Overview

Amazon is introducing an automatic process that will pull any inventory that has sat in its fulfillment network for more than 365 days. The change takes effect for sellers who have not explicitly disabled the feature, and the removed stock may be returned, donated, recycled, or destroyed without further seller consent. Sellers with slow‑moving or niche products need to adjust their inventory strategies now to avoid unexpected loss or additional fees.

Key Points

• 365‑day trigger — Any unit that remains in an Amazon fulfillment center for a full year will be flagged for automatic removal unless the seller opts out.
• Default disposition — If a seller does not supply a current return address, Amazon will default to donating, recycling, or disposing of the items rather than shipping them back.
• Irreversible orders — Once Amazon generates a removal order, it is classified as “required” and cannot be cancelled or altered by the seller.
• Advance alerts — Affected sellers receive email and Seller Central notifications before the removal is executed, giving a short window to adjust settings.
• Impact on fees — Units already subject to the aged‑inventory surcharge will continue to accrue fees until they are removed, regardless of the disposal method.
• IPI influence — Successful removal of aged stock can improve a seller’s Inventory Performance Index (IPI) score, potentially unlocking higher storage limits.

How the Automatic Removal Program Works

1. Identify aged stock — Amazon scans each fulfillment center nightly for SKUs whose first receipt date is older than 365 days. Example: A seller who shipped 150 units of a specialty garden tool on March 1 2023 will have those units flagged on March 2 2024.
2. Generate a system‑initiated removal order — For every flagged SKU, Amazon creates a removal order that is automatically marked as required. Example: The 150 garden tools trigger a removal order labeled “Required Removal – Auto” in the seller’s account.