Amazon's FBA inbound defect fee, explained
Since January 15, 2026, Amazon charges a per-unit fee when a shipment to its warehouses goes wrong: it arrives at the wrong place, it's canceled, it's missing units or it's late. Here is what triggers it, what it costs by size and weight, and how to keep your shipments clear of it.
if the shipment has a defect
On those units it replaces the inbound placement fee.
What counts as a defect
- Misrouted: the shipment is delivered to a different warehouse than the one in its shipping plan.
- Canceled or abandoned: the shipment is deleted or never sent after the plan was approved.
- Incomplete: fewer units arrive than the plan said.
- Late: a domestic shipment arrives more than 45 days after it was created, an international one more than 75 days; in a plan split across warehouses, the other shipments more than 30 days after the first one arrived.
The fee applies to shipments created on or after January 15, 2026. You can dispute a fee within 90 days.
2026 rates per unit
| Size tier | Shipping weight | Per unit |
|---|---|---|
| Small standard | 16 oz or less | $0.32 |
| Large standard | 12 oz or less | $0.38 |
| 12+ oz to 1.5 lb | $0.46 | |
| 1.5+ lb to 3 lb | $0.59 | |
| 3+ lb to 5 lb | $0.74 | |
| 5+ lb to 7 lb | $0.94 | |
| 7+ lb to 10 lb | $1.14 | |
| 10+ lb to 15 lb | $1.44 | |
| 15+ lb to 20 lb | $1.74 | |
| Small bulky | 5 lb or less | $1.38 |
| 5+ lb to 12 lb | $2.06 | |
| 12+ lb to 28 lb | $3.16 | |
| 28+ lb to 42 lb | $4.48 | |
| 42+ lb to 50 lb | $5.25 | |
| Large bulky | 5 lb or less | $1.43 |
| 5+ lb to 12 lb | $2.23 | |
| 12+ lb to 28 lb | $3.54 | |
| 28+ lb to 42 lb | $4.94 | |
| 42+ lb to 50 lb | $5.72 |
How to avoid it
- Send exactly what the plan says, to the warehouse each shipment names. If units won't fit or aren't ready, change the plan before you ship rather than sending fewer.
- Ship soon after creating the shipment, and book freight that lands inside the 45-day window.
- Cancel plans you won't use before they're approved, not after.
- Check what arrived. Units Amazon received short or lost are a reimbursement claim of their own: see FBA inbound shipment reconciliation.
What shipping to Amazon costs in all, freight, placement fee and this fee's risk included: see the inbound shipping cost guide.
Source: Amazon's "FBA inbound defect fee" page in Seller Central, read October 9, 2026. Amazon can change its fees at any time.
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