FBA Fee

The FBA fee is the per-unit fulfilment charge Amazon takes when an order ships out of an FBA warehouse. It covers picking, packing, shipping, customer service, and returns processing — bundled into one rate that varies by size tier and weight.

It is not a percentage of price. It is a fixed amount per unit, which means it disproportionately hurts low-ASP SKUs.

Size tiers (US, indicative)

EU markets use parallel tiers in cm/kg with euro-denominated fees. The exact numbers update annually — always check the current rate card.

Why size tier matters more than weight

A 14-ounce mug in a box just larger than the Small Standard cap pays the Large Standard fee. The 2-ounce difference doubles fulfilment cost. Cutting the box down to fit the smaller tier — even with identical product — can be the highest single margin lever on the SKU.

Practical action: every new SKU's packaging is engineered against the tier boundaries. A 0.5cm shave on box height often pays for itself within the first month of sales.

FBA fee in the unit economics stack

For a typical mid-ASP SKU:

ASP                                   €18.00
- Referral fee (15%)                  -€2.70
- FBA fee                             -€3.83
- Inbound placement service fee       -€0.30
- Monthly storage (avg per unit)      -€0.15
- COGS                                -€4.00
- Returns reserve (3%)                -€0.54
= Contribution before ad spend         €6.48

Of every order, FBA fee + referral fee + storage typically consume 35–45% of revenue.

Common mistakes

• Pricing without checking the FBA fee tier. A €12 launch price on a Large Standard SKU loses money on every order.
• Ignoring annual fee updates. Rates rise yearly, often in January; margin assumptions must be re-baselined.
• Box dimensions just past a tier boundary. Most common preventable margin leak.
• Mixing FBA fee and storage fee in the same line item. They are separate, with different drivers — track separately.