Amazon fee history 2017–2026
Profitvana Editorial Team · Updated November 9, 2026
Amazon's headline referral fee has barely moved in a decade: 15% for most categories in 2015, 15% today. Almost every change in what a US seller actually pays has happened elsewhere: in the referral minimum (cut from $1.00 to $0.30 in 2019), in category exceptions (apparel 15% to 17% in 2018, then tiered 5/10/17% in 2024), and above all in Fulfillment by Amazon, where a yearly January package has added fulfilment increases, storage surcharges, an inbound placement fee, a low-inventory fee and a returns fee, plus a fuel surcharge in 2022 and again in 2026 and a holiday peak fee every fourth quarter since 2022.
The timeline below separates referral-fee changes (which every seller pays) from FBA changes (which only Amazon-fulfilled sellers pay). Each entry carries Amazon's own announcement or a named trade publication reporting it.
What a $100 sale cost in fees, then and now
| Year | Fees on $100 | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $15.00 | 15% referral; $1.00 minimum per item |
| 2019 | $15.00 | 15% referral; minimum cut to $0.30 |
| 2024 | $15.00 (+$3.63 FBA for a 1 lb standard item) | Referral unchanged; FBA fulfilment, placement and low-inventory fees apply if Amazon ships it |
| 2026 | $15.00 (+FBA fulfilment, +3.5% fuel surcharge on it from April) | Referral unchanged |
Timeline (newest first)
· announced July 14, 2026trade press
FBA holiday peak fulfilment fee (15 Oct 2026 – 14 Jan 2027)
Average +$0.32 per unit, the same delta as 2025; the 3.5% fuel surcharge stacks on top
· announced April 2, 2026trade press
FBA fuel and logistics surcharge
None (the 2022 surcharge had been folded into base rates in 2023)→+3.5% on FBA fulfilment fees, about $0.17 per unit on average; no end date
· announced October 15, 2025official source
2026 US referral and FBA fee update
Referral fees unchanged; FBA fulfilment +$0.08 per unit on average; no new FBA fee types
Inbound placement and oversize fees re-tiered; Multi-Channel Fulfillment +$0.30.
· announced November 19, 2024official source
2025 US referral and FBA fee update
No increase to referral or FBA fees and no new fee types for 2025
Large-bulky inbound placement cut by $0.58 per unit on average; placement fee waived on the first 100 units of new parent ASINs (Dec 2024 – Mar 2025).
· announced December 5, 2023trade press
FBA returns processing fee (new)
None outside apparel and shoes→Per-unit fee on products whose return rate exceeds the category threshold; under 25 units a month exempt
· announced December 5, 2023trade press
FBA fulfilment and storage
2023 rates→Fulfilment −$0.20 per standard unit, −$0.61 large bulky; off-peak storage $0.87 → $0.78 per cubic foot
Amazon's stated net effect of the whole 2024 package, including the new placement and low-inventory fees, was +$0.15 per unit on average.
· announced December 5, 2023trade press
FBA low-inventory-level fee (new)
None→$0.32–$1.11 per unit when a standard-size product holds under 28 days of supply
· announced December 5, 2023trade press
FBA inbound placement service fee (new)
None→Average $0.27 per standard unit, $1.58 large bulky (range $0.21–$6.00); $0 when inventory is split across several locations
· announced December 5, 2023trade press
Apparel referral fee
17%→5% on items up to $15, 10% from $15 to $20, 17% above $20
· announced November 17, 2022official source
2023 US referral and FBA fee update
5% fuel surcharge folded into base rates; outbound fulfilment +$0.22 per unit on average; storage-utilisation surcharge and a 180–270-day aged-inventory surcharge introduced; referral fees unchanged
· announced August 16, 2022trade press
FBA holiday peak fulfilment fee (first ever)
None→Average +$0.35 per unit from 15 October 2022 to 14 January 2023
Repeated every fourth quarter since, at similar per-unit deltas.
· announced April 13, 2022trade press
FBA fuel and inflation surcharge
None→+5% on FBA fulfilment fees (a 1 lb large-standard unit: $4.52 → $4.75)
Marketplace Pulse — Amazon fulfilment fees up 30% in two years
· announced November 16, 2021trade press
FBA fulfilment fees
1 lb large-standard $4.25→$4.52 (+5.2% on average across sizes)
Marketplace Pulse — Amazon fulfilment fees up 30% in two years
· announced December 2020official source
FBA fulfilment fees
1 lb large-standard $3.48→$4.25 (Amazon described the package as a 2–3% average increase; the packaging-weight adjustment was removed)
Originally scheduled for January 2021, delayed to June because of the pandemic.
· announced December 20, 2019official source
FBA fulfilment fees
1 lb large-standard $3.28→$3.48 (about 3% average increase); FBA label fee $0.20 → $0.30
· announced December 20, 2018trade press
Referral fee minimum
$1.00 per item ($2.00 jewellery and watches)→$0.30 per item
Same package: Baby, Beauty and Health items up to $10 cut from 15% to 8%; Grocery up to $15 cut to 8%; Furniture above $200 cut to 10%.
· announced December 2017official source
Apparel referral fee
15%→17% (minimum $1.00); shoes, handbags and sunglasses 18% on items over $75
· announced December 2017official source
Jewellery referral fee
20% flat→20% on the first $250, 5% above (minimum $2.00)
· announced January 27, 2017trade press
Media closing fee
Variable closing fee, $1.35→Fixed closing fee $1.80 per item (books, music, video, DVD, video games)
How this timeline is built
Each entry carries the figure before and after the change and a source that states it: the platform’s own announcement or help page, an archived copy of its fee page on the Wayback Machine, or a named trade publication. Anything we could not confirm that way is left out rather than estimated. The current schedule, verified against the live fee page, is on the Amazon fee calculator; changes across all platforms are logged on fee changes. Corrections: tell us.
Frequently asked questions
Has Amazon's 15% referral fee ever changed?
Not for most categories since at least 2015. What changed is the minimum per item ($1.00 → $0.30 in 2019), category exceptions such as apparel and jewellery, and the FBA fees charged on top when Amazon fulfils the order.
When did the FBA holiday peak fee start?
Fourth quarter 2022, at an average of $0.35 per unit from 15 October to 14 January. It has been charged every holiday season since, at about $0.32 per unit in 2025 and 2026.