Overview

Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program bundles storage, picking, packing, shipping, and customer‑service expenses into a series of fees that are deducted from every sale. In 2024 the core fee structure still follows product size, weight, and category, but recent hikes to monthly and long‑term storage rates make it critical for sellers to understand each charge in order to price competitively and protect margins.

Key Points

• Referral fee — Amazon takes a category‑specific percentage of the total sales price; for a $27 kitchen gadget listed in Home & Kitchen, the platform applies a 15% referral charge on the full $27 amount.
• Fulfillment fee — A per‑unit cost is assigned according to the item’s size tier and weight; a standard‑size product weighing 0.8 lb typically falls into the lowest fulfillment‑fee bracket of $3.22 per unit.
• Monthly storage fee — Sellers are billed each calendar month for the cubic footage their inventory occupies; ten standard‑size units that together use 0.5 ft³ generate a storage charge calculated at the current per‑cubic‑foot rate.
• Long‑term storage surcharge — Inventory that remains in an Amazon fulfillment center for more than 365 days incurs an additional fee of $6.90 per cubic foot for standard‑size items, prompting many sellers to liquidate or relocate aging stock.
• Removal or disposal fee — When a seller requests Amazon to return, relocate, or discard items, a per‑item fee is applied; for example, removing 12 oversized holiday decorations after the season costs $0.50 per unit for removal plus a handling charge.
• Weight‑based surcharge for oversized items — Oversized products exceeding 20 lb attract an extra $0.30 per pound on top of the base fulfillment fee, meaning a 25‑lb patio set pays an additional $1.50 beyond the standard oversized rate.

How Amazon FBA Fees Work

1. Listing creation and fee preview — Upon adding a new SKU, Amazon’s fee calculator projects the referral and fulfillment charges based on the entered price, dimensions, and category; a seller listing a $45 sports accessory sees a 15% referral estimate and a $3.31 fulfillment fee for a standard‑size item.