Following harvest, the visual appearance of rambutans rapidly declines after 2-3 days if they are left under normal ambient conditions. This can mean temperatures up to 40°C and humidities and low as 40%RH. Loss of appearance is largely due to spintern drying, although colour loss can also contribute to the fruit's decline.
Rambutan shelf-life can be significantly extended by minimising moisture loss and refrigerating fruit. Relative humidities of approximately 95% appear optimal for storage, while higher humidities promote decay and lower humidities increase water loss. Moisture loss is perhaps the greatest problem affecting rambutan storage and the most common factor reducing the resale value of fruit. This factor is relatively easy to overcome, and can be avoided by simply maintaining optimum humidity around the fruit.