FBA Storage Fees 2026

Last updated: 2026-09-18

Monthly rates, Q4 peak surcharges, aged inventory penalties, and 5 proven strategies to cut your storage costs in half.

✍️ Yuwen Chen ✓ Verified Amazon Seller Expert·Published: September 05, 2026·Updated: September 05, 2026·About the Author

📅 Updated September 2026 — Covers the latest Amazon FBA fee changes, policy updates, and selling strategy insights

Monthly Storage Fees
Q4 Peak Season Fees
Aged Inventory Surcharges
IPI Score & Storage Limits
Real Cost Examples
5 Strategies to Reduce Storage Fees
FAQ

1. Monthly Storage Fees

Amazon charges storage fees monthly based on the cubic footage of your inventory in fulfillment centers. The rate depends on the time of year and your product's size tier.

Standard-Size Products

Month	Rate per Cubic Foot	Example: 0.15 cu ft product
January - September	$0.78/cu ft	$0.12/month
October - December (Q4)	$2.40/cu ft	$0.36/month

Oversize Products

Month	Rate per Cubic Foot	Example: 1.5 cu ft product
January - September	$0.56/cu ft	$0.84/month
October - December (Q4)	$1.40/cu ft	$2.10/month

Key insight: Q4 storage fees are 3x more expensive than regular months for standard-size products ($2.40 vs $0.78). If you have slow-moving inventory, remove it before October 1st to avoid the 3x surcharge.

2. Q4 Peak Season Fees

From October 1 to December 31, Amazon significantly increases storage fees to encourage sellers to move inventory faster during the holiday season.

Q4 Fee Comparison

Size Tier	Normal (Jan-Sep)	Q4 Peak (Oct-Dec)	Increase
Standard-Size	$0.78/cu ft	$2.40/cu ft	+208%
Oversize	$0.56/cu ft	$1.40/cu ft	+150%

Q4 planning tip: Calculate your Q4 storage cost BEFORE sending inventory. A standard-size product stored for 3 months in Q4 costs $0.72/cu ft (3 × $0.24) vs $0.24/cu ft in normal months (3 × $0.08). That's a 3x difference in storage cost alone.

Monthly Q4 Storage Cost Example

Example: 500 units of a kitchen gadget (0.15 cu ft each)
Total volume: 500 × 0.15 = 75 cubic feet

Normal months (Jan-Sep):
75 cu ft × $0.78 = $58.50/month

Q4 peak (Oct-Dec):
75 cu ft × $2.40 = $180.00/month

Q4 cost: 3x more expensive per unit stored

3. Aged Inventory Surcharges

Amazon penalizes you for keeping inventory in their warehouses too long. The aged inventory surcharge (formerly "long-term storage fee") kicks in after 181 days and increases dramatically over time.

Aged Inventory Fee Schedule

Days in Fulfillment Center	Aged Inventory Surcharge (per cu ft)	Surcharge on a 0.15 cu ft product	Total per month (surcharge + base)
0-180 days	$0.00	$0.00	$0.12
181-210 days	$0.50/cu ft	$0.08	$0.19
211-240 days	$1.00/cu ft	$0.15	$0.27
241-270 days	$1.50/cu ft	$0.23	$0.34
271-300 days	$5.45/cu ft	$0.82	$0.93
301-330 days	$5.70/cu ft	$0.86	$0.97
331-365 days	$5.90/cu ft	$0.89	$1.00
366-455 days	$6.90/cu ft or $0.30/unit	$1.04	$1.15
456+ days	$7.90/cu ft or $0.35/unit	$1.19	$1.30

US rates, effective 2026-01-16. The surcharge is charged in addition to the base monthly storage fee, not instead of it — the last column already includes it. "Total per month" assumes a standard-size product in a non-peak month (base rate $0.78/cu ft, January–September); the base rate rises to $2.40/cu ft in October–December, and oversize items pay $0.56/$1.40 instead. On the 366+ bands Amazon charges the greater of the per-cu-ft rate and the per-unit minimum, so small, high-unit-count inventory is capped by the per-unit figure. Inventory in the clothing, footwear, bags, jewelry and watches categories is excluded from the first three bands. Colour key: no surcharge · watch · act now · liquidate.

Critical — the cliff is at day 271, not day 331. The ladder is gentle for the first three bands ($0.50 → $1.00 → $1.50/cu ft), then jumps 263% in a single step at day 271 ($1.50 → $5.45/cu ft). Past 270 days you are paying roughly 7× the base storage fee; past 366 days, roughly 9–10×. The surcharge is assessed on a monthly snapshot, so crossing a band boundary on the snapshot date costs you the full month at the higher rate — act before the boundary, not after.

Total Storage Cost Over Time

Example: a 0.15 cu ft standard-size product held for 12 months (about 365 days), using the January–September base rate of $0.78/cu ft throughout so the arithmetic stays comparable:

Base storage, 12 months: 12 × $0.78 × 0.15 = $1.40
Aged inventory surcharge (charged from day 181):
  Days 181-210: 1 × $0.50 × 0.15 = $0.08
  Days 211-240: 1 × $1.00 × 0.15 = $0.15
  Days 241-270: 1 × $1.50 × 0.15 = $0.23
  Days 271-300: 1 × $5.45 × 0.15 = $0.82
  Days 301-330: 1 × $5.70 × 0.15 = $0.86
  Days 331-365: 1 × $5.90 × 0.15 = $0.89
  → surcharge subtotal ≈ $3.01 (summed before rounding; per-band figures are rounded to the cent)

Total storage cost over 12 months: $4.41/unit ($1.40 base + $3.01 surcharge)
Monthly base fee alone: $0.78 × 0.15 = $0.12/month

The shape matters more than the total. The last six months cost $3.01 in surcharges versus $1.40 of base storage for the entire year — and $2.56 of that surcharge comes from the final 95 days alone (days 271–365). That is the price of not clearing stock before day 270.

4. IPI Score & Storage Limits

Amazon's Inventory Performance Index (IPI) determines how much storage space you're allowed. A low IPI means you'll be capped on how much inventory you can send to Amazon.

IPI Score Ranges

IPI Score	Storage Limit	What It Means
400+	No limit	Good standing — store as much as you want
350-399	May be limited	Monitor closely — limit could be imposed
Below 350	Limited storage	Amazon restricts how much you can send

How to Improve Your IPI

Reduce excess inventory — remove slow-moving products
Improve sell-through rate — sell more relative to what you store
Avoid stockouts — keep popular items in stock
Fix stranded inventory — unlist or remove products with no active listing

IPI is measured quarterly. The next measurement date is typically at the end of each quarter (March 31, June 30, September 30, December 31). Improve your score before these dates to avoid storage limits in the next quarter.

5. Real Cost Examples

Product	Size	Monthly Storage	Q4 Storage	Aged 270d Total
Phone case	0.02 cu ft	$0.02	$0.05	$0.08
Wireless earbuds	0.05 cu ft	$0.04	$0.12	$0.20
Kitchen gadget	0.15 cu ft	$0.12	$0.36	$0.60
Yoga mat	0.50 cu ft	$0.39	$1.20	$2.00
Small appliance	2.00 cu ft	$1.12	$2.80	$4.67

💰 Storage Fee Impact on Profit

For a $24.99 kitchen gadget with 0.15 cu ft volume:

Monthly storage (Jan-Sep): $0.12/month
Monthly storage (Q4): $0.36/month
Aged inventory (270 days): $0.60/month
If stored 6 months: $0.72 total storage
If stored 12 months: $2.68 total storage (11% of sale price)

Storage fees alone can eat 10%+ of your profit margin on slow-moving items.

6. Five Strategies to Reduce Storage Fees

Strategy 1: Improve Your IPI Score

An IPI of 400+ gives you unlimited storage. Focus on:

Reducing excess inventory (remove slow-movers)
Maintaining healthy sell-through rate
Avoiding stockouts on popular items

Strategy 2: Remove Inventory Before Q4

Calculate your Q4 storage cost. If a product will sit for 3+ months in Q4, consider:

Running a promotion to sell through before October
Creating a Removal Order to return inventory
Using Amazon's Liquidations program

Strategy 3: Send Inventory More Frequently

Instead of sending 6 months of inventory at once, send 1-2 months of supply. This reduces the average inventory in Amazon's warehouses and lowers your storage fees.

Strategy 4: Bundle Slow-Movers

If you have slow-moving accessories, bundle them with popular products. A bundle sells faster than individual items, reducing storage time.

Strategy 5: Use Amazon Warehousing & Distribution (AWD)

Amazon AWD offers long-term storage at lower rates than FBA. Use it for inventory that won't sell quickly. Transfer to FBA as needed.

Calculate Your Storage Costs

See exactly how much storage fees will cost you — including Q4 peak and aged inventory penalties.

Open Profit Calculator →

7. Frequently Asked Questions

How much are FBA storage fees per month?

Standard-size products pay $0.78 per cubic foot from January to September, increasing to $2.40 per cubic foot during Q4 (October-December). Oversize products pay $0.56 per cubic foot (Jan-Sep) and $1.40 per cubic foot (Oct-Dec). These fees are charged monthly based on the volume of your inventory.

What is the aged inventory surcharge?

The aged inventory surcharge applies to inventory stored for 181+ days and is charged on top of the monthly storage fee, not instead of it. US rates (per cubic foot, effective 2026-01-16): 181-210 days = $0.50, 211-240 = $1.00, 241-270 = $1.50, 271-300 = $5.45, 301-330 = $5.70, 331-365 = $5.90, 366-455 = $6.90 or $0.30 per unit, 456+ = $7.90 or $0.35 per unit. Amazon charges the greater of the per-cubic-foot rate and the per-unit minimum on the 366+ bands. The ladder is not smooth: it jumps 263% at day 271 ($1.50 to $5.45), so inventory held past 270 days should be removed or liquidated rather than stored. Inventory in the clothing, footwear, bags, jewelry and watches categories is excluded from the first three bands.

How can I reduce FBA storage fees?

Strategies include: (1) Improve IPI score to get more storage space, (2) Send inventory to Amazon more frequently in smaller batches, (3) Use Removal Orders for slow-moving inventory, (4) Bundle slow-movers with popular items, (5) Consider Amazon Warehousing & Distribution (AWD) for long-term storage.

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