Amazon IPI Score: What’s Good and How to Raise It (2026)

By Gulfam Haidar, Founder, GrowEventure. Last updated September 2026.

Amazon Ipi Score: quick summary

In short, this guide covers amazon ipi score in plain terms. Below you will find the key points on amazon ipi score, a breakdown you can act on today, and clear answers to the most common questions about amazon ipi score.

The Inventory Performance Index (IPI) is Amazon’s 0 to 1,000 score of how well you manage FBA inventory. It reflects your sell-through, stranded inventory, excess stock, and in-stock rate. A score above roughly 400 to 500 keeps you clear of FBA storage limits, though Amazon can adjust the threshold, so verify the current number in Seller Central. Raise a low IPI by fixing stranded listings first, then clearing excess stock, then keeping your bestsellers in stock. Higher is always better.

This guide names the four drivers and gives a ranked, do-this-first action list. No fluff. Just the levers that move the number.

What IPI is and why it matters

IPI is a single score from 0 to 1,000 that Amazon uses to judge how efficiently you use FBA space. Think of it as a report card for your inventory habits.

It matters because it can control your storage limits. When your IPI sits below Amazon’s threshold, Amazon can cap how much inventory you are allowed to send in. That cap can block you from restocking winners during a busy season, which costs sales. A healthy IPI keeps your storage capacity open.

The score updates over time as your inventory behavior changes. It is not fixed. Clean up your account and the number climbs. Let stock pile up or listings break and it falls.

Think of IPI as Amazon’s way of rationing warehouse space to the sellers who use it well. Amazon has finite fulfillment capacity, especially heading into peak season. Sellers who keep the right amount of the right stock earn more room. Sellers who clog shelves with slow movers and broken listings get less. Seen that way, IPI is not a punishment. It is a signal that tells you, in one number, whether your inventory habits are earning you capacity or costing it.

What score you actually need

Amazon reviews IPI against a threshold, historically around 400 to 500. Sitting above it keeps you clear of storage limits. Amazon checks the score at set points and can apply limits for the following period if you fall short.

Two honesty notes. First, the exact threshold can change, so confirm the current number in Seller Central rather than trusting an old figure. Second, aim well above the line, not right at it. A score parked just over the threshold can slip under during a slow month. Building a buffer, say 500 or higher, gives you room.

The timing of Amazon’s review matters as much as the number. Amazon checks IPI at the end of set periods and applies any storage limit to the following period. So a score that dips below the line at the wrong moment can lock in a limit for weeks, right when you may want to build stock for a busy season. Watching the score all quarter, not just at the deadline, keeps you from getting caught by a single bad reading. If you see the number sliding, you have time to fix stranded listings and clear excess before the review point.

It also helps to know what does not move the score. A brief stockout on a minor SKU or a one-time promotion will not sink your IPI. Chronic problems do: listings that stay stranded for weeks, stock that keeps aging, and bestsellers that repeatedly run dry. Focus your effort on the patterns, not on every small blip.

(Title: “Is Your IPI in the Safe Zone?”)

The four things IPI measures

IPI is built from four inputs. Know them and you know exactly what to fix.

Sell-through rate measures how fast your stock sells relative to how much you hold. Faster sell-through lifts IPI. It rewards you for stocking what actually sells. A product that sells through its stock every few weeks helps your score far more than one that takes many months to clear the same units. This is the driver that ties inventory planning directly to the score, because it punishes over-ordering and rewards ordering to real demand.

Stranded inventory is stock in FBA that has no active, buyable listing. A listing error, a suppressed offer, or a pricing problem can strand units. Stranded stock drags IPI down and earns you nothing while it sits. It is the most frustrating driver because you already paid to make and ship those units, and they are sitting in the warehouse unable to sell over a fixable listing glitch. It is also the easiest to fix, which is why it tops the action list below.

Excess inventory is stock beyond what your sales pace justifies. Too many units of a slow product signals poor planning and hurts the score.

In-stock rate measures whether your active, selling products stay available. Running out of a bestseller hurts both sales and IPI.

These four are weighted by how much they affect your business. A stranded bestseller or a large pile of excess stock moves the score more than a minor SKU with a small issue. That is useful, because it tells you where to spend your time. Fix the biggest, most valuable problems first and the number responds fastest.

How to raise a low IPI fast

Not all fixes are equal. Here is the order that gets results quickest.

First, fix stranded inventory. This is the fastest win. Stranded units are already in FBA doing nothing. Go to the stranded inventory report in Seller Central, find the listing problem, and relist or fix the offer so those units become buyable again. You recover both the IPI drag and the sales.

Second, cut excess inventory. Identify slow movers with too many units. Run a price promotion to speed sell-through, create a removal order to pull stock out, or bundle slow units with faster ones. Clearing excess lifts the score and stops storage fees from piling up.

Third, improve in-stock rate on winners. Make sure your proven sellers never run dry. Set restock alerts and reorder before you hit zero. Staying in stock on the products that actually sell protects both revenue and IPI.

Do these in order and you will often see movement within a review cycle or two. Stranded fixes can show up quickly because you are converting dead stock into buyable, selling stock. Excess reduction takes a little longer, since it depends on units actually clearing. In-stock improvement is a habit that pays off steadily rather than overnight. The mistake is to chase the score with one big cleanup, then let it drift again. Consistency beats a heroic one-time effort.

Preventing excess inventory

The best fix is not creating the problem. Excess stock builds when you order on hope instead of data.

Reorder based on demand. Look at recent sell-through, then order enough to cover your lead time plus a safety buffer, not a year of stock. Right-size each shipment. Sending smaller, more frequent shipments keeps less cash and space tied up and holds IPI steady. Watch seasonal products closely, since a post-season pile of unsold units both ages and drags the score.

A simple rule keeps most sellers safe: never order more than roughly three to four months of stock for a steady product, and less for anything unproven. New products are the biggest excess risk, because your demand estimate is a guess. Order a smaller first batch, watch the real sell-through for a few weeks, then scale the reorder to actual demand. This turns your ordering from hope into data and stops the excess problem before it starts.

Our Amazon inventory management guide covers demand-based reordering in more depth.

IPI and the aged-inventory surcharge

A low IPI and old stock feed each other. The same excess inventory that pulls your IPI down also ages in the warehouse. Once units pass 180 days, Amazon adds an aged-inventory surcharge on top of monthly storage fees.

So slow-moving stock costs you twice: a lower IPI that can cap your storage, and a rising surcharge on the units themselves. Clearing excess early protects both. See the fee detail in our Amazon FBA fee changes 2026 and Amazon low inventory fee guides.

A monthly IPI maintenance routine

Treat IPI like a chore you do on a schedule, not a fire you fight when limits hit. A simple monthly checklist keeps the score healthy.

• Pull the stranded inventory report and fix every listing on it.
• Review the excess inventory report and act on slow movers.
• Check restock recommendations and reorder winners before they run out.
• Scan sell-through on new products and correct over-ordering early.
• Note any seasonal stock that needs a clearance plan before it ages.

Thirty minutes a month beats an emergency during peak season. If a product was damaged or lost in FBA along the way, you may be owed money back; see Amazon FBA reimbursement.

Time the routine around Amazon’s review points and the Q4 peak. In the weeks before Amazon assesses IPI, run the checklist twice instead of once so no stranded listing or excess pile slips through right before the reading. Heading into the fourth quarter, tighten it further, because storage rates rise and a low IPI can cap the stock you are allowed to send during your busiest selling window. A score that felt safe in spring is the one you most want to protect in autumn. Building the habit now means you enter peak season with open capacity instead of a limit you cannot lift in time.

When to get help

If you run many SKUs, keeping IPI healthy is real ongoing work. Missing a stranded listing or over-ordering one season can cost you storage capacity right when you need it. Our Amazon account management team monitors IPI, reorders, and fees for brands so nothing slips. Start with a free audit.

Comparison table

The Four IPI Drivers and Your Fix

Driver	What it measures	Fastest fix	Impact on IPI
Stranded inventory	FBA stock with no active listing	Fix or relist the offer	High and fast
Excess inventory	Stock beyond your sales pace	Promote, remove, or bundle	High
Sell-through rate	How fast stock sells vs held	Order to demand, not hope	Medium and steady
In-stock rate	Whether winners stay available	Restock before you run out	Medium

Frequently asked questions

What is a good IPI score?

A score above roughly 400 to 500 keeps you clear of FBA storage limits. Aim higher, around 500 or more, to hold a buffer. Confirm the current threshold in Seller Central.

What happens if my IPI is too low?

Amazon can cap how much inventory you are allowed to store in FBA. That limit can stop you from restocking bestsellers, which costs sales during busy periods.

How do I improve my IPI score?

Fix stranded inventory first, then clear excess stock, then keep your proven sellers in stock. Stranded fixes are the fastest win.

How often does Amazon update IPI?

The score updates over time as your inventory behavior changes, and Amazon reviews it against its threshold at set points. Check your dashboard regularly rather than once a year.

Does IPI affect storage limits?

Yes. A low IPI can trigger storage limits that cap your FBA inventory. A healthy score keeps your capacity open.

What is stranded inventory?

It is stock sitting in FBA that has no active, buyable listing, usually because of a listing or pricing error. It earns nothing and drags your IPI down until you fix the listing.

Sources: Amazon Seller Central Inventory Performance Index help page; Amazon FBA storage limits documentation.

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