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Amazon FBA Fees Explained
Short answer: An FBA sale pays three main layers: a referral fee set by category (15% in most categories, with a $0.30 minimum per item), a per-unit FBA fulfillment fee set by size and weight, plus monthly storage at $0.78 per cubic foot from January to September and $2.40 from October to December. Since April 17, 2026, a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge is added on top of the fulfillment fee.
The three layers
First, the selling plan: Individual at $0.99 per item sold, or Professional at $39.99 per month. Second, the referral fee on every sale: a percentage of the total sales price, 15% in most categories, ranging from 8% to 45% by category, with a $0.30 minimum per item in most categories. Third, for FBA sellers, the fulfillment fee per unit shipped, which varies by size tier, weight band and price band, plus monthly storage on the inventory sitting in Amazon's warehouses. The 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge applies to the fulfillment fee only.
Worked example
A $30 item with product cost $9.00, an example fulfillment fee of $5.00 and an example storage share of $0.41 per unit sold. Referral fee: 15% of $30.00 = $4.50. Fulfillment $5.00 plus surcharge 3.5% of $5.00 = $0.18 (rounded). Total Amazon charges: $4.50 + $5.00 + $0.18 + $0.41 = $10.09. Profit before advertising and plan cost: $30.00 − $9.00 − $10.09 = $10.91. All lines are rounded to cents, so adding the rounded lines is what reproduces the result. Note the fulfillment and storage figures here are example values to show the method — your real figures come from Amazon's rate card for your item's size tier and from your own storage volume.
Where sellers get surprised
Fourth-quarter storage is the biggest seasonal surprise: the same inventory costs about three times as much per cubic foot from October to December. Aged inventory surcharges, inbound placement fees and returns processing fees sit outside the three main layers and show up on separate reports, so a profit check that only counts referral and fulfillment fees will overstate margin. Low-priced items suffer twice: the $0.30 referral minimum lifts the effective rate, and the fulfillment fee is a flat amount regardless of price.
Checking your own numbers
Look up your category's referral rate and your size tier's fulfillment fee in Seller Central before pricing, and confirm whether your item falls in a low-price FBA band. Then run the result through the FBA profit calculator with your real fulfillment fee, your real storage share per unit, and your advertising cost per order. Amazon's own revenue calculator gives the same check from the other direction and is worth comparing before a large inventory order.
FAQs
What is the difference between the referral fee and the FBA fulfillment fee?
The referral fee is Amazon's commission on the sale, set by category and charged whether you fulfill the order yourself or use FBA. The fulfillment fee is the separate per-unit charge for Amazon storing, picking, packing and shipping the item, and only FBA sellers pay it.
What does the Professional plan cost?
Professional costs $39.99 per month with no per-item selling fee, while Individual costs $0.99 per item sold with no monthly fee. Around 40 items a month is where Professional becomes cheaper on plan cost alone, before referral and fulfillment fees, which both plans pay.
How is FBA storage charged?
Monthly, per cubic foot of inventory, on average daily volume. Standard-size storage is $0.78 per cubic foot from January to September and $2.40 per cubic foot from October to December, so the same stock costs roughly three times as much to store in the fourth quarter.
What is the fuel and logistics surcharge?
Since April 17, 2026, Amazon has added a 3.5% surcharge on top of every FBA fulfillment fee in the US and Canada. It is calculated on the fulfillment fee, not on the sale price, so a $5.00 fulfillment fee carries about $0.18 extra.
Why do two sellers pay different FBA fees on similar products?
Because the fulfillment fee depends on size tier, weight band and price band, and the referral fee depends on category. A small, light item in an 8% category and a large, heavy item in a 15% category can have very different fee totals at the same price.
Stand: October 2026.
Amazon figures in this guide are from Amazon's published 2026 US schedule as reported by independent fee guides, because Amazon's Seller Central fee pages require a seller sign-in to view directly. Closest sources: SellerMagnet — Amazon Referral Fees by Category 2026 and MyRealProfit — Amazon FBA fee schedule summary. Confirm every rate in Seller Central before pricing, as Amazon changes rate cards during the year.
Try it with your own numbers: Amazon FBA Profit Calculator, Amazon Referral Fee Calculator, FBA Storage Fee Calculator.
Disclaimer: Results are estimates and general information only, not tax or financial advice. Fees change, so confirm the current rate on the platform before you price a listing.
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