Overview

Amazon will introduce a temporary holiday‑season fulfilment surcharge for FBA orders shipped to customers in the United Kingdom and Germany. The fee becomes active on 15 October 2025 and stays in force until 14 January 2026, covering the peak shopping quarter. Sellers with inventory destined for these two markets need to factor the extra cost into their Q4 pricing and profit calculations.

Key Points

• Surcharge period — A per‑item charge applies only between 15 Oct 2025 and 14 Jan 2026, aligning with the highest volume weeks of the year.
• Germany rate — Small and standard parcels attract an average fee of €0.19 per unit, regardless of whether the stock sits in a German centre or is cross‑docked from the UK.
• UK rate – standard parcels — Each standard‑size parcel incurs roughly £0.10 per item, reflecting higher carrier and handling expenses during the holidays.
• UK rate – large/extra‑large envelopes — Large and extra‑large envelopes are charged about £0.05 per unit, a lower amount that mirrors their reduced handling complexity.
• Exempt categories — Oversize items, Multi‑Channel Fulfilment (MCF) orders, and shipments to buyers outside the UK and Germany are not subject to the surcharge.
• Visibility tools — From 1 December 2025, the projected surcharge will appear in the Revenue Calculator and the FBA fee preview report, allowing sellers to model the impact before the window opens.
• Potential scale — A volume of 10 000 units shipped to Germany would generate roughly €1 900 in extra fees; the same volume to the UK as standard parcels would add about £1 000.
• Industry precedent — Similar Q4 peak fees are already common among major carriers such as Royal Mail, DPD, and DHL, and Amazon previously applied a comparable surcharge in the U.S. market.

How the Holiday Peak Fulfilment Fee Works

1. Fee activation — On 15 Oct 2025 Amazon’s system flags eligible FBA orders destined for the UK or Germany and automatically adds the surcharge to the fulfilment cost line item. For example, a seller shipping 200 standard parcels to London on that date will see £20 added to the total fee.