FBA replenishment means keeping enough inventory inside Amazon to cover sales until the next shipment is received, and no more. We hold your bulk stock upstream and send right-sized shipments on a predictable cadence.
How upstream replenishment works
Upstream replenishment works by separating where inventory is stored from where it is sold. Your full container lands at a 3PL, where storage is cheaper and not subject to Amazon's monthly capacity limits. Amazon holds only working inventory, roughly the units you expect to sell over your target days of cover.
As Amazon inventory sells down, new shipments are built from the upstream pool, prepped, and sent in. The result is a steady stream of smaller inbound shipments instead of one large one. Your Amazon storage footprint stays lean, which helps on storage fees and your inventory performance metrics, while upstream stock protects you from running out when a supplier is late or a container is held at the port.
Sizing each replenishment shipment
Each replenishment shipment is sized from three numbers: your daily sell-through per SKU, the time from shipment creation until the units are available to sell, and your target days of cover at Amazon.
If a SKU sells 40 units a day, inbound typically takes about two weeks from booking to available, and you want 30 days of cover, the plan keeps enough stock at Amazon to bridge that receiving gap and then tops up to the target. We review the numbers with you, adjust for promotions, seasonality and Prime Day or Q4 ramps, and flag SKUs where your capacity limit will not allow the full target. Amazon's low-inventory-level fee makes running too lean expensive, so we watch both sides of the range.
Working within capacity limits
Capacity limits cap how much inventory you can store at and send to Amazon each month, by storage type such as standard-size, oversize, apparel and footwear. Limits can change month to month based on your sales and inventory performance, and they often tighten when you need room most.
Replenishment from a 3PL turns capacity limits from a crisis into a scheduling problem. When your limit drops, the overflow simply stays upstream instead of sitting on a dray chassis or in a container incurring demurrage. We plan shipments against your published limits and prioritize the SKUs with the highest sell-through and margin so the space you do have goes to your best sellers.
Shipping modes and cadence
Replenishment shipments move by small-parcel or LTL depending on how many cartons are going and where. Small-parcel through Amazon's partnered carrier program is often efficient for a handful of cartons, while LTL or Amazon Freight usually wins once a shipment is several pallets.
Cadence is set per account, commonly weekly for high-velocity catalogs and every two weeks for steadier ones. A predictable rhythm makes receiving times more consistent and makes it easier to see when something is off. Every shipment comes with carton counts, tracking or BOL, and the shipment ID so you can follow it in Seller Central from our dock to available inventory.
What's included
- Days-of-cover based replenishment plans
- Capacity limit and storage type planning
- Weekly or biweekly replenishment cadence
- Small-parcel and LTL inbound booking
- Q4 and Prime Day ramp planning
- Stockout and excess inventory alerts
- Shipment-level carton and tracking records
Frequently asked questions
How often should I replenish FBA?
Most sellers replenish weekly or every two weeks. Faster-moving catalogs benefit from weekly shipments, while slower, steady SKUs can move less often without hurting in-stock rates.
How many days of inventory should I keep at Amazon?
Enough to cover sales through your inbound lead time plus a safety buffer, often 30 to 60 days of cover depending on velocity and lead time. Amazon's low-inventory-level fee penalizes running too low, and storage fees penalize too much.
What happens when my capacity limit drops?
Overflow inventory stays in upstream storage, and replenishment prioritizes your highest-velocity SKUs within the new limit. Nothing has to be rushed into Amazon or stranded at the port.
Can replenishment be automated?
Replenishment can be largely rules-based, using sell-through and cover targets to propose shipments that you approve. Shipments are still created in your Seller Central account, so you keep final control.