What Percentage Does Amazon Take? Seller Fees and Profit Margins
Amazon takes a referral fee of 8% to 15% on most sales, plus FBA, storage and ad costs. See the 2026 fees and how to work out your real Amazon profit margin.
Yes, Amazon takes a percentage of every sale. The referral fee is 15% in most categories, with lower rates such as 8% for electronics and higher ones such as 17% for clothing over $20, and a minimum of $0.30 per item in most categories. Professional sellers also pay $39.99 a month, and Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) adds a fulfillment fee per unit and monthly storage fees.
In the worked example below, a $30 product pays $9.05 to Amazon in referral, fulfillment and storage fees, about 30% of the price before advertising. The seller keeps $9.55 after product cost, ads and returns, a margin of 31.8%.
The percentage Amazon takes from each sale
Yes. Amazon charges a referral fee on every item sold, calculated as a percentage of the total sale price or a per-item minimum, whichever is greater. The percentage depends on the product category, and some categories change rate at a price threshold. As of November 2026:
- 15% applies to most categories, including Home and Kitchen, Toys and Games, Sports and Outdoors, Office Products and Everything Else
- 8% applies to Computers, Consumer Electronics and some lower-priced items
- 17% applies to clothing priced above $20
- 20% or more applies to a few categories, such as Jewelry up to $250 and Amazon Device Accessories at 45%
Sellers on the Individual plan pay $0.99 for each item sold instead of the $39.99 monthly Professional fee. Media such as books, DVDs and music also carry a $1.80 closing fee per item.
Amazon referral fees by category in 2026
| Category | Referral fee | Minimum per item |
|---|---|---|
| Home and Kitchen | 15% | $0.30 |
| Toys and Games | 15% | $0.30 |
| Sports and Outdoors | 15% | $0.30 |
| Beauty, Health and Personal Care | 8% at $10 or less, 15% above $10 | $0.30 |
| Baby Products | 8% at $10 or less, 15% above $10 | $0.30 |
| Grocery and Gourmet | 8% at $15 or less, 15% above $15 | None |
| Clothing and Accessories | 5% at $15 or less, 10% from $15 to $20, 17% above $20 | $0.30 |
| Footwear | 15% | $0.30 |
| Consumer Electronics | 8% | $0.30 |
| Computers | 8% | $0.30 |
| Electronics Accessories | 15% up to $100, 8% above $100 | $0.30 |
| Furniture | 15% up to $200, 10% above $200 | $0.30 |
| Jewelry | 20% up to $250, 5% above $250 | $0.30 |
| Watches | 16% up to $1,500, 3% above $1,500 | $0.30 |
| Pet Supplies | 15% (22% for veterinary diets) | $0.30 |
| Automotive and Powersports | 12% | $0.30 |
| Books and other media | 15% plus a $1.80 closing fee | None |
| Everything Else | 15% | $0.30 |
Other Amazon seller fees
Selling plan
The Professional plan costs $39.99 a month. The Individual plan has no monthly fee but charges $0.99 for each item sold, so Professional costs less once you sell more than 40 items a month. Professional also lets you list and manage products in bulk instead of one at a time.
FBA fulfillment fees
If Amazon stores and ships your orders, you pay a fulfillment fee for each unit sold. Amazon sets it by the product's size tier, shipping weight and price. Three changes affect the fee in 2026:
- 15 January 2026: Amazon raised US FBA fees by an average of $0.08 per unit sold.
- 17 April 2026: a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge was added to FBA fulfillment fees in the US and Canada, and Amazon has not announced an end date.
- 15 October 2026 to 14 January 2027: holiday peak fulfillment fees apply on top of the standard rate.
The fee varies too much by product for one average to be useful. Use Amazon's FBA Revenue Calculator or the Fee Preview report in Seller Central to get the fee for each SKU, and recheck it whenever you change packaging.
Storage fees
Returns and advertising
When Amazon gives a customer free return shipping, it charges you a returns processing fee. You also lose the sale, and the unit may not be resellable.
What is a good Amazon FBA profit margin?
Amazon does not publish seller margins, and averages quoted online vary widely. Your margin depends on three things you can calculate: your landed product cost, the fees for your category and size tier, and how much you spend on ads to make each sale.
Measure two margins:
- Contribution margin per unit: selling price minus product cost, Amazon fees, ad spend, storage and returns. This tells you whether each sale makes money.
- Net margin: contribution profit minus operating costs such as software, salaries and the Professional plan fee. This tells you whether the business makes money.
How to calculate your Amazon profit per unit
Here is a $30 beauty product sold through FBA. The fulfillment fee is an example figure. Use the Revenue Calculator for your own product.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Selling price | $30.00 |
| Product cost, including freight and duty | -$8.00 |
| Referral fee (15%) | -$4.50 |
| FBA fulfillment fee, including the surcharge | -$4.25 |
| Storage, per unit | -$0.30 |
| Amazon ads (10% of sales) | -$3.00 |
| Returns (5% of units unsellable at $8.00 cost) | -$0.40 |
| Profit per unit | $9.55 |
| Margin | 31.8% |
In this example Amazon's referral, fulfillment and storage fees take $9.05, or 30.2% of the price. With ads included, Amazon takes $12.05, or 40.2%.
Small changes move the result quickly. If the product cost rises to $12 and ads rise to 15% of sales, the same item makes $3.85 a unit, a 12.8% margin.
FBA or FBM: the effect on margin
FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) adds fulfillment and storage fees, but your offers become eligible for Prime and Amazon handles shipping, customer service and returns.
FBM (Fulfillment by Merchant) means you store and ship orders yourself or through your own warehouse. You avoid Amazon's fulfillment and storage fees and pay your own shipping, packing and storage costs instead.
Compare the two per SKU. FBA tends to suit small, fast-selling products. FBM can protect margin on large, heavy or slow-selling items, where Amazon's fulfillment and storage fees are highest.
How much profit does Amazon make?
Amazon itself reported net sales of $201.9 billion and operating income of $28.1 billion for the third quarter of 2026, an operating margin of 13.9%. Net income was $20.7 billion, about 10% of sales.
Fees from third-party sellers, mostly commissions plus fulfillment and shipping fees, brought in $46.5 billion in that quarter, 9% more than a year earlier. That is the money sellers pay Amazon, and it is why your own margin needs its own calculation.
Selling on Amazon and your own store
Many brands sell on Amazon and through their own store. Amazon brings volume and buyers who already trust it. Your own store usually keeps more of each sale and gives you the customer relationship.
Compare the two channels with the same definition of profit. If Amazon leaves a 15% contribution margin and your own store 30%, your combined margin depends on the sales mix. Nummbas combines your Amazon sales and fees with your other connected sales sources, and the advertising charges Amazon takes from your sales count in your profit for the period, so you can compare your Amazon margin with your own store's.
Amazon fees and margin FAQs
Does Amazon take a percentage of sales?
Yes. Amazon charges a referral fee on every sale, 15% in most categories and 8% in categories such as computers and consumer electronics, with a $0.30 minimum per item in most categories. Professional sellers also pay $39.99 a month, and FBA sellers pay fulfillment and storage fees on top.
How much does Amazon take from each sale?
It depends on the category, the price and whether you use FBA. In our $30 FBA example, referral, fulfillment and storage fees take $9.05, about 30% of the price, and ads bring the total to about 40%. Use Amazon's Revenue Calculator to get the exact fees for your product.
What is a good profit margin for Amazon FBA?
Amazon does not publish an average, so calculate your own contribution margin per unit after product cost, Amazon fees, ads, storage and returns. A good margin covers your operating costs and still leaves profit if ad prices or product costs rise. If a small cost increase wipes out the margin, the product needs a higher price or a lower cost.
Is the Amazon Professional plan worth it?
The Professional plan costs $39.99 a month, while the Individual plan charges $0.99 per item sold. Professional costs less once you sell more than 40 items a month, and it lets you manage listings in bulk.
What is Amazon's own profit margin?
In the third quarter of 2026, Amazon reported an operating margin of 13.9% on net sales of $201.9 billion. Net income was $20.7 billion, about 10% of sales.
Keep tightening your marketplace margins
These guides help connect Amazon margin math to product margin, channel profitability, and the broader ecommerce finance stack.
Most Profitable Products to Sell Online
Compare high-margin categories and the cost risks that can make a strong gross margin weak after fulfillment and ads.
Contribution Margin for Ecommerce
Calculate how much each order contributes after product costs, shipping, and ad spend.
Returns Are a Profit Line Item
Measure the real cost of refunds and exchanges, including units you cannot resell.
How to Track DTC Profitability
See how to combine sales, costs, ads, and channels into one profitability view.