Amazon seller fees are the charges Amazon deducts from every sale, covering referral commissions, monthly subscription plans, FBA fulfillment, storage, and closing costs. Most sellers pay a 15% referral fee plus fulfillment and storage fees, which together typically consume 30–45% of the selling price before advertising and product costs.
If you’re planning to sell on Amazon in 2026, you need to know exactly where your revenue goes before it reaches your bank account. Amazon seller fees aren’t a single charge. They include referral, fulfillment, storage, and advertising fees. If you don’t account for these costs, they can quietly reduce your profit margins.
In this guide, you’ll learn every type of Amazon seller fee, how much each one costs in 2026, how to calculate your true profit, and practical ways to lower your fee burden.
Brandock, a full-stack Amazon automation agency, also compares Amazon’s fee structure to Walmart’s, eBay’s, Etsy’s, and TikTok Shop’s, so you can decide where your product actually belongs.
By the end, you’ll have a complete Amazon seller fee breakdown you can use to price products, forecast profit, and avoid the hidden charges that catch new sellers off guard.
Why does Amazon charge seller fees?
Amazon charges seller fees to cover the services and infrastructure it provides. These include warehousing, packing, last-mile delivery, payment processing, customer support, and access to over 200 million Prime-eligible shoppers (CIRP). In return, sellers pay only for the services they use.
Are Amazon seller fees mandatory?
Some fees are unavoidable if you want to sell; the referral fee and your plan fee (Individual or Professional) apply to nearly every account.
Others, like FBA fulfillment, storage, or advertising fees, are optional and only apply if you choose that service or program.
Types of Amazon Seller Fees
Here’s a breakdown of the core Amazon seller fee types you’ll encounter as a seller, from the moment you list a product to the moment a customer returns it.
Referral fees
The Amazon seller referral fee is Amazon’s commission on every sale. It’s a percentage of the item’s total sale price, including shipping charges the buyer pays.
- Most categories: 15% of the sale price
- Electronics and computers: around 8%
- Automotive and industrial: around 12%
- Apparel over $20: 17% or higher
- Most categories carry a minimum referral fee, often $0.30 per unit
Monthly subscription fees
Amazon offers two selling plans.
Amazon Individual seller fees
The individual selling plan charges $0.99 per unit sold, on top of the standard referral fee for that item’s category. There’s no monthly subscription fee, which makes it the lower-commitment option for testing the marketplace.
- Best for sellers moving fewer than about 40 units a month
- No access to advertising, bulk listing tools, or most Buy Box placements
- No access to FBA promotions or eligibility for certain seasonal programs
- Easy to upgrade to Professional once volume justifies the flat monthly cost
Amazon Professional seller fees
The professional selling plan costs a flat $39.99 per month regardless of how many units you sell, with no per-item fee. Referral fees still apply to every sale under either plan.
- The break-even point is roughly 40 units a month versus the Individual plan
- Unlocks Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display advertising
- Required for Buy Box eligibility, bulk listing tools, and most FBA promotions
- Standard choice for growth-stage sellers and anyone running FBA at scale
Fulfillment (FBA) fees
Amazon FBA seller fees cover picking, packing, and shipping when Amazon handles fulfillment for you. Fees are billed per unit and vary by size tier and shipping weight.
- Small, light standard items: roughly $3 per unit
- Mid-size standard items: roughly $4–$5 per unit
- Large standard items over 3 lb: around $7 per unit
- Large-bulky and oversize tiers: $11 and up
A fuel and inflation surcharge of about 3.5% on fulfillment fees took effect in April 2026, and Amazon’s average per-unit FBA fee rose roughly $0.08 in 2026 after holding flat in 2025.
Storage fees
Amazon seller storage fees are charged monthly per cubic foot of warehouse space your inventory occupies. Rates roughly double during the October–December peak season compared with the rest of the year, so inventory sitting unsold heading into Q4 gets noticeably more expensive to store.
Closing fees
Amazon seller closing fees are a flat per-item charge that applies only to media categories, books, DVDs, music, video games, and software. Most non-media sellers never see this fee on their statement.
Advertising fees
Amazon seller advertising fees are the cost of Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display campaigns. You’re billed per click, not per sale, and most sellers run an advertising cost of sale (ACoS) between 10% and 30% of ad-attributed revenue.
Return processing fees
Amazon seller return processing fees apply in select categories when a customer returns an item. Beyond the fee itself, you also absorb the cost of units that come back damaged, used, or otherwise unsellable a cost that rarely shows up until you check your settlement report.
Other Amazon Fees to Know
- Inbound placement fees for routing inventory to fulfillment centers
- Prep and labeling fees if you don’t prep inventory yourself (Amazon’s own prep service ended January 1, 2026)
- High-volume storage and inventory-health fees for accounts with excess stock
Understanding Amazon Fulfillment Models and Their Costs
Before estimating your selling costs, it’s important to understand Amazon’s fulfillment models. The option you choose directly affects the fees you’ll pay and your overall profitability.
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)
With FBA, Amazon stores, packs, and ships your orders and handles customer service and returns. You pay fulfillment and storage fees, but products become Prime-eligible, which typically improves conversion.
Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM)
With FBM, you store and ship orders yourself. You avoid FBA fulfillment and storage fees, but you take on packaging, shipping costs, and customer service, and you lose the Prime badge unless you qualify for Seller Fulfilled Prime.
Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF)
MCF lets you use Amazon’s warehouses to fulfill orders placed on other platforms, like your own Shopify store. You pay MCF fulfillment fees per unit, separate from standard FBA rates.
Which fulfillment model costs less?
It depends on product size, weight, and sales velocity. Small, fast-moving, lightweight products are often cheaper through FBA once you factor in Prime conversion gains.
Bulky, slow-moving, or heavy items are frequently cheaper through FBM, where you control shipping costs directly.
How Much Does It Cost to Sell on Amazon?
For a typical standard-size FBA product in 2026, plan on roughly 15% for the referral fee, $3–$7 for fulfillment, plus storage, inbound placement, advertising, and returns.
All in, most FBA sellers see combined Amazon-side costs land between 30% and 45% of the selling price sometimes higher once advertising and returns are fully accounted for.
| Cost Layer | Typical Range | Applies To |
|---|---|---|
| Referral fee | 8% – 17% of sale price | Every sale |
| Plan fee | $0.99/item or $39.99/month | Every account |
| FBA fulfillment | $3 – $11+ per unit | FBA sellers |
| Storage | $0.78 – $2.40 per cu ft/month | FBA inventory |
| Advertising (ACoS) | 10% – 30% of ad revenue | Sponsored campaigns |
| Returns processing | Varies by category | Returned items |
For a precise, product-level estimate, run your ASIN through Brandock’s Revenue Calculator, then layer in advertising and return costs it doesn’t include.
Are Amazon seller fees the same for every category?
No. Referral fee percentages are set at the category level, and Amazon reviews them periodically. Choosing the right category for your listing and keeping it accurate directly affects your fee rate.
Which categories have the highest referral fees?
- Apparel over $20: 17% or higher
- Jewelry and watches: 15–20%, with category-specific minimums
- Amazon device accessories: up to 45% in some cases
Which categories have the lowest seller fees?
- Consumer electronics and computers: around 8%
- Grocery (items under $15): 8%
- Automotive and industrial products: around 12%
How to Calculate Amazon Seller Fees?
Use this formula to estimate your real per-unit profit before you commit to inventory:
Profit Formula
Net Profit = Sale Price − Product Cost − Referral Fee − FBA Fee − Inbound Shipping − Storage (per unit) − Advertising (per unit)- Returns Allowance
Calculate your Amazon selling costs one category at a time.
- Start by confirming your referral fee percentage.
- Next, check the FBA fulfillment fee for your product’s size tier.
- Then, add an estimated storage cost per unit.
- Finally, set aside a budget for returns based on your product category’s average return rate.
Sellers managing large catalogs usually automate this step; it’s the same process Brandock’s account management team runs before approving new SKUs.
Complete Checklist of Amazon Selling Costs
| Cost Category | Fee | Mandatory? | When It Applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selling Plan | Individual or Professional plan fee | Yes | Every seller chooses one selling plan. |
| Referral Fees | Percentage of each sale | Yes | Charged on every item sold. |
| Fulfillment | FBA fulfillment fee | Only for FBA | When Amazon picks, packs, and ships your orders. |
| Shipping | FBM shipping costs | Only for FBM | When you fulfill orders yourself. |
| Storage | Monthly storage fees | Only for FBA | For inventory stored in Amazon warehouses. |
| Long-Term Storage | Aged inventory surcharge | If applicable | For inventory stored longer than Amazon's threshold. |
| Inbound Placement | Inbound placement service fee | Only for FBA | When sending inventory to Amazon fulfillment centers. |
| Returns | Return processing fee | Category-specific | Applied to eligible returned products. |
| Advertising | Sponsored Ads (PPC) | Optional | When running Amazon advertising campaigns. |
| Promotions | Coupons & Deals fees | Optional | When using coupons, Lightning Deals, or other promotions. |
| Removal & Disposal | Removal or disposal fees | Optional | When requesting Amazon to remove or dispose of inventory. |
| Inventory Storage Utilization | Low-level inventory or capacity-related fees | If applicable | Based on inventory levels and storage usage. |
| Refund Administration | Refund administration fee | If applicable | Deducted when Amazon processes customer refunds. |
| International Selling | Currency conversion & cross-border fees | If applicable | When selling in international Amazon marketplaces. |
| Taxes | VAT, GST, or sales tax | Depends on region | Based on local tax regulations. |
| Software & Tools | Repricing, research, accounting tools | Optional | Third-party tools used to manage and grow your business. |
| Product Costs | Manufacturing or wholesale cost | Yes | Cost of acquiring each product. |
| Packaging | Packaging materials | It depends on fulfillment model | More common for FBM sellers. |
7 Hidden Amazon Fees That Reduce Your Profit
Most sellers budget for referral and fulfillment fees. Far fewer plan for these seven and together they can quietly remove several points of margin.
Long-term storage fees
Inventory stored in an Amazon fulfillment center for more than 365 days incurs an additional aged inventory surcharge. This fee is charged on top of the standard monthly storage fee. As of 2026, the surcharge is approximately $6.90 per cubic foot.
Low inventory level fees
Introduced in 2026, this fee applies when your inventory’s historical days of supply fall below Amazon’s required threshold. It is designed to encourage sellers to maintain adequate stock levels and avoid frequent stockouts.
Removal and disposal fees
If you ask Amazon to return or dispose of unsold inventory, you’ll pay a removal or disposal fee for each unit. In many cases, paying this one-time fee is more cost-effective than continuing to pay monthly storage fees for slow-moving inventory.
Returns processing fees
Beyond the direct fee, returned inventory often can’t be resold as new, meaning you also absorb the original fulfillment cost a second time if you relist it.
Storage overage fees
Sellers who use more than 25 cubic feet of storage and have a high storage-to-sales ratio may incur inventory storage overage fees. These charges apply to storage space that exceeds Amazon’s limit. As of 2026, the fee is approximately $10 per cubic foot over the allowed capacity.
Refund Administration Fee
When Amazon refunds a customer for an order, it usually refunds most of the original referral fee to the seller. However, it keeps a small refund administration fee for processing the transaction.
Other unexpected charges
- Inbound placement fees for splitting shipments across fulfillment centers
- Non-compliant shipment fees for incorrect prep or labeling
- Aged-inventory surcharges layered on top of long-term storage
How Amazon Seller Fees Affect Profitability
Amazon seller fees directly affect your profit margins. The more fees you pay, the less profit you keep from each sale. Understanding these costs helps you price your products correctly, calculate your break-even point, and build a profitable Amazon business.
Can you still make money after Amazon fees?
Yes. Independent sellers in the US averaged more than $375,000 in annual sales in 2025 (Amazon). The most profitable sellers keep total Amazon-side costs, referral, fulfillment, storage, and ads combined under roughly 45% of the sale price.
Is Amazon still worth it for new sellers?
For most product categories, yes, provided you price with fees built in from day one rather than discovering them after launch. The sellers who struggle are usually the ones who priced against a competitor’s listing without checking their own fee stack.
How much profit should you expect?
A healthy target for a new FBA product is 15–25% net margin after all Amazon fees, product cost, and advertising. Thinner categories or highly competitive niches often run closer to 10%.
What products remain profitable despite Amazon fees?
- Small, lightweight products with low FBA fulfillment tiers
- Products with strong repeat-purchase demand that reduce advertising dependency
- Items in lower-referral-fee categories like electronics accessories or automotive parts
How to Reduce Amazon Seller Fees
While some Amazon seller fees are unavoidable, many can be reduced with the right pricing, inventory, and fulfillment strategy. Here are some practical ways to lower your selling costs.
Improve inventory management
Forecast demand accurately so you avoid both stockouts (which now risk low inventory level fees) and overstock (which drives up storage costs).
Optimize pricing
Build referral and fulfillment fees into your minimum viable price for every category, rather than applying one blanket markup across your catalog.
Reduce storage costs
Ship smaller, more frequent batches into FBA instead of bulk shipments that sit through the expensive Q4 storage window.
Lower advertising spend
Tighten keyword targeting and pause underperforming campaigns so ACoS trends down as organic ranking improves a core part of what Brandock’s PPC management work focuses on for clients.
Choose the right fulfillment model
Route bulky, low-velocity SKUs through FBM or a hybrid model, and reserve FBA for fast-moving, compact products where Prime eligibility pays for itself.
What fees apply if I sell internationally?
Selling internationally involves more than the standard Amazon seller fees. Depending on the marketplace and fulfillment method, you may also pay additional cross-border charges.
Cross-border selling fee
Selling into a new Amazon marketplace can involve export or cross-border fulfillment fees on top of the standard referral and FBA charges for that region
Currency conversion fees
If you don’t use a local bank account, Amazon’s currency converter typically charges a conversion fee of a few percentage points on repatriated funds.
International fulfillment costs
Using Amazon’s international FBA or MCF programs adds cross-border shipping and customs handling costs beyond domestic fulfillment fees.
Taxes and import duties
Import duties, VAT, and GST vary by destination country and are separate from Amazon’s own fees; factor them in before pricing an international listing.
Amazon Seller Fees vs Other Marketplaces
| Marketplace | Typical Commission | Monthly/Listing Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | 8% – 17% referral fee | $0.99/item or $39.99/month |
| Walmart Marketplace | 6% – 15% referral fee | No monthly fee; approval required |
| eBay | ~13% final value fee | Optional store subscription |
| Etsy | 6.5% transaction fee | $0.20 per listing |
| TikTok Shop | ~6% – 8% commission | No monthly fee |
Amazon Seller Fees vs Walmart Marketplace Fees
Walmart’s referral fees are broadly similar to Amazon’s, but there’s no mandatory monthly subscription; sellers pay commission only, though approval is required to join.
Amazon Seller Fees vs eBay Fees
eBay’s final value fee is generally lower than Amazon’s average referral fee, but eBay lacks Amazon’s built-in fulfillment network, so shipping costs and effort shift back to the seller.
Amazon Seller Fees vs Etsy Fees
Etsy’s per-listing and transaction fees are much lower than Amazon’s, which fits handmade and low-volume sellers better than high-volume FBA operations.
Amazon Seller Fees vs TikTok Shop Fees
TikTok Shop commissions currently run lower than Amazon’s average referral fee, but the platform’s fulfillment and customer-service infrastructure is far less mature than Amazon’s.
How to estimate your profit before selling?
Combine Amazon’s calculator with a returns and advertising estimate for your category. If margins still look thin after that full picture, revisit your sourcing cost or category selection before you buy inventory.
For a full account-level audit, Brandock’s Amazon business account setup service reviews fee exposure as part of onboarding.
Preparing for Future Amazon Fee Changes
Amazon updates its seller fees regularly. Staying informed and reviewing your costs can help you protect your profit margins.
Monitor annual fee updates
Amazon typically announces fee changes in the fall for the following year, with at least 90 days’ notice before increases take effect; check Seller Central each Q4.
Review your margins regularly
Recalculate profitability quarterly, not just at launch. Storage, fulfillment, and advertising costs shift with seasonality and category updates.
Diversify your sales channels
Reduce single-platform risk by testing Walmart, TikTok Shop, or your own Shopify store alongside Amazon, using MCF to fulfill orders from multiple channels through one inventory pool.
Frequently Asked Questions
New sellers should budget for a plan fee ($0.99/item or $39.99/month), a referral fee of 8–17% per sale, and if using FBA fulfillment and storage fees. Advertising and returns costs typically follow once the listing is live.
“Amazon marketplace fees is another name for the combined referral, plan, and fulfillment charges Amazon collects for operating its third-party selling platform.
Amazon vendor fees apply to Vendor Central sellers, who sell wholesale directly to Amazon rather than to consumers. They differ from Seller Central’s referral-fee model and often include cooperative advertising and chargeback fees.
In most jurisdictions, Amazon seller fees are an ordinary business expense and deductible. Confirm specifics with a tax professional familiar with e-commerce.
Yes, in specific cases. If a sale is refunded, Amazon typically returns part of the referral fee. FBA fee reimbursements are also available for lost or damaged inventory through a claim.
Amazon generally reviews and announces fee changes once a year, usually in Q4, with fee updates taking effect the following January.
Conclusion: Turn Amazon Seller Fees Into a Pricing Advantage
Amazon seller fees will always be part of selling on the platform, but they don’t have to be a mystery. Once you know your referral rate, fulfillment tier, and storage exposure, you can price with confidence instead of guessing.
The sellers who scale profitably on Amazon in 2026 are the ones who treat fee management as an ongoing discipline, not a one-time calculation.
That’s exactly where Brandock, a full-service Amazon automation agency, comes in. From account management and Amazon PPC to wholesale automation and business setup, Brandock helps sellers keep fees a smaller share of a bigger, healthier business.
Want a review strategy built for you?
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