Overview

Amazon is eliminating the ability for UK‑based sellers to opt out of its FBA Donations programme. Starting soon, any unsold, damaged, or unfulfillable inventory stored in Amazon’s UK fulfillment centres will be automatically evaluated for charitable donation before it is destroyed or recycled. Sellers need to adjust inventory strategies because the default outcome for eligible stock will now be a donation rather than a disposal.

Key Points

• Opt‑out removed — The toggle that let sellers skip the donation flow in Seller Central disappears for all UK‑based FBA inventory.
• Automatic eligibility check — When an item is marked for disposal, Amazon first runs a condition and category screen; qualifying products are sent to partner charities.
• Non‑eligible items still disposed — Items that fail the donation criteria, such as hazardous materials or restricted branding, continue through the standard waste‑or‑recycling process.
• UK‑only rollout — The mandatory rule applies solely to stock housed in the United Kingdom; other European marketplaces retain their current voluntary settings.
• No direct payout — Donated units are removed from the seller’s inventory balance just like disposed units, and Amazon does not provide a monetary credit for the donation.

How the Programme Works

1. Disposal trigger — An SKU becomes a disposal candidate when it is damaged, expires, or a seller creates a removal order without a return address. For example, a batch of seasonal décor that sits unsold for six months may be flagged for disposal.
2. Donation eligibility screening — Amazon evaluates the flagged SKU against internal criteria (condition, category, packaging). If a set of reusable kitchen utensils meets the standards, the system tags them for donation.
3. Routing decision — Eligible items are transferred to one of Amazon’s charity partners; ineligible items follow the existing disposal or recycling pathway. A box of broken glassware, which fails the safety check, would still be sent to a recycling facility.