How the referral fee is calculated
The referral fee is Amazon's commission. It applies to every sale, whether you fulfill through FBA or FBM, and it is the single largest Amazon charge on most orders.
Three details matter and are routinely missed:
- It is charged on the total, not the item price. Shipping and gift wrap are included in the base. Charging separately for shipping on an FBM listing does not move revenue out of reach of the fee.
- It is charged on revenue, not profit. A price increase raises the fee alongside the revenue, so the fee scales with your top line regardless of margin.
- Most categories carry a $0.30 minimum per unit. On low-priced items the minimum can exceed the percentage — a $1.50 product at 15% would be $0.23, so you pay $0.30.
Referral fee by category — 2026 rates
Current US marketplace rates. Categories with a price bracket charge different rates above and below the stated threshold.
| Category | Referral fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Device Accessories | 45% | Highest rate on the platform |
| Jewelry | 20% (≤$250) / 5% (>$250) | Min. $2.00 |
| Fine Art | 20% / 15% / 10% / 5% | Tiered by price bracket |
| Gift Cards | 20% | |
| Clothing & Accessories | 5% (≤$15) / 10% ($15–$20) / 17% (>$20) | Tiered by price |
| Watches | 16% (≤$1,500) / 3% (>$1,500) | |
| Consumer Electronics | 8% | Min. $0.30 |
| Camera & Photo | 8% | |
| Cell Phones & Accessories | 8% | |
| Computers | 8% | |
| Video Game Consoles | 8% | |
| Baby Products | 8% (≤$10) / 15% (>$10) | |
| Beauty & Personal Care | 8% (≤$10) / 15% (>$10) | |
| Health & Personal Care | 8% (≤$10) / 15% (>$10) | |
| Grocery & Gourmet Food | 8% (≤$15) / 15% (>$15) | |
| Automotive & Powersports | 12% | |
| Industrial & Scientific | 12% | |
| Tools & Home Improvement | 12% | |
| Home & Kitchen | 15% | |
| Toys & Games | 15% | |
| Sports & Outdoors | 15% | |
| Pet Supplies | 15% | |
| Office Products | 15% | |
| Luggage & Travel | 15% | |
| Musical Instruments | 15% | |
| Shoes & Handbags | 15% | |
| Books / Music / DVDs | 15% | + $1.80 closing fee |
| Video Games | 15% | + $1.80 closing fee |
| Everything Else | 15% | Default rate |
The tiered-category trap
In tiered categories the rate usually applies to the entire price once you cross the threshold — it is not marginal like income tax. That produces a dead zone just above each boundary where raising your price lowers your net.
Clothing & Accessories, where the rate jumps from 10% to 17% above $20:
| Price | Rate | Referral fee | Net after fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| $20.00 | 10% | $2.00 | $18.00 |
| $20.99 | 17% | $3.57 | $17.42 |
| $22.00 | 17% | $3.74 | $18.26 |
Pricing at $20.99 nets you $0.58 less than pricing at $20.00, despite charging the customer more. You need to reach roughly $21.70 before you are ahead again. The same pattern applies at $10 in Baby, Beauty and Health & Personal Care, and at $15 in Grocery.
The Brand Referral Bonus
Sellers who send external traffic to Amazon listings — Google Ads, social, email, influencers — can earn a credit of roughly 10% of qualifying sales against their referral fees. In effect it discounts the referral rate on any sale you generated yourself rather than one Amazon delivered.
It requires Brand Registry and tracking through Amazon Attribution. For a 15% category, the effective rate on externally driven sales falls to around 5% — which changes the maths on whether off-Amazon advertising is worth running.
What you can and cannot control
- The rate itself: not negotiable. It is set by category and applies equally to every seller.
- Your category: worth verifying. Miscategorised products can be charged the wrong rate. It must be the genuinely correct category — deliberately miscategorising is a policy violation with real consequences.
- Your price relative to tier boundaries: fully in your control. See above.
- The Brand Referral Bonus: available if you drive outside traffic. Otherwise irrelevant.
The referral fee is only one line in the total. Model it against fulfillment, storage and cost of goods together with the FBA profit calculator, or see the complete guide to Amazon seller fees for every other charge.