Four Steps to Clear Excessive Inventory Efficiently To Comply With Amazon’s New Aged Inventory Surcharge

Summary of Amazon Aged Inventory Surcharge 2026

Amazon is expected to introduce more granular age brackets for Aged Inventory Surcharges in 2026. What is more, new policies may apply to inventory stored for over two years, which means the fee structure for aged inventory will become more precise—that is widening the cost gap between inventory at different storage-age tiers.

With peak season promotions now behind us, many sellers likely saw solid results from Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But before taking a breather, there’s one issue that deserves immediate attention: post-promotion inventory buildup.

Leftover inventory doesn’t just take up valuable FBA space—it also drives up storage costs. Aged inventory, in particular, can quickly eat into your margins through additional surcharges.

What’s Changing With Amazon Aged Inventory Surcharge in 2026?

In 2026, Amazon plans to alter aged inventory surcharge policies on:

Break aged inventory fees into more detailed storage-age categories

Introduce additional measures for inventory stored longer than 24 months

As a result:

Aged inventory fees will be calculated more precisely

Cost differences between storage-age tiers may increase further

Important reminder: Aged Inventory Surcharges are updated on the 15th of each month.
Sellers are strongly advised to review and manage aged inventory before the 15th to avoid unnecessary charges.

Why Clearing Excess Inventory Matters

Inventory management has always been a core part of account health. Too much or too little inventory both carry risks. When excess stock builds up, timely action becomes critical.

Think of clearing excess inventory as a deep clean for your store:

Lower storage fees

Recover remaining product value

Free up space for new product launches

So the real question is: which inventory should go first?

How to Identify Excess Inventory

In FBA Inventory, you can:

Sort products by “Estimated Excess Units”

Review Amazon’s recommendations for each ASIN under Actions

“Expired” Products — Over-Aged Inventory

For instance, on Amazon.com, the US site, over-aged inventory refers to inventory that has been stored in an operations center for more than 6 months and continues to incur long-term storage fees. Compared with monthly storage fees, over-aged inventory fees increase significantly, and starting from 2026:

6–15 months: Additional fees increase significantly

Over 15 months: Fees may reach up to 13 times the monthly storage fee

This means that if over-aged inventory is not handled in time, you will continue to pay high fees every month for these “sleeping” products, seriously eroding your profit margin.

“Low Cost-Performance” Products

Amazon predicts that products whose holding costs exceed liquidation costs — meaning the warehouse storage cost of a product may be higher than the cost of removal through advertising, liquidation, or disposal.

Therefore, Amazon recommends that sellers actively clear this portion of excess inventory to free up space for fast-selling products and save on storage fees.

In addition to the fees and costs mentioned above, holding excess inventory may also cause some sellers to incur storage utilization surcharge fees.

These suggestions are not mandatory. Sellers should evaluate them based on:

Product lifecycle

Market demand

Cash flow needs

That said, aged and slow-moving inventory should be addressed early to avoid escalating storage costs.

The Four-Step Approach to Clearing Inventory

For excess inventory—especially aged stock—many sellers use a structured approach:

Expand marketplaces → Drive sales → Optimize storage capacity → Remove excess inventory

This guide focuses on the fourth step:

How to remove inventory while recovering as much value as possible

Smart removal strategies—such as Automated Inventory Removal and Liquidations—can significantly reduce losses.

Automated Inventory Removal (Highly Recommended)

Automated removal does not mean disposing of inventory immediately.

Once enabled:

Amazon automatically processes over-aged inventory each month

Items are prioritized from highest to lowest recovery value

No manual action is required

This helps:

Maintain healthier inventory levels

Improve operational efficiency

Amazon also sends reminder emails before peak seasons to sellers who haven’t enabled automated removal.

You can opt out of automated removal at any time in Seller Central.

Why this matters

Some value-recovery services—such as Grade and Resell—are only available through automated removal. Once enabled, Amazon will systematically help recover value from eligible inventory.

Amazon Outlet Deals (Invitation Only)

Amazon Outlet is a promotional channel designed to showcase:

Discounted products

Clearance items

Overstock inventory

Requirements:

Minimum 20% discount

Available across most Amazon marketplaces

Invitation-only (no self-enrollment)

Eligibility criteria include:

Professional Selling Plan

Overall customer rating of 3.5 stars or higher

Path:
Seller Central → Inventory → Inventory Planning → Inventory Control Dashboard
Check the notification panel to see if any ASINs are invited.

Once invited:

Enter a price (must not exceed the maximum allowed price)

Promotion duration is one or two weeks (not customizable)

FBA Grade and Resell Program

When customer returns reach Amazon fulfillment centers, some items become unsellable as new.
The FBA Grade and Resell program allows sellers to recover value from these units.

How it works:

Seller enrolls via Unsellable Inventory Automation Settings

Amazon inspects and grades returned items

Amazon creates a used product listing under the parent ASIN

Seller sets pricing for each condition

Notes:

A processing fee applies when items are relisted

Evaluation and relisting may take up to three weeks (longer during peak seasons)

No storage fees are charged while items are in processing

Items deemed unsellable after inspection:

Incur no processing fee

Remain in unsellable inventory

Can be liquidated, donated, or returned to the seller

FBA Liquidations (Bulk Removal)

For inventory that can’t be sold as new, FBA Liquidations allows Amazon to sell your stock to vetted liquidation partners.

Benefits:

Avoid disposal fees

Recover approximately 5%–20% of product value

Reduce excess and returned inventory efficiently

Path:
Seller Central → Inventory → Inventory Planning
From:

Manage Inventory Health, or

Fix Stranded Inventory

Select ASINs → Create Removal Order → Choose Liquidate → Confirm quantities → Submit

Final Thoughts About Possible Change With Aged Inventory Surcharge

Inventory management is a mini ecosystem which requires focus on data, constant adjustment according to different season, deals and discounts, and competition as well, and then balance.

When faced with excess inventory, especially aged stock, working through this four-step framework can help you:

Control costs

Recover value

Keep your account flexible for future growth

Handled early and strategically, aged inventory doesn’t have to become a long-term burden—it can be a manageable, recoverable part of your operation.

Instascend offer comprehensive inventory monitoring and management service as a part of our Amazon seller account management services, and now you can require more information by sending email to hi@instascend.com, we will get back to you soon.

Referral source:

Check Aged inventory surcharge from Amazon help section

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