Overview

Amazon has announced updated rates for its aged inventory surcharge, effective in 2026, with changes specifically targeting items that have been stored in fulfillment centers for 366 days or longer. Formerly known as the long-term storage fee, this surcharge applies to FBA inventory that remains unsold for 181 days or more. Understanding how this fee works and how it's calculated is essential for sellers looking to protect their margins and manage inventory efficiently.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• New rates for 366+ day inventory — Amazon is increasing its surcharge rates for inventory aged over one year, making it even more costly to let slow-moving stock sit in fulfillment centers.
• Surcharge kicks in at 181 days — Any inventory stored in Amazon's fulfillment network for 181 days or longer is subject to the aged inventory surcharge, in addition to regular monthly storage fees.
• Monthly snapshot on the 15th — Amazon assesses the surcharge based on an inventory snapshot taken on the fifteenth of every month, so your inventory levels on that date determine what you owe.
• FIFO calculation method — Amazon uses a first-in, first-out approach across its entire fulfillment network, meaning units sold or removed are deducted from the oldest inventory on record, not necessarily the physical unit that shipped.
• Stacks on top of storage fees — This surcharge is not a replacement for monthly inventory storage fees — it is an additional charge layered on top of them.

How the Surcharge Is Calculated

The aged inventory surcharge uses a tiered structure based on how long units have been in Amazon's fulfillment network. Inventory aged between 181 and 270 days incurs the lowest surcharge tier, while items stored between 271 and 365 days face a higher rate. The steepest fees apply to inventory that has been sitting for 366 days or more, and it is this tier that is seeing updated rates in 2026. Amazon calculates inventory age on a first-in, first-out basis across all fulfillment centers in the network. This means that even if a recently arrived unit is physically picked and shipped, the system deducts that sale from the oldest batch of inventory on record. This approach prevents sellers from resetting their inventory age by simply shuffling stock between warehouses or sending in fresh units.