FBA margin guides

Amazon FBA Q4 Storage Fees: How to Clear Slow Stock Before October

Every year, Amazon's monthly storage fee goes up in October and stays higher through December. Same shelf, same units, bigger bill. If you're carrying stock that isn't moving, Q4 is when it quietly costs you the most.

Why this catches sellers off guard

Storage fees don't show up on a single sale. They come out of your account once a month, in one lump, so it's easy to never connect the charge to the specific items causing it. A few slow SKUs sitting through October, November, and December can eat the profit from dozens of good sales.

Signs you're paying too much to store

• Units that haven't sold in 60+ days and have no clear reason to pick up in Q4.
• Big or bulky items that sell slowly. Storage is charged by space, so size matters more than price.
• Way more units than you sell in a month or two. Months of extra stock means months of fees.
• Stock that's also getting close to the aged inventory surcharge. That's two fees stacking on the same unit.

How to check your own inventory

1. In Seller Central, open your inventory age and storage fee reports. They show what's been sitting and what it's costing each month.
2. Sort by the slowest sellers, then look at how many units each one has on hand.
3. Ask one question per SKU: will this realistically sell during Q4? If not, it's paying higher rent for nothing.
4. Start with the biggest items first. They cost the most to keep.

What to do with slow stock

1. Reprice it to move it before October. A smaller profit now often beats three months of higher fees.
2. Remove it by creating a removal order to send it back to you, or have Amazon dispose of it. Check Seller Central for the current per-unit removal fees.
3. Liquidate it through Amazon's liquidation option if it's available for your items, to get some money back instead of none.
4. Send less next time. For Q4 restocks, send what you expect to sell in the next few weeks, not the next few months.

Don't forget the good stuff

Q4 is also the busiest selling season. The goal isn't to empty your shelves. It's to clear the dead weight so the stock that does sell has room, and your fees go toward items that actually earn.