Amazon India Seller Fees (2026): Why 0% Referral Isn't Free
By the Profitvana Editorial Team · Updated August 2026
Amazon India charges no monthly subscription and waives the referral fee entirely on many categories below ₹1,000. It reads like the cheapest marketplace in the world — until you notice the closing fee, which does not care that the referral fee was zero. Here is what a sale actually costs in 2026.
No subscription, and 0% referral under ₹1,000 in many categories
Amazon India does not charge a monthly subscription. On top of that, several major categories — apparel, home and kitchen, grocery, toys and baby — carry a 0% referral fee on items priced at or below ₹1,000.
Above ₹1,000 the rate jumps sharply and varies enormously by sub-category: 7.50% on small home appliances, 8.00% on herbs and spices, and as high as 23% on men's t-shirts or 30% on drones.
Electronics is priced differently again, with mobile phones at 5.00% and laptops at 6.00%.
| Category example | Referral fee |
|---|---|
| Apparel, home, grocery, toys — item ≤ ₹1,000 | 0.00% |
| Mobile phones | 5.00% |
| Laptops | 6.00% |
| Small home appliances > ₹1,000 | 7.50% |
| Herbs and spices > ₹1,000 | 8.00% |
| Men's t-shirts > ₹1,000 | 23.00% |
The closing fee is the fee that never goes away
Amazon India charges a closing fee per order, banded by item price, and it applies whether or not a referral fee was charged. This is the number that makes 0% misleading.
On a ₹250 apparel item with a 0% referral fee, a ₹26 closing fee is still 10.4% of the sale. The referral fee was waived; the sale was not free.
| Item price | Closing fee | As % of a sale at the top of the band |
|---|---|---|
| ₹0–300 | ₹26 | 8.7% at ₹300 |
| ₹301–500 | ₹22 (or ₹14 in some fee groups) | 4.4% at ₹500 |
| Above ₹1,000 | ₹72 | 7.2% at ₹1,000 |
The ₹1,000 cliff
Because the referral fee is 0% at ₹1,000 and can be 23% at ₹1,001, pricing across that line is one of the most consequential decisions an Indian seller makes.
A t-shirt at ₹999 in a 0%-under-₹1,000 category pays only the closing fee. The same t-shirt at ₹1,050 pays 23% — about ₹242 — plus a ₹72 closing fee. You would need to price at roughly ₹1,400 to net what ₹999 already gave you.
This is not a loophole to exploit so much as a cliff to be aware of: check where your specific sub-category's threshold sits before setting a price just above a round number.
Fulfilment costs
Using Amazon's fulfilment centres adds a pick-and-pack fee of ₹17 for standard items up to 1 kg, plus storage at ₹50 per cubic foot per month.
On a ₹250 item that already pays a ₹26 closing fee, another ₹17 takes total Amazon costs to ₹43 — 17.2% of the sale, on a listing whose referral fee was zero. Model it fully in the Amazon fee calculator before assuming a waived referral fee means a cheap channel.
For how the same platform prices a market with a conventional structure, see Amazon UK seller fees.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Amazon India take per sale?
It depends on price and category. Many categories charge 0% referral on items at or below ₹1,000, but a closing fee of ₹14 to ₹72 applies to every order regardless — so a ₹250 sale with a 0% referral fee still costs ₹26, or 10.4%.
Is there a monthly fee to sell on Amazon India?
No. Amazon India charges no monthly subscription; the costs are the referral fee, the per-order closing fee, and fulfilment charges if you use Amazon's warehouses.
Why did my referral fee jump above ₹1,000?
Several categories are tiered at ₹1,000: 0% at or below it, and a full rate above. In some sub-categories that full rate is very high — 23% on men's t-shirts, for example — so pricing just over the threshold can cost more than pricing well under it.
What does Amazon India's fulfilment cost?
₹17 pick-and-pack for a standard item up to 1 kg, plus storage at ₹50 per cubic foot per month. On low-value items that fee alone can exceed the referral fee several times over.
Amazon fees in other countries
Amazon prices every market differently — the same sale can cost twice as much depending on where your business is registered. We verify each of these against Amazon’s own published fee page for that country:
- Amazon fees in Australia
- Amazon fees in Canada
- Amazon fees in Egypt
- Amazon fees in Mexico
- Amazon fees in Saudi Arabia
- Amazon fees in the UAE
- Amazon fees in the UK
Sources
Related calculators
Written and reviewed by the Profitvana Editorial Team
Last reviewed August 2026
We research marketplace, payment, and finance fees directly against each platform’s official, published rates, re-check every platform monthly, and stamp each calculator with the date it was last verified. We publish exactly how we work — and never let ads change a result.
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