diff --git a/storage/remote/queue_manager.go b/storage/remote/queue_manager.go
index 3ed27ccecd..dc2be46e9f 100644
--- a/storage/remote/queue_manager.go
+++ b/storage/remote/queue_manager.go
@@ -1182,8 +1182,6 @@ func (s *shards) runShard(ctx context.Context, shardID int, queue *queue) {
 			queue.ReturnForReuse(batch)
 			n := nPendingSamples + nPendingExemplars
 			s.sendSamples(ctx, pendingData[:n], nPendingSamples, nPendingExemplars, pBuf, &buf)
-			s.qm.metrics.pendingSamples.Sub(float64(nPendingSamples))
-			s.qm.metrics.pendingExemplars.Sub(float64(nPendingExemplars))
 
 			stop()
 			timer.Reset(time.Duration(s.qm.cfg.BatchSendDeadline))
@@ -1206,8 +1204,6 @@ func (s *shards) runShard(ctx context.Context, shardID int, queue *queue) {
 				n := nPendingSamples + nPendingExemplars
 				level.Debug(s.qm.logger).Log("msg", "runShard timer ticked, sending buffered data", "samples", nPendingSamples, "exemplars", nPendingExemplars, "shard", shardNum)
 				s.sendSamples(ctx, pendingData[:n], nPendingSamples, nPendingExemplars, pBuf, &buf)
-				s.qm.metrics.pendingSamples.Sub(float64(nPendingSamples))
-				s.qm.metrics.pendingExemplars.Sub(float64(nPendingExemplars))
 			}
 			queue.ReturnForReuse(batch)
 			timer.Reset(time.Duration(s.qm.cfg.BatchSendDeadline))
@@ -1253,6 +1249,12 @@ func (s *shards) sendSamples(ctx context.Context, samples []prompb.TimeSeries, s
 	s.qm.dataOut.incr(int64(len(samples)))
 	s.qm.dataOutDuration.incr(int64(time.Since(begin)))
 	s.qm.lastSendTimestamp.Store(time.Now().Unix())
+	// Pending samples/exemplars also should be subtracted as an error means
+	// they will not be retried.
+	s.qm.metrics.pendingSamples.Sub(float64(sampleCount))
+	s.qm.metrics.pendingExemplars.Sub(float64(exemplarCount))
+	s.enqueuedSamples.Sub(int64(sampleCount))
+	s.enqueuedExemplars.Sub(int64(exemplarCount))
 }
 
 // sendSamples to the remote storage with backoff for recoverable errors.