Quick answer
Amazon charges sellers a selling-plan fee and a referral fee on every item sold. The Individual plan costs $0.99 per item sold and the Professional plan costs $39.99/month, and the referral fee is 15% in most categories, with a minimum of $0.30. On a $30 home and kitchen item, Amazon takes $5.49 on the Individual plan, or $4.50 plus the monthly fee on Professional.
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. It is pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, so it is not in the fee comparison. See where Nation fits.
Amazon fees for sellers in one table
Amazon's standard selling fees come in two parts: a selling-plan fee, which depends on the plan you choose, and a referral fee, which depends on the product's category. Amazon charges the referral fee as percentage of the total price or a minimum amount, whichever is greater.
The table lists each fee a small US seller meets when they ship orders themselves, as Amazon's own pricing page states it. Amazon lists the costs of Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) and advertising separately from these standard selling fees, and they are covered in their own guides.
Amazon also states that you can switch or cancel your selling plan at any time, so a seller can start on one plan and move to the other as sales grow.
Amazon seller account fees: Individual or Professional
The selling plan is the account fee. The Individual plan has no monthly charge and costs $0.99 per item sold. The Professional plan costs $39.99/month with no per-item plan fee. Both plans pay the same referral fees.
Amazon's own guidance is that the Individual plan suits sellers who sell fewer than 40 items a month. Above that point, the per-item charges on the Individual plan add up to more than the Professional monthly fee.
The Professional plan also unlocks tools the Individual plan does not have: bulk listing and pricing, Amazon Ads, brand-building tools, automated pricing, Amazon Business, Global Selling and APIs. A seller who needs any of these pays for Professional regardless of volume.
Amazon referral fee by category
The referral fee is Amazon's commission on each sale. It is a percentage of the total price, or a minimum amount, whichever is greater. Most categories charge 15%, but several categories charge less, and a few charge more or change the rate at a price threshold.
Amazon notes that a product's fee category may not be the same as the category customers see, so check the fee category for your product before you price it.
How much Amazon takes from a $30 sale
Example: one $30 kitchen item in the Home and Kitchen category, shipped by the seller with free shipping, no gift wrap and no ads.
Find the referral fee
Home and Kitchen charges 15%, minimum $0.30. The fee is charged on the total price, which here is the item price alone because shipping is free.
Add the plan fee on Individual
On the Individual plan, add $0.99 per item sold. The total Amazon takes on this sale is $5.49.
Or spread the Professional fee
On the Professional plan, the sale pays only the referral fee, $4.50, and the account pays $39.99/month across all sales that month.
Add FBA if you use it
If Amazon stores and ships the item through FBA, add Amazon's FBA fees for that item. The Amazon FBA fees guide works through those.
Cost to sell on Amazon compared with other marketplaces
The same $30 sale on Amazon's two plans and on two other marketplaces, using each platform's own published rates.
- Etsy $3.30 no monthly plan Listing $0.20, Transaction 6.5% $1.95, Processing 3% + $0.25 $1.15
- eBay $4.48 no monthly plan Final value 13.6% $4.08, Per order $0.40
- Amazon Professional $4.50 plus $39.99/month Referral 15% $4.50
- Amazon Individual baseline $5.49 no monthly plan Referral 15% $4.50, Per item $0.99 $0.99
Assumes a $30 item in Amazon's Home and Kitchen category, free shipping, no tax, no ads, no FBA and a standard US card. eBay uses its most-categories rate and assumes the listing is within its 250 free listings a month. Etsy includes its listing fee for the one listing sold.
Ways to pay less in Amazon fees
Every sale pays a referral fee, whichever plan you choose. These steps cut the parts you can control.
- Pick the plan for your volume. Amazon suggests the Individual plan for sellers with fewer than 40 items a month; above that, the $39.99/month Professional plan usually costs less than paying $0.99 per item sold.
- Check your product's fee category. Consumer electronics and computers pay 8%, and some low-priced beauty, baby and grocery items pay a lower rate, while the most common rate is 15%.
- Price with the threshold in mind. In clothing, the rate is 5% at $15.00 or less, 10% from $15.01 to $20.00, 17% above $20.00, so a small price change can move an item into a different rate.
- Remember that shipping is part of the total price. The referral fee covers its list price, as well as shipping costs and any gift-wrapping charges.
- Check new-brand incentives. For a new-to-Amazon brand, Amazon advertises over $50,000 in automatic referral-fee waivers for your first year.
Where Nation fits
Nation
Category: an AI store builder
Nation says one description of what you make builds the store, then agents handle orders, customers and delivery and run ads, content and social posts, with you approving the work. Because pricing is not announced yet, it is not in the fee comparison.
Limits today
- Status: pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai.
- Pricing and fees: not announced yet.
- Shopper marketplace: no shopper marketplace has been announced.
- Track record: no independent reviews or public stores yet.
Nation publishes this page. Nation is not in the fee comparison until signup is public and pricing is published.
Describe what you makeQuestions about Amazon seller fees
How much does Amazon take from sellers?
Amazon takes a referral fee on every item sold, which is 15% in most categories, with a minimum of $0.30. Individual sellers also pay $0.99 per item sold, and Professional sellers pay $39.99/month. On a $30 home and kitchen item, Amazon takes $5.49 on the Individual plan.
What percentage does Amazon take from a sale?
The percentage Amazon takes depends on the product's category. Most categories pay a 15% referral fee, consumer electronics and computers pay 8%, and Amazon device accessories pay 45%. The fee is charged on the total price, including shipping and gift wrap.
What is the Amazon professional seller fee?
The Amazon Professional seller fee is $39.99/month, charged every month whether or not you sell. It replaces the Individual plan's $0.99 per item sold charge. Professional sellers still pay referral fees on every sale, and Amazon says you can switch or cancel your selling plan at any time.
Is the Amazon referral fee the same as Amazon's commission?
The Amazon referral fee is Amazon's commission on each sale. It is percentage of the total price or a minimum amount, whichever is greater, and the rate depends on the category. It is charged on both selling plans, on top of the plan fee, and on top of FBA fees if Amazon ships the order.
Does Amazon charge fees on shipping?
Amazon charges its referral fee on shipping. The fee is calculated on the item's total price, which includes its list price, as well as shipping costs and any gift-wrapping charges. Offering free shipping does not avoid this, because the shipping cost then sits in the item price, which pays the same referral fee.