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Amazon FBA Storage Fees 2026 — Monthly, Long-Term & Low-Inventory Charges Explained
Amazon FBA storage fees are one of the most misunderstood costs in the entire FBA model. Most sellers calculate referral fees and fulfillment fees — then forget about storage until they get an unexpectedly large charge. This complete 2026 guide covers every type of Amazon FBA storage fee, the exact rates Amazon charges, real worked examples, and practical strategies to reduce your storage bill before it eats your margin.
Section 1
What Are Amazon FBA Storage Fees?
When you send inventory to an Amazon fulfillment center under the FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) program, Amazon stores your products in their warehouse until a customer orders them. In exchange for that storage, Amazon charges you a monthly storage fee based on the volume of space your inventory occupies — measured in cubic feet.
Storage fees are separate from fulfillment fees (the per-unit picking, packing, and shipping charge) and referral fees (Amazon's percentage of each sale). Many new FBA sellers focus entirely on fulfillment and referral fees, then get blindsided by storage charges — especially when inventory sits unsold for months or when Q4 peaks hit.
In 2026, Amazon charges four distinct types of storage-related fees for FBA sellers in the US:
- Monthly inventory storage fees — charged every month on all inventory
- Long-term storage fees — charged on inventory stored 365+ days
- Low-inventory-level fee — charged when stock levels fall below a 28-day supply
- Aged inventory surcharge — additional fee on inventory stored 181–365 days
Understanding all four — and how they interact — is essential to accurately calculating your true Amazon FBA profit per product. Let's go through each one in detail.
Jan–Sep standard
Oct–Dec peak
Long-term (365+ days)
Section 2
Monthly Storage Fees 2026 — Rates & Size Tiers
Amazon charges monthly storage fees on all FBA inventory. The fee is based on the daily average volume of your inventory during the month, measured in cubic feet. Fees are charged around the 15th of the following month.
There are two size classifications — standard-size and oversize (now called large bulky) — and the rates differ between them. Standard-size typically covers items under 20 lbs with dimensions under 18" x 14" x 8". Everything larger falls into oversize.
2026 Monthly Storage Fee Rates — US
| Size Classification | Jan – Sep Rate | Oct – Dec Rate (Peak) |
|---|---|---|
| Standard-size | $0.78 / cu ft | $2.40 / cu ft |
| Oversize / Large Bulky | $0.56 / cu ft | $1.40 / cu ft |
| Apparel (standard-size) | $0.78 / cu ft | $2.40 / cu ft |
| Dangerous goods (standard) | $0.99 / cu ft | $3.63 / cu ft |
| Dangerous goods (oversize) | $0.78 / cu ft | $2.43 / cu ft |
Amazon calculates the volume of your product in its packaged dimensions (length × width × height ÷ 1,728 = cubic feet). The fee is then charged on the daily average units × volume per unit across the month. Amazon rounds cubic feet to 2 decimal places per item.
To put these numbers in perspective: a standard-size product that measures 10" × 8" × 4" has a volume of 320 cubic inches, or about 0.185 cubic feet. At the off-peak rate of $0.78/cu ft, storing 100 units of that product costs roughly $14.43 per month. During Q4 peak pricing at $2.40/cu ft, the same 100 units costs $44.40 per month.
This is why Q4 inventory planning is so critical for FBA sellers. Sending too much inventory before the holiday season — and having it unsold into January — means paying peak-season storage rates for stock that didn't sell.
Section 3
Peak Season Storage Fees (Q4: October – December)
Amazon's Q4 storage rates are roughly 3× higher than the rest of the year for standard-size items. This is intentional — Amazon's fulfillment centers are at maximum capacity during the holiday shopping season (Prime Early Access Sale, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas), and the higher fees are designed to push sellers to be more selective about what inventory they send in.
The Q4 fee increase affects every seller — whether you're a new FBA seller with 50 units or an established brand with 50,000 units. And because it applies for the entire months of October, November, and December, the cumulative impact is significant.
Q4 Storage Fee Increase: A Realistic Scenario
Let's say you're selling a kitchen gadget (standard-size, 0.3 cu ft) and you have 300 units sitting in FBA going into Q4:
📦 Q4 Storage Fee Impact — 300 Units × 0.3 cu ft
Don't send excess inventory just because you're optimistic about Q4 sales. Unsold units after December 31 will hit you with both the January storage fee (on remaining stock) and potentially the long-term storage fee assessment on the 15th of each month. Plan inventory quantities based on realistic sell-through forecasts.
Section 4
Long-Term Storage Fees (365+ Days)
If your inventory sits in an Amazon fulfillment center for more than 365 days, Amazon charges a long-term storage fee (LTSF). This is assessed on the 15th of each month and applies to every unit that has been in the fulfillment center for 365 days or longer at the time of assessment.
Long-Term Storage Fee Rates 2026
| Duration in Fulfillment Center | Fee (per cubic foot) | Fee (per unit minimum) |
|---|---|---|
| 365 days or more | $6.90 / cu ft | $0.15 / unit (whichever is greater) |
Amazon applies whichever is greater: $6.90 per cubic foot, or $0.15 per unit. For most standard-size products, the cubic foot rate will exceed the per-unit minimum — but for very small, light items, the $0.15 per unit floor kicks in.
Why Long-Term Storage Fees Are Dangerous
The long-term storage fee is assessed monthly on the 15th. This means if you have inventory that has been sitting for 365+ days and you haven't taken action to remove or sell it, you're getting hit with LTSF every single month — in addition to the regular monthly storage fee.
Consider a product with 0.25 cubic feet. Its regular monthly storage fee off-peak is $0.195/unit. But once it crosses 365 days, the long-term storage fee alone becomes $1.725/unit per month — nearly 9× more. For a product selling at $15 with thin margins, even 2–3 months of LTSF can wipe out all accumulated profit.
Use the FBA Inventory Age report in Seller Central (Inventory → FBA Inventory → Manage Excess Inventory) to see exactly which ASINs are approaching 180, 270, and 365 days. Set up automatic removal orders or create lightning deals for aging inventory before you hit the 365-day mark.
Section 5
Low-Inventory-Level Fee 2026 — The New Fee Most Sellers Miss
Introduced by Amazon in 2024 and continuing into 2026, the low-inventory-level fee is the newest addition to Amazon's storage fee structure — and one of the most controversial. Unlike long-term storage fees (which punish you for having too much slow stock), this fee punishes you for having too little fast-moving stock.
Amazon's rationale: when sellers have low stock relative to demand, it creates inefficiencies in Amazon's fulfillment network because inventory must be stored in fewer fulfillment centers, increasing shipping distances and costs. The fee is designed to incentivize sellers to maintain healthier inventory levels.
How the Low-Inventory-Level Fee Works
The fee applies to standard-size products only (not oversize/large bulky) where the historical days of supply falls below 28 days. Amazon calculates this as:
Historical Days of Supply = Average Daily Inventory ÷ Average Daily Sales (trailing 90 days)
If your historical days of supply is below 28, you're charged a per-unit fee on each unit sold. The fee varies by size tier:
| Product Size Tier | Low-Inventory Fee Per Unit |
|---|---|
| Small standard (up to 4 oz) | $0.32 / unit |
| Small standard (4–8 oz) | $0.32 / unit |
| Large standard (8–12 oz) | $0.72 / unit |
| Large standard (12 oz – 1 lb) | $0.72 / unit |
| Large standard (1–2 lb) | $0.87 / unit |
| Large standard (2–3 lb) | $1.11 / unit |
| Large standard (3+ lb) | $1.11 / unit |
Unlike monthly storage fees (charged on inventory held), the low-inventory-level fee is charged on each unit shipped while the low-inventory condition is active. If you sell 200 units while your days-of-supply is below 28, you pay the fee on all 200 units — in addition to fulfillment fees, referral fees, and storage fees.
How to Avoid the Low-Inventory-Level Fee
The simplest way to avoid this fee is to maintain a historical days of supply above 28 days consistently. But Amazon uses a 90-day trailing average, so a one-time stockout doesn't immediately trigger the fee — it's the sustained pattern that matters.
Practical strategies include: sending replenishment shipments more frequently, using the Amazon FBA profit calculator to model the cost of holding extra safety stock vs the cost of the low-inventory fee, and using Amazon's Restock tool in Seller Central to get recommendations on reorder quantities and timing.
Section 6
Aged Inventory Surcharge — 181 to 365 Days
Between the standard monthly fee and the full long-term storage fee, Amazon applies an aged inventory surcharge on products that have been in the fulfillment center for 181 to 365 days. This acts as a graduated penalty to incentivize sellers to move aging stock before it becomes long-term.
| Inventory Age | Additional Surcharge (per cu ft) |
|---|---|
| 181 – 210 days | $3.80 / cu ft |
| 211 – 240 days | $4.00 / cu ft |
| 241 – 270 days | $4.20 / cu ft |
| 271 – 300 days | $5.00 / cu ft |
| 301 – 330 days | $5.50 / cu ft |
| 331 – 365 days | $6.00 / cu ft |
This surcharge is charged in addition to the regular monthly storage fee. So if your product is in the 271–300 day bracket during an off-peak month, you're paying $0.78 + $5.00 = $5.78 per cubic foot. That's essentially matching the long-term storage fee rate — which kicks in at $6.90/cu ft once you hit 365 days.
Section 7
How Amazon Calculates Your Monthly Storage Fee
Amazon's monthly storage fee calculation follows a specific formula based on daily average inventory volume. Here's the exact process:
- Measure each unit's volume: Length (inches) × Width (inches) × Height (inches) ÷ 1,728 = cubic feet per unit
- Calculate daily inventory level: For each day of the month, Amazon counts how many units are stored
- Find the average: Total of daily unit counts ÷ days in month = average daily units
- Multiply: Average daily units × cubic feet per unit × applicable rate = monthly fee
Amazon measures your product's dimensions in its packaged (ready to ship) state, not the bare product dimensions. This means packaging, poly bags, and any prep materials count toward the volume. A product sold in a large box with a lot of air space will be charged more than the same product in tighter packaging.
If your current packaging is oversized relative to the product, working with your supplier to reduce packaging dimensions can directly lower your storage fee. Even shaving 1 inch off each dimension on a small product can reduce cubic feet by 20–30%, with compounding savings at scale.
Section 8
Real Worked Examples — 2026 Storage Fees
Let's run through three realistic FBA scenarios to show exactly how storage fees stack up against your profit margin.
Example 1 — Standard-Size Product, Healthy Turnover
A portable phone stand. Dimensions: 6" × 4" × 3". Volume = 72 cu in = 0.042 cu ft. Selling price: $18.99. You keep 150 units in FBA. Sells through in 45 days on average (not triggering low-inventory fee). This is during an off-peak month (July).
📦 Example 1 — Phone Stand, July (Off-Peak)
At $0.033 per unit, storage is barely noticeable against an $18.99 selling price. This is the ideal scenario — fast-moving, compact product with low storage costs.
Example 2 — Same Product in Q4, Slower Sales
Same phone stand. It's now October. You sent 500 units hoping for holiday sales, but only 200 have sold by end of October. Average units stored for the month: 350.
📦 Example 2 — Phone Stand, October (Q4 Peak)
Example 3 — Slow Seller Hitting Long-Term Storage
A seasonal decoration. Volume: 0.5 cu ft per unit. You sent 80 units in November 2025. Only 30 sold. The remaining 50 units are still in FBA in November 2026 — now 365+ days old.
📦 Example 3 — Seasonal Item at 365 Days
At $4.65 per unit in storage charges per month, those 50 remaining units are likely costing more to store than they'll earn in profit. This is the scenario that can turn a profitable ASIN into a net loss if left unchecked.
📦 Calculate Your Real FBA Profit After All Fees
Input your product price, dimensions, and COGS — our free FBA calculator shows your exact net margin after referral fees, fulfillment fees, and storage costs.
Section 9
How to Reduce Your Amazon FBA Storage Fees
Storage fees are controllable — unlike referral fees, which Amazon sets by category, you have significant influence over how much you pay in storage. Here are the most effective strategies FBA sellers use in 2026:
1. Optimize Your Inventory Replenishment Cycle
The biggest lever you have is how much inventory you send and when you send it. Many sellers send large shipments every few months; more experienced sellers send smaller, more frequent shipments to keep inventory levels leaner. Use Amazon's Restock tool (Seller Central → Inventory → Restock Inventory) to calculate data-driven reorder points based on your sell-through rate and lead time.
Target a 30–60 day supply at your current sales velocity for off-peak months. This keeps you above the 28-day threshold that triggers the low-inventory fee while not over-storing.
2. Create Removal Orders for Slow Movers
If you have inventory approaching 180 days, you have two choices: sell it (via price reductions, coupons, or PPC) or remove it. Removal fees in 2026 are $0.97–$1.80 per standard-size unit. For a product with 0.25 cu ft, that removal fee pays for itself versus continuing to pay long-term storage fees within 2–3 months.
You can also use Amazon's FBA Liquidations program to liquidate slow-moving inventory. Amazon will recover 2.5%–25% of the item's average selling price (based on item condition and demand), which isn't great — but it's better than paying storage fees indefinitely on dead stock.
3. Reduce Packaging Volume
Since storage fees are calculated on cubic feet, smaller packaging = lower fees. Audit your current product packaging and look for opportunities to reduce dimensions. Moving from oversized to standard-size packaging can cut your storage rate from $2.40 (Q4 oversize at $1.40 is actually lower — the main win is standard-size packaging for products that were measuring into oversize tiers unintentionally).
4. Use FBA Inbound Placement Service Strategically
Amazon's inbound placement service (which requires sending inventory to specific fulfillment centers) affects where your inventory ends up and therefore how efficiently it gets distributed — which can influence your low-inventory-level calculation if your stock is concentrated in fewer fulfillment centers than Amazon's algorithm expects.
5. Monitor the Inventory Performance Index (IPI)
Amazon's Inventory Performance Index (IPI) is a score (0–1,000) that measures how well you manage your FBA inventory. Sellers with an IPI below Amazon's threshold (typically around 400) may face storage limits. Keeping your IPI high by maintaining healthy sell-through rates, reducing excess inventory, and minimizing stranded inventory is essential to maintaining unrestricted storage access.
6. Run Promotions Before Fee Assessment Dates
Long-term storage fees are assessed on the 15th of each month. If you have aging inventory approaching the 365-day mark, running a promotion, steep discount, or coupon in the first two weeks of the month to move units before the 15th can save you significant LTSF charges.
7. Consider Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) as an Outlet
If you sell on other platforms (your own website, eBay, Walmart, etc.), you can use Amazon's Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) service to fulfill orders from non-Amazon channels using your FBA inventory. While MCF has its own fulfillment fee, it can help you move excess FBA stock faster and reduce storage costs — especially useful for clearing out inventory before Q4 storage rates kick in.
Section 10
Storage Fees vs Fulfillment Fees — What's the Difference?
New FBA sellers often confuse storage fees and fulfillment fees — they're both part of the FBA cost structure, but they work very differently.
| Fee Type | When Charged | Based On | Avoidable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Storage Fee | Every month (~15th) | Volume × days stored | Partially (manage stock levels) |
| Fulfillment Fee | Per unit shipped | Weight & size of item | No (unless using FBM) |
| Long-Term Storage Fee | Monthly (15th) | Volume at 365+ days | Yes (manage inventory age) |
| Low-Inventory-Level Fee | Per unit sold (when triggered) | Days of supply vs 28-day threshold | Yes (maintain stock levels) |
For most FBA sellers, fulfillment fees are the largest single cost — typically 15–25% of selling price for standard-size products. Storage fees are smaller on a per-unit basis for fast-moving products, but can become significant for slow sellers or during Q4.
Understanding both fees together is why reading our full Amazon FBA fees 2026 guide is worth your time — it covers every fee type in one place, including fulfillment fees by weight tier, referral fee percentages by category, and the inbound placement service fees that came into effect in 2024.
Section 11
FBA vs FBM — The Storage Cost Factor
One of the most common questions sellers ask is whether the total cost of FBA (including storage) is justified compared to fulfillment by merchant (FBM). Storage fees are one of the key variables in this calculation.
With FBM, you handle storage yourself — in your home, a warehouse, or a 3PL (third-party logistics provider). You pay your own storage costs (which may be lower per cubic foot than Amazon's rates, especially off-peak) but you lose the Prime badge advantage and handle all shipping yourself.
FBA makes most sense when:
- Your product turns over quickly (under 60 days of supply on average)
- You're selling a standard-size product where FBA fulfillment fees are competitive
- The Prime badge is important to your conversion rate
- You don't want to manage shipping logistics personally
FBM makes more sense when:
- Your product is slow-moving or seasonal (you'd face high storage fees in FBA)
- You sell heavy or oversized items where FBA fulfillment fees are very high
- You already have your own warehouse with excess capacity
- You need more control over packaging and branding
For a full cost comparison, see our Amazon FBA vs FBM 2026 guide, which runs the real numbers side by side across multiple product types and sales volumes.
Section 12
Frequently Asked Questions — Amazon FBA Storage Fees 2026
How are Amazon FBA storage fees charged?
Amazon charges FBA storage fees around the 15th of each month for inventory stored during the previous month. The charge appears in your Seller Central account under Payments. Fees are calculated based on the daily average volume of inventory stored during the month.
What is the Amazon FBA storage fee per cubic foot in 2026?
In 2026, the standard-size monthly storage fee is $0.78 per cubic foot from January through September, and $2.40 per cubic foot from October through December. Oversize products are charged $0.56/cu ft (Jan–Sep) and $1.40/cu ft (Oct–Dec).
When does Amazon charge long-term storage fees?
Long-term storage fees are assessed on the 15th of each month for all inventory that has been in an Amazon fulfillment center for 365 days or more. The charge is $6.90 per cubic foot or $0.15 per unit, whichever is greater.
How do I check my FBA storage fees in Seller Central?
Go to Seller Central → Reports → Payments → Transaction View and filter by "Service Fee" to see individual storage charges. You can also view projected storage fees in the FBA Inventory dashboard and use the Inventory Age report to identify aging stock.
Can I avoid FBA storage fees entirely?
You cannot avoid monthly storage fees on any inventory stored in Amazon's fulfillment centers — that's part of the FBA service. You can minimize them by keeping lean inventory levels, maintaining fast sell-through rates, removing slow-moving stock before it ages, and optimizing packaging volume.
Does Amazon charge storage fees on stranded inventory?
Yes. Stranded inventory (inventory in FBA that has no active listing and therefore can't be sold) is still charged storage fees. This is why it's important to regularly check for and fix stranded inventory in Seller Central. Stranded inventory that can't be relisted should be removed to avoid paying storage fees on unsellable stock.
What is the IPI score and how does it affect storage?
The Inventory Performance Index (IPI) is Amazon's metric for how efficiently you manage your FBA inventory. Sellers with IPI scores below the minimum threshold (approximately 400 in 2026) may have their storage limits reduced. A lower storage limit can prevent you from sending new inventory, which can hurt sales velocity — so maintaining a high IPI is important for scaling FBA.
How does the low-inventory-level fee affect my pricing?
The low-inventory-level fee adds $0.32–$1.11 per unit to your cost of goods sold on every unit sold while the fee is active. For a product with a $0.50 margin, a $1.11 low-inventory fee effectively turns every sale into a loss. Factor this fee into your profit calculations and build it into your pricing model if your supply chain sometimes results in low stock levels.
Are FBA storage fees the same in the UK?
No — Amazon UK (Amazon.co.uk) has its own separate fee schedule in GBP. The structure (monthly storage, long-term, etc.) is similar but the rates differ. This guide covers US rates only. For UK FBA sellers, check Amazon Seller Central UK for the current rate card, or see our full Amazon FBA fees guide which references both markets.
🧮 Know Your True FBA Margin Before You List
Input your selling price, COGS, dimensions, and expected storage duration — our free calculator shows your real profit after all Amazon fees including storage.
Related Amazon FBA & Seller Guides
Every article in this series links to the others — use them together to build a complete picture of your FBA costs and profit potential.
- Amazon FBA Fees 2026 — Complete Breakdown (All Fee Types) — Referral fees, fulfillment fees, inbound placement, and more.
- How to Calculate Amazon FBA Profit Per Product — Step-by-step formula with a worked example on a $25 product.
- Amazon FBA vs FBM 2026 — Real Cost Comparison — Which fulfillment method saves more money for your product type.
- eBay Seller Fees 2026 — Final value fees, insertion fees, and managed payments explained.
- Etsy Fees Explained 2026 — Every fee Etsy charges on each sale, with real dollar examples.