Amazon FBA
What Is the Amazon Referral Fee?
The Amazon referral fee is the percent Amazon takes from every sale for hosting the marketplace and providing access to customers, running 8 to 15 percent across most categories. It is the largest single line in the FBA fee stack and applies whether a seller uses FBA or fulfills orders themselves. On an $80 jacket at 17 percent, the fee is $13.60, typically 2 to 3 times the FBA pick-pack-ship cost.
The Amazon referral fee is the percent Amazon takes from every sale as payment for hosting the marketplace and providing access to customers. It's the largest single line in the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) fee stack, and the one most easily forgotten when modeling FBA economics. It applies whether you use FBA or fulfill yourself (Fulfillment by Merchant, or FBM).
Rates by category (2026)
- Electronics: about 8 percent
- Cameras and photo: 8 percent
- Beauty: 8 percent under $10, 15 percent over $10
- Personal care appliances: 15 percent
- Books: 15 percent
- Grocery: 8 percent under $15, 15 percent over $15
- Apparel and accessories: 17 percent
- Jewelry: 20 percent on the first $250, 5 percent above
- Home goods: 15 percent
- Tools and home improvement: 15 percent
A worked example
A DTC apparel brand sells an $80 jacket on Amazon. Referral fee at 17 percent = $13.60. That's the largest single Amazon fee per unit, typically 2 to 3 times the FBA pick-pack-ship cost. Before any other FBA layer is allocated, Amazon has already taken 17 percent of revenue off the top.
The most common mistake
Assuming the published category rate applies to your specific listings. Amazon occasionally applies different rates to sub-categories or special listings. Always verify by pulling your actual Settlement Reports from Seller Central and computing the implied referral percent per SKU.
Frequently Asked Questions
what's the amazon referral fee and why does it matter so much?
It's the percent Amazon takes from every sale (8 to 17 percent by category). The largest single fee in the FBA stack and where most of your Amazon margin gets eaten before any other cost is allocated.
what's the referral fee for my category?
See the list above. Verify in Amazon's published schedule plus your settlement reports, because sub-categories sometimes differ.
should i model rate increases into my forecast?
Yes. Amazon raises rates yearly. Build in a 1 percent step-up scenario annually for the next 3 years.
Related Terms
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