Starting from April 1, 2026, Amazon Japan will officially implement a new round of fee structure adjustments, involving three core areas: FBA logistics distribution fees, sales commissions, and long-term inventory surcharges. This adjustment is regarded as the most significant fee system reform by Amazon Japan in recent years, aiming to optimize logistics efficiency, encourage the promotion of new products, and accelerate inventory turnover.

FBA Logistics Distribution Fees Significantly Reduced

The core highlight of this adjustment is the structural reduction of FBA logistics distribution fees. According to Amazon's official announcement for global stores, FBA distribution fees in Japan will be optimized and adjusted in segments based on product size, with both small standard size products and large standard size products seeing varying degrees of fee reductions.

Specifically, for fashion categories such as clothing, footwear, jewelry, watches, and bags, Amazon has continued its previous preferential policies. The FBA distribution fees for these categories enjoy an additional discount of 30 yen per item on top of the standard rate, a policy that remains valid in 2026, providing continuous operational cost advantages for fashion category sellers.

It is worth noting that although the base distribution fee has been reduced, Amazon has started to charge extra fees for high-return rate products. Starting from April 1, 2026, for products exceeding the category return rate threshold, Amazon will charge a return processing fee per item. This measure is consistent with Amazon's policies in the US and Europe, aiming to more accurately allocate return costs to high-return rate products, forcing sellers to improve product quality and listing accuracy.

Long-term Inventory Surcharge Greatly Increased

In stark contrast to the reduction in logistics fees, the long-term inventory surcharge (Aged Inventory Surcharge) has seen a significant increase, becoming the most "lethal" clause in this adjustment.

According to the new regulations, for products with a stock age of 181-210 days, the surcharge has been significantly increased from 0.5 yen per cubic centimeter to 2 yen, a 300% increase. This adjustment means that the holding cost of long-term unsold inventory will grow exponentially.

For products with a stock age of over 210 days, the fee structure is further refined:

• 211-240 days: 2.5 yen/cubic centimeter
• 241-270 days: 3 yen/cubic centimeter
• 271-300 days: 3.5 yen/cubic centimeter
• 301-330 days: 4 yen/cubic centimeter
• 331-365 days: 4.5 yen/cubic centimeter
• Over 365 days: 5 yen/cubic centimeter

In addition, Amazon has introduced a new Low Inventory Turnover Surcharge, charging extra fees for inventory with turnover rates below standard, further squeezing the living space of "shelf-loading" sellers.

Sales Commission Structure Optimization

In terms of sales commissions, Amazon Japan has made detailed adjustments, with differentiated strategies for different categories:

Categories with reduced commissions:

• Household items, pet supplies, outdoor products: Commission rates reduced by 1-2 percentage points to stimulate growth in these high-potential categories
• Some electronic product accessories: Commission rates have been lowered to encourage sellers to enrich their product lines

Categories with maintained or slightly adjusted commissions:

• Books, music, film and television: Maintain the original commission structure
• Large home appliances, high-value electronic products: Commission structure is basically stable

Amazon stated that this commission adjustment is based on a comprehensive assessment of the market competition status, logistics cost structure, and seller profit margins of each category, with the goal of establishing a more sustainable e-commerce ecosystem.

New Fee Items and Policy Changes

In addition to the above three major adjustments, this fee change also includes several important new contents:

1. Inbound Placement Service Fee: Starting from April 1, 2026, Amazon Japan will officially introduce an inbound placement service fee. Sellers can choose the following two inbound methods:

• Amazon Optimized Inbound: Amazon automatically allocates inventory to multiple fulfillment centers, charging lower fees
• Partial Designated Inbound: Sellers designate some fulfillment centers, charging moderate fees
• Minimum Shipment Splitting: Sellers fully control the inbound location, charging the highest fees

This policy is similar to the inbound placement fee policy introduced by Amazon's US site in 2024, aiming to guide sellers to distribute inventory and improve the overall efficiency of Amazon's logistics network.

2. Low Inventory Level Fee: For standard size products with continuously low inventory levels, Amazon will charge a low inventory level fee. The specific standard is: when the product's inventory level is continuously lower than its historical demand (the longer of the past 28 days or 90 days), this fee will be triggered.

3. Return Processing Fee Expansion: The return processing fee, which was previously only charged for specific categories, has now been expanded to more categories, especially categories with high return rates such as footwear, clothing, and jewelry.

Seller Response Strategies and Industry Impact

In the face of this fee structure adjustment, sellers on Amazon Japan need to take proactive response measures:

Inventory management:

• Establish a more accurate inventory forecast model and strictly control the proportion of inventory within 180 days of age
• For unsold inventory, prioritize price reduction promotions and off-site clearance instead of passively waiting for Amazon to charge high long-term fees
• Use Amazon's "Remove Order" function to transfer or destroy inventory before fees are incurred

Logistics strategy:

• Re-evaluate the shipping rhythm to avoid high configuration fees due to concentrated inventory
• Consider using Amazon's "Distributed Inventory Placement" service to reduce single-point inventory risks
• For products with high return rates, optimize product descriptions, size charts, and images to reduce actual return rates

Pricing and selection:

• Incorporate new logistics and inventory costs into the pricing model to avoid profit erosion
• Focus on categories with reduced commissions such as home, pet, and outdoor, and seize the policy dividend period
• For long-term unsold SKUs, decisively clear inventory or remove from shelves to avoid falling into the "inventory trap"

Industry impact analysis: This adjustment will accelerate the polarization of sellers on Amazon Japan. Sellers with refined operational capabilities, fast inventory turnover, and strong product iteration capabilities will benefit from the reduction in logistics fees; while sellers relying on the shelf-loading model, with extensive inventory management and serious product homogenization, will face severe cost pressures. The industry predicts that in the next six months, there may be a wave of seller reshuffling on Amazon Japan, and some small and medium-sized sellers may be forced to exit the market.

Background and Trends

Amazon Japan's fee adjustment this time is part of its global logistics network optimization strategy. In recent years, Amazon has continuously invested in Japan's logistics infrastructure, building multiple FBA fulfillment centers to improve delivery speed. This fee structure adjustment is not only a "monetization" of previous investments but also an important means to guide seller behavior and improve overall platform efficiency.

At the same time, competition in Japan's e-commerce market is becoming increasingly fierce. Domestic platforms such as Rakuten and Yahoo Shopping continue to exert their strength, while Chinese cross-border platforms such as Temu and SHEIN are rapidly penetrating with low-price strategies. Amazon is trying to find a balance between logistics experience and price competitiveness through fee leverage to consolidate its leading position in Japan's e-commerce market.

For Chinese sellers, Amazon Japan remains an attractive market. Japanese consumers have strong purchasing power, low return rates, and are sensitive to quality, making it suitable for sellers with supply chain advantages and pursuing branding to cultivate deeply. However, after the implementation of the new regulations, the extensive model of "heavy assets and light operations" is unsustainable, and refinement, dataization, and branding will become the core competitiveness of operations on Amazon Japan.