Guide
Amazon FBA fees: how it works and how to use the numbers
Amazon takes three main fees on every FBA sale: a referral fee (a percentage of the price set by the category), a fulfillment fee (set by the size tier and weight of the packaged unit) and monthly storage (by the space it takes up, three times higher from October to December). This estimator applies the 2026 US schedule to your product so you see the profit per unit, the net margin and the maximum advertising cost of sale (ACOS) the product can carry before it loses money.
How Amazon FBA fees are calculated in 2026
The referral fee is a percentage of the total sales price (item price plus any shipping or gift-wrap charge). Most categories are 15%; consumer electronics, cameras and computers are 8%; clothing runs on a sliding scale (5% under $15, 10% up to $20, 17% above); jewelry and watches drop to 5% and 3% above a price threshold. Every category carries a $0.30 minimum per item.
The FBA fulfillment fee covers picking, packing, shipping and customer service. It is set by the size tier (small standard, large standard, large bulky, extra-large) and the billable weight: the unit weight for small standard, and the greater of the unit weight and the dimensional weight (length × width × height ÷ 139) for everything larger. A product that is light but boxy is billed by its volume.
Monthly storage is charged per cubic foot of packaged volume: about $0.78 for standard-size items from January to September and $2.40 in the fourth quarter (oversize $0.56 and $1.40). Units that sit for more than 180 days attract aged-inventory surcharges on top, and low inventory levels relative to sales can add a low-inventory fee to the fulfillment fee.
Size tiers, and why an inch matters
Small standard is the cheapest tier: up to 16 oz and no larger than 15 × 12 × 0.75 inches. Large standard runs to 20 lb and 18 × 14 × 8 inches. Anything beyond is large bulky (to 50 lb, 59 inches on the longest side) or extra-large, where fees jump from a few dollars to $26 and up.
Packaging decides the tier, not the product. A polybag instead of a box, or a box a quarter-inch thinner, can move an item from large standard to small standard and save around a dollar a unit. Enter the packaged dimensions, not the product's.
Break-even ACOS and the price for your target margin
Break-even ACOS is the advertising cost of sale at which a sale earns nothing: the pre-advertising margin as a percentage of price. If a $30 product keeps $9 after product cost, shipping and Amazon fees, its break-even ACOS is 30%; ads above that lose money on every attributed sale. New launches often run above break-even for a few weeks to build ranking, but not as a steady state.
The estimator also solves the equation backwards: given your costs, fees and a target net margin, it shows the selling price that reaches it. Because the referral fee is a percentage of price, a higher price also carries a higher fee, which the tool accounts for.
What the estimate does not include
Inbound placement fees for shipments split by Amazon, returns processing fees in high-return categories, removal and disposal fees, dangerous-goods surcharges, and the difference between a peak and off-peak fulfillment fee. Use the 'other fees' field for anything you know applies, and check the exact figures for a specific ASIN in Amazon's Revenue Calculator inside Seller Central.
Questions sellers ask
Typically 15% of the price as a referral fee plus a fulfillment fee of $3 to $7 for standard-size items, plus storage. On a $30 item that is about $9 to $11 before your own product and shipping costs.
A net margin of 20 to 30% after all Amazon fees and advertising is healthy for private label. Under 12% leaves nothing for fee increases, returns or a price war.
From $3.32 for items up to 2 oz to $3.65 at 16 oz, for non-apparel products. Apparel and dangerous goods have their own tables.
Length × width × height in inches, divided by 139. Amazon bills the greater of the unit weight and this dimensional weight for large standard and bigger items.
Yes. The referral fee is calculated on the total sales price including any shipping or gift-wrap charged to the buyer.
No. They are estimates from the published US schedule. Amazon measures each product itself and applies category exceptions, so use its Revenue Calculator for an exact ASIN and this tool to compare products and prices quickly.