UnilyticFBA long-term storage fees in India the 150-day line, the rates, and how to avoid them
Amazon charges extra on FBA units older than 150 days. The rates on amazon.in, the day it counts your stock, how to see it coming, what removing or selling costs, and the catches in each option.
What the fee is
Amazon charges a monthly storage fee on every unit you keep in a fulfilment centre. On top of that, it charges a second fee on sellable units that have been there for more than 150 days (Amazon also says five months). That second fee is the long-term storage fee. It is charged every month a unit stays past the line, and it is in addition to the monthly fee, not instead of it.
Amazon gives its reason on the fee page: inventory that is overstocked or stored indefinitely limits the space available for fast-selling products.
Source: Amazon Seller Central, FBA long-term Storage Fee (amazon.in, read October 2026).
The fee page we read is titled long-term storage fee. Amazon's Send to Amazon help calls the same charge the aged inventory surcharge (previously known as the long-term storage fee) and links back to that page. Seller Central's own list of reports now names the report of these charges the Aged Inventory Surcharge report, which Amazon's help still calls the Long-Term Storage Charge report. We use both names here. We have not seen a separate, newer rate table, so every rate below is the one on the fee page. Check the figures on your own screen before you plan around a specific amount.
This guide uses the new Seller Central layout. The menu paths and screen labels here were checked on screen in the redesigned Seller Central in October 2026. Amazon's own help articles still describe the older layout, so you may see different names in them. Where something could not be checked on screen, the page says so.
Common to several marketplaces, and specific to amazon.in. The rates, the GST, the STEP discount and the 150-day line on this page are the ones on Amazon's amazon.in pages. We have not checked other marketplaces.
Not covered here: how to create a removal order in full, which is in the removal order guide, and the inventory limits tied to your IPI score, beyond the one place they meet this fee.
Rates and the age bands
Amazon's rate table, marked as applicable from 1 June 2023, has two bands:
- More than 150 days and under 365 days: ₹552.5 per cubic foot, or ₹20 per unit.
- More than 365 days: ₹1,105 per cubic foot, or ₹40 per unit.
Amazon charges the higher of the cubic-foot figure and the per-unit figure. All rates are before 18% GST, which Amazon adds. A unit is in one band or the other, never both: it does not pay the first-band and second-band rate at once.
Scroll the diagram sideways to see all of it.
Source: Amazon Seller Central, FBA long-term Storage Fee (amazon.in, read October 2026).
The rate table says ₹20 and ₹40 per unit. The same page's FAQ answers and its Book example still use ₹15 and ₹30, and the two-unit column of its Toy example (₹47.2) matches no stated rate. The cubic-foot rates, ₹552.5 and ₹1,105, are the same everywhere, including in the charge report's own formula, which uses the cubic-foot figure alone. We do not know which per-unit number your account applies, so we do not quote one as settled. For a standard carton it rarely matters: the per-unit amount only wins for items roughly a 10 cm cube or smaller, about 1,000 cubic centimetres (our arithmetic, from 20 divided by 552.5 cubic feet; at the older ₹15 it would be about a 9 cm cube).
Cubic feet from centimetres. Multiply length, width and height in centimetres, then divide by 28,316.84. Amazon's own example is a 47 × 12 × 10 cm item: 5,640 cubic centimetres, or 0.199 cubic feet. Amazon measures the unit as packed and ready to ship, and says its own measurement governs if it differs from yours.
Source: Amazon Seller Central, Inventory storage fees (amazon.in, read October 2026).
One unit per ASIN is exempt, with a condition. If none of your units of an ASIN has been in a fulfilment centre for less than five months, one unit of it is not charged. If you also hold younger units of the same ASIN, the exemption does not apply, but only the older units are charged. The aged inventory of two different ASINs does not share one exemption: each ASIN gets its own.
STEP discount. Amazon's page says Premium-level sellers in the STEP programme get 20% off long-term storage fees, and Basic, Standard and Advanced get none. Check your STEP level on the STEP dashboard.
When units are assessed
Amazon assesses your whole sellable inventory on the last day of each month. A unit that is over 150 days old on that day, counted the way Amazon counts, is charged for that month.
The age is an accounting age. Amazon says it works out inventory age first in, first out (FIFO) across its network, from the date a unit was received. A sale or a removal is deducted from the oldest stock you hold, even though the physical unit that shipped may have been a newer one. Amazon says so itself: in practice units ship in whatever order optimises cost and speed of delivery. Our reading: sending fresh stock of a SKU does not hide the old units. Sales eat the oldest units first on paper, so the old ones only clear as quickly as you sell or remove them.
What is and is not assessed. Only sellable units are. Amazon says unsellable units are not charged this fee. Units that sell before the assessment day are not charged either, and neither are units for which a removal was requested before it. Amazon does not refund a charge because a unit sold shortly after the assessment day.
Scroll the diagram sideways to see all of it.
The fee for a given month is applied to your account in the first week of the month after. Amazon's own example: charges applied in the first week of March are for February. They show up in that month's tax invoice. The monthly storage fee follows its own timing, between the 7th and the 15th of the following month.
Source: Amazon Seller Central, FBA long-term Storage Fee (amazon.in, read October 2026).
Source: Amazon Seller Central, Inventory storage fees (amazon.in, read October 2026).
How to see it coming
Amazon says it sends notifications about units that will become eligible before the assessment date, and its help page points to three tools for checking in advance: an Inventory Age View, an Inventory Health report and the Recommended removal report. Each shows the effect of doing nothing, on the assumption of no further sales. In the redesigned Seller Central we found the age data on the FBA Inventory tab and the Recommended Removal report, and could not find a report called Inventory Health in the Supply chain reports list, so those are the two steps below.
Open the FBA Inventory tab
Go to Supply chain, then Manage Amazon inventory, then the FBA Inventory tab. The page has an Inventory age filter, and each SKU row has an Inventory age column that splits its units into day ranges (0-60, 61-90, 91-150, 151-180, 181-330, 331-365 and 365+), an Estimated long-term storage fee column that shows the next charge date and the amounts for 151-365 days and 365+ days, an Estimated excess units column and a sell-through column for the last 90 days. That is what we saw on screen in October 2026. Amazon's help text still calls this the Inventory Age View and says it shows the age of your units, how many will be eligible on the next assessment date and the estimated fee for them. It also says to sort the sell-through column to find the products with the lowest sell-through.
Use the Recommended Removal report
Go to Supply chain, then Supply chain reports, then the Removals group, then Recommended Removal. Amazon says it works out, ASIN by ASIN, how many units you would have to remove, with no further sales, to avoid the fee. Its Begin Removal Process button pre-fills a removal order with those units.
After a charge, the Aged Inventory Surcharge report (Amazon's help calls it the Long-Term Storage Charge report) shows what was billed. Open it from Supply chain, then Supply chain reports, then the Payments group, then Aged Inventory Surcharge report. For each SKU it gives the quantity charged in each band, the per-unit volume in cubic feet and the amount. To total the month, add up the two amount columns. Amazon's formula for a SKU is the quantity charged, times the per-unit volume, times the band rate, plus tax.
Download it every month. Amazon says this report shows only the most recent charge cycle. After the next assessment you cannot pull the previous month's itemised charge from it, so a copy you saved is the only way to check an old charge against your own records.
For the monthly fee, the Monthly Storage Fees report (Supply chain, then Supply chain reports, then the Payments group, then Monthly Storage Fees) gives estimated monthly fees for each ASIN.
Amazon's inventory performance page adds Excess units, the units for which doing nothing costs you more than marking down or removing, and an Estimated total storage cost over three years that includes long-term storage fees. On screen, the Dashboard tab of Manage Amazon inventory shows the number of excess units and SKUs, and clicking it opens the FBA Inventory tab (Supply chain, then Manage Amazon inventory, then the Dashboard tab).
Source: Amazon Seller Central, FBA long-term Storage Fee (amazon.in, read October 2026).
Source: Amazon Seller Central, Long-Term Storage Fee charges (amazon.in, read October 2026).
Source: Amazon Seller Central, Inventory performance (amazon.in, read October 2026).
Source: Amazon Seller Central, IPI frequently asked questions (amazon.in, read October 2026).
Source: Amazon Seller Central, Monthly storage fees report (amazon.in, read October 2026).
A worked example
The carton size, quantity and the assumption that nothing sells are ours, to show the arithmetic. Replace them with a real SKU.
- A product packed at 30 × 20 × 10 cm is 6,000 cubic centimetres, or 0.212 cubic feet (6,000 ÷ 28,316.84).
- Monthly storage: 0.212 × ₹50 = ₹10.59 per unit per month.
- Long-term fee, first band: 0.212 × ₹552.5 = ₹117.07 per unit per month, ₹138.14 with 18% GST. Above the per-unit floor, so the cubic-foot figure applies.
- Long-term fee, second band: 0.212 × ₹1,105 = ₹234.14 per unit per month, ₹276.28 with GST.
Now 40 units of one ASIN, all older than 150 days on the last day of the month, none sold. One unit is exempt, so 39 are charged:
- Keep them: 39 × ₹117.07 = ₹4,566 for the month, about ₹5,388 with GST. The same again next month, and double from day 366.
- Request a standard-shipping removal before the last day: 39 × ₹10 = ₹390, ₹460.20 with GST. Disposal is ₹0 a unit instead of ₹10.
The point is the ratio. The long-term fee on this carton is about eleven times the monthly storage fee and about twelve times the removal fee, per unit, and it repeats every month. Our view: if a unit's margin is smaller than a few months of that fee, holding it is a loss before it sells.
Source: Amazon Seller Central, FBA long-term Storage Fee (amazon.in, read October 2026).
Source: Amazon Seller Central, Inventory storage fees (amazon.in, read October 2026).
Source: Amazon Seller Central, FBA removal order fees (amazon.in, read October 2026).
Your options for an aged SKU
There is no single right answer, and Amazon does not tell you which to take. These are the routes Amazon's pages describe, with our view where we give one.
- Sell it down. Amazon's pages suggest increasing traffic or conversion to sell through aged units. Our view: compare what a discount or ads cost per unit with one month of the fee on that unit, not with the product's full price. If the fee over the next two or three months is larger than the discount, discount.
- Remove it. Ask for the units back or have them disposed of. For standard-size items Amazon's removal fee is ₹10 a unit by standard shipping, ₹30 expedited and ₹0 for disposal; heavy and bulky items are ₹100 by standard shipping and not available expedited, all before 18% GST. Amazon says removal orders usually take 10 to 14 business days, and can take 30 days or more at peak.
- Let Amazon's long-term storage removal do it. Under the automatic removal settings (on the removal page, See automatic removal settings), Amazon can create removal orders for units that may incur the fee. Per the settings page text, it is on by default, creates orders one to two weeks after the last day of each month, and lets you return everything or set a return price ceiling, so units valued above it stay and pay the fee. Each shipped unit carries a removal fee, and the units arrive at your return address whether or not you expected them.
- Liquidate it. Amazon's Liquidation as a Service terms say the offering is for select sellers enrolled in FBA, that third-party liquidators buy the stock, that you set the price and quantity, and that Amazon is not a party to the sale. Check whether it is open to your account.
- Keep one unit. If every unit of an ASIN is older than five months, one unit stays free. That is a way to keep a listing alive, not a way to hold stock.
Source: Amazon Seller Central, FBA removal order fees (amazon.in, read October 2026).
Source: Amazon Seller Central, Automatic inventory removal (amazon.in, read October 2026).
Source: Amazon Seller Central, Liquidation as a Service (amazon.in, read October 2026).
Amazon's inventory performance pages give one rule of thumb for how much to hold: enough to cover 30 to 60 days of expected sales, and to remove inventory before it reaches 365 days. They also list avoiding excess and aged inventory among the main things that move your Inventory Performance Index, which Amazon uses in your FBA capacity limits.
Source: Amazon Seller Central, IPI frequently asked questions (amazon.in, read October 2026).
Removing stock to avoid it
Removing is the cleanest way to stop the fee, and it has rules that surprise sellers.
- Request it before the last day of the month. Amazon's page says you only need to request the removal, not complete it, and that the units stay available for sale until it is done. The same page words the exemption as subject to eventual removal of the inventory, and does not say what happens if you cancel the order afterwards, so do not request a removal you do not mean to complete. You are not charged the removal fee until the units are removed. Our advice: create the order days before the end of the month rather than on the last evening.
- Only sellable units. The exemption is for units in sellable condition that you requested for removal.
- It can stop you restocking that ASIN. Amazon's Send to Amazon help has an error message for exactly this: if you removed units of an ASIN that would have been charged at the next clean-up date, you cannot send more units of that ASIN for three months after that date. If the SKU is one you want to keep selling, plan for a gap in supply, or sell the stock down instead of removing it.
- Removal orders are not a fulfilment channel. Amazon says they may not be used to fulfil customer orders.
- Check what arrives. A removal shipment can be lost or damaged, and the claim windows are short. The removal order guide covers them.
To create a removal order, go to Supply chain, then Manage Amazon inventory, then the FBA Inventory tab, open the row action for the SKU and choose Create a removal order. A removal request also comes from the Recommended removal report, described above.
Source: Amazon Seller Central, FBA long-term Storage Fee (amazon.in, read October 2026).
Source: Amazon Seller Central, Send to Amazon: Choose inventory to send (amazon.in, read October 2026).
Where sellers lose money
- Reordering from on-hand stock alone. A SKU that looks low may have a shipment inbound. Ordering again on top of it can leave stock sitting past 150 days. The reorder point guide shows how to count what is on the way.
- Assuming the line is 12 months. Some of Amazon's wording talks about 12 months, and its inventory performance advice says to remove stock before 365 days. The first band starts at 150 days.
- Looking on the last day. Amazon assesses on the last day of the month. Our advice: check the FBA Inventory tab in the middle of the month, not on the last evening.
- Treating the exemption as stock. One unit per ASIN is free, and only if every unit of that ASIN is older than five months. It is not a general allowance.
- Not saving the charge report. It shows only the latest cycle. Without a saved copy you cannot check a charge later, and Amazon's page says claims for an incorrect charge must be notified within sixty calendar days. Raise one from Help, then Manage support cases.
- Forgetting the automatic removal setting. If it is on, units you did not plan to move may be sent back to you with a removal fee per unit. Check it, and check the Removals report, before assuming a shipment is an error.
Source: Amazon Seller Central, FBA long-term Storage Fee (amazon.in, read October 2026).
Source: Amazon Seller Central, IPI frequently asked questions (amazon.in, read October 2026).
Finding slow stock in Unilytic
Unilytic reads your Amazon Inventory Ledger and shows per-SKU sell-through and stock by warehouse, so you can see which SKUs are selling slowly compared with the stock you hold. It also counts stock that is already inbound, which helps you avoid ordering duplicates of something that is on its way. That is the earliest warning you can get, before a unit's age matters.
Unilytic does not know how old each unit is: age, as Amazon counts it, is Amazon's figure and lives on the FBA Inventory tab. It does not calculate, predict or dispute long-term storage fees, and it does not create removal orders. Those stay in Seller Central. It tells you where to look first. See sell-through analytics and the replenishment send list.
Questions sellers ask
What is the long-term storage fee on Amazon India?
It is a monthly fee on sellable units that have been in an Amazon fulfilment centre for more than 150 days, charged on top of the normal monthly storage fee. Amazon's fee page is still titled long-term storage fee, while its Send to Amazon help calls the same charge the aged inventory surcharge, previously known as the long-term storage fee. The fee page we read in October 2026 lists ₹552.5 per cubic foot for units older than 150 days and younger than 365 days, and ₹1,105 per cubic foot beyond 365 days, before 18% GST.
How much is the long-term storage fee on amazon.in?
Amazon's rate table, applicable from 1 June 2023, is ₹552.5 per cubic foot for units older than 150 days and younger than 365 days, and ₹1,105 per cubic foot for units older than 365 days, plus 18% GST. It also lists a per-unit amount of ₹20 and ₹40 and charges the higher of the two, but the page's FAQ still shows ₹15 and ₹30, so confirm the per-unit figure on your own screen. The fee is charged every month the unit stays.
When does Amazon assess long-term storage fees, and how do I avoid them?
Amazon assesses the whole sellable inventory on the last day of each month. Units you sell, or for which you request a removal, before that day are not charged. A removal only has to be requested, not completed, and the units stay on sale until it is, but Amazon's page says the exemption is subject to the inventory eventually being removed. Note that Amazon's Send to Amazon help says removing units of an ASIN that would have been charged can stop you sending more of that ASIN for three months.
Does Amazon charge long-term storage fees on damaged or unsellable units?
No. Amazon's page says long-term storage fees are not charged on unsellable inventory units. Unsellable stock is handled by a different mechanism: Amazon's automated unfulfillable removal holds it for 30 days and may then dispose of it, and the monthly storage fee still applies while it sits there.
Is one unit of each ASIN really free of long-term storage fees?
Yes, with a condition. Amazon exempts one unit of an ASIN from the fee only if none of your units of that ASIN has been in a fulfilment centre for less than five months. Once you send fresh stock of the same ASIN, that exemption is gone for as long as the fresh units are younger than five months, though only the older units are charged.
Can I get a refund for a long-term storage fee Amazon charged wrongly?
Amazon's page says claims for long-term storage fees must be notified to Amazon within sixty calendar days of the charge. It also says a fee is not refunded because a unit sold shortly after the assessment date. The aged inventory surcharge report (Amazon's help calls it the Long-Term Storage Charge report) only shows the most recent charge cycle, so download each month's copy to be able to check a charge later.
FBA removal orders in India
How to remove stock from an Amazon fulfilment centre: the two ways to create an order, the bulk file, what Amazon charges, how long it takes, and the 30-day and 7-day windows if units arrive short or damaged.
Stock planningReorder point and days of cover
When to create the next FBA shipment and how many units to send: the four numbers you need, the formulas, and the velocity mistakes that cause repeat stockouts.