Amazon FBA · Q4 2026 into Q1 2027
Every Q4 date that actually binds
Amazon publishes deadlines in terms of when inventory is received and checked in, not shipped, not delivered. Check-in is a real leg of the journey and it triples in Q4. Every countdown below is measured from Thu, Aug 27, 2026.
Prime Big Deal Days
Event date not confirmed by Amazon
- Checked in, AWDWed, Sep 26d
- Deal submissions closeTue, Sep 812d
- Checked in, FBA minimal splitsWed, Sep 913d
- Checked in, FBA optimized splitsWed, Sep 1620d
Amazon has published the deadlines but not the event. The October 7-8 date circulating in seller blogs is Amazon's 2025 date, repeated without a source. Plan to the deadlines, which are real, and treat the event date as unknown.
Black Friday & Cyber Monday
Nov 27 and Nov 30, 2026
- Checked in, AWDWed, Oct 1448d
- Checked in, FBA minimal splitsWed, Oct 2155d
- Checked in, FBA optimized splitsWed, Oct 2862d
- Black FridayFri, Nov 2792d
- Cyber MondayMon, Nov 3095d
Christmas
Dec 25, 2026
- Peak fulfillment fees beginThu, Oct 1549d
- Christmas DayFri, Dec 25120d
- Peak fulfillment fees endNot December 31. January liquidations still pay peak.Thu, Jan 14140d
Chinese New Year
Feb 6, 2027, factories go dark
- PO placed, 60-day productionTue, Nov 2489d
- PO placed, 30-day productionThu, Dec 24119d
- Ship out, cargo readySat, Jan 23149d
- Chinese New YearSat, Feb 6163d
These three lead-time dates are arithmetic, not Amazon policy: cargo ready two weeks before the holiday, then 30 and 60 days back from that for production. China's State Council does not publish the official 2027 holiday schedule until late 2026.
Why the deadlines sit so early
December check-in takes three times what August does
Days from the first check-in scan until 95% of a shipment's units are sellable, at the 95th percentile. The typical shipment clears in about a day all year. The tail is what strands you, so plan against the worst case, not the average.
- Jan7 days
- Feb7 days
- Mar6 days
- Apr5 days
- May6 days
- Jun5 days
- Jul6 days
- Aug4 days
- Sep7 days
- Oct11 days
- Nov8 days
- Dec12 days
Aggregate across our seller base: 31,608 shipments, 40 sellers, November 2024 through June 2026, restricted so every month gets an equal 60-day observation window. Annual average is 1.96 days. At the 99th percentile, December runs to 70.
Four things to remember
- 01Checked in is not delivered.Every Amazon deadline on this page is the date units are sellable. Back the truck up from there, not from the event.
- 02October is the second-worst month, not a safe one.Buffer before the peak, not during it. By the time check-in slows down, the shipment that needed the buffer is already in the queue.
- 03Peak fees run to January 14, not December 31.Units you liquidate in the new year still pay peak. Size Q4 to sell through by year end.
- 04Your Q4 order was never a Q4 order.Whatever is on hand at Chinese New Year has to carry you to late March. Miss the pre-holiday window and it has to carry you to late May.
If a date already got away from you
Slow down on purpose, before you hit zero
If your days of cover are shorter than your days to resupply, you are going to stock out, and PPC is paying to get you there faster. The throttle calculator works out exactly how far to cut ad-driven sales so your stock bridges to the restock at full price.
Open the PPC Throttle Calculator