Overview

Amazon has confirmed that the holiday‑season peak fulfillment surcharges for the 2025‑2026 cycle will stay exactly the same as they were in 2024‑2025. The fees become active on October 15, 2025 and run through January 14, 2026, covering Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the entire Q4 shopping window. For sellers, the unchanged rates provide a reliable cost baseline, but the elevated storage and fulfillment expenses typical of the holiday rush still demand careful planning.

Key Points

• Peak‑period dates — Surcharges automatically apply from 15 Oct 2025 to 14 Jan 2026, encompassing the full holiday shopping season.
• Rate freeze — Amazon is not raising peak fulfillment fees compared with the previous year, giving sellers a stable cost reference for Q4 budgeting.
• Automatic application — No manual enrollment is needed; the surcharge is added to every FBA order placed during the window, regardless of product category.
• Storage fees rise — Monthly FBA storage charges normally increase in Q4, adding another layer of cost for inventory held over the holiday months.
• Margin pressure varies — Lightweight, high‑margin items absorb the surcharge more easily than heavy, oversized, or low‑margin SKUs, which can see profit margins shrink dramatically.
• Inventory audit deadline — Conducting a comprehensive inventory review by early September helps avoid costly removal orders and storage fees once the surcharge period begins.

What's Changing

1. Peak‑period window activation — On 15 Oct 2025, Amazon’s system flags all inbound and outbound FBA units for the surcharge; for example, a seller shipping 500 units of a best‑selling toy on that date will see the extra fee applied to each fulfilled order.
2. Fee rates remain static — The per‑unit surcharge amounts are identical to those used in the 2024‑2025 season; a 0.30 USD surcharge for a standard‑size item that cost 0.30 USD last year will still cost 0.30 USD this year.
3. No enrollment required — Sellers do not need to opt‑in or adjust settings; the surcharge is baked into Amazon’s fulfillment cost calculations automatically. A seller with a mixed catalog of apparel and electronics will see the same surcharge applied to every qualifying order without any account‑level changes.