Amazon to Stop Accepting Meltable FBA Inventory From April 20

If you sell heat-sensitive products on Amazon, the clock is ticking. Amazon has updated its meltable FBA inventory policy, and sellers who miss the April 20 deadline face disposal fees and unfulfillable listings. Here is what you need to know and what to do before the cutoff.

What Amazon's Meltable FBA Policy Covers

Amazon restricts the storage of heat-sensitive products in its fulfillment centers during the warmer months each year. The restriction window runs from April 20 through September 28. During this period, Amazon will not accept meltable inventory as sellable stock.

The policy applies to products that melt at or below 155 degrees Fahrenheit. Amazon maintains a list of meltable ASINs that sellers should check regularly, as it gets updated periodically. The affected categories include:

• Chocolate
• Gummies
• Jelly-based items
• Wax-based items

What Happens If You Miss the Deadline

For sellers carrying significant stock of chocolate, gummies, or similar products, the financial impact adds up quickly. Acting before April 20 gives you full control over where your inventory goes and avoids unnecessary costs.

• Meltable inventory still in fulfillment centers after April 20 risks being marked as unfulfillable.
• Starting May 1, Amazon will begin disposing of remaining units and charging you a fee for each one removed.
• You lose both the inventory and pay for the privilege of losing it.

Note that as of February 15, 2026, Amazon now charges removal and disposal fees per unit as each item is processed, rather than at the end of an order. This makes the cost of inaction more visible and immediate.

Related Reading: Amazon FBA Removal and Disposal Fees: What the Per-Unit Change Means for Sellers

How to Remove Your Meltable Inventory

The removal process runs through Seller Central. You need to submit a removal order before the cutoff date to stay compliant and keep your listings active.

Step 1: Check Your Meltable ASINs

Start by reviewing Amazon's meltable ASIN list to confirm which of your products fall under the policy. Not every heat-sensitive product automatically qualifies as meltable under Amazon's classification. Checking the list first prevents you from submitting unnecessary removal orders or missing products that do need to be moved.

Step 2: Submit a Removal Order in Seller Central

Log into your Seller Central account and navigate to the FBA inventory management section. From there, submit a removal order for each affected ASIN. You choose whether Amazon ships the inventory back to you or sends it to a third-party address. Build in enough lead time before April 20 to account for processing delays.

Step 3: Plan Where Your Inventory Goes Next

Once your inventory leaves Amazon's fulfillment centers, you need a plan for it. If you want to keep selling during the restricted window, switching to Fulfilled by Merchant (FBM) keeps your listings active. FBM gives you direct control over storage conditions, so you store products with proper insulation and temperature controls. Your customers still get their orders and your listings stay live throughout the summer.

What to Do With Your Inventory After Removal

Getting your inventory back is only half the job. How you handle it after removal determines whether the seasonal restriction hurts your business or simply shifts where your sales come from. Here are four ways to keep your stock moving between April and September.

1. Sell through other channels.

Your meltable products are only restricted from Amazon FBA during the summer window. You can still sell them through your own website, Walmart, eBay, or any other channel where you control fulfillment. If you have not already set up listings on these platforms, this is a good time to do it.

2. Switch to FBM on Amazon.

You do not have to leave Amazon entirely. FBM lets you fulfill orders directly from your own storage, keeping your Amazon listings active and your sales rank intact. The trade-off is handling your own shipping and customer service, but for a five-month window, many sellers find it worth the effort.

3. Bundle with non-meltable products.

If you sell other products year-round through FBA, consider creating bundles that pair your meltable items with non-meltable ones. A summer gift bundle, for example, keeps your inventory moving and introduces customers to other products in your catalog at the same time.

4. Store it properly and wait.

If your sales volume does not justify the complexity of FBM or multichannel selling, storing the inventory correctly until September 28 is a valid option. Use a temperature-controlled warehouse or a third-party logistics provider with climate control. Factor in storage costs against your expected FBA margin once the restriction lifts to confirm the numbers work.

What Sellers Often Overlook

One detail many sellers miss is the exemption option. If your product withstands higher temperatures than Amazon's 155-degree threshold, you may qualify for an exemption from the meltable classification. To pursue this, you need to submit documentation to Amazon for review. If your product passes, it no longer falls under the seasonal restriction.

This is worth exploring if you sell products that sit close to the threshold. An approved exemption removes the seasonal disruption from your operations entirely and frees you from submitting removal orders each year.

Why This Matters for Your Cash Flow

The meltable FBA policy does more than create a logistical task. It directly affects your cash flow if you are not prepared. Inventory tied up in Amazon's fulfillment centers during the restricted window is inventory you cannot sell through FBA. Add disposal fees on top of that, and the cost of inaction becomes significant.

Planning your inventory cycle around the April 20 cutoff keeps your stock moving and your costs predictable. Sellers who treat this as a recurring annual event rather than a surprise tend to handle it with minimal disruption. Build the removal timeline into your Q1 operations calendar now so it does not sneak up on you next year.

Key Dates to Keep in Mind

Mark these three dates in your calendar before doing anything else:

• April 20 is the last day Amazon accepts meltable inventory as sellable stock.
• May 1 is when Amazon begins disposing of remaining meltable units and charging fees.
• September 28 is when the restriction lifts and Amazon resumes accepting meltable inventory.

If you have not already submitted a removal order, do it now. The window between today and April 20 is short, and processing times mean you should not wait until the last few days to act. Pull your affected inventory, set up FBM for the products you want to keep selling, and check whether any of your ASINs qualify for a temperature exemption.

The sellers who come out of the summer restriction period in good shape are the ones who treat the April 20 deadline as a firm date, not a suggestion.