Amazon doesn’t want to be a long-term warehouse. It never did. But in 2026, the fee structure that enforces that position has become one of the most significant threats to FBA seller profitability in the platform’s history.
The old Long-Term Storage Fee (LTSF) — the one that kicked in at 365 days and gave sellers almost a full year to figure out what to do with slow-moving inventory — is gone. In its place is a tiered Aged Inventory Surcharge (AIS) that starts at 181 days, escalates in sharp steps, and makes the math on holding slow inventory brutal at every stage.
Amazon replaced the old long-term storage fee with a tiered aged inventory surcharge that kicks in much earlier — at 181 days. These surcharges are in addition to monthly storage fees, not instead of them. A product sitting in FBA for 370 days pays both the monthly storage fee and the 365+ day aged surcharge every single month. Nventory
If you have inventory in FBA that isn’t selling, the clock is already running. This post gives you the actual 2026 fee schedule, the critical monthly deadline you need to know, an honest comparison of your exit options — including why Amazon’s own liquidation program often isn’t the best one — and a practical decision framework for acting before fees erase whatever margin you have left.
The 2026 FBA Fee Stack: What You’re Actually Paying
Before getting to the aged surcharges specifically, it’s worth understanding that the AIS doesn’t operate in isolation. FBA sellers in 2026 are dealing with a fee stack that hits from multiple directions.
Monthly Storage Fees
Peak season runs from October 1 through December 31. Storage rates triple during this period — from $0.78 to $2.40 per cubic foot for standard-size items. This is one of the biggest cost surprises for new FBA sellers. Ecom Calc Tools
In non-peak months, the $0.78 per cubic foot rate feels manageable for fast-moving inventory. It becomes a problem the moment velocity slows, because it accumulates month over month while the product sits.
The 3.5% Fuel and Logistics Surcharge (April 2026)
Amazon’s fuel and logistics-related surcharge took effect April 17, 2026. It’s applied to FBA fulfillment fees — not the sale price — for all US and Canadian orders, including Multi-Channel Fulfillment. eFulfillment Service This adds approximately 3.5 cents to every dollar of fulfillment cost on top of the already-adjusted 2026 fee schedule.
The Aged Inventory Surcharge: The Real Problem
This is where slow-moving inventory becomes genuinely dangerous. Here is the 2026 AIS rate structure:
- Days 181–270: $0.50 per cubic foot per month (in addition to regular storage) Days 271–365: $1.50 per cubic foot per month rising steeply to $5.45 per cubic foot at the 271-day mark Days 365+: $6.90 per cubic foot per month
- The aged inventory surcharge starts at 181 days (down from 271 days in prior years). Fees start at $0.50 per cubic foot at 181 days and escalate sharply — hitting $5.45 per cubic foot at 271 days, with a maximum of $6.90 per cubic foot for inventory over one year old. eFulfillment Service
- That jump at the 271-day mark is the number that should concern every seller with borderline-performing ASINs. Going from $1.50 to $5.45 per cubic foot is a 263% increase, triggered by a single day of aging. And it’s charged in addition to the regular $0.78 monthly storage fee.
What This Looks Like in Real Money
Let’s run an example that makes the numbers concrete.
You have 100 units of a standard-size product. Each unit occupies 0.5 cubic feet. Total volume: 50 cubic feet.
At day 181: Regular storage = $0.78 × 50 = $39.00. AIS = $0.50 × 50 = $25.00. Total monthly cost: $64.00.
At day 271: Regular storage = $39.00. AIS jumps to $5.45 × 50 = $272.50. Total monthly cost: $311.50.
At day 365+: Regular storage = $39.00. AIS = $6.90 × 50 = $345.00. Total monthly cost: $384.00.
That’s $384 per month to store 100 units that already weren’t selling. If a product only sells for $12, you are losing money within 3 months of the surcharge kicking in — and the surcharge actually starts at 181 days, so by the time you hit 365 days, you’ve already paid months of escalating fees. Nventory
The problem is even sharper for sellers who didn’t adjust their models when Amazon moved the AIS threshold from 271 days to 181 days. That 90-day shift means sellers have 90 fewer days to respond to slowing velocity before fees begin compounding.
The Critical Monthly Deadline: The 15th
This is the single most actionable piece of operational knowledge in this post, and it’s one that many sellers miss until it’s too late.
Amazon evaluates inventory age on the 15th of each month. To avoid the 180-day surcharge, either sell through or remove the inventory before the 15th of the month when items reach 179 days. Set calendar reminders and check your FBA age report regularly. Ecom Calc Tools
Aged inventory is assessed every 15th of the month. Placing your removal order by the 14th at 11:59pm PST will prevent those units from incurring those monthly aged fees. Sostocked
This creates a hard deadline every month. If your inventory is going to cross the 181-day threshold on, say, April 22nd, you need to have your removal order submitted by April 14th at 11:59pm PST to avoid that month’s surcharge. Miss it by a day, and you pay another full month of fees — which at the 271+ day tier can be substantial.
The practical implication is that sellers need to be running their FBA Inventory Age report not just occasionally, but at least monthly, with a standing calendar reminder set for the 7th or 8th of each month — giving enough lead time to identify at-risk inventory and place removal orders before the 14th deadline.
The IPI Score Connection: Why Aged Inventory Hurts Twice
The financial cost of aged inventory surcharges is bad enough. But the operational damage goes further, because slow and aged inventory directly affects your Inventory Performance Index (IPI) score — and a low IPI restricts how much inventory you can send into FBA at all.
Amazon is also adjusting how IPI affects storage capacity. The goal is to reward turnover and penalize stagnation even more aggressively. Storage limits depend increasingly on how consistently you sell. A high IPI with low sell-through could see storage limits shrink by up to 25%. BrandsBro
This creates a compounding problem. Slow inventory generates AIS fees, which pressures your P&L. The same slow inventory depresses your IPI, which restricts your ability to send in new, faster-moving products that could generate the revenue you need to offset the fees. The two effects reinforce each other in a way that can materially damage a seller’s ability to operate efficiently on the platform.
The IPI impact alone — separate from the direct fee costs — makes a strong case for acting on aged inventory early rather than hoping it sells through.
Your Four Options for Aged FBA Inventory: An Honest Assessment
When inventory approaches or crosses the 181-day threshold, sellers have four meaningful choices. Here’s an honest assessment of each:
Option 1: Aggressive Price Reduction on Amazon
The first and most obvious choice. If inventory is selling slowly, the question is whether a significant price reduction would unlock enough sales velocity to clear the inventory before fees compound further — or before the product crosses into the next, more expensive fee tier.
The honest answer is that this works well for products that are slightly underpriced relative to competition but doesn’t work at all for products that have genuine demand problems — wrong category, wrong season, wrong market fit. If 30 days of price reduction testing hasn’t moved velocity meaningfully, the product is unlikely to clear through pricing alone. At that point, you’re better off putting the price reduction money toward a clean exit.
Option 2: Amazon’s Built-In FBA Liquidation Program
Amazon’s own liquidation program allows sellers to submit a liquidation order through Seller Central. Amazon finds a wholesale buyer and processes the sale.
Contracted liquidators purchase your inventory, typically for 5% to 10% of the product’s average selling price. After deducting fees — including a 15% referral fee on the gross recovery value and per-unit processing charges — Amazon credits the net recovery value to your account within 60 to 90 days of submitting the order. Superfuel
The program has real advantages: it’s operationally simple and Amazon handles all logistics. But it has four significant limitations that sellers should understand before defaulting to it.
- First, the 60 to 90-day payment timeline. You stop incurring AIS fees immediately when you submit the order, which is valuable. But you won’t see the recovery payment for two to three months. For sellers under cash flow pressure, this is a meaningful constraint.
- Second, the recovery rate — 5 to 10% of average selling price before fees — is low. After Amazon’s 15% referral fee on the gross recovery and per-unit processing charges, net recovery often lands at 3 to 7% of retail value. For a product with a meaningful cost basis, this may not even cover your original COGS.
- Third, not all inventory qualifies. Amazon’s program currently considers 30 to 60 percent of many sellers’ unfulfillable inventory ineligible. The default for ineligible inventory is disposal, which means Amazon can take this inventory and resell it. SmartScout
- Fourth, the 90-day lockout. Amazon won’t let you send in new inventory for that ASIN for the next 90 days after a liquidation order. Sostocked If the ASIN still has sales potential through pricing or seasonal rebound, using Amazon’s liquidation program forecloses that option for three months.
Option 3: Removal Order to a Third-Party Liquidator
This is the option that many sellers don’t consider — but often produces significantly better outcomes than Amazon’s built-in liquidation program.
The process works as follows: you create a removal order in Seller Central choosing “Return to address” rather than “Liquidate” or “Dispose.” You designate the shipping address as a third-party liquidator’s warehouse rather than your own facility. Amazon ships your inventory directly to the liquidator. The liquidator evaluates, quotes, and purchases.
Sellers who use third-party liquidation partners for lots of 500 to 5,000 units can convert a potential loss into recovered value, avoiding steep FBA storage fees for products that would otherwise be destroyed. This method gives sellers better financial control over their end-of-life inventory. My Amazon Guy
The key differences from Amazon’s internal program: recovery rates through direct sale to a qualified buyer are typically higher than 5 to 10% of retail, because you’re negotiating directly with a buyer rather than going through Amazon’s contracted liquidator network at Amazon-set terms. You also maintain more control over where your merchandise goes — important for brand-sensitive sellers who care about distribution channel protection. And you avoid the 15% referral fee Amazon charges on the gross recovery value in its own program.
The removal order itself still costs a per-unit fee based on item size and weight. Factor this into the math. For lightweight, high-value items, the removal + third-party sale almost always beats Amazon’s program on net recovery. For very heavy or bulky items, run the numbers specifically for your size tier before deciding.
Option 4: Removal to Your Own Warehouse for Multi-Channel Sale
If you have your own warehouse or an existing 3PL relationship, removing inventory from FBA and selling it through other channels — your own website, eBay, Walmart Marketplace, B2B bulk — can produce the best recovery rate of any option. You cut out all intermediaries and capture the full secondary market value.
The constraints are operational: you need a receiving address, you need to handle or coordinate the logistics of receiving, and you need active selling channels outside Amazon. For many sellers, particularly those who went all-in on FBA with no alternative fulfillment infrastructure, this option isn’t viable. For those who do have the infrastructure, it’s often the highest-value path for inventory that still has meaningful retail demand.
The Math: When Does Each Option Make Sense?
Here is a practical decision framework based on the characteristics of the inventory:
If sell-through on Amazon is still plausible within 60–90 days at a price cut: Try price reduction first. Monitor weekly. If velocity doesn’t materially increase within 30 days, move to removal.
If the product has strong brand value and brand-safe redistribution matters: Use a removal order to a third-party liquidator with controlled distribution channels. The recovery rate and channel protection both beat Amazon’s internal program.
If the product is commodity-grade and you just need to exit fast: Amazon’s built-in liquidation program is operationally the easiest option. Accept the 5–10% gross recovery and move on.
If you have your own warehouse or 3PL and alternative sales channels: Remove to your own facility and sell through eBay, your website, or bulk channels. This maximizes recovery but requires operational infrastructure.
If the inventory is already at 365+ days: You are in the most expensive fee tier. The argument for immediate removal is overwhelming at any recovery rate, because you’re spending $6.90 per cubic foot per month just to keep it at Amazon. At that point, even recovering 3–5 cents on the dollar is better than paying ongoing fees while waiting for a buyer.
The 90-Day Rule: Critical Logistics Planning Note
If you’re removing inventory with the intention of eventually sending that ASIN back into FBA — whether after relabeling, a product revision, or a seasonal reset — you need to plan for the 90-day restriction.
Amazon won’t let you send in new inventory for that ASIN for the next 90 days after using Amazon’s liquidation option. Sostocked The same general restriction applies to removal orders, though the mechanics differ. If the ASIN has a seasonal sales window coming up within 90 days, factor this into your timing.
The practical advice: if you’re removing to a third-party buyer and intend to restock the ASIN seasonally, time your removal so the 90-day restriction expires before your next planned inbound shipment date.
How LiquidateProducts Works for FBA Sellers
LiquidateProducts accepts FBA removal orders shipped directly from Amazon fulfillment centers to our receiving facilities. The process for FBA sellers is straightforward:
Step 1: Submit your inventory for evaluation — provide your ASIN list, quantities, condition (new, customer return, or mixed), and any known restrictions. A complete inventory manifest gets a faster, more accurate offer. Use our free manifest template if you need a starting point.
Step 2: Receive a direct purchase offer within 24 hours. We quote based on product category, condition, and current secondary market demand. Unlike Amazon’s program, we don’t work on a contracted network basis — we make you a direct offer that you can accept or decline.
Step 3: Create your removal order in Seller Central. Select “Return to address” and use the shipping address we provide when you accept the offer. Amazon ships directly to our receiving facility.
Step 4: Inventory arrives, we inspect and confirm, and payment is processed directly — faster than Amazon’s 60 to 90-day cycle.
The advantage over Amazon’s internal liquidation program isn’t just the potential for better recovery rates. It’s also control: you know who is buying your inventory, where it’s going, and how it will be resold. For any seller who cares about brand protection or channel management, that transparency is worth a significant amount by itself.
Submit your FBA inventory for a free evaluation here.
Preventing the Problem: Inventory Management Before It Becomes Liquidation
The best version of this situation is the one where you don’t need to liquidate under fee pressure. Here’s what proactive FBA inventory management looks like in 2026:
- Run your FBA Inventory Age report monthly, without exception. Download it from Seller Central under Reports > Fulfillment > Inventory Age. Sort by age descending. Any ASIN approaching 150 days is on your watch list. Any ASIN past 150 days needs an active decision — price reduction, removal, or liquidation plan — within the next 30 days.
- Set calendar reminders for the 7th of every month. This gives you seven days to review the age report and place removal orders before the 14th deadline if needed.
- Don’t stock more than 150 days of supply at FBA for any single ASIN. Sellers can reduce long-term storage fees by not stocking over 6 months of demand at any given time. Amazon recommends maintaining stock levels of between 1 and 5 months of historic sell-through. Goat Consulting
- Use the Inventory Health Dashboard in Seller Central. This tool flags inventory at risk of aged surcharges and shows your IPI score and how it’s affected by different inventory scenarios. It’s not perfect, but it’s a faster starting point than the raw age report for identifying problem ASINs.
- For seasonal products, plan your inbound shipments to arrive no earlier than 90 to 120 days before the primary selling window. Front-loading seasonal inventory into FBA months ahead of season is one of the most common ways sellers find themselves crossing the 181-day threshold unnecessarily.
A Note on Amazon’s Auto-Enrollment Changes (September 2025)
One policy shift from late 2025 deserves explicit attention because it changed the default behavior for sellers who weren’t paying close attention.
Amazon auto-enrolled all US and Canadian sellers in the FBA Liquidations program effective September 30, 2025. If you have not actively configured your automated inventory settings, Amazon may automatically process aged inventory through its liquidation program — on its terms, at its contracted recovery rates, without your explicit approval for individual lots. My Amazon Guy
This means that if you haven’t reviewed your Seller Central automated inventory settings recently, you may already be having inventory liquidated through Amazon’s program at 5 to 10% gross recovery, with a 15% referral fee on top, on a timeline you didn’t control.
Log into Seller Central and navigate to FBA Settings > Automated Unfulfillable Settings. Review what happens to your inventory by default. If the auto-enrollment doesn’t match your intentions, update the settings now. At minimum, understand what the defaults mean so you’re not surprised by liquidation proceeds appearing in your account for inventory you didn’t consciously decide to liquidate.
Frequently Asked Questions
When exactly does the aged inventory surcharge apply in 2026? The surcharge begins on inventory that has been in an Amazon fulfillment center for 181 days or more. Amazon assesses these surcharges on the 15th of each month, based on an inventory snapshot taken on that date. Submitting a removal order by the 14th of the month stops the fee from accruing on those units, even though the physical removal may take several weeks longer.
What’s the difference between Amazon’s FBA Liquidation program and selling to a third-party buyer? Amazon’s program is operationally simple but delivers 5 to 10% of average selling price before a 15% referral fee and per-unit processing charges, with payment arriving 60 to 90 days later. A third-party buyer like LiquidateProducts.com typically offers a direct purchase at negotiated rates, pays faster, and gives you more control over where your merchandise is redistributed. For brand-sensitive sellers, the channel transparency of a direct sale is often worth the additional step of creating a removal order and shipping to a third-party address.
Can I submit a removal order directly to LiquidateProducts.com’s warehouse? Yes. When you accept an offer from LiquidateProducts.com, we provide you with a receiving address that you enter as the “Return to address” when creating your removal order in Seller Central. Amazon ships your inventory directly to our facility and you don’t need to receive it at your own warehouse first.
Does creating a removal order immediately stop storage fees from accruing? Yes. You stop incurring fees on removed units as soon as the removal order is placed, even if they are not physically removed for several weeks. Sostocked This means the financial clock stops on removal order submission — not when the inventory physically leaves Amazon’s warehouse.
What is the 90-day rule and does it apply to removal orders? After using Amazon’s internal liquidation program for a specific ASIN, Amazon restricts you from sending new inventory for that ASIN for 90 days. Standard removal orders (where inventory ships back to you or a third party) have a less severe version of this restriction. Plan your inbound shipment timing accordingly if you intend to restock the ASIN after removal.
What types of FBA inventory does LiquidateProducts.com purchase? We purchase new/sealed FBA overstock, shelf pulls, customer returns (individually or as lots), and discontinued ASINs across consumer goods, electronics, apparel, home goods, beauty, sporting goods, toys, and general merchandise. We review inventory on a case-by-case basis — submit your ASIN list here for a free evaluation.
Conclusion: The Math Doesn’t Get Better With Time
The 2026 AIS structure sends one clear message: Amazon will charge you escalating fees for every day of inaction on slow inventory. The jump from $1.50 to $5.45 per cubic foot at 271 days, and then to $6.90 per cubic foot at 365 days, is not a gentle nudge. It’s a financial penalty designed to make prolonged FBA storage of dead inventory genuinely painful.
The sellers who navigate this well are the ones who run their age reports monthly, set their 14th-of-the-month calendar reminders, and make proactive decisions about aged inventory before the fee curve turns steep — not after they’re already in the $6.90 tier wondering how the storage costs got so high.
If you have FBA inventory approaching or past 181 days that isn’t moving on Amazon, the first step is getting a real number — what can you recover outside Amazon’s program, and how does that compare to continuing to hold and pay escalating fees?
Submit your FBA inventory list to LiquidateProducts for a free evaluation. We’ll give you a direct offer within 24 hours so you have a concrete number to make the decision with.
