How to Create an Amazon Removal Order: A Step-by-Step Guide

Quick Answer

To create an Amazon FBA removal order, sign in to Seller Central, open your FBA inventory, select the SKUs and quantities you want removed, choose whether to return or dispose of them, enter the shipping address, review the per unit fee and submit the order. Menu names can change over time, so follow the labels Amazon currently shows. Once units ship, decide in advance what you will do with them.

What an Amazon Removal Order Is

A removal order is a request you send to Amazon asking it to take your inventory out of a fulfillment center. Amazon then either ships the units to an address you provide or disposes of them. Sellers use removal orders for returned items, damaged units, slow sellers and products they no longer want to sell through FBA.

When You Should Create One

Customer returns marked unsellable that are sitting in storage

Aged inventory that is about to trigger higher fees

Products you are discontinuing or replacing

Damaged or defective units you want recovered

Removal is often a smart move, not a last resort, when it is planned. Our guide on what to do with Amazon removal orders explains what to expect after the order is placed.

Before You Start: Decide the Destination

The most common mistake is creating the order first and thinking about the destination later. If you ship the inventory to your own address, you suddenly have boxes of products to inspect, store and sell. If you choose disposal, you lose the value of any item that could have been resold.

Decide in advance whether the units will go to your own warehouse, a liquidation buyer or a resale service. We compare these choices in our article on removal order versus disposal versus liquidation.

Step by Step: Creating the Order

Step 1: Open Your FBA Inventory

Sign in to Seller Central and go to your FBA inventory view. This shows your SKUs, how many units are fulfillable and how many are unfulfillable.

Step 2: Select the Units to Remove

Choose the SKUs you want to remove and enter the quantity for each. You can usually pick fulfillable or unfulfillable units depending on what you are clearing out.

Step 3: Choose Return or Dispose

Select whether you want the units shipped to you or destroyed. If there is any chance the items can be resold, choose return.

Step 4: Enter the Shipping Address

Type in the address where the inventory should be delivered. Double check it carefully, because errors can cause delays and extra costs. If you are using a service, they will give you the exact address and any reference to include.

Step 5: Review the Fees and Submit

Amazon charges a fee per unit for removal. Review the total, confirm the order and submit it. Fee amounts are set by Amazon and can change, so check the current rates shown on screen.

Step 6: Track the Order

After submitting, you can track the order status in Seller Central. Removal orders do not arrive instantly. Processing and shipping can take time, especially during busy periods, so plan ahead.

Do You Need to Share Your Login With a Service?

No. When you use a service to receive and resell your inventory, you create the removal order yourself and simply enter the service's shipping address. You do not need to share your password. We cover this in detail in our article on whether it is safe to give a returns company Seller Central access.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Choosing disposal for items that still have resale value

Entering the wrong address or leaving out reference details

Removing everything at once without sorting high value units first

Forgetting to plan where the inventory will go next

Waiting too long, which lets storage costs build up

What Happens After the Inventory Ships

Once the removal order is on its way, the work shifts to what happens at the destination. Units need to be received, checked and sorted. Items with resale value should be listed, and those without should be handled in bulk. A resale service handles all of this for you and pays you a share of what sells. You can see how that process works in our service for Amazon FBA removal orders.

Tips to Make the Process Smoother

A few small habits make removal orders easier to manage. First, group your removals by destination so you do not create dozens of tiny orders. Second, keep a simple spreadsheet listing each order, the date, the SKUs and the destination. This helps you reconcile what you sent with what was received.

Third, take note of the order ID. If any units are missing or arrive damaged, you will need it to open a case with Amazon. Finally, avoid submitting large removals right before peak seasons, because processing can slow down when Amazon is busy.

Disposal Versus Return: A Quick Rule

If an item is clearly broken, unsafe or has no resale market, disposal is fine. If there is any chance the product still has value, choose return and send it to a destination that can sell it. Disposal cannot be undone, so it is better to be careful with anything from a known brand.

Item Condition	Suggested Choice
Name-brand, working, opened	Return to a resale service
Name-brand, minor cosmetic damage	Return and sell as used
Broken, unsafe or contaminated	Dispose
Low value private label	Liquidate or dispose

Removal Orders for Walmart and Other Channels

The idea of requesting inventory back from a fulfillment center is not unique to Amazon. Walmart WFS has its own process, and the same planning questions apply: where will the units go and what will you do with them? If you sell on both marketplaces, using one consistent destination for everything keeps your records simple and your payouts in one place.

Whichever platform you use, the best habit is the same: never create a removal order on impulse. Take a few minutes to decide the destination, check the fee, confirm the address and note the order details. That small amount of planning protects you from the most expensive mistakes and makes every later step easier.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I create a removal order on Amazon?

Go to your FBA inventory in Seller Central, select the SKUs and quantities, choose return or dispose, enter the shipping address, review the fee and submit the order.

Q: How much does an Amazon removal order cost?

Amazon charges a per unit fee that depends on size and weight and can change over time. The fee is shown before you confirm the order.

Q: How long does a removal order take?

Timing varies by volume and season. Plan for it to take a number of days to a few weeks, and avoid waiting until the last moment.

Q: Can I send a removal order to a returns resale company?

Yes. Enter the company's shipping address as the destination. You do not need to share your Seller Central login.

Know Where Your Inventory Is Going Before You Ship It

Before you submit your next removal order, get a free quote and see how much a resale approach could recover.