Amazon Extends Grace Periods for International FBA Shipments During Peak Season
Amazon is providing temporary grace periods for designated peak-season international FBA shipments: the arrival window for linked shipments in multi-destination shipments is extended to 45 days, and the automatic closure window to 90 days.
What are the key facts?
- 1Temporary grace periods for designated international FBA shipments
- 2Linked-shipment arrival window extended from 30 to 45 days
- 3Automatic closure window extended to 90 days
- 4Eligible shipments may avoid applicable defect fees
- 5Previously charged eligible fees returned through a report
What happened?
Amazon is providing temporary grace periods for certain international FBA shipment programs because of longer ocean freight transit times, port congestion, and increased customs inspections during this year's peak season. The policy applies to international FBA shipments created from August 1 through November 30, 2026. For multi-destination shipments, the permitted arrival time for subsequent linked shipments after the first shipment is fully received increases from 30 days to 45 days, while the automatic shipment closure window increases to 90 days. Eligible shipments may avoid applicable deletion or disposal defect fees even if defects continue to appear in the Inbound Performance Dashboard. If eligible fees were already charged, Amazon will return them through the Reimbursement report. The policy mainly concerns FBA sellers in China, Southeast Asia, and other regions shipping directly to the United States, particularly sellers using ocean freight, multi-warehouse distribution, and multi-carton shipment models.
What does this mean for cross-border sellers?
Eligible international FBA shipments receive longer grace periods for linked-shipment arrival and automatic closure, creating more room to manage delays in ocean freight, multi-warehouse distribution, and multi-carton shipments. Sellers should still verify eligibility and track defect fees and subsequent reimbursements.
What should sellers do now?
- 1This week, record the creation date, destination, first-shipment receiving time, and number of linked cartons for each U.S. FBA shipment in the procurement preparation list; filter shipments created from August 1 through November 30, 2026, and create a follow-up tracker.Procurement List
- 2This week, review shipment defects and automatic-closure status in the Inbound Performance Dashboard. Mark eligible linked shipments against the 45-day arrival and 90-day closure windows, then check the Reimbursement report for refunds of eligible fees.