Overview

Stranded inventory — FBA stock sitting in Amazon's warehouses without an active listing — is one of the most overlooked profit killers for sellers. These disconnected units accumulate storage fees while generating zero sales, and with Amazon's 2026 IPI threshold holding firm at 400 points, unresolved stranded inventory can restrict your entire FBA storage capacity during the busiest selling periods.

What's Changed for 2026

• Proactive Stranded Alerts — Amazon now sends automatic notifications when inventory becomes stranded, giving sellers earlier warning before fees accumulate
• Enhanced Diagnostic Dashboard — The stranded inventory view includes more specific reason codes and one-click resolution options for common issues
• IPI Integration — Stranded inventory percentage now displays prominently within IPI dashboards alongside overall account health metrics
• Updated Removal Fees — Standard-size removal runs $0.97–$1.04 per unit, while oversized items range from $4.19 to $9.61 depending on weight tier

Common Causes of Stranded Inventory

Listing-level problems are the most frequent trigger. Missing required fields, pricing that falls outside Amazon's acceptable range, policy violations, or compliance documentation gaps can all suppress a listing and immediately strand associated FBA stock. Amazon periodically adds new required attributes to categories without prominent notice, which can render previously compliant listings inactive overnight.

Account and authorization issues represent another major category. Revoked access to gated categories, Brand Registry conflicts, and flags related to restricted products or safety concerns can all trigger listing holds with minimal warning, stranding inventory across entire product lines.

Operational errors are often self-inflicted. Deleting a listing before removing FBA inventory orphans those units. Bulk upload mistakes, third-party feed errors, and botched transitions from merchant-fulfilled to FBA can all break the connection between listings and inventory records.

The Real Financial Impact

The costs of stranded inventory compound rapidly the longer units sit unresolved. Monthly storage fees continue accruing whether products can sell or not, and during Q4 peak season those rates run two to three times higher than standard periods. Units stranded beyond 181 days trigger aged inventory surcharges, with items past 271 days facing the steepest penalty tiers.