seller
- What changed
- FBA units with more than 90 days of forecasted supply
- When
- Q4 storage rates apply October to December; aged surcharge from 181 days
- Who it affects
- FBA sellers, especially after Q4, launches or large first orders
- What to do
- Review excess and aged views monthly and act before surcharge bands
Key takeaways
- Amazon treats units with more than 90 days of forecasted supply as excess.
- Standard-size storage costs roughly triple per cubic foot from October to December, and aged surcharges start at 181 days.
- Clear stock in order: listing, ads, promotions, other channels, then removal or liquidation.
Monthly FBA storage fee per cubic foot
How does Amazon define excess inventory?
Amazon's Inventory Performance Index measures the excess inventory percentage as units with more than 90 days of forecasted supply. Seller Central also shows excess units on the FBA inventory pages with recommended actions, such as lowering the price, creating a promotion, removing or liquidating.
Excess is a forecast, not a fact. A product that is overstocked in February may be fine in October. Treat Amazon's flag as a prompt to check, then decide based on your own demand plan, lead times and margin.
What excess inventory costs you in 2026
The cost has three layers. First, monthly storage fees are charged by cubic foot and rise sharply from October to December. Second, the aged inventory surcharge starts at 181 days in storage and rises in bands, with the highest rates beyond a year; Amazon's forum guidance says it is assessed monthly on the 15th. Third, excess stock uses up restock capacity that faster sellers need.
There is also an indirect cost. Cash tied up in slow stock cannot fund ads or reorders for products that sell. Our Amazon seller cash flow guide covers that side.
How to find excess inventory in Seller Central
Check these views monthly, and weekly in the run-up to Q4.
- FBA inventory page filtered to excess or aged units
- Inventory age view showing units by age band
- Restock recommendations for SKUs with too much cover
- Storage fee and aged surcharge previews
- Inventory Ledger to confirm counts before acting
The right order to clear excess stock
Try the options that recover the most value first and work down. Moving too quickly to removal or liquidation throws away margin you could have kept.
- Improve the listing: images, title and price position
- Increase advertising on SKUs with healthy conversion
- Run a coupon, sale price or Outlet deal
- Bundle the slow item with a best seller
- Move stock to another channel through Multi-Channel Fulfillment or removal
- Liquidate low-value units
- Dispose only when nothing else recovers value
Clear excess in this order
- 1Fix listing
Images, title, price
- 2Push ads
Proven keywords plus coupon
- 3Promote
Sale price or Outlet deal
- 4Move it
Other channel or removal
- 5Liquidate
Low-value units last
Using ads and promotions to sell through
For products that convert well but have too much cover, advertising is often the fastest fix. Raise bids on proven keywords, broaden match types and pair ads with a coupon so the click converts. Set the ACoS target from the cost of keeping the stock, not just from normal margin, because a sale today avoids months of storage and surcharges.
If a product does not convert even with traffic, ads will not save it. Fix the listing first or move to clearance options. Our Amazon coupons and promotions guide covers which discount tools to use.
When to remove or liquidate
Removal makes sense for higher-value products you can sell through another channel. Liquidation suits low-value or bulky items where removal and freight would cost more than the stock is worth. Our Amazon FBA liquidations guide explains what you recover and the fees involved.
Time these decisions around the surcharge bands. Clearing a unit a few weeks before it enters a higher band saves more than clearing it just after.
How to stop excess inventory building up
Most excess comes from a few predictable causes: a large first order before demand is proven, a seasonal forecast that missed, ad spend cut while stock kept arriving, or a listing problem that cut conversion. Order smaller first batches, use Amazon Warehousing and Distribution or a 3PL for bulk stock, and send FBA only what you can sell in your target window.
Balance this against the opposite problem. Amazon charges a low-inventory-level fee when stock falls too low relative to demand, measured per FNSKU since January 15, 2026. The goal is a range, not a minimum. Our Amazon FBA restock limits guide covers the capacity side.
Prevent excess
- Smaller first orders
- Seasonal forecast review
- Bulk stock in AWD or a 3PL
- Keep ads on while stock lands
- Weekly cover check per SKU
Getting help with inventory planning
Excess inventory is usually a planning and advertising problem as much as a warehouse one. PPC Spider's FBA inventory management service forecasts demand, and SpiderOS flags aging stock and adjusts bids to sell through before surcharge bands. For a full view of your aged and excess units, start with a free Amazon audit.
Sources
- Nova Data: 2026 Amazon FBA fee changes, storage rates cited to Amazon (novadata.io/resources/blog/2026-amazon-fba-fee-changes)
- Amazon Seller Forums: Aged inventory surcharge tiers (sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/85f60e98-f93c-48fe-bee7-07917616f827)
- Hopted: Amazon Inventory Performance Index help article (hopted.com/integrations/amazon-sp-api/amazon-help-articles/inventory-performance-index)
- Amazon: Fulfillment by Amazon (sell.amazon.com/fulfillment-by-amazon)
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