3 Ways to Improve Amazon Inventory Performance Index

Amazon lowered its Inventory Performance Index minimum from 450 to 400 in 2026, and tighter quarterly reviews now mean sellers get penalised by a stockout faster than before. The Amazon Inventory Performance Index (IPI) measures that same balance, scoring how well sellers keep stock available without holding more than Amazon wants stored. 

This article covers what counts toward your score, then three practical ways to improve it by fixing stranded inventory, reducing excess stock and protecting your in-stock rate before replenishment delays affect inventory performance.

   

        

   

     

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What Is the Amazon Inventory Performance Index and What Counts Toward Your Score

Amazon uses an Inventory Performance Index score between 0 and 1,000. Sellers generally aim to maintain an IPI above 400 to demonstrate healthy inventory performance, while eligible sellers whose score falls below Amazon's current storage threshold may become subject to storage capacity restrictions depending on Amazon's latest policy. 

Four inventory metrics influence your score:

• Sell-Through Rate: Measures units shipped over the past 90 days against the average inventory held during the same period.
• Excess Inventory Percentage: Tracks inventory exceeding approximately 90 days of forecast demand.
• Stranded Inventory Percentage: Measures inventory stored at an Amazon fulfilment centre that customers cannot purchase because of listing issues.
• In-Stock Rate: Measures how consistently replenishable ASINs remain in stock over the past 30 days, weighted by recent sales.

Amazon Inventory Performance Index: 3 Quick Fixes to Improve Your Score

If you want to improve your Amazon Inventory Performance Index, focus on the inventory metrics that have the greatest impact on your score before they affect storage capacity or product availability.

• Resolve stranded inventory by correcting listing issues, relisting affected ASINs or merging duplicate listings so inventory stored at the fulfilment centre becomes sellable again. This improves your Stranded Inventory Percentage.
• Review your Inventory Age Report or Excess Inventory Report and reduce stock exceeding approximately 90 days of forecast demand through promotions, lower reorder quantities or removal orders. This improves your Excess Inventory Percentage.
• Schedule replenishment shipments to arrive before fast-selling products run out, helping maintain your 30-day In-Stock Rate.
• Review your Amazon inventory reports regularly so you can identify declining sell-through, excess inventory or stranded stock before your IPI score falls.

For sellers managing recurring replenishment shipments, scheduled freight departures become an important part of protecting in-stock performance.

1. Fix Stranded Inventory

Stranded inventory is stock that has already arrived at an Amazon fulfilment centre but cannot be purchased because of listing or catalogue issues rather than inventory condition. Because these units continue occupying fulfilment centre storage without generating sales, they reduce your Amazon Inventory Performance Index and should be one of the first issues you resolve.

How to Find Stranded Inventory on Amazon

In Seller Central, open the Fix Stranded Inventory page under Inventory to review affected SKUs. Amazon identifies each stranded item with a reason code, helping you determine whether the problem is caused by a suppressed listing, missing product information, duplicate ASINs or another catalogue issue.

How to Fix Stranded Inventory

• Relist suppressed or inactive SKUs.
• Merge duplicate ASINs where appropriate.
• Correct missing or inaccurate listing information, including required attributes and product images.

Stranded inventory differs from Amazon unfulfillable inventory. Unfulfillable inventory includes damaged, expired or otherwise unsellable stock that cannot be restored simply by correcting a listing.

2. Reduce Excess Inventory

Excess inventory is stock exceeding approximately 90 days of forecast demand, making it one of the biggest contributors to a lower Amazon Inventory Performance Index. Before reducing stock, review the Inventory Age Report or Excess Inventory Report in Seller Central to identify slow-moving SKUs based on Amazon's recommendations. 

Holding excess inventory also increases FBA storage costs. Current Amazon FBA storage fees for Australia are $37.00 per cubic metre per month from January to September and $51.80 per cubic metre per month from October to December. Additional aged inventory surcharges may apply once inventory exceeds the applicable storage period. 

Once you've identified excess inventory, consider:

• running short-term promotions to increase sell-through;
• reducing future reorder quantities based on sales trends;
• submitting removal orders for slow-moving inventory with limited sales potential.

3. Protect Your In-Stock Rate With Reliable Restocking Shipments

Maintaining a strong In-Stock Rate is often the most challenging part of improving your Amazon Inventory Performance Index, because it depends on inventory arriving at the fulfilment centre before existing stock runs out. 

Good forecasting isn't enough. If replenishment shipments are delayed or arrive after stock sells through, your score falls regardless of how accurately you predicted demand.

Why In-Stock Rate Slips Even When You Reorder on Time

Amazon measures the In-Stock Rate over the previous 30 days and only recognises inventory once it has been received into the fulfilment centre. Sending replenishment stock on schedule doesn't improve this metric if Amazon hasn't yet received and processed the shipment.

As a result, popular products can temporarily go out of stock, even though replacement inventory has already left your warehouse. This gap between dispatch and receipt is one of the most common reasons sellers see their Amazon Inventory Performance Index decline despite following their replenishment schedule.

Getting Restock Shipments to Amazon Fulfilment Centres Reliably

For businesses shipping larger replenishment volumes, the freight method directly affects when inventory becomes available for sale. Full Truckload (FTL) road freight allows sellers to schedule departures around forecast demand so inventory arrives before current stock runs out.

‍Couriers & Freight supports Australian Amazon sellers by arranging scheduled full truckload deliveries to Amazon fulfilment centres, allowing businesses to schedule departures around replenishment cycles and monitor shipment progress. Sellers looking to reduce recurring stockouts can also read our guide on avoiding Amazon FBA stockouts before planning their next replenishment cycle.

Book a Full Truckload Shipment to Amazon Australia's Fulfilment Centres

A seller replenishing a fast-moving SKU every three weeks cannot afford inventory arriving after existing stock has sold out. Scheduling a full truckload departure before stock levels become critical helps maintain product availability and supports a stronger Amazon Inventory Performance Index throughout the replenishment cycle.

Couriers & Freight books full truckload (FTL) shipments to Amazon Australia's fulfilment centres. Sellers schedule the departure, coordinate delivery appointments where required, and track the shipment through to delivery.

Book your next full truckload shipment to Amazon Australia's fulfilment centres with Couriers & Freight. 

   

        

   

     

Book Full Truckload Freight to Amazon Australia

     

Couriers & Freight books full truckload shipments to Amazon Australia's fulfilment centres, with scheduled departures and tracking through to delivery.

     Get a Quote Now