Amazon FBA fees in 2026 come in two groups: selling fees (the monthly plan and a referral fee on every sale) and fulfillment fees (picking, packing, shipping, storage, and related charges). On a typical $30 product weighing about a pound, Amazon fees take roughly $10 per unit before advertising. Here is what each fee is, how it is calculated, and a worked example.
What fees does Amazon charge FBA sellers?
| Fee | What triggers it | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| Selling plan | Having a Professional account | $39.99 per month |
| Referral fee | Every sale | % of total sale price, by category |
| FBA fulfillment fee | Every unit shipped | Flat per unit by size, weight, price band |
| Fuel and logistics surcharge | Every FBA unit (since Apr 17, 2026) | 3.5% of the fulfillment fee |
| Monthly storage | Inventory in Amazon warehouses | Per cubic foot per month |
| Aged inventory surcharge | Units stored over 180 days | Per cubic foot or per unit, by age band |
| Inbound placement fee | Sending inventory in | Per unit, based on split option |
| Low-inventory-level fee | Days of supply too low | Per unit shipped |
| Returns processing fee | Customer returns in some cases | Per returned unit |
How does the Amazon referral fee work?
The referral fee is Amazon's commission for the sale. It is a percentage of the total sale price (item price plus any shipping or gift wrap charged), and it ranges from 5% to 45% depending on category. Most categories have a $0.30 minimum per item.
Many common categories, such as home and kitchen, sports, and toys, charge 15%. Some use tiers. Clothing and accessories, for example, charges 5% on items with a total sales price of $15 or less. Electronics is 8%. Amazon device accessories are 45%. Always check your exact category on Amazon's fee schedule.
Amazon stated that US referral fees did not increase in 2026.
How are FBA fulfillment fees calculated?
The fulfillment fee covers picking, packing, shipping to the customer, customer service, and handling standard returns. Amazon sets it per unit based on three things:
- Size tier (small standard, large standard, large bulky, extra-large), based on the product's packaged dimensions.
- Shipping weight, which is the greater of unit weight or dimensional weight for most tiers.
- Price band. Products under $10 get lower rates. Products from $10 to $50 pay standard rates, and products over $50 pay somewhat higher rates.
Amazon raised 2026 fulfillment fees by an average of $0.08 per unit on January 15, 2026. A large standard item around 1 pound in the $10 to $50 band pays somewhere around $4.50 to $5.50 depending on its exact weight. On April 17, 2026, Amazon added a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge to fulfillment fees, which it estimated at about $0.17 per unit on average. Amazon said it would stay until further notice.
From October 15, 2026 through January 14, 2027, a holiday peak fulfillment fee is added on top, at the same level as the 2025 peak.
What are FBA storage fees in 2026?
Monthly storage is charged on the daily average volume your inventory takes up, in cubic feet.
- Standard-size: $0.78 per cubic foot (January–September), $2.40 per cubic foot (October–December).
- Oversize: $0.56 per cubic foot (January–September), $1.40 per cubic foot (October–December).
Some sellers also pay a storage utilization surcharge if their inventory sits too long relative to sales. Check your storage utilization ratio in Seller Central.
Aged inventory surcharge
Inventory stored more than 180 days pays an extra surcharge on top of monthly storage, and the rate climbs with each age band. It starts small (around $0.50 per cubic foot for 181 to 210 days) and becomes expensive past nine months. Slow sellers should be removed, liquidated, or discounted before they hit the higher bands.
What is the inbound placement fee?
When you create a shipment to Amazon, you choose how many locations to split it across. Amazon-optimized splits (sending to several fulfillment centers Amazon picks) usually carry no placement fee. Choosing a minimal split, where you send everything to fewer locations, carries a per-unit fee. For standard-size items this is commonly in the range of about $0.20 to $0.40 per unit, and it varies by size, weight, and region.
What is the low-inventory-level fee?
Amazon charges this fee when your stock is low relative to demand, because thin inventory makes it harder to place units near customers. In 2026, it triggers when both your 30-day and 90-day historical days of supply are under 28 days. Since January 15, 2026, Amazon measures it at the FNSKU level instead of the parent ASIN. Some products and sellers are exempt, so check the fee preview in Seller Central.
If your Amazon payouts are smaller than your spreadsheet says, we can audit your fees and show you where the gap is.
Book a Free Strategy Call →When does Amazon charge a returns processing fee?
For apparel and shoes, Amazon charges a returns processing fee on every customer return. For most other categories, the fee only applies to units returned above a category-specific return rate threshold. If your return rate is high, fix the cause (sizing chart, listing accuracy, packaging damage) before it turns into a fee.
Worked example: fees on a $30 product
Assume a large standard product in a 15% referral category. It weighs about 1 pound packaged and takes up 0.1 cubic feet. Landed product cost is $8.00, and it costs $0.50 per unit to ship it into Amazon. Fulfillment rates below are an estimate; check your exact SKU in Amazon's Revenue Calculator.
| Line | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Sale price | $30.00 | |
| Referral fee | 15% × $30.00 | −$4.50 |
| FBA fulfillment fee (est.) | ~$4.80 base | −$4.80 |
| 3.5% surcharge | 3.5% × $4.80 | −$0.17 |
| Storage (2 months, off-peak) | 0.1 cu ft × $0.78 × 2 | −$0.16 |
| Inbound placement (minimal split, est.) | per unit | −$0.30 |
| Inbound shipping to Amazon | per unit | −$0.50 |
| Product cost | landed | −$8.00 |
| Profit before ads | $11.57 (38.6%) |
Amazon's own fees in this example total $9.93, about 33% of the sale price. After product and inbound costs, $11.57 remains before advertising and overhead. That 38.6% is also your break-even ACoS: if ads cost more than 38.6% of the sales they drive, each ad sale loses money. See ACoS vs TACoS explained.
The same product stored in November would pay $2.40 per cubic foot, so storage triples, and the holiday peak fulfillment increment applies. Plan Q4 inventory so it sells through quickly.
Which fees are fixed and which can you control?
It helps to sort Amazon's fees by how much influence you have over them:
- Fixed by category: the referral fee. You can only change it by changing the category your product genuinely belongs in, which you should not try to game.
- Set at design time: the fulfillment fee. Packaging size and weight decide it before your first unit ships, so this is where product design pays off.
- Controlled by inventory habits: storage, aged inventory surcharges, and the low-inventory-level fee. These move with how much you send in and how often.
- Controlled by shipment choices: inbound placement fees, based on the split option you pick.
- Controlled by product quality and listing accuracy: returns processing fees.
Only the referral fee is truly out of your hands. Everything else rewards planning.
How can you lower Amazon FBA fees?
- Shrink the package. Dropping one size tier or weight band saves money on every unit forever.
- Use Amazon-optimized splits when your shipment size allows it, to avoid placement fees.
- Send inventory in smaller, regular batches to keep storage and aged surcharges down without triggering the low-inventory fee.
- Clear slow stock before 180 days.
- Reduce returns with accurate photos, measurements, and sizing.
Run your own numbers in the FBA profit calculator, and if you are still budgeting your launch, see what it costs to start FBA in 2026.