Overview

Amazon charges an additional per-unit fee on any product that is a lithium battery, contains a lithium battery, or is packaged and sold alongside a lithium battery. This surcharge reflects the extra handling, storage, and regulatory compliance costs associated with lithium battery products within the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) network. For sellers dealing in electronics, toys, power tools, or any battery-powered goods, understanding this fee is essential for accurate profit calculations.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Broad applicability — The fee does not only apply to standalone lithium batteries. Any product that contains or is sold with a lithium battery is subject to the surcharge, which covers a vast range of consumer electronics and battery-powered devices.
• Per-unit charge — The lithium battery fee is assessed on every individual unit sold through FBA, making it a variable cost that scales directly with sales volume.
• Separate from standard FBA fees — This surcharge is in addition to regular fulfillment fees, referral fees, and storage fees. Sellers must account for it as a distinct line item in their cost structure.
• Compliance-driven — The fee exists because lithium batteries require specialized handling during shipping and storage due to safety regulations from the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
• Automatic assessment — Amazon identifies products containing lithium batteries through listing attributes and hazmat classification. Sellers are responsible for accurately disclosing battery information in their product listings.

Which Products Are Affected

The lithium battery fee covers an extensive range of products across nearly every category on Amazon. This includes obvious items like portable chargers, power banks, smartphones, laptops, and tablets, but it also extends to less obvious products such as wireless earbuds, smartwatches, electric toothbrushes, handheld gaming devices, remote-controlled toys, cordless power tools, and LED flashlights with rechargeable batteries. Even products where the lithium battery is a small component — such as greeting cards with sound chips or shoes with LED lights — may be subject to the fee if a lithium battery is included in the packaging or embedded in the product.