Overview

Amazon has introduced a limited‑time referral‑fee reduction for sellers who add products that have never been offered on the UAE marketplace. Eligible listings enjoy a 5 % fee—about one‑third of the usual 8 %‑15 % rate—for a 120‑day period. The incentive is designed to speed up catalog expansion in a market that is seeing rapid e‑commerce growth, giving sellers a cost‑effective way to test new items in the region.

Key Points

• 5 % fee on brand‑new ASINs — The discount applies only to parent ASINs that have not appeared in the UAE store in the last 12 months.
• 120‑day promotional window — The reduced rate begins the moment the new ASIN becomes purchasable and lasts for roughly four months.
• Unit caps per parent — Standard‑size products are limited to 100 units per parent ASIN; oversize items are limited to 50 units.
• Automatic enrollment for newcomers — Sellers who open a UAE account are added to the program automatically, while existing sellers must opt in manually.
• Savings can reach two‑thirds of normal fees — In a 15 % category, a $50 item saves about $5 per unit, or up to $500 at the 100‑unit cap.

How the Referral Fee Program Works

1. Identify a qualifying parent ASIN — Check that the parent SKU has no sales, fulfillment‑by‑Amazon activity, or listings in the UAE marketplace within the previous 12 months. Example: A kitchen gadget sold on Amazon.de but never listed in the UAE qualifies.
2. Create the new listing — Add the product to the UAE catalog, ensuring the ASIN is marked as “buyable.” Amazon automatically applies the 5 % fee once the listing is live. Example: The gadget is uploaded on March 1; the reduced fee starts that day.
3. Monitor unit caps — Track inventory against the 100‑unit (standard) or 50‑unit (oversize) thresholds. Once the cap is reached, the fee reverts to the standard rate for additional units. Example: After selling 100 units of the gadget, the 5 % fee stops and a 12 % fee applies to the 101st unit.