Amazon has eased the inbound rules for sellers shipping FBA inventory from overseas this peak season. On October 30, 2026, it extended two shipment windows for international shipment plans created between August 1 and November 30, 2026, and said it will refund inbound defect fees already charged on eligible shipments. If you send ocean freight in multi-destination plans, this one is worth a close look.
According to the official Seller Central announcement, Amazon made the change because many sellers are facing longer ocean transit times, port delays and customs holds caused by factors outside their control. The changes and the reimbursements are applied automatically, so no action is needed to qualify.
What exactly is changing?
Longer arrival window: In a multi-destination plan, related shipments now have 45 days to arrive after the first shipment is received, up from 30 days.
Fee waiver: You will not be charged the deleted or abandoned defect fee as long as your remaining shipments are received within 45 days of the first receive.
Later automatic closure: The automatic shipment closure window is now 90 days, which gives in-transit shipments more time to arrive before they close.
Refunds for past charges: Inbound defect fees already charged on eligible shipments will be reimbursed. Details appear in your Reimbursement report.
Defect still recorded: The defect will still be flagged on your Inbound Performance Dashboard. Only the fee is waived.
Who qualifies: International shipment plans created between August 1 and November 30, 2026.
Why does this matter for sellers?
Q4 is when inbound delays hurt the most. A container stuck at port or held by customs can push the last part of a split shipment past the old 30-day window, and the defect fee lands on top of the delay itself. Those fees add up quickly. One seller replying to the announcement said a late shipment had cost them more than $4,000 in defect fees.
The relief has limits, though. It only covers plans created inside the August 1 to November 30 window, so a plan built in late July does not qualify even if the goods shipped in August. And because the defect still shows on your dashboard, it is still part of your inbound record. Treat this as a fee break, not a free pass on inbound performance.
What should sellers do now?
Check your Reimbursement report: Look for refunds of inbound defect fees on international plans created since August 1, 2026. If you were charged on an eligible shipment and see no refund, follow up with Seller Support.
Sort plans by creation date: List your open international plans and confirm which ones were created between August 1 and November 30, 2026.
Track the 45-day clock: For eligible plans, count from the date the first shipment was received, not from the ship date. Push carriers on anything at risk of missing it.
Watch your Inbound Performance Dashboard: The defects still appear there, so keep an eye on trends and fix the causes you can control, like plan accuracy and carrier booking.
Keep your delay paperwork: Save carrier updates and customs hold notices. They help if you need to dispute a charge on a plan that falls outside the window.
eStore Factory Tip: Automatic refunds do not always land in full. Reconcile every inbound defect fee charged since August against your Reimbursement report, and claim anything missing before it slips through. Our Amazon FBA reimbursement experts can run that audit for you, and Refunzo helps you track and recover FBA reimbursements on an ongoing basis.
