The Amazon Selling Fees: How Expensive is Trading on the Marketplace
While, for example, classified ad platforms are designed for (also) private individuals to sell, Amazon focuses on professional sellers who trade goods online commercially and accordingly charges fees for the use of the marketplace. It is therefore very important for sellers to know the applicable selling fees precisely. Because these directly affect profitability and profit.
Amazon offers sellers a huge reach, but the platform charges various fees for this service – from sales commissions to shipping costs to fulfillment fees for FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon). Depending on the product category and chosen sales model, the fees can vary significantly.
The actual selling fees in the narrower sense are those charges that Amazon calculates per sold item based on the total price. In this article, you will learn which selling fees apply, how they are calculated, and which strategies can help you optimize costs.
What are the Amazon selling fees?
Selling fees are the costs that sellers must pay to Amazon in order to offer and sell their products through the marketplace. This is to be distinguished from fees that cover additional services, such as the seller account or shipping by Amazon.
This sales commission is calculated proportionally based on the total costs of a product sale and varies widely. In many product categories, it is only 7%, but 45% is also possible (for accessories for Amazon devices). However, in most categories, they range between 7% and 15%.
In almost all categories, the so-called minimum selling fee also applies, which is currently 0.30 euros and is calculated per item.
A good understanding of these fees is essential to calculate one’s profitability and to conduct a well-informed pricing calculation. You can also check which fees apply at Amazon in the Selling Fees Calculator.
Amount of Amazon selling fees per product category
All selling fees are calculated based on the total sale price. This is the amount that the buyer actually has to pay and consists of the product price, shipping costs, and any additional costs such as for gift wrapping.
Total sale price = Item price + Shipping costs + Additional costs if applicable
| Product category | Percentage selling fee | Minimum selling fee of €0.30 |
| Accessories for Amazon devices (e.g. Alexa) | 45 % | yes |
| Automotive and motorsport | • 15 % for the portion of the total sale price up to €50.00 • 9 % for the portion of the total sale price over €50.00 | yes |
| Baby products | • 8 % for products with a total sale price of up to €10.00 • 15 % for products with a total sale price of over €10.00 | yes |
| Backpacks and handbags | 15 % | yes |
| Beauty, drugstore, and personal care | • 8 % for products with a total sale price of up to €10.00 • 15 % for products with a total sale price of over €10.00 | yes |
| Beer, wine, and spirits | 10 % | yes |
| Books | • 15 % • Closing fee of €1.01 per sold item | no |
| Accessories for industry & science | 15 % | yes |
| Clothing and accessories | • For products from the Prime selection with a total price over €45: 15 % for products with a total price of more than €15 for the portion of the total price up to €45 and 7 % for the portion of the total price over €45 • For products from all selections with a total price of up to €15: 8 % • For products from all selections with a total price of more than €15: 15 % | yes |
| Commercial electronic accessories and power supply accessories | 12 % | yes |
| Compact devices | 15 % | yes |
| Computer | 7 % | yes |
| Electronics | 7 % | yes |
| Bicycle accessories | 8 % | yes |
| Electronics accessories | • 15 % for the share of the total sale price up to 100.00 € • 8 % for each share of the total sale price over 100.00 € | yes |
| Glasses | 15 % | yes |
| Shoes | 15 % | yes |
| Standard-sized devices | 7 % | yes |
| Furniture | • 15 % for the share of the total sale price up to 200.00 € • 10 % for each share of the total sale price over 200.00 € | yes |
| Food and delicatessen | • 8 % for products with a total sale price of up to 10.00 € • 15 % for products with a total sale price of over 10.00 € | no |
| Handmade | 12 % | yes |
| Household and kitchen | 15 % | yes |
| Jewelry | • 20 % for the share of the total sale price up to 250.00 € • 5 % for each share of the total sale price over 250.00 € | yes |
| Garden | 15 % | yes |
| Suitcases, backpacks, and bags | 15 % | yes |
| Mattresses | 15 % | yes |
| Music, videos, and DVDs | • 15 % • And a closing fee of 0.81 € per sold item | yes |
| Musical instruments and DJ equipment as well as AV production | 12 % | no |
| Office supplies | 15 % | yes |
| Pet supplies | 15 % | yes |
| Software | • 15 % • And a closing fee of €0.81 per sold item | no |
| Sports and leisure | 15 % | yes |
| Tires | 7 % | yes |
| Tools and hardware store | 13 % | yes |
| Toys | 15 % | yes |
| Video games and accessories | • 15 % • And a closing fee of €0.81 per sold item | no |
| Video game consoles | • 8 % • And a closing fee of €0.81 per sold item | no |
| Watches | • 15 % for the portion of the total sale price up to €250.00 • 5 % for each portion of the total sale price over €250.00 | yes |
| Other products | 15 % | yes |
Additional fees for using Amazon FBA
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is the in-house fulfillment program of the trading platform. Sellers can opt for this option if they want to delegate storage, fulfillment, shipping, and customer service or returns management to Amazon. This naturally incurs additional costs, while sellers do not have to provide their own storage space and personnel resources for order processing. Fulfillment by Amazon can therefore be a real support.
The FBA fees consist of two items:
Here you can find the fee schedule for using Fulfillment by Amazon for the individual marketplaces to download: Amazon FBA Pricing.
Refunds from FBA errors
Unfortunately, errors also occur repeatedly in the logistics centers. For example, products can be damaged during the fulfillment process and thus become unsellable. In this case, Amazon owes the seller compensation. However, this does not always happen proactively.
Anyone who does not want to waste their money on Amazon should definitely take advantage of SELLERLOGIC Lost & Found Full-Service. Because marketplace sellers can lose up to 3% of their annual gross sales due to FBA errors. Funds that you should not write off, but can easily reclaim within a day with SELLERLOGIC.
Conclusion
Amazon is one of the largest and most far-reaching sales platforms worldwide – but this reach comes at a price. The sales fees vary significantly depending on the product category and the chosen sales model, which directly affects the profitability of an online retailer. In addition to the classic sales commissions, there are often additional costs, such as for shipping, storage, and Fulfillment by Amazon.
For sellers, this means: Accurate calculation is essential. Those who do not precisely adjust their prices to the incurred fees risk unintentionally giving away profits or even incurring losses. At the same time, programs like FBA offer the advantage that retailers do not have to worry about logistics and customer service – therefore, a cost-benefit analysis is essential.
Anyone who wants to sell on Amazon should thoroughly familiarize themselves with the fee structures in advance and regularly check their own profitability. With the right strategy, sellers can optimize costs and use the Amazon marketplace profitably for their business.
Frequently Asked Questions
The sales fees are charged per sold item and depend on the respective product category. Usually, the commission ranges between 7 and 15% of the total price. Additional costs, such as for shipping by Amazon, are also added.
It completely depends on the chosen business model. For example: The professional seller account costs a flat fee of 39 euros per month, and there is also a sales commission, usually between 7 and 15% of the total price. Those who use the FBA program must calculate additional fees.
Beginners have two options: Either they use the individual seller account, which is free but charges 0.99 euros per sold item. Or they choose the professional seller account, which costs 39 euros per month. In both cases, the Amazon sales fees and possibly FBA costs are added.
No, anyone who wants to sell products on Amazon must always expect costs and fees. For example, there is a sales fee that usually ranges between 7 and 15% of the total price.
Yes, you can offer your own products on both platforms simultaneously.
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