When you look at your FBA inventory in Seller Central, you might see a number under the Reserved column. This means those units are currently tied up in a process and cannot be ordered by customers. It is a temporary status — not lost inventory.
The three types of FBA reserved inventory
Amazon breaks reserved inventory into three categories, each with a different cause:
1. FC Transfer (Fulfillment Centre Transfer)
Amazon moves your inventory between its fulfilment centres for a number of reasons — redistributing stock for faster delivery, rebalancing across regions, or optimising warehouse capacity. While units are in transit between warehouses, they show as FC Transfer in your reserved count.
How long it takes: Usually 1–7 business days. Once the receiving warehouse scans them in, they return to your active inventory.
2. Customer Order (FC Processing)
When a customer places an order, the units are immediately assigned to that order and removed from your available count. They show as reserved until Amazon physically picks, packs, and hands them to a carrier. This can happen in hours, but during peak periods (particularly Q4) it can take 1–2 days.
How long it takes: Usually same day or next day. If units are reserved under Customer Order for more than 3–4 days without the order being marked as shipped, it is worth checking with Amazon support.
3. Working (Inbound Processing)
When your incoming FBA shipment arrives at the fulfilment centre, Amazon needs to receive, scan, and count every unit before they become available to sell. During this receiving process, units show as Working in your reserved count.
How long it takes: Typically 1–5 business days after Amazon receives your boxes. During peak periods or if your shipment is flagged for investigation (for example, a quantity discrepancy), it can take longer.
How to see your reserved inventory breakdown
In Seller Central, go to Inventory > Manage FBA Inventory. Click on the number in the Reserved column for any ASIN to see the breakdown between FC Transfer, Customer Order, and Working quantities.
Should you be worried about reserved inventory?
In most cases, no. Reserved inventory is a normal part of how Amazon's fulfilment network operates. Units come in and out of reserved status constantly.
You should pay attention if:
- Units have been in FC Transfer for more than 10 days
- Units have been in Working (inbound processing) for more than 10 days after Amazon confirmed receiving your shipment
- Your reserved count is much higher than expected and does not reduce over time
In those cases, open a case with Amazon Seller Support and provide your shipment ID. Amazon can investigate and reconcile any discrepancies. If units are genuinely lost during a transfer, Amazon's reimbursement policy covers the current selling price minus FBA fees.
Does reserved inventory affect your IPI score?
Reserved inventory does count toward your total inventory for Inventory Performance Index (IPI) purposes in some calculations, but since it is a temporary state, it typically does not have a meaningful long-term impact on your IPI score.