What is the aged inventory surcharge on Amazon FBA?
The aged inventory surcharge is a monthly fee Amazon adds to units that have sat in FBA warehouses for a long time. It kicks in around 181 days and grows the longer the unit sits. It is separate from long-term storage fees and stacks with monthly storage.
How the surcharge escalates
The fee ladder charges more per cubic foot as age crosses 181, 271, 331, and 365 days. At 365+ days the combined storage cost per cubic foot per month can exceed the value of the unit itself for low-price items.
What to do about it
Three levers actually move the number: liquidate through outlet or removal, discount aggressively for a fast sell-through, or remove and re-inbound only what you can rotate. Doing nothing is the most expensive option.
How Nova shows this
Nova flags SKUs approaching 181 days and forecasts the surcharge each month you keep the units. That converts a scary storage report into an action list ranked by dollars at stake.
Frequently asked questions
Is aged inventory surcharge the same as long-term storage fee?
No. The aged inventory surcharge replaced the older long-term storage fee structure and applies monthly across multiple age bands, not just at 365 days.
Does the surcharge apply to AWD inventory?
AWD storage has its own separate pricing and does not incur the FBA aged inventory surcharge while units sit at AWD.
When is the surcharge assessed?
It is assessed on the 15th of each month based on the age snapshot at that date.
See this in Nova
Nova surfaces this metric per SKU in near real time so you can act before your next monthly close catches it.
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How do Amazon FBA fulfillment fee tiers work?
FBA fulfillment fees are charged per unit shipped and depend on size tier and shipping weight. Tiers run from small standard (under 16 oz) through large standard, large bulky, and extra-large. Rates step up sharply at each tier boundary, so a product just over the cutoff can cost 40% more to ship.
What is the FBA storage utilization surcharge?
The storage utilization surcharge is a fee Amazon applies to sellers whose average daily inventory volume is high relative to their weekly sales. It rewards fast turnover and penalizes overstocking. It is charged per cubic foot on top of standard monthly storage.
How do I find hidden Amazon fees eating my margin?
The fees that hurt most are rarely hidden, they are just scattered across multiple Seller Central reports. Check monthly storage, aged inventory surcharges, low-inventory-level fees, inbound placement fees, returns processing, subscription-and-save discounts, and coupon redemption fees. Rebuilding a per-SKU P&L from the Fee Preview and Payments reports usually reveals a 3 to 8 point margin gap.
What are the best options to liquidate aged Amazon inventory?
Four options actually move the needle: Amazon Outlet promo, an aggressive coupon plus PPC push, FBA Liquidations, or removal to a liquidation broker (B-Stock, Direct Liquidation). Pick based on how much of the retail price you can recover minus fees.
Should I remove or dispose of aged Amazon FBA inventory?
Remove if you can sell the units elsewhere for more than the removal fee plus reverse logistics cost. Dispose (or donate) if not. Amazon's donation program often costs less than removal and provides a receipt for the loss. Doing nothing costs the most because aged surcharges keep stacking.