šŸ”„ Prep for Returnuary the Smart Way

Higher 2026 FBA fees make Returnuary tougher—here’s how to protect margins

Returnuary is always rough…

But with Amazon’s 2026 fee increases kicking in mid-January, this year will squeeze margins harder than ever.

Here are the biggest pain points sellers face — and the two smartest ways to stay profitable while everyone else gets crushed by returns.

āš ļø Returnuary 2026 Pain Points

  • šŸ“‰ Higher FBA costs magnify every return
    Increased pick/pack, storage, and return-processing fees = deeper losses per unit.

  • 🚫 More ā€œcustomer damagedā€ units
    Beauty, toys, and electronics come back opened, used, or un-sellable at higher rates.

  • šŸ“¦ January ASIN volatility
    Q4 tankers return to Amazon right as prices collapse, killing resale margins.

  • 🐌 Slower reimbursements
    New payout timing + mismatched return codes = more money tied up for longer.

āœ… Solution 1: Reduce Returns With Smarter Sourcing

One of the easiest ways to soften Returnuary is to shift more Q4 sourcing into low-return, practical categories — the products customers keep, use, and don’t send back:

  • consumables

  • household essentials

  • kitchen staples

  • tools & hardware

  • functional, everyday items

These consistently deliver:

  • fewer ā€œitem not as describedā€ (INAD) claims

  • fewer ā€œcustomer damagedā€ headaches

  • more stable January pricing

šŸ’” Smarter Sourcing Starts With Better Leads

If you want fewer returns and more stable margins in January, feed your business leads from categories with naturally low return rates.

That’s exactly how our Q4 lead lists were designed. Our lists have a good number of leads in  low-return categories like consumables, household goods, tools, and kitchen staples.

Start stacking wins like Ken, one of our long-time subscribers:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
ā€œMy experience with lead lists always turned into a dumpster fire until I subscribed to FBA Lead Lists. I have more than tripled my revenue and profits!ā€ - Ken

  • Instant access. 10+ fast-moving, high-profit OA leads every morning

  • 85% avg ROI, $14+ avg profit/unit. Lists capped to prevent saturation

  • One flip can cover your month’s subscription. No lock-in periods.

āœ… Solution 2: Recover More Value From the Returns You Can’t Avoid

No matter how smart your sourcing is, returns are coming.

This is where Axiom Prep, which offers pro-level returns management, becomes essential.

šŸ›”ļø Why Axiom is a Returnuary lifesaver:

  • Professional return evaluation with full documentation + photos

  • Optimized reimbursement claims for INAD fraud, damages, and miscoded returns

  • Refurb + resale paths to avoid low-yield liquidation

  • No DIY hassle — no warehouse time, no labor, no guesswork

OA sellers using Axiom consistently recover more from returns with far less operational drag.

See exactly where you’re losing money in your returns workflow — and how much Axiom can recover for you.

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