Amazon FBA Fees

Amazon FBA Storage Fees & Aged Inventory (2026)

Amazon FBA storage fees are the rent you pay for the warehouse space your inventory occupies — charged per cubic foot, per month. The standard-size rate is about $0.78/cu ft from January to September and jumps to $2.40/cu ft from October to December. Stock that sits past 181 days also picks up an escalating aged-inventory surcharge. Rates here are for Amazon US, in US dollars.

By Sajid Hussain, Editor · Updated 9 July 2026

How monthly storage is charged

Amazon bills storage on the average daily volume your inventory occupied over the previous month, measured in cubic feet. You are charged in arrears — March storage shows up on your April statement. The rate depends on size type (standard vs oversize) and the time of year.

Size type	Jan–Sep	Oct–Dec
Standard-size	$0.78	$2.40
Oversize	$0.56	$1.40

Monthly storage rates per cubic foot (Amazon US, 2026)

For example, a unit in a 0.4 cu ft box costs about $0.31 a month to store off-peak (0.4 × $0.78) but $0.96 in Q4 (0.4 × $2.40) — small per unit, yet across thousands of units it adds up fast.

Free calculatorAmazon storage fee calculatorEstimate monthly storage across off-peak and Q4 rates, plus the aged-inventory surcharge.

The Q4 storage spike

From October to December, standard-size storage more than triples — from $0.78 to $2.40 per cubic foot. Warehouse space is scarce in the holiday run-up, so Amazon prices it accordingly. Sellers who pack fulfilment centers with holiday stock that does not sell through pay this premium on every unit still sitting there.

Watch out

Model your Q4 sell-through before you ship. Overstocking for the holidays and carrying the excess into the $2.40 rate is one of the most common ways FBA sellers erase their peak-season profit.

The aged-inventory surcharge

On top of monthly storage, Amazon charges an aged-inventory surcharge on stock that has been in a fulfilment center a long time — it wants slow inventory cleared to free up space. The surcharge starts once units cross 181 days and climbs the longer they sit.

Days in stock	Surcharge / unit
Under 181 days	None
181–270 days	~$0.50
271–365 days	~$1.00
12–15 months	~$1.50
15+ months	Higher still

Aged-inventory surcharge by age (representative per unit)

Combined with the Q4 rate, aged stock is expensive twice over. The fix is boring but effective: order to demand and turn inventory before the 181-day clock runs down.

The flip side: the low-inventory-level fee

Amazon also penalises the opposite problem. The low-inventory-level fee (up to ~$0.89/unit) applies to standard-size items when your stock drops below roughly 28 days of supply — Amazon prefers steady, well-stocked SKUs. The sweet spot is 30–60 days of cover: enough to dodge this fee without overstocking into storage and aged-inventory charges.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

01How much are Amazon FBA storage fees?

For standard-size items, about $0.78 per cubic foot per month from January to September, rising to $2.40 per cubic foot from October to December. Oversize items are cheaper per cubic foot ($0.56 / $1.40). You are billed on the average daily volume your stock occupied the previous month.

02Why do Amazon storage fees go up in Q4?

Warehouse space is scarce during the holiday season, so from October to December Amazon more than triples the standard-size storage rate — from $0.78 to $2.40 per cubic foot — to discourage overstocking and ration space.

03What is the aged-inventory surcharge?

An extra per-unit fee on stock that has sat in a fulfilment center for 181+ days, on top of normal monthly storage. It starts around $0.50/unit and rises the longer inventory ages, so slow sellers get progressively more expensive to store.

04How do I avoid Amazon storage fees?

Order to demand and sell through faster: keep about 30–60 days of cover, turn stock before the 181-day aged-inventory clock, and avoid carrying excess into the Q4 rate spike. That window also keeps you clear of the low-inventory-level fee for understocking.

05What is the low-inventory-level fee?

A charge of up to ~$0.89 per unit on standard-size items when your available stock falls below roughly 28 days of supply. Amazon uses it to encourage sellers to keep SKUs consistently in stock, so aim for 30–60 days of cover.

06How is my storage volume in cubic feet calculated?

Amazon multiplies your item’s packaged length × width × height in inches, then divides by 1,728, and bills the average daily volume over the month. A 12 × 10 × 6-inch box is 720 cubic inches, or about 0.42 cubic feet.

07Do I pay storage fees on FBM (self-fulfilled) items?

No. Amazon storage fees apply only to inventory held in its fulfilment centers under FBA. If you fulfil orders yourself (FBM), you store stock in your own space and pay Amazon nothing for storage — though you still pay the referral fee on each sale.