Checklists and tools

Amazon seller fees: what to account for

Question: Which Amazon seller fees should I account for?

Short answer

Budget for two standard Amazon fees on every sale, a selling plan fee and a referral fee, then add any fulfillment, storage and advertising costs you choose. Amazon's pricing page says referral fees vary by category and are a percentage of the total price or a minimum amount, whichever is greater.

Selling plan fees

On October 28, 2026, Amazon's pricing page listed an Individual plan at $0.99 per item sold and a Professional plan at $39.99 per month. The rough break-even between them depends on how many items you sell each month; check current amounts before choosing.

Referral fees

Referral fees are charged per item sold and depend on the product category. Each category has a percentage and a minimum, and you pay whichever is higher. Look up your category on the official pricing page rather than relying on an average.

Closing fees on media

Amazon's pricing page notes that media items (such as books) incur a per-item closing fee in addition to the referral fee.

Fulfillment and storage

If you use Fulfillment by Amazon, you pay fulfillment fees per unit and storage fees for inventory in Amazon's warehouses. Amazon offers a Revenue Calculator to compare FBA with fulfilling orders yourself. If you fulfil yourself, count your own packaging, postage and time.

Advertising and other costs

Amazon Ads: optional, but many sellers budget for it.
Returns: refunds and return shipping depend on your category and fulfillment method.
Product codes, photography and samples: costs outside Amazon's fees that still affect margin.
New seller incentives: Amazon advertises programs for new sellers; read their conditions rather than assuming they apply.

Example: building a fee budget

For one product, write down: the plan fee share per unit (the Professional monthly fee divided by expected monthly units, or the Individual per-item fee), the referral fee (your category's percentage of the price, or its minimum if higher), any closing fee, fulfillment and storage fees from Amazon's calculator or your own shipping cost, and an ad budget per unit. Subtract all of that, plus your product cost, from the price. If the result is thin, adjust price or costs before listing.

Is this a good fit for you?

Likely a good fit if

You're pricing a product for Amazon for the first time.
You're choosing between FBA and shipping yourself.

Think twice if

You haven't confirmed your product category; fees depend on it.

Common pitfalls

Using another category's referral fee.
Comparing FBA and self-fulfillment without including your own costs.
Forgetting storage fees on slow-moving stock.
Treating ad spend as optional in your margin math when you rely on it.

Fee budget for one product

Choose a plan based on expected monthly units.
Find your category's referral percentage and minimum.
Add closing fees if you sell media.
Estimate FBA fees with Amazon's calculator, or your own shipping costs.
Add an advertising budget per unit.
Add a returns allowance.

Official sources

Fee and policy details on this page were checked against these official pages on October 28, 2026. They change, so confirm current terms before you rely on them.

Shopmation is an emerging AI seller-workflow product. The platforms named here are independent companies; mentioning them doesn't mean they are Shopmation integrations or partners. This page is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.