Amazon Seller Fees 2026: Rates, Examples and Cost Breakdown

Amazon's fees don't hit your margin one at a time. They stack. During the holiday peak, a $25 product can lose more than a third of its price to Amazon fees before product cost, freight or a single click of advertising. This guide sets out the 2026 rates, shows how they add up in peak and non-peak months, and gives you a method to repeat the math on your own SKUs.

AT A GLANCE

2026 Amazon Seller Fees at a Glance

FEE	2026 RATE (US)	WHO PAYS	WHEN
Selling plan	$39.99/month (Professional) or $0.99 per item (Individual)	All sellers	Monthly or per sale
Referral fee	Usually 8% to 15% of sale price; $0.30 minimum in most categories	All sellers	Every sale
FBA fulfillment fee	From $2.43 per unit (non-peak, small standard, under $10); varies by tier, weight and price	FBA sellers	Every unit shipped
Fuel and logistics surcharge	3.5% of the fulfillment fee	FBA and Remote Fulfillment	Every unit shipped
Holiday peak fees	Higher fulfillment rate card, October 15, 2026 to January 14, 2027	FBA sellers	Every unit shipped
Monthly storage	$0.78/cu ft (Jan to Sep), $2.40/cu ft (Oct to Dec), standard size	FBA sellers	Monthly
Aged inventory surcharge	Starts at 181 days in a fulfillment center	FBA sellers	Monthly
Low-inventory-level fee	Per unit, when days of supply fall below 28 (exemptions apply)	FBA sellers	Per unit shipped
Inbound placement fee	$0 (Amazon-optimized) up to a per-unit fee for fewer splits	FBA sellers	Per unit sent in
Returns processing fee	Apparel and shoes, plus eligible units above a category threshold	FBA sellers	Per returned unit
Removal and disposal	From $0.84 per unit	FBA sellers	Per unit processed

FEE 01

Selling Plan Fees

Professional costs $39.99 a month and Individual costs $0.99 per unit sold, and both plans also pay a per-item referral fee that varies by category. Amazon suggests the Individual plan if you expect to sell fewer than 40 items a month.

At 40 units, the Individual plan costs $39.60 in per-item fees, slightly less than Professional's $39.99. At 41 units, Professional becomes cheaper on plan fees alone. Its selling and advertising tools may also justify the subscription at lower volumes. Professional is generally the better fit for brands that need advertising, bulk listing tools and full account management features.

SOURCE Amazon selling plans and pricing

FEE 02

Referral Fees

A referral fee is a percentage of the total sale price, which includes the item price, shipping charged to the buyer and gift wrapping, set by product category. Most categories also carry a $0.30 minimum per unit. Amazon did not change US referral rates for 2026.

The 2026 rates below come from Amazon's US referral fee schedule:

CATEGORY	REFERRAL FEE	MINIMUM
Most categories (Home & Kitchen, Toys, Sports, Tools, Office)	15%	$0.30
Consumer Electronics, Computers	8%	$0.30
Automotive & Powersports	12%	$0.30
Tires	10%	$0.30
Clothing & Accessories	5% up to $15, 10% from $15 to $20, 17% above $20	$0.30
Beauty, Health & Personal Care	8% up to $10, 15% above $10	$0.30
Grocery & Gourmet	8% up to $15, 15% above $15	None
Media (Books, DVD, Music, Software, Video)	15% plus $1.80 closing fee	None
Amazon Device Accessories	45%	$0.30

When you refund an order, Amazon keeps a refund administration fee, which is the smaller of $5 or 20% of the referral fee.

FEE 03

FBA Fulfillment Fees

According to Amazon's January fee announcement, FBA fees rose by an average of $0.08 per unit sold in 2026, after a year with no US referral or FBA fee increase in 2025. That announcement also said there would be no new FBA fee types; the 3.5% surcharge covered below came separately in April. The new rates took effect January 15, 2026.

Fulfillment fees now depend on size tier, shipping weight and price band (under $10, $10 to $50, and over $50). Because the price band is part of the calculation, the same product can be charged a different fulfillment rate at $9.99 than at $10.99.

Non-peak rates (January 15 to October 14, 2026), non-apparel, before the surcharge

SIZE TIER AND SHIPPING WEIGHT	UNDER $10	$10 TO $50	OVER $50
Small standard, 2 oz or less	$2.43	$3.32	$3.58
Small standard, 14 to 16 oz	$2.95	$3.96	$4.22
Large standard, 4 oz or less	$2.91	$3.73	$3.99
Large standard, 8 to 12 oz	$3.38	$4.20	$4.46
Large standard, 12 to 16 oz	$3.78	$4.60	$4.86
Large standard, 2.75 to 3 lb	$5.85	$6.67	$6.93
Large standard, 3 to 20 lb	$6.15 + $0.08 per 4 oz above 3 lb	$6.97 + $0.08 per 4 oz	$7.23 + $0.08 per 4 oz

Bulky items start higher: small bulky at $7.55 and large bulky at $9.35 for items priced $10 and up, plus $0.38 per pound above the first pound. Apparel and dangerous goods have their own rate cards.

Peak rates now in effect (October 15, 2026 to January 14, 2027)

The holiday increase averages about $0.32 per unit, though the exact amount depends on size and weight. Selected $10 to $50 examples:

SIZE TIER AND SHIPPING WEIGHT	NON-PEAK	PEAK
Small standard, 2 oz or less	$3.32	$3.51
Large standard, 8 to 12 oz	$4.20	$4.48
Large standard, 1 to 1.25 lb	$5.04	$5.34

The 3.5% surcharge. Since April 17, 2026, Amazon has added a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge to fulfillment fees across FBA in the US and Canada. It's calculated on the fulfillment fee, not the sale price, and applies on top of peak rates as well.

SOURCES Amazon's 2026 fee update| Holiday 2026 fees announcement

FEE 04

Storage Fees: Monthly, Aged and Utilization

Monthly storage. Standard-size inventory costs $0.78 per cubic foot from January through September and $2.40 from October through December. Oversize costs $0.56 and $1.40. To find cubic feet, multiply packaged length × width × height in inches and divide by 1,728. Amazon charges storage on your daily average inventory volume, not per unit sold.

Aged inventory surcharge. Once inventory has been in a fulfillment center for 181 days, Amazon adds a surcharge on top of monthly storage, rising by age band. The 181-day threshold isn't new in 2026; what changed was the higher age tiers. Inventory aged 366 to 455 days pays $6.90 per cubic foot or $0.30 per unit, whichever is greater, and inventory aged 456 days or more pays $7.90 per cubic foot or $0.35 per unit. In the higher tiers, compare the next expected storage and aged-inventory charges with what you'd realistically earn by selling the units, including the cost of removal or liquidation.

Storage utilization surcharge. If you hold more than 22 weeks of supply, Amazon adds $0.44 to $1.88 per cubic foot for standard-size items, depending on how far over you are.

FEE 05

Low-Inventory-Level Fee

Amazon's low-inventory-level fee applies when both the 30-day and 90-day historical days-of-supply measures fall below 28 days. Since January 15, 2026, Amazon calculates it at the seller-FNSKU level rather than the parent-ASIN level, and the fee now also covers eligible small and large bulky products. Grocery products and certain slower-moving inventory are exempt, so not every SKU below 28 days of supply pays the charge.

DAYS OF SUPPLY	UNDER 14	14 TO 21	21 TO 28
Small standard	$0.89	$0.63	$0.32
Large standard, up to 3 lb	$0.97	$0.70	$0.36

There's no single correct inventory level. The right target depends on how volatile your demand is, your replenishment lead time, your cash flow, and whether the SKU qualifies for an exemption.

FEE 06

Inbound Placement Fee

When you send inventory to FBA, Amazon may split your shipment across several fulfillment centers. If you accept Amazon's optimized split, the inbound placement fee is $0. If you choose minimal splits, you pay per unit: for example, $0.14 to $0.32 for small standard items of 8 oz or less, and $0.24 to $0.50 for large standard items between 12 oz and 1.5 lb. Paying for one location can still be cheaper overall once you add your own freight costs to multiple destinations.

FEE 07

Returns Processing Fees

Apparel and shoes pay a returns processing fee on every returned unit. For eligible non-apparel products, the fee only applies to returns above that category's return-rate threshold, and products that ship fewer than 25 units in a month are exempt from that threshold-based fee. Because the rules and timing differ between apparel and other categories, check which one applies before you build return costs into your margin.

FEE 08

Removal, Disposal and Liquidation Fees

Removal (sending inventory back to you) and disposal use the same rate card. In 2026, the only change was to the lightest standard-size band, 0 to 0.5 lb, which dropped from $1.04 to $0.84 per unit. Other standard-size rates are $1.53 for 0.5 to 1 lb, $2.27 for 1 to 2 lb, and $2.89 plus $1.06 per pound above 2 lb. These fees are now charged per unit as each unit is actually removed or disposed of, rather than when you create the order.

Liquidation costs a 15% referral fee on the recovery value plus a processing fee based on size and weight. Run all three options against the aged-inventory charges you'd otherwise pay.

SOURCE FOR FEES 04 TO 08 Amazon 2026 US referral and FBA fees

WORKED EXAMPLE

A $24.99 Product in Peak vs. Non-Peak

A Home & Kitchen product priced at $24.99, large standard size, 8 to 12 oz shipping weight, 0.1 cubic feet, sold through FBA:

FEE	NON-PEAK	NOVEMBER PEAK
Referral fee (15%)	$3.75	$3.75
FBA fulfillment (large standard, 8 to 12 oz)	$4.20	$4.48
Fuel and logistics surcharge (3.5%)	$0.15	$0.16
Storage (0.1 cu ft × 2 months)	$0.16	$0.48
Inbound placement (assumed minimal split)	$0.25	$0.25
Total Amazon fees	$8.51	$9.12
Share of selling price	34.1%	36.5%
Left before product and other costs	$16.48	$15.87

During the November peak, this product pays about $9.12 in Amazon fees under these assumptions, which is 36.5% of its price before sourcing, freight, advertising, returns and other operating costs. In a non-peak month, the same product pays $8.51. That difference is why you should model fulfillment and storage costs by season rather than using one annual estimate.

Both columns assume exactly two months of storage at the seasonal rate. Amazon actually charges storage on daily average inventory volume, so treat the storage line as a simplified per-unit allocation, not a precise estimate for any one sale.

Run this for your own SKU in five steps

• Find the fee category and referral rate in your Fee Preview report.
• Look up the fulfillment fee for the size tier, weight and price band, using the peak rate card if the sale falls between October 15 and January 14.
• Add 3.5% of the fulfillment fee.
• Estimate storage per unit: cubic feet per unit × the seasonal rate × the months a unit typically sits in FBA.
• Add placement, returns and any aged-inventory or low-inventory fees that apply.

To run steps 1 and 2 against your COGS and ad spend in one place, use our Amazon margin calculator, then add the storage and situational fees from this guide, since the calculator doesn't include them.

FAQ

Amazon Seller Fees: What Brands Ask in 2026

Q. How are Amazon referral fees calculated?

Amazon applies your category's percentage to the total sale price, which includes the item price, shipping charged to the buyer and gift wrapping. You pay whichever is higher: that amount or the category minimum, which is usually $0.30.

Q. Which Amazon fees changed in 2026?

FBA fulfillment fees rose by an average of $0.08 per unit on January 15. A 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge was added on April 17. Amazon ended US FBA prep services on January 1, and the low-inventory fee moved to FNSKU-level calculation. Holiday peak fees apply from October 15, 2026 to January 14, 2027. Referral rates did not change.

Q. Are Amazon storage fees higher in Q4?

Yes. Standard-size storage rises from $0.78 to $2.40 per cubic foot from October through December, so reducing how much slow-moving inventory sits in FBA during Q4 has an outsized effect on your costs.

Q. Are FBA fees worth it?

FBA can be worthwhile when Prime eligibility, fulfillment convenience, conversion and logistics savings outweigh its costs. Compare the full FBA fee stack with your actual seller-fulfilled costs SKU by SKU. The better option depends on product size, sales velocity, return rates and margins.