AMAZON
Amazon inventory management services, planned around 2026 fees
Our Amazon inventory management services plan how much stock you hold in FBA, when you reorder and when slow stock should leave. Amazon now charges for having too little stock and for having too much, so we plan your FBA inventory every day to stay between the two, and we bring every purchase order to you for approval.
Reorder alerts in Store Care from $399 a month · Daily inventory and POs in Ops Desk from $1,499 a month · Stock Flow build $1,500 to $3,500
Quick answer
Amazon inventory management services plan how much stock to hold in FBA, when to reorder and when to move slow stock out. In 2026 that means keeping days of supply at 28 or more to avoid the low-inventory-level fee, which applies only when both your 30-day and 90-day historical days of supply are below 28, while keeping stock young enough to avoid the aged inventory surcharge that starts after 181 days. Ecom Relays does it daily, on fixed monthly fees.
What does Amazon inventory management include?
It includes seven jobs, each on its own clock, from a daily days-of-supply check to a peak plan that starts in August.
| Job | What we do | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Days of supply | Check days of supply for every active SKU against the 28-day line and against the age bands | Every business day |
| Reorder points and purchase orders | Set a reorder point per SKU; draft the PO with quantity and date for your approval | Weekly plan, daily alerts |
| Inbound plans and prep | Build the shipment plan, check prep and labels per SKU, watch receiving | Each shipment |
| Stranded and suppressed inventory | Find units Amazon holds but cannot sell, and fix the listing or the data behind them | Every business day |
| Aged stock | Review stock by age band and bring you a sell-through, removal or disposal recommendation | Monthly |
| Peak plan | Inbound calendar, removals before storage steps up, prices checked against peak fees | From August each year |
| Fee audit | Check storage, fulfillment and inbound fees on your statements against your dimensions and plans | Monthly |
Lost or damaged units found in the monthly reconciliation become claims, filed with no commission: see FBA reimbursements.
Which Amazon inventory fees apply in 2026?
Six fees decide what your FBA stock costs you this year. Here they are with dates and sources. Where Amazon's own figures could not be confirmed on a public Amazon page today, we say so and tell you where to check rather than print a number.
| Fee | When it applies | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-inventory-level fee | Only when both your 30-day and 90-day historical days of supply are below 28 days; vendor summaries report it is measured per variation (seller-FNSKU) from Jan 15, 2026 | Per unit, by size tier and how far below 28 days you are; see your Fee Preview report | Amazon staff reply, Seller Forums; Acadia and AMZ Prep, vendor summaries; checked Oct 20, 2026 |
| Aged inventory surcharge | Charged monthly on items stored in a fulfillment center for more than 181 days, rising with age | Per cubic foot by age band; check current rates in Seller Central | Amazon, sell.amazon.com, checked Oct 20, 2026 |
| Monthly storage | Every month, based on your daily average volume in cubic feet; higher in Oct to Dec than Jan to Sep | Check current rates in Seller Central | Amazon, sell.amazon.com, checked Oct 20, 2026 |
| Holiday peak fulfillment fee | Units shipped from a fulfillment center from Oct 15, 2026 to Jan 14, 2027 | About $0.32 a unit on average above non-peak rates | Supply Chain Dive, Jul 13, 2026 |
| Fuel and logistics surcharge | On FBA fulfillment fees from Apr 17, 2026; also on top of peak fees | 3.5% of the fulfillment fee, about $0.17 a unit on average | Digital Commerce 360, Apr 3, 2026; Supply Chain Dive, Jul 13, 2026 |
| Inbound defect fee | Late, misrouted or missing inbound shipments, from Jan 15, 2026 | About $0.60 a unit on average (vendor summary) | AMZ Prep, checked Oct 20, 2026 |
Fees as published or summarized on the dates shown. Confirm current rates in Seller Central; we update this table monthly. For every 2026 change in one place, read Amazon FBA fees 2026. For the low-inventory fee in detail, including exemptions, read our Amazon low-inventory-level fee guide.
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How we keep each SKU in range
We set a reorder point per SKU so stock lands before days of supply fall below 28, and we keep the order size small enough that units sell before they age into the surcharge. The band between those two lines is where your inventory should live.
The reorder point is simple arithmetic: average daily sales times (supplier lead time plus inbound time plus safety days). The hard part is keeping the inputs honest: real lead times from your supplier, real inbound times for this season and sales that strip out a one-off spike.
Illustrative · sample figures. A SKU sells 40 units a day. Your supplier needs 30 days and inbound to Amazon takes 15, so lead and inbound time is 45 days. You want 10 safety days. Reorder point: 40 × (45 + 10) = 2,200 units. When available plus inbound units fall to 2,200, we draft the PO.
We draft the PO. You approve it. Nothing is bought without your approval, and you pay suppliers directly. Try the numbers yourself with our reorder point calculator.
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What we do before peak season
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August:
inbound calendar set per SKU from your sales history and supplier lead times.
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September:
slow stock reviewed, so removals happen before storage steps up in October.
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Early October:
prices checked against peak fees plus the 3.5% fuel surcharge, so margin floors still hold.
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Through peak:
a low-inventory risk list for your top sellers, checked every business day.
Peak fees apply to units that leave a fulfillment center from Oct 15, 2026 to Jan 14, 2027. Amazon has warned of lower capacity limits in November and December while fulfillment centers put customer orders first (Supply Chain Dive, Jul 13, 2026). Amazon's advice is to have inventory in by October. Our peak routine starts in August.
When to discount, remove or dispose of aged stock
Once a unit has sat in FBA for more than 181 days, every month it stays costs more. The choice is between selling it faster, taking it out or getting rid of it, and the numbers decide which.
| Situation | Usual recommendation | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| Approaching 181 days, still selling steadily | Hold, and pause reorders until sell-through catches up | You approve the paused PO |
| Past 181 days, slow but positive margin | A planned discount to sell through before the next age band | You approve the price |
| Past 181 days, margin gone at any realistic price | Removal to your warehouse or 3PL if you can sell it elsewhere | You approve the removal |
| Damaged, expired or unsellable | Disposal, and a claim if Amazon caused the damage | You approve the disposal |
We bring you the numbers and a recommendation. Discounts, removals and disposals are your call. Estimate what storage is costing you with our Amazon storage fee calculator.
What does Amazon inventory management cost?
From $399 a month for reorder alerts on a small store, or from $1,499 a month for daily inventory and purchase orders on Ops Desk. These are fixed published fees, never a percentage of your sales or ad spend.
| Plan or build | What it covers | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Store Care Starter | One channel, up to 10 active SKUs: reorder alerts, daily health checks, listing upkeep, buyer messages, reimbursement claims, weekly update | $399 a month |
| Store Care Plus | Up to 30 SKUs on one channel (or 15 each on two), plus ad management up to $3,000 spend and a monthly margin report | $699 a month |
| Ops Desk Launch | $1M to $3M a year, one channel: daily inventory and POs, weekly KPI review, monthly report, reimbursement claims, named ops lead | $1,499 a month |
| Ops Desk Growth | $3M to $8M, two channels: adds Stock Flow across channels and Margin Guard | $2,499 a month |
| Stock Flow (RELAY-03) | One inventory count across Amazon FBA, Walmart WFS, Shopify and your 3PL, with reorder points, PO drafts and stockout alerts, built in your accounts | $1,500 to $3,500 as a build |
Store Care and Ops Desk run a first term of 3 months, then month to month with 30 days' notice by email. No exit fee. You pay Amazon fees, inventory and freight directly. Full terms are on pricing, and the Stock Flow build is described on its module page.
For comparison: SupplyKick puts agency inventory retainers at $2,000 to $10,000 or more a month (updated Sep 14, 2026).
Founding offer: 20% off launch fees, add-ons and the Foundation, plus 20% off monthly plans for the first 6 months, for the first 25 clients or until Jan 31, 2027, whichever comes first.
Amazon only, or every channel?
If you also sell on Walmart and Shopify, one stock count across all three and your 3PL is how you stop overselling. A unit that sells on Shopify and is still counted as available on Walmart becomes a cancellation, and Walmart scores cancellations against a 2% standard.
That work is multichannel inventory and 3PL management, and on Walmart the FBA equivalent is WFS management. On Ops Desk Growth and Scale it is one plan run by one named ops lead.
Proof you can check before you sign
These are written commitments.
- Daily stock checks, logged in your workspace.
- Purchase orders only with your approval.
- A monthly fee audit on your Amazon statements.
- Your weekly KPI review shows SKUs under 28 days of supply and stock older than 181 days.
- Client requests get a first reply within 4 business hours (1 hour when urgent), with a 10% credit in any month under 95%.
See which fees are hitting your margin
The free Profit Leak Scan includes an inventory section: stockout and overstock risk, aged and low-inventory fee exposure and a fix list ranked by dollar impact. Written report within 48 hours of working access (read-only). No sales call required.
A real person replies within one business hour, 9am to 6pm US Central, Monday to Friday. Back to Amazon store management · Amazon listing and catalog management · Store Care · Ops Desk · Profit Leak Scan
Sources: Amazon, sell.amazon.com FBA costs, checked Oct 20, 2026 · Amazon, Update to US FBA fees for 2026, Oct 15, 2025 · Amazon staff reply on low-inventory-level fee, Seller Forums · Red Stag, low-inventory fee exemptions, updated Aug 11, 2026 (vendor) · Supply Chain Dive, Jul 13, 2026 · Digital Commerce 360, Apr 3, 2026 · AMZ Prep, checked Oct 20, 2026 (vendor) · SupplyKick, Sep 14, 2026. Amazon is a trademark of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Ecom Relays is not affiliated with Amazon.
How much do Amazon inventory management services cost?
Reorder alerts are part of Store Care from $399 a month. Daily inventory planning and purchase orders run on Ops Desk from $1,499 a month for brands at $1M or more a year. If you want one stock count across channels built into your own systems, the Stock Flow module is $1,500 to $3,500 as a one-time build. Inventory, freight and Amazon fees are paid by you directly.
What is the Amazon low-inventory-level fee?
It is a per-unit FBA fee Amazon charges when a product is running too lean. Amazon staff have explained that it applies only when the historical days of supply metric is below 28 days on both the 30-day and the 90-day measure. If either one is at 28 days or more, the fee does not apply. Check your Fee Preview report to see which SKUs are exposed.
Who is exempt from the low-inventory fee?
Vendor summaries list new FBA sellers for their first 365 days, new parent products for 180 days after their FBA launch, products with fewer than 20 units sold in the previous seven days and SKUs supplied mostly through AWD auto-replenishment. Exemptions change, so confirm the current list in Seller Central before you rely on one. Our low-inventory fee guide keeps the detail current.
When does the aged inventory surcharge start?
Amazon charges it monthly on items stored in a fulfillment center for more than 181 days, and the charge rises as stock gets older. Amazon's per-cubic-foot rates by age band are in Seller Central. We flag stock approaching 181 days in your weekly review, so you can decide whether to discount, remove or hold it before the charge starts.
What are Amazon's storage fees in Q4 2026?
Amazon charges monthly storage on your daily average volume in cubic feet, and the rate is higher from October to December than in the rest of the year. Check current rates in Seller Central, because they vary by size tier and other factors. Our peak routine moves slow stock out in September, before storage steps up.
When is the 2026 holiday peak fee?
From Oct 15, 2026 to Jan 14, 2027, on units that leave a fulfillment center in that window. Supply Chain Dive reported an average increase of about $0.32 a unit over non-peak rates, with the 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge applied on top. Amazon also warned of lower capacity limits in November and December.
Do you buy inventory for me?
No. We draft purchase orders with quantities and dates and send them to you. You approve them and pay your suppliers directly. Every unit is yours from the day it is made. If you also want a team to research products and find suppliers, that sits only in Full Relay, our managed store service.
Do you use AWD?
We compare Amazon Warehousing and Distribution, FBA alone and a 3PL for your SKUs, using your real volumes and costs, and recommend one. The choice is yours. AWD can make sense for brands with steady volume and long lead times, while a 3PL can suit brands that also sell on Walmart and Shopify from the same stock.
Can you manage stock across Amazon, Walmart and Shopify?
Yes. Ops Desk Growth covers two channels and Scale covers three, with one stock count across Amazon FBA, Walmart WFS, Shopify and your 3PL. Brands with their own team can have the Stock Flow module built into their accounts instead, for $1,500 to $3,500.
What do you need from me?
Supplier lead times and minimum order quantities, landed or manufacturing cost per SKU, your current purchase orders and named access in Seller Central for our team. Never your owner password. If lead times vary by season, tell us; that one input changes most reorder points.
Sources9 sourcesLast checked Oct 20, 2026
- 01sell.amazon.comAmazon: aged inventory charged monthly for items stored more than 181 days; storage based on daily average volume in cubic feet; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 02sellingpartners.aboutamazon.comAmazon, Oct 15, 2025; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 03sellercentral.amazon.comAmazon staff reply: fee only when historical days of supply are below 28 days on both the 30-day and 90-day measures; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 04redstagfulfillment.comRed Stag, updated Aug 11, 2026, vendor summary of exemptions; checked Oct 20, 2026Vendor
- 05acadia.ioAcadia, Oct 20, 2025, vendor summary: low-inventory fee per FNSKU from Jan 15, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Vendor
- 06supplychaindive.comSupply Chain Dive, Jul 13, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 07digitalcommerce360.comDigital Commerce 360, Apr 3, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 08amzprep.comAMZ Prep, vendor summary: inbound defect fee about $0.60 a unit from Jan 15, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Vendor
- 09supplykick.comSupplyKick, updated Sep 14, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
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