CARP

Amazon & D2C glossary · Harpy Media

CARP (Carrier Appointment Request Portal) is Amazon’s scheduling system for inbound freight: carriers and vendors use it to book and manage delivery appointments at fulfillment centers before a truck ever shows up. It’s the reason a 53-foot trailer doesn’t join an unmanaged queue at an FC dock.

What is CARP?

CARP (Carrier Appointment Request Portal) is Amazon’s scheduling system for inbound freight: carriers and vendors use it to book and manage delivery appointments at fulfillment centers before a truck ever shows up. It’s the reason a 53-foot trailer doesn’t join an unmanaged queue at an FC dock.

Primarily a 1P vendor and freight-carrier tool, CARP covers the appointment request, confirmation, and change process for LTL and FTL deliveries. Booked slots align with FC receiving capacity; missed or late appointments align with chargebacks.

How the appointment flow works

The carrier (or vendor’s logistics partner) requests a delivery window through the portal for a specific FC and shipment; Amazon confirms or proposes alternatives based on dock capacity; the shipment arrives inside its confirmed slot. The discipline that matters: appointments are tied to Amazon’s routing and ASN data — the paperwork chain (ASN, BOL, appointment) must agree, because receiving operations run on that match. Changes happen through the portal, not by phoning a dock and hoping.

Why sellers and vendors should care about a carrier tool

Because appointment discipline is money. A delivery without a confirmed appointment can be delayed or turned away outright — and every day of delay is inventory not selling, plus potential chargebacks for missing delivery windows. Vendors with chronic appointment problems pay for it twice: in fees and in Amazon’s internal operational scorecard, which quietly influences future PO behavior. The practical takeaway even for 3P sellers: when your freight forwarder or 3PL books FBA deliveries, ask how they manage appointments — the professional ones live in this tool.

In practice

A vendor’s carrier books CARP appointments for a 12-pallet LTL delivery a week ahead, ASN and BOL aligned to the slot. The truck arrives on time, checks in clean, and the inventory is sellable within the standard receiving window. Their competitor’s carrier rolls up unappointed the same day — the load sits in a detention yard for 40 hours, a late-delivery chargeback lands, and their launch stock misses its own launch week.

How Harpy Media helps

Freight paperwork discipline is standing ops for our vendor-side clients — appointments, ASNs, and claims evidence kept clean before anything goes wrong.

CARP FAQ

What is CARP?

Amazon’s Carrier Appointment Request Portal — where carriers and vendors book and manage fulfillment-center delivery appointments for inbound freight.

Who uses CARP?

Mostly 1P vendors and their freight partners for LTL/FTL deliveries; 3P sellers encounter it through their carriers and 3PLs.

What happens if a truck arrives without an appointment?

It can be delayed or refused outright — plus late-delivery chargebacks and receiving delays that keep inventory unsellable.