Overview

Amazon Germany has announced a significant reduction in referral fees for grocery category sellers, cutting rates to just 7% on items priced under €20. The change, which took effect in early 2026, represents a meaningful cost reduction for sellers operating in Amazon.de's competitive grocery segment and signals Amazon's broader push to capture more of the European online grocery market.

Key Points

• Lower referral fee rate — Grocery items priced under €20 on Amazon.de now carry a 7% referral fee, down from the previous higher rate.
• Price threshold applies — The reduced rate specifically targets products under the €20 mark, meaning higher-priced grocery items may still be subject to different fee structures.
• Immediate effect — The new fee schedule is already live as of early 2026, so sellers currently listing grocery products on Amazon Germany should already be seeing the lower rates reflected in their accounts.
• Category-wide impact — The reduction applies broadly across the grocery category rather than being limited to specific subcategories or product types.

Why Amazon Is Cutting Grocery Fees

• Competitive pressure — Amazon faces fierce competition from established players like Rewe, Edeka, Aldi, and Lidl in the European grocery market.
• Market penetration strategy — Online grocery penetration in Germany still lags behind other product categories, prompting Amazon to use fee incentives to attract more grocery sellers.
• Selection expansion goal — By lowering the cost of doing business for sellers, Amazon hopes to expand its grocery selection, improve pricing competitiveness for consumers, and ultimately drive higher order volumes.
• Proven playbook — The move mirrors a pattern Amazon has used in other markets, where temporary or permanent fee reductions in underpenetrated categories have been used as a lever to bootstrap supply and build consumer trust.
• Repeat purchase driver — For grocery specifically, having a wider assortment of competitively priced products is essential to converting occasional shoppers into repeat customers who add grocery items to their regular Amazon orders.