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Amazon Seller Fees: Complete Breakdown for 2026

March 9, 2026

15 min read

A complete breakdown of every Amazon seller fee in 2026 — referral fees, FBA fees, selling plan costs, and how to reduce what you pay.

Selling on Amazon isn't free — and the fees add up faster than most sellers expect. Referral fees, FBA fulfillment fees, storage fees, selling plan costs, returns fees — each one takes a percentage of your revenue. Understanding every fee category is the first step toward protecting your margins.

This guide covers every Amazon seller fee in 2026: what it is, how it's calculated, current rates, and how to minimize what you pay.

Amazon Selling Plan Fees

Every Amazon seller pays a monthly fee based on which selling plan they're on. There are two options:

Plan

Cost

Per-Item Fee

Best For

Individual

$0/month

$0.99 per item sold

Sellers with fewer than 40 units/month

Professional

$39.99/month

No per-item fee

Sellers with 40+ units/month, or anyone using ads or bulk tools

The math is straightforward: if you sell more than 40 units per month, the Professional plan pays for itself. Beyond the fee structure, the Professional plan also unlocks access to Amazon advertising, bulk listing tools, promotions, and third-party API integrations — all of which are unavailable on the Individual plan.

Most serious sellers are on Professional. The $39.99/month is essentially a cost of doing business on the platform.

Amazon Referral Fees

The referral fee is Amazon's commission on every sale. It's calculated as a percentage of the total sales price (including shipping, if charged separately) and is paid regardless of whether you use FBA or FBM.

Referral fee rates vary by category and typically range from 6% to 45%. Here are the rates for the most common categories:

Category

Referral Fee Rate

Minimum Fee

Apparel & Accessories

17%

$0.30

Automotive & Powersports

12%

$0.30

Baby Products

8% (≤$10) / 15% (>$10)

$0.30

Beauty, Health & Personal Care

8% (≤$10) / 15% (>$10)

$0.30

Books

15%

N/A

Camera & Photo

8%

$0.30

Cell Phones & Accessories

8% (devices) / 15% (accessories)

$0.30

Consumer Electronics

8%

$0.30

Furniture

15% (≤$200) / 10% (>$200)

$0.30

Grocery & Gourmet Food

8% (≤$15) / 15% (>$15)

N/A

Home & Kitchen

15%

$0.30

Jewelry

20% (≤$250) / 5% (>$250)

$0.30

Kitchen & Dining

15%

$0.30

Luggage & Travel Accessories

15%

$0.30

Musical Instruments & AV Production

15%

$0.30

Office Products

15%

$0.30

Pet Supplies

15% (except vet diets at 22%)

$0.30

Shoes, Handbags & Sunglasses

15%

$0.30

Software & Computer/Video Games

15%

N/A

Sports & Outdoors

15%

$0.30

Tools & Home Improvement

15% (base tools) / 12% (power tools >$500)

$0.30

Toys & Games

15%

$0.30

Video Games & Consoles

15% (accessories) / 8% (consoles)

N/A

Watches

16% (≤$1,500) / 3% (>$1,500)

$0.30

A few categories have tiered rates where the percentage drops above a certain price point. Always verify current rates in Seller Central before modeling profitability, as Amazon adjusts referral fees periodically.

Amazon FBA Fees

If you use Fulfillment by Amazon, you pay fees on top of the referral fee for every order Amazon picks, packs, and ships. FBA fees break into several categories:

FBA Fulfillment Fees

Fulfillment fees are charged per unit and are based on the product's size tier and shipping weight. Amazon calculates size tier using the unit's longest, median, and shortest dimensions plus weight after packaging.

Size Tier

Max Dimensions

Max Weight

Fee Range (2026)

Small standard

15" x 12" x 0.75"

16 oz

$3.06 – $3.65

Large standard

18" x 14" x 8"

20 lb

$3.68 – $7.06

Large bulky

59" x 33" x 33"

50 lb

$9.61 – $19.05

Extra-large (0–50 lb)

Any dim; any side >59"

50 lb

$26.33 – $89.98

Extra-large (50–100 lb)

Any dim

100 lb

$89.98 – $158.49

Extra-large (>100 lb)

Any dim

>100 lb

$158.49 + $0.38/lb above 100 lb

Amazon also applies a Low-Inventory-Level fee when your units fall below a threshold relative to recent sales velocity. Keeping healthy stock levels avoids this surcharge.

FBA Storage Fees

Amazon charges monthly inventory storage fees based on the average daily volume of space your units occupy in fulfillment centers, measured in cubic feet.

Period

Standard Size (per cubic foot)

Oversize (per cubic foot)

January – September

$0.78

$0.56

October – December (Q4)

$2.40

$1.40

Q4 storage rates are 3x higher than the rest of the year. Brands that ship too much inventory in October–December without turning it fast enough face significant storage charges on top of the aged inventory surcharge.

Aged Inventory Surcharge

Units sitting in Amazon FCs that are 181–270 days old incur an additional surcharge of $0.50/cubic foot (on top of base storage fees). At 271–365 days, it jumps to $1.50/cubic foot. Beyond 365 days, it increases further.

Amazon applies these automatically — they appear as a separate line item in your Payments report. The most effective way to avoid aged inventory fees is to monitor your FBA Inventory Age report in Seller Central and run promotions or price reductions on slow-moving units before the 180-day mark.

Inbound Placement Service Fee

Amazon charges an inbound placement service fee when you send inventory to a single fulfillment center and Amazon needs to distribute it across multiple FCs to optimize delivery speeds. The fee varies by unit size and how many inbound locations you use:

  • Minimal shipment splits (you ship to multiple locations): Lower fee or no fee

  • Partial splits: Moderate fee per unit

  • Amazon-optimized splits (you ship to one location): Highest fee per unit (~$0.21–$0.89 for standard size, higher for larger items)

Sending to multiple inbound locations reduces this fee significantly, though it adds shipping complexity on your end.

FBA Returns Processing Fee

For most categories, Amazon charges a returns processing fee when a customer returns an FBA order. The fee is equal to the fulfillment fee for that unit — so you effectively pay the fulfillment cost twice: once when you ship it out, and once when it comes back. Categories with free returns (historically Apparel, Shoes, Watches, and a few others) are exempt from this fee.

Other Amazon Seller Fees

Beyond selling plan fees, referral fees, and FBA costs, there are several additional fees that catch sellers off guard.

FBA Removal and Disposal Fees

If you want to get inventory out of Amazon's fulfillment centers — whether to return it to your warehouse or to have Amazon dispose of it — Amazon charges a per-unit fee.

Size Tier

Removal Fee (per unit)

Disposal Fee (per unit)

Small standard

$1.04

$0.97

Large standard

$1.53

$1.45

Large bulky

$3.34

$2.72

Extra-large (0–50 lb)

$5.44

$5.36

Removal orders are worth running proactively for aged inventory before the 180-day surcharge kicks in. The cost of removal is often less than the compounding storage fees for slow-moving SKUs.

Unplanned Service Fee

If your FBA shipment arrives at Amazon's fulfillment center with items that don't have the required FNSKU labels, are in non-compliant packaging, or have inaccurate box content information, Amazon charges an unplanned service fee to fix the problem on their end. Fees range from $0.30–$1.30+ per unit depending on what needs to be corrected. Prep compliance before sending inventory is the only way to avoid this.

Rental Book Service Fee

Applies only to textbook rental programs. Not relevant for most sellers.

High-Volume Listing Fee

Sellers with more than 1.5 million eligible ASINs in their catalog are charged $0.0005 per ASIN per month for ASINs above that threshold. Only relevant for very large catalog sellers.

Refund Administration Fee

When you refund a customer for an FBM order, Amazon returns the referral fee you paid — minus a refund administration fee. The fee is 20% of the referral fee or $5.00, whichever is lower.

How to Calculate Your True Amazon Cost Per Unit

To understand your actual margin on any Amazon product, you need to add up every applicable fee. Here's a complete formula for an FBA seller:

Total Amazon Fees = Referral Fee + FBA Fulfillment Fee + Monthly Storage Fee (prorated) + Inbound Placement Fee + Aged Inventory Surcharge (if applicable) + Returns Processing Fee (if returns occur)

Here's an example for a standard-size product selling at $35.00 in the Home & Kitchen category:

Fee Type

Amount

Sale price

$35.00

Referral fee (15%)

–$5.25

FBA fulfillment fee (large standard, 1 lb)

–$4.11

Monthly storage (0.05 cubic ft × $0.78)

–$0.04

Inbound placement (standard, split shipping)

–$0.12

Total Amazon fees

–$9.52

Net after Amazon fees

$25.48

From that $25.48, you'd still subtract your COGS, inbound shipping to Amazon, advertising spend (TACoS), and overhead to arrive at true profit. Amazon provides the FBA Revenue Calculator to model these costs before you list.

How to Reduce Your Amazon Seller Fees

Right-size your packaging. FBA fulfillment fees are calculated on dimensional weight. If your packaging is oversized relative to the product, you may be in a higher size tier than necessary. Even shaving a fraction of an inch off packaging can drop you into a lower tier and save $1–$4 per unit.

Optimize inbound logistics. Splitting shipments across multiple FBA inbound locations reduces the inbound placement service fee. Partnering with a prep center that can split inventory across regions is a practical solution for sellers who don't want to manage this directly.

Manage inventory velocity carefully. Keep popular SKUs in stock to avoid the low-inventory-level fee and prevent competitors from taking the Buy Box during stockouts. Run removal orders or liquidations on slow-moving units before the 180-day aged inventory surcharge hits.

Avoid Q4 overstocking. October–December storage rates triple. Calibrate your Q4 inventory shipments so you'll sell through most of your stock before the new year. Leave a buffer, but don't over-ship.

Fix prep compliance issues before shipping. Unplanned service fees are entirely avoidable with proper labeling, packaging, and box content information. One mislabeled shipment can cost more in unplanned fees than you'd spend on a prep service to handle it correctly.

Consider FBM for the right SKUs. As covered in our Amazon FBM guide, heavy, bulky, or slow-moving products are often more cost-effective to fulfill yourself. Running a side-by-side FBA vs. FBM comparison using real fee data is worth doing for any SKU where margins feel tight.

Frequently Asked Questions About Amazon Seller Fees

How much does Amazon charge per sale?

At minimum, Amazon charges a referral fee on every sale — typically 15% for most categories. If you're on the Individual plan, you also pay $0.99 per sale. If you use FBA, add fulfillment and storage fees on top. For a standard product priced at $25–$35 on the Professional plan with FBA, your total Amazon fees typically run 25–40% of the sale price before advertising.

What is the difference between a referral fee and an FBA fee?

The referral fee is Amazon's sales commission — you pay it regardless of fulfillment method. FBA fees are separate and only apply if Amazon fulfills your orders. If you ship orders yourself (FBM), you pay the referral fee but no FBA fees. Your own shipping costs replace the FBA fulfillment fee in that scenario.

Do Amazon seller fees include shipping?

No. FBA fulfillment fees cover picking, packing, and shipping from Amazon's warehouses to the customer, but they don't include the cost of getting your inventory to Amazon's fulfillment centers (inbound shipping). That's a separate cost you pay your carrier directly. For FBM sellers, all shipping costs are paid directly to your carrier and are not included in Amazon's fee structure.

How does Amazon charge storage fees?

Amazon assesses monthly storage fees based on the average daily cubic footage your inventory occupied during that month. They're charged around the 15th of the following month and appear in your Payments report. The rate is $0.78/cubic foot from January–September and $2.40/cubic foot from October–December for standard-size items. Aged inventory surcharges are applied separately at the 181-day and 271-day marks.

Can I avoid Amazon FBA fees by using FBM?

Yes. FBM sellers do not pay FBA fulfillment fees, storage fees, inbound placement fees, or returns processing fees. You pay only the referral fee (and the per-item fee if on the Individual plan). However, you absorb your own warehouse, labor, and shipping costs in exchange, so the comparison needs to be done on a total-cost basis, not just by looking at Amazon's fee line items.

What Amazon fees apply to FBM sellers?

FBM sellers pay the Professional selling plan fee ($39.99/month) or $0.99 per item on the Individual plan, plus the referral fee on every sale (varies by category, typically 15%). If you refund a customer, you pay a refund administration fee of 20% of the referral fee, up to $5. That's it from Amazon's side — all shipping and warehouse costs are your own direct expenses.

Are Amazon seller fees tax deductible?

Generally yes — Amazon seller fees are ordinary business expenses and typically deductible for sellers operating as a business entity. This includes referral fees, FBA fees, selling plan fees, and other platform costs. Consult a qualified tax professional for guidance specific to your situation, as rules vary by jurisdiction and business structure.

How do I see all the fees Amazon charged me?

In Seller Central, go to Reports → Payments → Transaction View. You can filter by fee type or download a CSV of all transactions. The FBA Fee Preview report (under Reports → Fulfillment) shows you the estimated fees for each ASIN in your FBA catalog. Amazon also has a fee detail page accessible from any order in Manage Orders.

Related Articles

Know Your Numbers. Protect Your Margins.

Amazon fees are unavoidable — but overpaying them isn't. The brands that win on Amazon are the ones that understand their cost structure at the SKU level: what they're paying in fees, what they're spending on ads, and what's actually hitting their bottom line.

At Lab 916, fee analysis and margin modeling are part of how we manage every client's Amazon channel. If you want a team that tracks this for you and keeps your Amazon P&L healthy, get a free Amazon audit and we'll walk through your numbers together.

Ready to Take Control of Your Amazon Channel?

If you're an established brand that doesn't fully own its Amazon channel yet, let's talk.

No-pressure conversation. We'll review your situation and lay out exactly what it would take to own your Amazon channel.

Or call directly: 

+1 (916) 713-3877

Mon–Fri, 9am–8pm PT

Ready to Take Control of Your Amazon Channel?

If you're an established brand that doesn't fully own its Amazon channel yet, let's talk.

No-pressure conversation. We'll review your situation and lay out exactly what it would take to own your Amazon channel.

Or call directly: 

+1 (916) 713-3877

Mon–Fri, 9am–8pm PT