Overview

Amazon sets fixed shipping rates for sellers on the Individual selling plan, meaning these sellers cannot customize shipping charges or create shipping templates the way Professional sellers can. Understanding how these predetermined rates work is essential for Individual sellers to manage their margins and fulfill orders properly.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Fixed shipping rates apply — Amazon charges buyers a standard shipping amount based on the product category and the shipping method the buyer selects at checkout. Individual sellers have no ability to modify these amounts.
• Shipping credits may not cover costs — Sellers receive a shipping credit equal to what the buyer was charged, but this credit can be less than the actual cost of shipping. Sellers are still required to fulfill the order regardless.
• SKU-level settings override account settings — Shipping preferences must be configured at the individual SKU level to take effect on orders. Account-level settings only serve as defaults for newly created SKUs.
• Multiple shipping speeds available — Individual sellers can enable options including Standard, Expedited, Two-Day, and One-Day shipping on a per-SKU basis.
• Order cancellation impacts metrics — If a seller enables a shipping option for a SKU but cannot fulfill it, canceling the order will negatively affect their cancellation rate.

How Shipping Configuration Works

Individual sellers need to configure shipping options directly at the SKU level through their inventory management page. To do this, navigate to your inventory, locate the specific SKU, and access the shipping settings for that listing. From there, you can enable or disable various shipping speed options for that product. It is important to understand that any preferences set at the account level on the shipping settings page will not directly affect existing orders — they only pre-populate defaults when you create new SKUs. You must still save shipping settings at the SKU level for them to actually apply to buyer orders and order promise dates.

Domestic Shipping Credit Rates

Amazon provides fixed shipping credits for orders shipped within the United States. For media categories such as books, music, videos, and DVDs, the Standard shipping credit is $3.99, Expedited is $6.19 to $6.99, and One-Day shipping is $14.95. For non-media categories, the rates are calculated differently: Standard shipping is $4.49 plus $0.50 per pound, while Expedited shipping runs $6.49 plus $0.99 per pound. The per-pound calculation is based on the weight of the item itself, not including seller packaging. Premium shipping options like Two-Day delivery are available only to eligible sellers who meet Amazon's performance requirements.