Inventory Updates
All Amazon inventory policy changes and updates for US and Canada sellers. 11 updates tracked.
Amazon's Third China GWD Warehouse Opens in Ningbo at $7.91 per Cubic Meter per Month — Roughly 10% Below Shanghai and Shenzhen, With 30 Days of Free Storage on Shipments Received Through December 31, 2026
Amazon's Global Warehousing & Distribution (GWD) program — upstream bulk storage inside China that auto-replenishes into the US fulfillment network — now runs in three cities. EcomCrew reported on September 3, 2026 that the Ningbo site is open for inbound shipments, joining Shenzhen (opened April 9, 2026) and Shanghai (opened July 16, 2026). Ningbo is the first GWD location with a published headline rate: $7.91 per cubic meter per month, roughly 10% below the Shanghai and Shenzhen rates, plus 30 days of free storage on shipments received through December 31, 2026. The three sites are positioned for different inventory profiles — Ningbo for large and heavy goods such as furniture, Shanghai for small fast-turnover goods, Shenzhen for general inventory — so the choice of site is now a real operational decision rather than a default.
Read summary →Pan-EU FBA Now Requires an Active Netherlands Offer on Every Enrolled Product from September 3, 2026 — Belgium Follows on February 26, 2027, and ASINs That Miss the Requirement Drop to Cross-Border Fulfillment Fees
Pan-European FBA has required listings in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain for years, and Amazon added a Netherlands offer requirement for newly enrolled products earlier. From September 3, 2026 that requirement extends to every Pan-EU FBA product — existing enrollments included — which must carry an active offer on Amazon.nl under the same SKU as the rest of the European listings. A second wave lands on February 26, 2027, when Belgium joins the required-store list at enrollment. Products that miss the requirement lose Pan-EU eligibility, which means their orders stop being fulfilled locally and get fulfilled cross-border instead, at a different per-unit fee. This is a European program change, but it lands on the large group of US-based sellers who also run Pan-EU FBA, and it is a listing-coverage problem rather than an inventory problem: no Dutch stock is required.
Read summary →Amazon Warehousing and Distribution Goes Live in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain on August 20, 2026 — UK and EU Inventory Pools Cannot Be Transferred, and the Europe Launch Feeds FBA Only
Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) — the upstream bulk-storage tier that sits behind FBA and replenishes fulfillment centers automatically as demand shows up — is launching in Europe's five largest marketplaces. Trade press reported on August 18, 2026 that AWD becomes available in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom from August 20, with inbound shipments reported to open on August 17. This changes nothing about US AWD. It matters to US-based sellers who also run UK or EU marketplaces, because it is the first time the flat-rate upstream storage layer they use domestically exists on the other side of the Atlantic — with a different eligibility gate, separate UK and EU inventory pools that cannot be moved between regions, and, unlike the four-year-old US program, no reported support for supplying non-Amazon sales channels at launch.
Read summary →AWD Sellers Who Enable Automatic Replenishment Keep the Off-Peak Monthly Storage Rate Through October 31, 2026 — Amazon's Holiday Post Extends the Cheaper Rate Past the Start of Peak Fulfillment Pricing
Buried in Amazon's 2026 holiday announcement is a storage concession for upstream inventory: sellers who send inventory through Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) and enable automatic replenishment into FBA will keep paying the off-peak monthly storage rate through October 31, 2026. The same post confirms the peak fulfillment surcharge window opens October 15, so for the second half of October those sellers are paying peak fulfillment economics while their AWD-held units are still billed at the cheaper storage rate. Amazon does not publish the off-peak or peak AWD storage rate anywhere in the announcement, so the size of the saving per cubic foot is not stated — the guarantee is about which rate applies, not about a specific number.
Read summary →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
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.
Read summary →Amazon Sets 2026 Holiday Inbound Deadlines — Inventory Must Arrive by September 2–16 for Prime Big Deal Days and October 14–28 for Black Friday/Cyber Monday or Lose the Prime Badge During the Event (July 2026)
Amazon has published its 2026 holiday calendar with earlier inbound inventory deadlines, warning that units arriving after the cutoffs will not carry the Prime badge during the events that drive the bulk of Q4 demand. The deadlines vary by shipment method. For Prime Big Deal Days, Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) shipments must arrive by September 2, FBA shipments using minimal shipment splits by September 9, and FBA shipments using Amazon-optimized splits by September 16. For Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday, the cutoffs are October 14 for AWD, October 21 for minimal splits, and October 28 for Amazon-optimized splits. Amazon says holiday promotion and peak fulfillment fees are held flat versus the prior cycle — the peak fulfillment surcharge still averages $0.32 per unit — so this year's pressure is on logistics timing rather than fee increases. Once fulfillment centers shift from receiving to order processing, late-landing inventory misses the Prime badge for that event window regardless of whether fees are paid.
Read summary →Amazon's Global Warehousing & Distribution Expands Beyond Shenzhen — Shanghai Hub Opens July 16, 2026 and FOB Terms Now Supported at All GWD Sites
Amazon's Global Warehousing & Distribution (GWD) program — bulk upstream storage inside China that replenishes into the US fulfillment network — is no longer a single-site pilot. Amazon launched GWD in Shenzhen on April 9, 2026, and trade press reported that a second facility in Shanghai opened for inbound shipments on July 16, 2026, with a third site in Ningbo expected later in 2026. Amazon also added support for FOB (Free on Board) shipping terms across GWD locations. For US sellers who source from China, this is an option to hold buffer stock at the origin instead of paying to warehouse it in the United States, then pull it into FBA as demand shows up.
Read summary →Meltable FBA Inventory Must Be Removed by April 20, 2026
Amazon's annual meltable inventory restriction begins soon. Heat-sensitive products like chocolates, gummies, and wax-based items must be removed from FBA by April 20. Any remaining meltable inventory after May 1 will be marked unfulfillable and may be disposed of at the seller's expense. Sellers can resume sending meltables starting October 16, 2026.
Read summary →Amazon Launches Global Warehousing & Distribution in Shenzhen: Up to 45% Lower Storage Costs
Amazon launched Global Warehousing & Distribution (GWD) at a new facility in Shenzhen, China on April 9, 2026, giving sellers a lower-cost option to store US-bound inventory near the production source. Storage costs run up to 45% below Amazon's US-based AWD service, and inventory reaches US fulfillment centers approximately seven days faster when paired with Amazon Global Logistics. Amazon handles local storage, customs clearance, cross-border shipping, and inventory transfers. The company plans to expand GWD to China's Yangtze River Delta region and eventually extend coverage to European and Japanese fulfillment centers.
Read summary →FBA Inventory Dashboard Now Includes Demand Prediction Tool
Amazon upgraded the FBA Inventory Dashboard with a built-in demand prediction tool. Located in the Sales Summary section, it shows optimistic and average weekly demand projections based on historical sales data. Available to Brand Registered sellers with 90+ days of sales history.
Read summary →Low-Inventory-Level Fee Now Calculated at FNSKU Level
The low-inventory-level fee is now calculated at the individual seller-FNSKU level instead of the parent-ASIN level. It applies when a specific FNSKU falls below 28 days of supply. The fee now also covers Small Bulky and Large Bulky products, while Grocery items are newly exempt.
Read summary →