Andrew Erickson

Amazon AWD stops accepting oversize and bulky items on July 31, 2026, reverting to sortable-only. What changes and what to do with existing AWD stock.

How sales tax works for Amazon FBA: nexus, marketplace facilitator laws, what Amazon collects for you, and what you may still owe. Not tax advice.

FBA vs FBM compared on real 2026 fees, the Buy Box, and Prime, with two worked cost examples so you can pick the right Amazon fulfillment model per SKU.

Stop guessing which AI model fits your workflow. Use live leaderboards like Arena AI to pick the right model for text, image, and video, and to find cheaper near-parity alternatives.

Manufacturing planning aligns production orders with demand, MOQs, lead times, and capacity. How private-label sellers plan production without over-buying.

The apparel supply chain is uniquely hard: size variants multiply SKUs, seasons compress the window, returns distort demand. The challenges and the fixes.

A physical count verifies what you have against your records. Full counts vs cycle counting, how to reconcile, and how it works with FBA stock.

Inventory labeling gives every unit an identity you can track. SKUs, UPC vs FNSKU, lot and location labels, and the FBA rules that prevent stranded stock.

The benefits of inventory management for FBA sellers: freed cash, protected revenue, lower costs, sharper decisions, and what poor management costs.

Stock management is the ongoing practice of keeping the right amount of inventory. The control loop, the two failures it prevents, and how to run it.

The core inventory management techniques, from ABC analysis and reorder points to JIT and cycle counting, and when each earns its place.

The Supreme Court struck down the IEEPA tariffs. CBP is now refunding them through the CAPE tool in ACE. Here is exactly who is eligible, who is not, and how I got $25,242 back (with interest), with the forms, links, and pitfalls in one place.

An inventory audit verifies your records against reality, catching shrinkage and valuation errors. What it covers, how to run one, and how often.

A complete system for preventing Amazon FBA stockouts: how to calculate sales velocity, safety stock, reorder points, and reorder quantities, with the exact formulas and a weekly process you can run today.

Replenishment planning is the process of restocking to hold target levels without stocking out or overbuying. The inputs, the cadence, and how to run it.

Inventory reduction frees the cash trapped in excess stock without causing stockouts. How to find what to cut, clear it, and reorder tighter going forward.

Open to buy software automates your inventory buying budget from live sales and stock data. What it does, spreadsheet vs software, and what to look for.

Merchandise financial planning connects sales, inventory, margin, and buying into one period plan. The core components and how sellers apply it.

Calculating ending inventory: beginning inventory plus purchases minus COGS, or a physical count. The formula, methods, and why it drives your COGS.

Consignment inventory means the supplier owns the stock until it sells. How it works, the cash-flow upside, the accounting, and where it fits.

Overhead cost is the indirect expense not tied to a unit: software, salaries, rent. Why it is separate from COGS, and how to fold it into true net margin.

Amazon seller accounting has quirks: settlements, fees, inventory as an asset, and COGS timing. What to track, cash vs accrual, and when to get a pro.

Inventory journal entries record buying, selling, and adjusting stock. The standard debits and credits for each, with worked examples for Amazon sellers.

Inventory valuation decides which cost flows to COGS: FIFO, LIFO, or weighted average. What each means, how it moves profit, and which fits FBA.

Inventory accounting treats stock as an asset until it sells, then expenses it as COGS. The core flow, perpetual vs periodic, and why timing matters.

An Amazon inbound shipment sends inventory into FBA. The workflow step by step, placement and fees, and the receiving problems that cost sellers units.

Liquidating Amazon inventory clears dead stock for a small recovery. Amazon's Liquidations program, third-party options, and when each beats removal.

Commingled (stickerless) inventory pools your units with other sellers. What it is, the counterfeit and quality risks, and why most brands avoid it.

Amazon has several FBA inventory reports. What Manage FBA Inventory, the Inventory Ledger, age, and restock reports each show, and which to use for what.

An FBA removal order returns, disposes of, or liquidates your inventory at Amazon. When to use one, the fees, and how to choose the disposition.

Prep center vs 3PL: a prep center gets inventory FBA-ready; a 3PL also stores and fulfills across channels. What each does and which fits your needs.

When to use a 3PL as an FBA seller: multi-channel, FBA overflow, custom prep, and bulk buys are the clear signals. And when to skip it.

Multi-location inventory tracking for FBA: what to track across FBA, AWD, and a 3PL, why total position drives reordering, and how to keep it accurate.

3PL costs break into receiving, storage, pick-and-pack, shipping, and returns fees. What each covers, the hidden ones, and how to compare quotes.

How to choose a 3PL for your Amazon business: the criteria that matter, from FBA experience and integration to pricing transparency, services, and minimums.

AWD vs 3PL: Amazon's warehousing feeds FBA automatically and stays in-ecosystem; a 3PL is flexible and multi-channel. How to choose for your catalog.

Amazon AWD is low-cost bulk storage upstream of FBA that auto-replenishes fulfillment stock. What it is, when it helps, and its trade-offs.

FOB vs EXW: FOB puts the supplier in charge to the origin port, EXW leaves everything to you from the factory door. What each means and which fits FBA.

The end-to-end process of importing from China to Amazon FBA: sourcing, incoterms, freight, customs and duties, prep, and into the fulfillment center.

How to calculate your reorder date: the day to place a PO so stock arrives before you run out. The formula, a worked example, and the inputs that matter.

PO payment terms decide how much of your inventory the supplier finances. Deposit splits, net terms, and how each affects your FBA cash flow.

Purchase order tracking for FBA: follow each PO through placed, shipped, received, and reconciled, so nothing slips and every shortfall gets claimed.

Why and how to run multiple suppliers for a SKU: dual-sourcing for risk and leverage, and how to manage inventory across them.

MOQ is the smallest order a supplier will accept. Why it exists, how it forces overstock and ties up cash, and how to negotiate it, for Amazon FBA sellers.

Supplier lead time is how long from PO to goods ready or delivered. How to measure quoted vs actual, track it per supplier, and reduce it, for FBA sellers.

A purchase order template for Amazon FBA: the fields that prevent supplier disputes, plus the FBA-specific labeling and carton lines most templates miss.

The inventory cash-flow problem is cash trapped in stock so you cannot fund the next reorder. The symptoms, the causes, and how to break the cycle on FBA.

Amazon gross margin is revenue minus cost of goods, over revenue. The formula, a worked example, and why it overstates FBA profit if you stop there.

Amazon net profit margin is what you keep after every cost. The formula, an account-level example, a realistic FBA benchmark, and how to raise it.

How much cash reserve an Amazon FBA seller should keep: sizing it to one reorder cycle, a worked example, and why lead time and season change the number.

How Amazon's payout schedule works: the ~14-day disbursement cycle, the reserve, and why new accounts wait longer, plus how to plan cash around it.

A 2026 Amazon seller calendar built for inventory planning: the events that move demand and the lead-time-back dates to order for each.

Prime Day inventory planning: forecast the deal spike, order a full lead time early, cover the event without overbuying, and plan the post-event drawdown.

Overstocking ties up cash, racks up storage fees, and drags your IPI. How to spot overstock, what it really costs, and how to clear it, for Amazon FBA.

FBA capacity limits set a monthly cubic-feet allowance for your inventory. How the limit is set, how Capacity Manager works, and how to plan around it.

Amazon flags excess inventory as stock beyond your near-term demand. How the designation works, why it costs you, and how to find and clear it in FBA.

Stranded inventory is stock in an Amazon warehouse with no active listing. Why it happens, what it costs you, and how to find, fix, and prevent it.

Amazon restock limits cap how much inventory you can send to FBA. Why they happen, how IPI and sales drive them, and how to work within or lift them.

Landed cost vs COGS: landed cost is the full cost to get a unit to the warehouse; COGS is the cost of what you sold. Why FBA sellers must not confuse them.

Inventory carrying cost is the full cost of holding stock: capital, storage, risk, and handling. How to estimate the rate and use it in FBA decisions.

The FBA storage utilization surcharge targets overstock: holding too much inventory relative to your sales. What triggers it and how to avoid it.

The Amazon low-inventory-level fee hits standard-size items when your days of supply runs too thin. How the 28-day threshold works and how to avoid it.

The FBA inbound placement fee in 2026: what it is, how shipment splits change it, and how to decide between paying the fee or shipping to more locations.

How FBA fulfillment fees work in 2026: size tiers, dimensional weight, the per-pound surcharges, and how to keep packaging from jumping a tier.

How Amazon referral fees work in 2026: the 15 percent standard rate, how categories vary, the per-item minimum, and how the fee hits your margin.

The FBA long-term storage fee was replaced by the monthly aged-inventory surcharge. What changed, why it costs more now, and how to avoid it.

The Amazon aged-inventory surcharge in 2026: when it kicks in (181+ days), how it stacks on storage, and how to clear stock before it costs you.

When to reorder inventory on Amazon FBA: the reorder point fires earlier than you think. The signals that mean order now, and the ones sellers miss.

How to calculate reorder quantity for Amazon FBA: cover demand to your next cycle plus safety stock, within your MOQ and cash. With a worked example.

Inventory lead time on Amazon FBA is multi-leg: production, freight, customs, and check-in. Why the number your supplier quotes is not the one to plan on.

How to forecast Q4 inventory for Amazon FBA: build from last year's seasonal index, order a full lead time early, and plan the January drawdown.

FBA storage fees in 2026: the monthly per-cubic-foot rates, the Q4 peak increase, the aged-inventory surcharge, and how to keep storage costs down.

The cash conversion cycle is how many days your cash is tied up from paying suppliers to collecting from Amazon. Formula, example, and how to shorten it.

DDP shipping means the supplier delivers to your door with duties paid. The upside, the cautions on customs and control, and when it fits importers.

Amazon AWD vs FBA is not either/or. AWD is low-cost bulk storage that auto-replenishes FBA. The storage cost math and when to use each.

Incoterms define who pays and who bears risk at each step of a shipment. The key terms (EXW, FOB, DDP) and what they mean for Amazon importers.

Is inventory an asset? Yes, a current asset on your balance sheet. How it works for Amazon FBA sellers, when it becomes COGS, and the cash trap to avoid.

Cash flow, not profit, is what kills growing FBA businesses. The cash gap, the levers that close it, and how to build a reserve, for Amazon sellers.

Dunnage is the cheap, often disposable material that protects goods in transit. What it is, the common types, and how it protects your FBA shipments.

Every Amazon FBA fee in 2026: referral, fulfillment, storage, and the situational fees, with current rates, a worked example, and which ones you control.

A complete system for Amazon FBA restock planning: when to reorder, how much, which SKUs to fund first, and how to plan around long lead times.

Contribution margin is what each unit contributes after all variable costs. The formula, a worked FBA example, and why it drives which SKUs to fund or cut.

FBA reimbursements: how to recover money Amazon owes for lost and damaged inventory. The discrepancy types to audit, the claim windows, and how to file.

JIT inventory management minimizes held stock to free cash. How it works, its trade-offs for FBA, and the hybrid that survives long lead times.

Open to buy (OTB) is the dollar budget you have left to spend on inventory this period. The formula, a worked example, and how sellers use it.

A backorder is an order for an out-of-stock item, filled when you restock. What it means on Amazon, and why FBA cannot do it while FBM can.

The COGS formula is beginning inventory plus purchases minus ending inventory. What counts, what does not, and a worked example for Amazon FBA sellers.