in RestockPro before creating shipments. (Learn more about RestockPro for manufacturers.)
Note: Older RestockPro accounts also had a third Restock Model called cross dock. This model works similarly to local but with less flexibility. If you currently use the cross dock order type, we recommend switching to local. See our walkthrough of a local PO and shipment for more information.