Amazon FBA Costs Explained: Every Fee Type and the New-Seller Credits
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is how most sellers get the Prime badge, but its costs are spread across several fee types that many new sellers only discover on their first statements. This guide walks through every FBA cost component Amazon lists, the new-seller credits currently on offer, and how to estimate your real cost per unit before you ship inventory.
What FBA is and why sellers use it
According to Amazon's FBA page, FBA "lets you outsource order fulfillment to Amazon and offer customers free, two-day shipping through Prime." Amazon also claims shipping with FBA "costs 70% less per unit than comparable premium options offered by other major US carriers," based on its own comparison. Amazon stores your inventory, picks, packs and ships orders, and handles customer service and returns for FBA orders.
The FBA cost components
Amazon says "costs for FBA depend on the products you sell and the exact services you use." The main components:
| Cost | How Amazon describes it | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Fulfillment fee | Per unit, "based on the product's price, weight, and dimensions" | Size tier, shipping weight, price |
| Monthly storage | "Charged monthly based on the space your inventory occupies," using daily average volume in cubic feet | Cubic feet, time of year |
| Aged inventory | "Charged monthly for all items stored in a fulfillment center for more than 181 days" | Slow sellers, overstock |
| Returns processing | "Charged on orders when Amazon provides a customer with free return shipping" | Category, return rate |
| Inbound placement service | Applies to "standard and large bulky sized products" | How you split inbound shipments |
| Referral fee (all sellers) | A percentage of the sale price by category | Category, price |
Source: sell.amazon.com FBA and pricing pages (accessed Nov 7, 2026). Exact rates are in Seller Central help pages and change periodically; use Amazon's Revenue Calculator for specific products.
Referral fees and selling plans
FBA fees come on top of Amazon's referral fees and plan fees. Per Amazon's pricing page:
| Item | Amazon's published rate |
|---|---|
| Professional plan | $39.99 per month |
| Individual plan | $0.99 per item sold |
| Home and Kitchen referral fee | 15% |
| Toys and Games referral fee | 15% |
| Consumer Electronics referral fee | 8% |
| Minimum referral fee (most categories) | $0.30 |
For a side-by-side with Walmart, see Amazon vs Walmart referral fees; for Walmart's fulfillment equivalent, see Walmart WFS fees.
New-seller FBA credits
Amazon's FBA page lists incentives for new Professional sellers:
- $100 off shipments using the Amazon Partnered Carrier program.
- A $200 credit toward fulfillment costs with Amazon Global Logistics.
- A $400 credit for inbound placement costs.
- Free storage and customer returns through the FBA New Selection program.
Eligibility rules and time limits apply; check the current terms in Seller Central before relying on them.
Storage costs grow quietly. Send inventory in smaller, more frequent shipments for slow sellers, and watch the 181-day mark so items don't trigger aged inventory charges.
How to estimate your real cost per unit
- Measure and weigh the packaged product accurately; size tier drives the fulfillment fee.
- Run the product through the Revenue Calculator to get the fulfillment and referral fees.
- Estimate monthly storage from cubic feet and expected weeks of cover.
- Add inbound shipping and placement costs for your shipment plan.
- Add an allowance for returns processing in categories with free returns.
- Subtract everything from your selling price to get contribution before ads.
Ways to lower FBA costs
- Right-size packaging. Dropping a size tier or a weight bracket can save on every unit.
- Keep inventory lean. Match stock to sell-through to limit storage and aged inventory charges.
- Plan Q4 early. Storage costs depend on time of year; avoid overstocking late in the season.
- Use the credits. New sellers should plan first shipments to use the available credits.
- Review returns. High return rates add processing costs; fix listing and quality issues behind them.
- Recheck after fee updates. Amazon revises FBA fees periodically, so rerun the calculator for top SKUs whenever new rates are announced.
How Atronia Innovations can help
We plan FBA inventory, packaging and shipments for brands and factories entering the US, and offer discounted carrier labels for inbound and last-mile shipping. See our pricing or logistics services.
