FBA Liquidations: when the fee is bigger than what Amazon pays you
If you do not want stuck FBA inventory returned to you or disposed of, Amazon offers a third option: FBA Liquidations. A wholesale buyer takes the units, and you get a share of the proceeds. Many sellers see it as a way to get at least a little money back.
We looked at the liquidations of 4 sellers, 123 units in total. For 116 units the liquidation fee was higher than what Amazon paid for the unit, and liquidation ended with a net loss at all 4 sellers.
The data
We used the liquidation lines in the settlements (WHOLESALE_LIQUIDATION: revenue, fee, tax). The lines were posted between 14 March 2025 and 29 September 2026. We counted one revenue line as one unit. At one seller, the inventory ledger shows exactly as many units removed (98) as there were revenue lines.
| Seller | Units | Amazon paid | Liquidation fee | Revenue reversed later | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A (US marketplace) | 98 | USD 34.52 | USD 39.70 | 0 | USD -5.18 |
| B (EU marketplace) | 22 | EUR 14.03 | EUR 20.97 | EUR 0.80 | EUR -7.74 |
| C (EU marketplace) | 2 | EUR 12.60 | EUR 12.97 | EUR 6.60 | EUR -6.97 |
| D (EU marketplace) | 1 | EUR 0.26 | EUR 1.71 | 0 | EUR -1.45 |
The net does not include tax lines (one seller had them, EUR 0.39).
How much Amazon pays per unit
We compared the amount received per unit with the product's average selling price. The average comes from the product's own settlements (gross, from normal sales).
| Seller | Average selling price | Received per unit in liquidation | Share of the selling price |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | USD 41.48 | USD 0.35 | 0.85% |
| B | EUR 16.78 | EUR 0.63 (on 19 units) | 3.8% |
| C | EUR 50.70 | EUR 6.30 | 12.4% |
| D | EUR 20.30 | EUR 0.26 | 1.3% |
According to the inventory ledger, all 98 units of seller A were in sellable condition. For a product that sold for USD 41.48 on average, the seller received 35 cents per unit and paid a fee of 41 cents per unit on average.
The fee stayed even on low-revenue units. At seller A, on the units for which Amazon paid only between USD 0.05 and USD 0.22, the fee was between USD 0.36 and USD 0.38 per unit.
When the revenue was higher
For 7 of the 123 units Amazon paid more than the fee. 6 of these were at seller A: USD 3.77 revenue and USD 0.94 fee per unit. 1 was at seller C: EUR 6.60 revenue and EUR 6.53 fee.
At seller C, Amazon later reversed a EUR 6.60 liquidation revenue. At seller B it reversed EUR 0.80. So the credited revenue is not final.
When the money arrives
At seller A, the inventory ledger shows the 98 units removed between 26 October and 18 December 2025 (our ledger data starts on 25 October). The revenue lines came between 4 December 2025 and 19 April 2026. The liquidation money arrived over several months, unit by unit.
What to do
- Do not count it as income. In our data, liquidation was a cost: one way to remove inventory, not a refund.
- Check the liquidation lines per product. In Seller Central, the settlement under Reports, Payments shows revenue, fee and tax on separate lines. If the fee is larger, the liquidation cost you money.
- For sellable, higher-priced products, try to sell or return them first. At seller A, a USD 41 product brought 35 cents per unit, and nothing after the fee.
- If the aged inventory surcharge is your reason, first check which units will get it. We show how in our article on the aged inventory surcharge.
- Track the removed units. Units sent to liquidation appear in the inventory ledger, covered in our article on the inventory ledger.
- Expect delays and reversals. Revenue can arrive over months and can be reversed later: for us EUR 7.40 at 2 sellers.
Why the numbers are not exact
- Only 4 sellers used liquidation, and almost 80% of the units (98 of 123) come from one seller and one product.
- We counted units from the revenue lines. At one seller the inventory ledger confirmed it; at the others the ledger does not separate liquidation from other removals.
- The selling price is a gross average from the product's own settlements, not the price on the day of liquidation. At seller B the product was identifiable for 19 of 22 units, and we calculated the share from those.
- The data does not break the liquidation fee down further; we only see the total per unit.
The 4 sellers sold 123 units through liquidation. Amazon credited USD 34.52 and EUR 26.89, the fee was USD 39.70 and EUR 35.65, and it later reversed EUR 7.40.