Amazon FBA Costs: Fee Lines and Profit Math (2026)

Amazon FBA cost is not one fee. It is made up of the selling plan fee, a referral fee that varies by category, the FBA fulfillment fee, a monthly storage fee and, depending on your situation, other FBA charges. On top of that come your costs outside Amazon: product, freight, customs, prep, advertising and returns. Because the amounts depend on the product's price, category, dimensions and weight, the reliable number comes from running your own product through Amazon's Revenue Calculator.

The most common mistake we see in our own stores: some of these lines never make it into the price. This article separates them and shows how to build the scenario for your product.

Fees paid to Amazon

• Selling plan: on Amazon.com the Individual plan charges per item sold and the Professional plan a flat monthly fee. As of 14 October 2026, Amazon's pricing page lists $0.99 per item sold for Individual and $39.99 per month for Professional. Amazon states that FBA can be used with either plan.
• Referral fee: on each sale Amazon charges a category percentage or a minimum amount, whichever is greater. The rate varies by category and in some categories is tiered by price band. The total price it is calculated on includes shipping and gift-wrap charges. Don't assume one "average rate"; check your category in Amazon's table.
• FBA fulfillment fee: covers picking, packing, shipping, customer service and returns. Amazon states that the amount depends on the product's price, weight and dimensions.
• Monthly storage fee: charged monthly on the space your inventory occupies, based on average daily volume in cubic feet. Amazon also notes that exceeding your restock limit can raise storage costs.
• Other FBA costs: the lines Amazon lists include aged inventory (stored over 181 days), returns processing, removal or liquidation orders and the inbound placement service. Which apply to you depends on your product and shipment choices.

For current amounts see Amazon's FBA cost overview and the pricing page. Fees also differ by marketplace; this article is based on Amazon.com sources.

Costs outside Amazon

• Product and packaging: supplier price, packaging, barcode and label materials.
• Inbound freight and customs: freight to the Amazon warehouse, import duties and charges in the destination country, broker fees. Get these in writing from your carrier or customs broker.
• Prep and labeling: in the US marketplace, Amazon no longer offers prep and item labeling for FBA shipments as of 1 January 2026 (Amazon notice). You prep yourself or use a third-party prep service; put that cost on its own line.
• Advertising: Amazon ads are optional and you set the bids and budget. If you use them, ad spend is part of the product's real cost.
• Returns: besides Amazon's returns-processing charge, the cost of units that can't be resold stays with you.
• FX and payouts: if you are paid out in a different currency, add the conversion cost to the scenario.

How to calculate per-unit profit

Bring every line down to the same unit, one item sold:

Unit profit = sale price − referral fee − FBA fulfillment fee − storage and other FBA fees per unit − freight and customs per unit − prep per unit − advertising per unit − product and packaging cost − return cost per unit − plan fee per unit

There is no universal threshold for an acceptable margin; it depends on your capital, ad needs, return risk and inventory turnover. What matters is counting every line under the same assumptions.

Build your own scenario

1. In the Revenue Calculator, find the product in Amazon's catalog or define it by dimensions, weight, category and price.
2. Compare the "Amazon fulfillment" and "Your fulfillment" results side by side at the same selling price.
3. Enter the costs outside Amazon (product, freight, customs, prep, ads, returns, FX) with your own figures in our FBA profit calculator.
4. See how stock and payout timing tie up capital in the first-90-days cash-flow simulator, and plan reorders that affect storage time in the inventory planning simulator.

Tool outputs are estimates; real fees can vary by product and period.

Dimensions and weight: packaging is a cost decision

Amazon states that the fulfillment fee depends on the product's weight and dimensions, and products are grouped into size tiers. A small change in packaging size or weight can move a product into a different tier. Enter your current packaging and alternative pack sizes into the Revenue Calculator separately and see the difference for your own product.

FAQ

How much are Amazon FBA fees? There is no single fixed amount. The fulfillment fee depends on the product's price, weight and dimensions, and the storage fee on the space it occupies. You can see an estimate for your product in Amazon's Revenue Calculator.

What percentage is the Amazon referral fee? It depends on the category. Amazon charges the category percentage or a minimum amount, whichever is greater, and in some categories the rate is tiered by price band. The current table is on Amazon's pricing page.

How is the FBA storage fee calculated? According to Amazon, monthly, based on your inventory's average daily volume in cubic feet. Inventory stored longer than 181 days can also incur an aged inventory cost (Amazon FBA page).

Will Amazon prep and label my products for FBA? In the US marketplace, not since 1 January 2026: Amazon ended its prep and item labeling services for FBA shipments (notice). You or a prep provider handle it.

Do I need the Professional plan for FBA? No. Amazon states that FBA works with both the Individual and Professional plans. Which plan fits depends on your sales volume; compare the fees on the pricing page.

The takeaway

To see your real FBA cost, put the fees paid to Amazon (plan, referral, fulfillment, storage, other FBA fees) and the costs outside Amazon (product, freight, customs, prep, ads, returns, FX) into one per-unit profit calculation. Calculate fees with Amazon's tool for your own product rather than from rules of thumb, and treat packaging size as a cost decision.

To run the numbers with your own inputs, use our Amazon FBA profit calculator: enter your values and see net profit per unit, margin, ROI and break-even ACOS. Cross-check fee estimates with Amazon's Revenue Calculator.

For how FBA works overall see the FBA guide, and for the whole Amazon journey the Amazon guide. To have us run your account with a profit focus, there's Amazon consulting.

Sources and scope

• Amazon, Selling fees and plans: selling plan fees, referral fee structure (category percentage or minimum), what the total price includes
• Amazon, Fulfillment by Amazon: basis of fulfillment and storage fees, aged inventory and other FBA cost lines, FBA availability on both selling plans
• Amazon, Estimate fees and costs (Revenue Calculator): product-level fee estimates, comparing FBA with your own fulfillment
• Amazon Selling Partner API, US FBA prep and labeling services to end January 1, 2026: end of FBA prep and labeling in the US
• Amazon, Seller Fulfilled Prime: reference to size tiers (standard, oversize, extra large)

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Fees, rates and program rules can change; check the official page before deciding. Information checked on 14 October 2026.