Sooner or later, most growing FBA sellers try to create a shipment and Seller Central won't let them. The usual reason is the FBA capacity limit, the monthly cap on how much inventory you can send to and store in Amazon's fulfillment centers.
This matters most right now. Amazon's Black Friday and Cyber Monday inbound cutoffs land on October 21 and October 28, 2026, and Amazon has warned that capacity limits may be lower while its teams shift from receiving inventory to shipping holiday orders.
In this article, you'll learn how capacity limits are set and measured, what happens when you exceed them, how to bid for extra space with Capacity Manager, how to check whether a bid pays for itself, and how to free up space before peak.
Capacity planning starts with choosing products that sell through fast. This free checklist is used by Bubba Academy students to research products, launch faster, and avoid costly rookie mistakes.
Amazon's FBA capacity limits help page explains that limits help Amazon manage unexpected surges in demand and supply chain disruptions, so it can run its fulfillment network efficiently. For you, they set how much inventory you can send to and store in Amazon's fulfillment centers each month.
You'll find your limits in the Capacity Monitor at the bottom of the FBA dashboard. It shows your current usage by inventory status, the room left for new shipments, and your estimated limits for the next three months.
Amazon typically announces limits during the fourth week of the month, in the Capacity Monitor and by email. Each announcement confirms next month's limit and updates the estimates for the two months after it, so your November limit is confirmed in late October.
According to Amazon, your limit is influenced by your Inventory Performance Index (IPI) score, plus historical sales, seasonal peaks, ASIN forecasts, new selection, scheduled deals, fulfillment center capacity, and shipment lead time. Our guide to IPI score targets and inventory management covers the IPI side in detail.
Capacity is measured in volume, not units, and counts inventory on hand plus open shipments on the way.
Each product falls into exactly one storage type based on weight and dimensions: standard-size, oversize, apparel, footwear, or extra-large. You can't change it or trade capacity between types. Dangerous goods are handled separately. Check each product's storage type and volume in FBA Inventory.
Multiply length × width × height in inches, then divide by 1,728 (the number of cubic inches in a cubic foot). Amazon's example: a unit measuring 47 × 12 × 10 inches equals 5,640 cubic inches, or about 3.3 cubic feet.
Amazon may verify dimensions using samples of your inventory, and its numbers win if they differ from yours. Measure packaged units carefully.
If your on-hand inventory plus inbound shipments exceed your limit, Amazon blocks you from creating new shipments. You're also blocked if a new shipment would push you over.
In a 2024 Seller Forums announcement, Amazon said it eliminated the US storage overage fee effective July 1, 2024, and its current US help page lists blocked shipments as the consequence. The real cost is lost sales when you can't restock best sellers. See our guide to the low-inventory-level fee for why running too lean also costs money.
Capacity limits reward sellers who order the right amount at the right time. Bubba Academy's step-by-step program shows Amazon sellers how to forecast demand, plan restocks, calculate true FBA costs, and keep inventory moving.
If you expect strong demand, Capacity Manager lets you request extra capacity for a future month at a reservation fee you choose. Requests can be made for any future period with a confirmed or estimated limit, but not for the current period.
No upfront payment is required.
Amazon assesses capacity regularly (typically twice per week) and grants the highest fees per cubic foot first until space runs out. Granted space lasts the whole period and may be available up to one month early so you can ship ahead. Amazon suggests checking pending requests weekly; you can cancel and resubmit with a higher fee.
You never pay more than your maximum. Everyone granted space in the same week pays the lowest granted fee, and if later requests for that period are granted lower, your fee adjusts down too. So waiting won't get you a better price.
Once the period starts, you earn a $0.15 performance credit for every dollar of sales generated using the additional capacity. Amazon prorates your FBA sales in that storage type by the share of your total limit that came from the request (MCF sales don't count). Credits can offset up to 100% of the fee, which is charged after the period ends.
Amazon's example: a 1,000 cubic foot limit plus a 500 cubic foot increase means 33% of sales qualify. On $105,000 of sales, that's up to $5,250 in credits.
The fee is charged whether or not you use the space, and unused capacity may affect your IPI score. Amazon's advice: if you aren't confident you can sell the inventory, don't request it.
Because credits are 15% of qualifying sales, you need qualifying sales of about 6.7 times your reservation fee to offset it completely. Here's an example with made-up numbers:
If the numbers only work in your best-case forecast, free up space instead. Also turn on auto-cancellation: if your confirmed limit comes in higher than the estimate, Amazon cancels up to 100% of your granted request.
In its Holiday 2026 announcement, Amazon says its teams shift from receiving inventory in September and October to processing orders in November and December, so limits may be lower. To keep the Prime badge for Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday, inventory must arrive by:
These are arrival dates, not ship dates. Amazon's peak season readiness guide says inbound processing typically takes 2 to 3 weeks. Its Q4 deadlines post advises booking delivery appointments at least 7 days before the cutoff (14 days for Partnered Carrier pickups) and sending accurate box content information. Our FBA inbound shipping guide walks through creating shipments.
Holiday peak fulfillment fees also apply from October 15, 2026 to January 14, 2027, averaging $0.32 more per unit, plus the 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge. For event costs, see our guide to deals and promotion fees.
Amazon's Q4 post says inventory auto-replenished from AWD is not subject to FBA capacity limits during peak, and AWD has no additional peak fees.
Amazon's help page recommends these steps to get more out of the limit you already have:
Customer returns are added back to your usage when received, so leave room for them.
Capacity limits decide how much of your holiday plan reaches Amazon. Know your numbers and use Capacity Manager only for inventory you're confident will sell.
The key takeaways:
Your next step: Open the Capacity Monitor today, compare your November and December estimates with your sales forecast, and cancel any open shipments you don't plan to send.
Bubba Academy trains sellers on product research, sourcing, listings, FBA, ads, and inventory planning, so you can grow through every peak season without running out of stock or space.
Join Bubba Academy Today →The monthly cap, per storage type and measured in cubic feet, on how much inventory you can send to and store at Amazon, counting on-hand inventory plus open shipments.
Professional accounts active in FBA for less than 39 weeks don't receive limits. Individual accounts have a fixed 15 cubic feet.
Typically during the fourth week of each month, in the Capacity Monitor and by email.
You set a maximum fee per cubic foot. Amazon grants the highest fees first, and $0.15 in credits per dollar of qualifying sales can offset up to 100% of it. It's charged after the period, even if the space goes unused.
You can't create new shipments until your usage drops. In 2024, Amazon announced it eliminated the US storage overage fee effective July 1, 2024.