Overview

Amazon will begin automatically removing any FBA units that have remained in its fulfillment network for more than 365 days. The change takes effect immediately, and sellers who have not set a removal preference risk having stock donated, recycled, or destroyed without further warning. Protecting inventory now requires a quick review of long‑term storage settings.

Key Points

• 365‑day threshold — A single unit that stays in an Amazon warehouse for a full year triggers automatic removal, regardless of sales velocity or seasonality.
• Default outcome is donation or disposal — If a seller has not supplied a return address, Amazon will either donate the item to charity, recycle it, or discard it at its discretion.
• Return address option — Adding a valid return address in the Fulfillable Inventory settings directs Amazon to ship the aged units back to the seller instead of destroying them.
• Opt‑out capability — Sellers can completely disable the automatic removal process by selecting the opt‑out checkbox in the long‑term storage removal section of Seller Central.
• Removal orders are final — Once Amazon generates a removal order, it cannot be cancelled, making early configuration essential to avoid unexpected loss.
• Fees still apply — Even when items are returned, Amazon charges a per‑unit removal fee, so the cost impact must be calculated before choosing a return over donation or disposal.

How Automatic Removal Works

1. Inventory age calculation — Amazon starts the 365‑day clock the moment a shipment is received at a fulfillment center. Example: A seller ships 200 units of a winter coat on 15 Oct 2023; the clock begins on that receipt date, not on the product’s listing date.
2. Triggering a removal order — On the day the first unit of a SKU reaches the one‑year mark, Amazon automatically creates a removal order for the entire quantity of that SKU that remains in the warehouse. Example: On 16 Oct 2024, the system generates a removal order for the remaining 120 coats that have not sold.