🇺🇸 USInventoryHigh ImpactJuly 26, 2026
AWD Accepts Sortable Items Only Starting July 31, 2026 — Units Must Be Under 18" × 14" × 8" and 20 lbs, Everything Bigger Goes Direct to FBA
Effective: July 31, 2026
US FBA sellers who store oversize, bulky, or heavy inventory in Amazon Warehousing and Distribution. Sellers whose catalog is entirely standard-size and under 20 lbs per unit are not affected.
Amazon has told sellers that starting July 31, 2026, Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) only accepts sortable items — units smaller than 18" × 14" × 8" and weighing less than 20 lbs. Anything above those thresholds should be sent directly into the fulfillment network using the Send to Amazon workflow instead. For sellers who have been using AWD as low-cost bulk storage for oversize or heavy inventory, that upstream buffer goes away and those units have to be planned around FBA storage directly.
Real-World Impact
A 22" × 12" × 6" unit weighing 15 lbs is under the 20 lb bar but exceeds the 18" length threshold, so from July 31, 2026 it can no longer be inbounded to AWD — it has to go straight into FBA via Send to Amazon.
Key Points
- Effective July 31, 2026, AWD only accepts sortable items — Amazon's stated threshold is smaller than 18" × 14" × 8" and weighing less than 20 lbs
- Items that exceed those dimensions or that weight should be sent directly to the fulfillment network through the Send to Amazon workflow
- This is an eligibility restriction, not a fee change — Amazon has not tied a new AWD rate to the announcement
- Sellers who used AWD as cheap upstream storage for bulky or heavy SKUs lose that option for those specific units and have to hold them at FBA, in 3PL space, or on their own
- Standard-size, lighter SKUs are unaffected and can keep using AWD for bulk storage and automated replenishment into FBA
- The change applies to US AWD; Amazon's announcement as circulated to sellers does not state a corresponding change for other marketplaces
What You Should Do Now
- 1Pull your catalog's unit dimensions and weights and flag every SKU that is 18" or longer, 14" or wider, 8" or taller, or 20 lbs or heavier
- 2Get any final AWD inbound shipments for those flagged SKUs booked and moving before July 31, 2026
- 3Re-plan those SKUs around direct FBA inbounding via Send to Amazon, and check the FBA storage cost and restock-limit impact of holding that volume at fulfillment centers instead
- 4For bulky SKUs where FBA storage is too expensive to hold in volume, line up 3PL or your own warehouse space as the upstream buffer AWD used to provide
- 5Re-check your AWD-driven replenishment settings after July 31 so automated replenishment isn't still assuming AWD coverage for units that are no longer eligible
Official Source
Amazon Seller Central →This summary is written in our own words based on the official source linked above. Policies may be updated after publication. Always check the official Amazon source for the latest details.