They do — and it catches a lot of sellers off guard. Between October and December, Amazon raises its storage rates to reflect the surge in holiday season demand. This means that the same cubic foot of space that costs £0.43 to store earlier in the year jumps to £0.60 during Q4. For fast-moving stock, that’s not a huge problem, but if you’ve got slower sellers sitting in Amazon’s warehouses, the costs can quickly pile up. Many sellers plan their Q4 inventory much more carefully, sending in only what they know will sell and keeping backup stock with a 3PL until it’s needed. That way, they can still take advantage of the seasonal sales rush without being hit with excessive storage bills.

 Long-term storage is one of the biggest silent profit-killers on Amazon. Once your products sit for more than 271 days, Amazon charges a hefty aged-inventory surcharge — and after 365 days, the fee doubles. The best way to avoid this isn’t just “don’t overstock,” but to plan your replenishment cycles properly. A common strategy is to store bulk shipments with a 3PL, which gives you cheaper storage rates, and then drip-feed pallets into Amazon as stock sells through. This approach not only avoids long-term fees but also gives you more control — you can adjust how much stock you send in depending on sales velocity, rather than gambling on big shipments months in advance.

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The honest answer is: sometimes yes, sometimes no. If your products are small, lightweight, and sell quickly, Amazon FBA can be very cost-effective — especially when you factor in the sales boost from the Prime badge. But for oversized, low-margin, or slow-moving items, FBA can quickly become expensive once you add up fulfilment fees, storage charges, and prep services. That’s why many successful sellers don’t see it as an either/or decision. They use Amazon FBA where it makes sense but lean on a 3PL like PackPro to handle prep, store excess stock, and even fulfil orders from other sales channels like Shopify or TikTok Shop. This hybrid approach keeps costs flexible while still unlocking the benefits of Prime.

Yes, they usually do. Amazon reviews its fee structure annually, and in most cases, costs creep up. This could be slight increases in fulfilment charges, higher storage fees, or new surcharges for things like oversized items or special handling. That’s why sellers who plan their pricing around today’s rates can get caught out six months later. A smart move is to build a small buffer into your margins so you’re not hit too hard when Amazon updates fees — and to keep an eye on announcements well before peak selling seasons.

 Yes, and it’s something sellers often underestimate. For certain categories like apparel, shoes, and accessories, Amazon charges a returns processing fee every time an item comes back. This is on top of the hidden cost of refunds, damaged packaging, or items that can’t be resold. If your category has a naturally high return rate, these fees can seriously chip away at your profit margin. The smart move is to factor an average returns rate into your pricing from the start, rather than treating returns as an afterthought. Some sellers also reduce the impact by using a 3PL to handle secondary sales channels, where they have more control over returns policies and costs.

Absolutely. While using a 3PL is one of the best ways to cut costs, there are also small tweaks you can make within FBA itself. Reducing packaging dimensions (even by a centimetre) can push an item into a cheaper size tier. Improving sell-through rates helps avoid long-term storage surcharges. And if you’ve got multiple SKUs, sending in mixed shipments rather than single-product pallets can spread storage more efficiently. Combining these tactics often adds up to noticeable savings, even if you stick with FBA.