Amazon FBA flagged a portion of Doodla's inventory as expired, triggering a disposal decision and a strategic shift to tighter inventory management. The root cause was early overstocking — when Doodla first launched on Amazon, large pallet-sized shipments were sent to meet anticipated demand, but sell-through was slower than expected. Several SKUs have now exceeded the shelf life window declared at the time of shipment.
This article captures the immediate resolution path and the long-term inventory strategy adopted to prevent recurrence.
Amazon offered two options for the expired inventory:
| Option | Notes |
|---|---|
| Amazon disposal | Amazon charges a small fee to discard on-site. Cheaper than return shipping in most cases. |
| Return shipment to seller | Seller pays return freight, which is not cheap. Only worthwhile if product can be resold or donated. |
Decision: Dispose via Amazon for the affected SKUs. The cost is essentially a dumpster fee and is the most economical path.
Write-off options discussed:
- Expired product loss (standard)
- Charitable contribution (if product is donated to a food pantry — applicable to non-perishable food items)
Going forward, Doodla will manage FBA inventory within a 3–6 month window:
This tighter band replaces the earlier approach of shipping full pallet quantities upfront. Partial shipments and more frequent replenishment cycles are preferred over large one-time sends.
"We want to keep the inventory levels between three and six months, no more than six, no less than three." — Mark Hope
Doodla's products use "Best By" dates rather than hard expiration dates. This is legally compliant for non-perishable food products. Hard expiration dates are only required for items that spoil (e.g., dairy, meat). Best By dates can also be coded on packaging if needed.
When shipping to FBA, the declared shelf life (e.g., 18 months from manufacture) is what Amazon uses to track expiration — so accurate declaration at time of shipment is critical.