Amazon Product Expiration Guidelines (2024)

Date-Sensitive Products:

Watch this brief video for examples of how to prep your products for shipment to and storage in Amazon fulfillment centers:

Expiration Date Labels and Requirements:

Date and temperature-sensitive products

All topical and ingestible products (including nutritional supplements), be it for human or animal consumption, will be considered date sensitive.

IMPORTANT: Amazon considers a “best by” or “sell by” date equivalent to an expiration date in order to provide customers the best possible experience.

Food and beverage products (or units containing food or beverage) and products sensitive to temperatures will only be accepted if they meet the following requirements:

• A product that has an expiration date may be listed with FBA as long as the unit is lot-controlled and the remaining shelf life is greater than 90 daysfrom the time of receipt by Amazon.
  • Units that are within 50 days of the expiration date will be removed for disposal by Amazon.
  • Units subject to disposal will not be available for return.
  • Some products would need to be received earlier than 90 days. For example: a daily supplement that had 240 tablets, the remaining shelf life would be 240 days or greater, however the same supplement with only 180 tablets would have a remaining shelf life of 180 days or greater.
• Products that can expire must have the expiration date printed on the master carton in 36 (or larger) point font AND on the individual/retail display unit.
  • Expiration dates must be displayed in the format MM-DD-YYYY or MM-YYYY. If the expiration date is printed in a different format, a sticker with the correct format must be applied, covering the original expiration date. Lot numbers alone are insufficient.
    Please note: Numerical date formats are preferred. However, expiration dates that are stated with an alphabetical abbreviation for the month (for example, DD-JAN-YYYY) are also acceptable.
  • Note: Products that are printed with a "manufactured date" must have this date covered and labeled with an Expiration date in the above format. Failure to cover the manufactured date on a product may cause delays in receiving your products, or may cause your products to be received as "Expired."
• Products with expiration dates cannot be commingled and must have FBA labels. For more about FBA label requirements, please refer to the FBA help page for Labeled Inventory.
• Products must be fully enclosed and sealed in packaging suitable for shipping.

IMPORTANT: There are a small number of categories, specifically consumable products, that have different expiration dates than the ones described above. If you are in doubt, please contact Seller Support for details.

Products that expire and are contained in packaging that requires additional prep, such as glass jars or bottles, must be prepped to ensure that the expiration date is accessible for Amazon associates during the receive process.

• You are required to include the expiration date on the outside of the prepped product. The expiration date must be printed on a label in a human-readable font, in the required format, MM-DD-YYYY or MM-YYYY. For example, if the product is bubble wrapped and the barcode is obscured and no longer scannable, a label with the expiration date must be placed on the outside of the bubble wrap along with the product label.
• Units that are labeled with the incorrect expiration date may lead to increased customer returns for your units, or negative customer reviews.
• Failure to include the expiration date on the outside of the prepped unit may cause the unit to be relabeled at your cost.

Temperature-sensitive products

• Temperature-sensitive products must be able to withstand at least a minimum temperature of 50 degrees and at least a maximum temperature of 100 degrees for the duration of the product's shelf life without adversely affecting product quality. Carton markings must not include storage temperature requirements unless expressed explicitly as a range from 50 to 100 degrees.
• FBA accepts products that are subject to melting (such as chocolates) between October 1 and April 30 of each calendar year.
  • Meltable products that are sent to FBA between May 1 and September 30 will be received as unfulfillable or disposed of.
  • Any unsold meltable inventory in the Amazon fulfillment center after May 1 of each year may be determined to be unfulfillable and disposed of.
  • You must submit a removal order to have your unsold meltable inventory returned to you prior to May 1 of each calendar year. Review the "Returns timing" section of the Removal Orders help page to ensure that you submit your removal or disposal order so that the inventory is returned or disposed of before May 1.
• No products requiring refrigeration, air conditioning, or freezing are allowed.
• No perishables, including but not limited to fresh meats, fruits, or vegetables, are allowed. This may include some supplements, such as probiotics.