Selling products with expiry dates on Amazon FBA adds an extra layer of requirements. Get the details wrong and your stock could be rejected at the fulfilment centre or marked as unsellable — costing you both the product and the fees.
Which Products Need Expiry Dates
Amazon requires visible expiry dates on food and grocery items, health supplements and vitamins, beauty and skincare products with active ingredients, baby food and formula, pet food and treats, and any other product that has a manufacturer-printed expiry or best-before date.
If the product has an expiry date printed by the manufacturer, Amazon expects to see it. You cannot cover it, remove it, or ignore it.
Minimum Shelf Life Requirements
Amazon will not accept products with fewer than 90 days remaining until expiry at the time of receiving. In practice, you should aim for at least 105 days of remaining shelf life to account for transit time and processing delays at the fulfilment centre.
Products that expire while in Amazon's warehouse are automatically marked as unfulfillable and subject to disposal. You can set up automatic removal orders for expiring inventory, but you will lose the product and pay removal fees.
Date Format Requirements
The expiry date must be printed in a format Amazon can read — typically DD/MM/YYYY or MM/YYYY. If the manufacturer's date format is ambiguous (like 03/06/2027, which could be March 6th or June 3rd in different conventions), you may need to add a clarifying label.
The date must be clearly visible on the outside of the packaging. If it is printed on a sealed inner container inside a box, it needs to be visible without opening the outer packaging.
Lot Numbers
While lot numbers are not universally required for FBA, Amazon recommends including them where applicable. Lot numbers help with traceability — if a product recall occurs, the lot number identifies which specific production batch is affected.
Some categories (particularly food and supplements) may require lot numbers for compliance. Check the specific category requirements in Seller Central for your product type.
Managing Expiry Date Inventory
Send newer stock first when possible. If you have products with different expiry dates, sending the longest-dated stock maximises the time your inventory can sit in Amazon's warehouse before becoming unfulfillable.
Monitor your inventory age reports in Seller Central. Flag products approaching the 90-day mark and create removal orders or run promotions to move them before they expire. Some sellers reduce prices on shorter-dated stock to accelerate sales rather than lose the product entirely.
Common Mistakes with Dated Products
Sending products too close to expiry (under 105 days) is the most frequent issue. Covering or obscuring the original expiry date — even accidentally with a label — causes problems at receiving. Mixing stock with different expiry dates in the same shipment without clear labelling can also create tracking issues.
Prep Considerations
When prepping dated products, ensure the expiry date remains visible after labelling and poly bagging. FNSKU labels should not cover the date, and poly bags should be transparent so the date can be read without opening the packaging. At Precision, we always check expiry dates as part of our receiving process and flag any products that are too close to the cutoff before they are sent to Amazon.
Selling dated products can be profitable — food, supplements, and beauty products have strong demand on Amazon. Just pay attention to the shelf life requirements and manage your inventory proactively to avoid waste and unnecessary fees.