FBA
Inventory Management
AWD Storage Fees Waived in the UK and Germany Through 31 December 2026
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16 min read
Amazon's AWD (Amazon Warehousing and Distribution) fees page states that, from 1 October through 31 December 2026, AWD storage fees are waived for all eligible inventory stored at Amazon's AWD distribution centres in the United Kingdom and Germany; the German centre serves the Germany, France, Italy and Spain stores, and the UK centre serves the UK store, the same 5 stores where AWD Europe is available. This guide is published on 29 October 2026, four weeks into the waiver window, so the waiver has already applied since 1 October and about 2 months remain before it ends. Every other AWD fee, inbound processing, outbound processing and transportation, still applies at standard published rates; only the storage-fee line itself is set to zero for the window. Standard storage fees resume automatically on 1 January 2027, and Amazon's own terms reserve the right to change or cancel the promotion. This guide works from Amazon's AWD fees page and AWD Europe help page to explain exactly what AWD is, what the waiver covers and does not cover, what inventory qualifies, and how to size what it is worth for a seller carrying extra stock into the holiday peak and planning for January 2027.
The AWD storage fee waiver has applied since 1 October 2026 and runs through 31 December 2026, waiving AWD storage fees at Amazon's AWD distribution centres in the UK and Germany (Germany also serves the France, Italy and Spain stores). Inbound processing, outbound processing and transportation fees still apply at standard rates; only storage is free during the window, which has about 2 months left as of this guide's 29 October publish date. Standard storage pricing resumes on 1 January 2027.
What AWD is, in one paragraph
Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) is Amazon's own bulk, long-term inventory storage service, separate from standard FBA storage and billed on its own fee schedule. A seller ships larger pallet-level quantities into an AWD distribution centre, and Amazon automatically replenishes smaller batches into regular FBA fulfilment centres as stock runs low there, instead of the seller managing that replenishment shipment by shipment. In Europe, AWD runs two distribution centres: one in Germany, which serves the Germany, France, Italy and Spain stores (EU AWD, which requires Pan-EU FBA enrollment for the product), and one in the United Kingdom, which serves the UK store (UK AWD, which requires a UK listing). Oversize, heavy-and-bulky, meltable and dangerous-goods items are not eligible for AWD. For the comparison with how AWD works in the US, see the AWD vs FBA US cost guide; for how AWD reached Europe in the first place, see the AWD Europe launch guide.
What the waiver actually covers
Amazon's AWD fees page states it under "Free Storage Promotion": "From October 1 through December 31, 2026 (the Promotion Term), AWD storage fees are waived for all eligible inventory stored at AWD distribution centres in the United Kingdom and Germany. This includes inventory already in AWD before October 1, 2026, as well as new shipments received during the Promotion Term. All other AWD fees (inbound processing, outbound processing, and transportation) apply at standard published rates. Standard storage fees resume on January 1, 2027." Four things follow directly from that wording. First, only the storage-fee line item is set to zero; inbound processing, outbound processing and transportation are unaffected and still billed normally for the same window. Second, the waiver applies at the two physical AWD distribution centres (UK and Germany), which between them serve all 5 stores where AWD Europe operates; it is not a per-store waiver layered on top of separate centres. Third, inventory that was already sitting in AWD before 1 October 2026 is covered for the rest of the window automatically, so a seller does not need to re-ship existing stock to qualify; a new shipment is covered from the date Amazon receives it, not from 1 October, so a pallet that arrives in late November is only free of storage fees for December. Fourth, the waiver is scoped to eligible inventory under AWD's normal eligibility rules (Pan-EU FBA enrollment for EU AWD, a UK listing for UK AWD, and the usual AWD exclusions for oversize, heavy-and-bulky, meltable and dangerous-goods items); it does not create new eligibility where none existed before.
2 centres, 5 stores, storage fee only
The waiver applies at Amazon's two AWD Europe distribution centres: Germany, which serves the Germany, France, Italy and Spain stores, and the UK, which serves the UK store. Those are the same 5 stores where AWD Europe is available. It applies to the storage fee line only; inbound processing, outbound processing and transportation fees for the same shipments are still charged at Amazon's standard AWD rates.
Who actually qualifies: eligibility before you count on the waiver
The waiver rides on top of AWD's existing eligibility rules; it does not loosen them. For EU AWD (the German centre, serving Germany, France, Italy and Spain), a product must be enrolled in Pan-EU FBA, and VAT registration is required in Germany plus at least one of France, Italy, Poland or Spain, depending on where the stock actually sits. For UK AWD, the product needs an active UK listing. Across both centres, Amazon excludes oversize items, heavy-and-bulky items, meltable products and dangerous goods from AWD entirely, waiver or not; those SKUs never reach an AWD distribution centre in the first place, so there is nothing for the waiver to apply to. A seller who is not already shipping Pan-EU FBA or UK-listed stock into AWD cannot start today, get the free storage, and skip the standard AWD onboarding; eligibility is checked the same way it always is, the fees page's "Free Storage Promotion" terms do not add a fast path.
The rate itself: flat per volume, not by size tier, and two price tiers
AWD's own fees page is explicit that storage is a flat-rate fee based on volume, not a rate that changes with a product's size tier; the common assumption that a bigger or bulkier product pays a higher per-unit storage rate does not hold for AWD the way it can for standard FBA. What does change the rate is which of AWD's two pricing tracks a SKU is billed on: the Base rate, or the lower Amazon Managed Service (AMS) rate. In the EU, the base storage rate is EUR 12.33 per cubic metre per month, with the AMS rate at EUR 11.09; in the UK, the base rate is GBP 0.36 per cubic foot per month, with the AMS rate at GBP 0.32, about a 10% discount. Amazon assigns the AMS rate to SKUs that meet its replenishment criteria, in particular an Amazon Global Logistics or Partnered Carrier Program shipping method combined with at least 70% of units replenished automatically within 90 days and roughly 70 days of forward supply maintained; a SKU shipped manually or replenished irregularly stays on the base rate. Both rates are waived to zero for storage during the promotion window; the distinction only matters again once standard pricing resumes on 1 January 2027, and it also matters for the FBA-side benefit covered in the next section, which rewards the same 70%-auto-replenishment behaviour.
Waived vs still-charged: the fees in both currencies
AWD bills storage plus 3 other fee categories: inbound processing, outbound processing and transportation. The table below separates which one is waived for the promotion window and which continue at standard published rates, in both EUR (EU, German centre) and GBP (UK centre), exactly as stated on Amazon's AWD fees page.
| AWD fee category | EU (EUR, per m3 unless noted) | UK (GBP, per cu ft unless noted) | 1 Oct to 31 Dec 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storage (base rate) | 12.33 / month | 0.36 / month | Waived |
| Storage (Amazon Managed Service rate) | 11.09 / month | 0.32 / month | Waived |
| Inbound processing | 0.72 / box | 0.63 / box | Standard rate |
| Outbound processing | 1.15 / box | 1.00 / box | Standard rate |
| Transportation (base rate) | 37.58 / m3 | 0.93 / cu ft | Standard rate |
| Transportation (AMS rate) | 33.82 / m3 | 0.83 / cu ft | Standard rate |
The side benefit on the FBA side: what 70% auto-replenishment also buys
AWD's value is not only the waived storage line; sellers who hit the 70%-auto-replenishment threshold that qualifies a SKU for the AMS storage rate get a separate benefit on the FBA side of the account. Amazon exempts auto-replenished FBA inventory, replenished at least 70% automatically within 90 days through AWD, from the low-inventory-level fee, the storage utilization surcharge, and the aged-inventory surcharge for up to 365 days; see the low-inventory-level fee guide and the FBA storage fees guide for how those 3 fees work on their own. That exemption is unrelated to the AWD storage waiver's end date and does not expire on 1 January 2027; it is a standing feature of AWD-driven auto-replenishment, which makes the waiver window a useful moment to set up (or verify) the shipping method and replenishment cadence that earns it, even after storage pricing resumes.
How to see the waiver applied in your own AWD reports
The waiver does not require an opt-in; it applies automatically to eligible inventory at the two AWD distribution centres. To confirm it on your own account, open the AWD Monthly Storage Fee report in Seller Central: for the October through December billing periods, the storage fee column should read zero for AWD inventory while the inbound processing, outbound processing and transportation columns continue to show standard charges. The same report's rate-type column shows whether a given SKU is billed at the Base or Amazon Managed Service rate, which is the number to check now so you know which rate resumes on 1 January 2027 rather than discovering it on the first post-waiver invoice.
Worked example: what the waiver is worth from here to 31 December
The figures below are a hypothetical example, not real seller data, built using Amazon's own published base rates so the numbers mean something, then sized to the roughly 2 months remaining from this guide's 29 October publish date to 31 December 2026. An EU seller storing 60 cubic metres of holiday inventory at the German AWD centre, at the EUR 12.33 base storage rate, would otherwise pay 60 x EUR 12.33 x 2 = EUR 1,479.60 in storage fees for November and December; under the waiver, that amount is EUR 0 for the same 2 months. A UK seller storing 2,000 cubic feet at the UK centre, at the GBP 0.36 base storage rate, would otherwise pay 2,000 x GBP 0.36 x 2 = GBP 1,440.00 for the same period; under the waiver, that is also GBP 0. In both cases, inbound processing, outbound processing and transportation for the same inventory are billed separately at the rates in the table above and are not part of this calculation, since the waiver does not touch them; inventory that was already in AWD before 1 October is covered for the full 2 remaining months, while a shipment received partway through November is only covered from its receipt date.
To get the real number for your own account, replace 3 inputs: your actual AWD storage rate (check the AWD Monthly Storage Fee report's rate-type column to see whether your SKUs sit on the Base or Amazon Managed Service rate, since AWD storage is a flat rate per volume, not a rate that varies by product size tier), your actual cubic footage or cubic metres stored, and the actual number of months your inventory sits inside the window from its receipt date (or from 1 October if it was already there) through 31 December. The waiver is worth more to a seller who would otherwise store a large volume through the rest of the window than to one who ships inventory in and out of AWD quickly, since a short stay has little storage fee to waive in the first place.
Planning for 1 January 2027, when standard pricing resumes
Amazon's own promotion terms reserve the right to terminate or modify the terms, or to change or cancel the discount, so the 31 December end date should be treated as the planning baseline rather than assumed to slip. From 1 January 2027, storage reverts to the standard rates in the table above: EUR 12.33 per cubic metre per month (EUR 11.09 on the AMS rate) in the EU, and GBP 0.36 per cubic foot per month (GBP 0.32 on the AMS rate) in the UK, with inbound processing, outbound processing and transportation continuing unchanged throughout. A seller who used the waiver window to build a large AWD balance for the holiday peak should plan the drawdown of that stock into FBA before volumes that were free to store for 2 months start accruing a real monthly cost again; sizing that drawdown against actual post-holiday sales velocity, rather than the pre-peak forecast, is the point where SellerMagnet's inventory forecast is useful, covered below.
Mistakes sellers make with this promotion
- Assuming all 4 AWD fee categories are waived. Only the storage fee is set to zero; inbound processing, outbound processing and transportation are unaffected and still billed at standard rates for the same period, in both EUR and GBP.
- Reading the waiver as starting today. The waiver has applied since 1 October 2026; a seller reading this on or after 29 October has about 2 months left, not 3, and inventory arriving late in the window is only covered from its receipt date.
- Treating it as a permanent price cut. Amazon's own terms state storage fees resume on 1 January 2027 and reserve the right to change or cancel the promotion; budget for standard AWD storage costs again from that date, not for an open-ended discount.
- Confusing AWD with standard FBA storage. AWD is a separate bulk, long-term storage program with its own fee schedule and its own distribution centres (Germany and the UK); this waiver does not touch standard FBA monthly or long-term storage fees, which are covered in the FBA storage fees guide.
- Assuming a product qualifies without checking Pan-EU or UK-listing status. EU AWD requires Pan-EU FBA enrollment and UK AWD requires a UK listing; oversize, heavy-and-bulky, meltable and dangerous-goods items are excluded from AWD regardless of the waiver, so confirm eligibility on AWD's own program pages rather than assuming every SKU qualifies.
- Assuming AWD storage rates vary by product size tier. AWD charges a flat rate per volume (cubic metre or cubic foot), with the only rate difference coming from Base vs Amazon Managed Service pricing; check which rate type your SKUs carry in the AWD Monthly Storage Fee report before estimating savings.
- Shipping inventory into AWD without a replenishment plan. AWD automatically replenishes FBA from your AWD stock, but the point of the waiver is cheaper storage while that stock sits waiting, not a reason to over-buy inventory you cannot sell through before 1 January.
- Missing the FBA-side auto-replenishment exemption. Hitting at least 70% automatic replenishment within 90 days through AWD also exempts that inventory from the low-inventory-level fee, the storage utilization surcharge and the aged-inventory surcharge for up to 365 days; this benefit is separate from the storage waiver and does not end on 31 December 2026.
Checklist to use the remaining waiver window well
How to make use of the AWD storage fee waiver before 31 December 2026
- Confirm your product is eligible inventory for AWD - Pan-EU FBA enrollment for EU AWD (Germany), a UK listing for UK AWD; oversize, heavy-and-bulky, meltable and dangerous-goods items are excluded from AWD regardless of the waiver.
- Pull your own AWD storage rate and cubic footage - Check the AWD Monthly Storage Fee report's rate-type column for Base vs Amazon Managed Service pricing, and use your real account numbers, not a general estimate.
- Calculate storage-only savings for the months you actually have left - From today through 31 December for existing stock, or from a new shipment's receipt date through 31 December; count only the months your inventory is actually in AWD during that window.
- Budget inbound, outbound and transportation fees separately - These fee categories are not waived and still apply at standard EUR/GBP rates for the same shipments.
- Check whether you qualify for the FBA-side auto-replenishment exemption - At least 70% automatic replenishment within 90 days through AWD exempts that inventory from 3 FBA fees for up to 365 days, independent of the storage waiver's end date.
- Plan your January 2027 drawdown into FBA - Size how much AWD stock moves into FBA fulfilment centres against real post-holiday sales velocity before standard storage pricing resumes on 1 January 2027.
Where SellerMagnet fits next to an AWD decision
Amazon's own AWD dashboard is where you create shipments and see your current storage balance. SellerMagnet's inventory forecast sits next to that decision: it shows days of stock left, expected stockout date and units to send per ASIN, based on your real sales velocity (lookback 7 to 365 days), so you can size an AWD restock for the remaining waiver window, and the January 2027 drawdown back into FBA, around what you will actually sell through rather than a guess.
Once the waiver ends on 1 January 2027, AWD storage goes back to a real cost line in both EUR and GBP. SellerMagnet's Analytics Dashboard tracks net profit per order, product and marketplace after Amazon fees, shipping, COGS, VAT and refunds, so a resumed AWD storage fee shows up against the rest of your margin from the first invoice, not buried in a monthly statement.
What exactly is waived in the AWD promotion?
Only the AWD storage fee, for eligible inventory at the AWD distribution centres in the UK and Germany, from 1 October through 31 December 2026. Inbound processing, outbound processing and transportation fees are not part of the waiver and still apply at standard EUR/GBP rates.
Which stores and centres does this cover?
The waiver applies at Amazon's two AWD Europe distribution centres: Germany, which serves the Germany, France, Italy and Spain stores, and the UK, which serves the UK store. Those are the same 5 stores where AWD is available in Europe.
When do AWD storage fees come back?
Amazon's terms state storage fees resume on 1 January 2027, and Amazon reserves the right to change or cancel the promotion before then. Since this guide publishes 29 October, roughly 2 months of the window remain.
Is AWD the same as standard FBA storage?
No. AWD (Amazon Warehousing and Distribution) is a separate bulk, long-term storage service with its own 2 distribution centres (Germany and the UK) and fee schedule. It automatically replenishes FBA fulfilment centres from your AWD stock. This waiver applies only to AWD storage fees, not standard FBA monthly or long-term storage fees, covered separately in the FBA storage fees guide.
Does "eligible inventory" mean everything I store at AWD qualifies?
No. EU AWD requires Pan-EU FBA enrollment, UK AWD requires a UK listing, and oversize, heavy-and-bulky, meltable and dangerous-goods items are excluded from AWD entirely. The waiver does not loosen any of those existing eligibility rules; it only zeroes the storage fee for inventory that already qualifies.
Why does AWD storage cost a different amount for different SKUs if the rate is flat per volume?
AWD charges a flat rate per volume, not by product size tier, but runs 2 pricing tracks: the Base rate and the lower Amazon Managed Service (AMS) rate. A SKU earns the AMS rate with at least 70% automatic replenishment within 90 days via Amazon Global Logistics or the Partnered Carrier Program; otherwise it stays on the Base rate.
Does the waiver affect the low-inventory-level fee or other FBA fees?
No, that is a separate benefit. Reaching at least 70% automatic replenishment within 90 days through AWD exempts that inventory from the low-inventory-level fee, the storage utilization surcharge and the aged-inventory surcharge for up to 365 days, regardless of when the storage waiver ends; see the low-inventory-level fee guide.
How do I estimate what the waiver is worth to my business before it ends?
Multiply your actual AWD storage rate (EUR 12.33 or 11.09 per cubic metre in the EU, GBP 0.36 or 0.32 per cubic foot in the UK, from the rate-type column of your AWD Monthly Storage Fee report) by your volume stored, and by the months that inventory sits in AWD between now and 31 December. Inbound, outbound and transportation fees are separate and still apply.
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