How the fee is calculated
Referral fee = 15% × sale price (most categories; 8% for some, with per-item minimums). FBA adds ~$3.22 per standard unit plus monthly storage ($0.78/cu ft Jan–Sep, higher in Q4) and aged-inventory surcharges.
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Amazon Referral Fee Calculator — 15% FBA Fee Estimate
Amazon charges a referral fee on every sale — 15% in most categories — plus FBA fulfillment fees if Amazon ships the item (about $3.22 per standard-size unit). This calculator gives the referral fee; add FBA/storage below for the full picture.
Worked examples (2026 rates)
| Sale total | Fee | You keep | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10.00 | $1.50 | $8.50 | 15% |
| $25.00 | $3.75 | $21.25 | 15% |
| $50.00 | $7.50 | $42.50 | 15% |
| $100.00 | $15.00 | $85.00 | 15% |
| $250.00 | $37.50 | $212.50 | 15% |
Every number above is computed by the same in-browser engine as the calculator, from the published 2026 fee schedule — nothing is hardcoded.
How referral fees and FBA fees stack on one unit
Start with the price field default of $30. The referral fee at 15% is $4.50. If Amazon fulfills the unit, add roughly $3.22 in FBA fees for a standard-size item, before storage. That is $7.72 in fees, leaving $22.28 to cover your landed product cost, returns and any advertising. The referral percentage scales with price but the FBA fee scales with size and weight instead, so the effective fee rate behaves very differently at each end. On a $10 item, 15% plus $3.22 is a punishing 47% effective rate; on a $100 item the same fees are 18.2%. This is the core Amazon pricing rule: cheap, bulky products die under fixed fulfillment costs, while small, light, mid-to-high-priced items keep the best margins. Model every sourcing decision per unit before you buy inventory, not after.
Aged inventory and storage: the quiet margin killers
The referral fee and the ~$3.22 fulfillment fee are visible on every sale. Storage is not. Amazon charges monthly storage at $0.78 per cubic foot from January through September, with rates rising steeply in Q4 when warehouse space is scarce, and aged-inventory surcharges pile on top of stock that sits unsold for months. A pallet of slow movers can bleed hundreds of dollars in fees without a single sale, and removal or disposal orders cost extra per unit. This is why experienced Amazon sellers treat inventory turns as a fee-control lever: ordering smaller, faster-restocking batches keeps storage costs low even though the per-unit shipping from your supplier rises. When you calculate Amazon take-home, add a realistic storage estimate based on your sell-through rate, and treat any product projected to move slower than once every two months as a candidate for merchant fulfillment or a different platform entirely.
Amazon vs Walmart Marketplace for third-party sellers
Both marketplaces headline a 15% referral fee in most categories, so the difference is in everything around it. Amazon has the largest buyer base in US ecommerce and the most mature fulfillment network, but FBA costs, storage fees and aggressive competition compress margins. Walmart Marketplace is application-only, looks for US business entities with marketplace history, and charges no monthly fee, no listing fee and no setup fee. Its category rates run 6 to 15%, and WFS fulfillment is often cheaper per unit than FBA. For an established reseller, Walmart is the margin-friendly second channel: less traffic, but less fee pressure and less competition per listing. The smart structure for 2026 is Amazon for velocity and discovery, Walmart for higher-margin repeat SKUs, with pricing models for both that start from per-unit net rather than from sticker price.
FAQ
What percentage does Amazon take?
15% referral fee in most categories. Some categories run 8–17%, and most have a $0.30 per-item minimum.
What is the FBA fee on top?
Roughly $3.22 per standard-size unit, varying by size tier and weight, plus monthly storage fees. Merchant-fulfilled sellers skip FBA fees but pay their own shipping.
Do referral fees include shipping?
For most categories the 15% applies to the total sales price including shipping and gift wrap, minus any separately stated taxes.
How often does Amazon pay out?
Amazon disburses on a regular cycle, generally every 14 days, and each disbursement can reserve funds until roughly seven days after the estimated delivery date. New accounts often start with larger reserves. The referral fee of 15% and any FBA fees are deducted at the transaction level, so the payout you see is always net of the full fee stack.
What is the minimum referral fee per item?
Most categories carry a $0.30 per-item minimum referral fee, which applies when 15% of the sale price would be less than that. On a $1.50 item the 15% would be 22 cents, so the $0.30 minimum kicks in instead, an effective rate of 20%. This is why ultra-cheap products rarely pencil out on Amazon without bundling.
Is storage included in the referral fee?
No. The 15% referral fee covers the sale itself. FBA adds roughly $3.22 per standard-size unit for fulfillment, plus monthly storage at $0.78 per cubic foot from January through September, higher rates in Q4, and aged-inventory surcharges on stock that sits too long. A full Amazon margin model needs every layer.