Amazon seller fees explained: referral fees, tiers and plans
Amazon charges a referral fee on every sale – a percentage of the total price the buyer pays, by category, with a minimum fee of €0.30 per item on amazon.de. On top come the selling plan (€39.00 a month or €0.99 per item) and, with FBA, the fulfilment fees. For a €29.99 kitchen product the referral fee is €4.50.
Choose marketplace and category – the Amazon calculator shows referral fee, FBA, ads and profit per sale.
Open the Amazon calculatorWhat Amazon charges per sale
- Referral fee: a percentage of the total price the buyer pays – item price including VAT, shipping and gift wrap. The rate depends on the category; many categories have tiers.
- Minimum referral fee: if the percentage is lower, Amazon charges the minimum instead (€0.30 on amazon.de, $0.30 on amazon.com).
- Selling plan: Professional costs €39.00 a month on amazon.de ($39.99 on amazon.com), Individual €0.99 per item sold ($0.99).
- Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA): fulfilment and storage fees by size, weight and season – see the note below.
Two kinds of tiers – and a price trap
Tiered categories work in one of two ways. With rates on parts of the price, each rate applies only to the part of the price inside its tier – like income tax. With one rate for the whole item, the total price decides which rate applies to the entire price.
The second kind has a trap: in "Haushaltsprodukte" on amazon.de, an item at €20.00 leaves you €18.40 after the referral fee, at €20.50 only €17.43. Above the threshold you need at least €21.65 to keep the same amount.
Minimum fee example: an item for €1.50 in "Küche" would cost €0.23 at the percentage rate – Amazon charges €0.30. Categories without a minimum on amazon.de: Bücher, Lebensmittel und Gourmet, Musik, Video und DVD, Software, Videospiele und Gaming-Zubehör, Videospielkonsolen.
amazon.de: categories with tiers
Category names as Amazon uses them on amazon.de:
| Category | Referral fee |
|---|---|
| Automobil und Motorsport | 15% on the part up to €50.00, 9% on the part above €50.00 |
| Babyprodukte | 8% if the total price is at most €10.00, 15% otherwise (of the whole price) |
| Kinderwagen und Sicherheitsausrüstung | 8% if the total price is at most €10.00, 15% otherwise (of the whole price) |
| Beauty, Gesundheit und Körperpflege; Körperpflegegeräte | 8% if the total price is at most €10.00, 15% otherwise (of the whole price) |
| Wiederverwendbare Arbeits- und Schutzhandschuhe | 8% if the total price is at most €10.00, 15% otherwise (of the whole price) |
| Kleidung und Accessoires | 5% if the total price is at most €15.00, 10% if the total price is at most €20.00, 15% otherwise (of the whole price); Prime items above €45.00: 15% on the part up to €45.00, 7% on the part above €45.00 |
| Elektronisches Zubehör; Computerzubehör | 15% on the part up to €100.00, 8% on the part above €100.00 |
| Drucker- und Scannerzubehör | 15% on the part up to €100.00, 8% on the part above €100.00 |
| Möbel | 15% on the part up to €200.00, 10% on the part above €200.00 |
| Lebensmittel und Gourmet | 5% if the total price is at most €10.00, 15% otherwise (of the whole price) |
| Haushaltsprodukte | 8% if the total price is at most €20.00, 15% otherwise (of the whole price) |
| Schmuck | 20% on the part up to €250.00, 5% on the part above €250.00 |
| Kleidung und Nahrung für Haustiere | 5% if the total price is at most €10.00, 15% otherwise (of the whole price) |
| Vitamine, Mineralien und Nahrungsergänzungsmittel | 5% if the total price is at most €10.00, 15% otherwise (of the whole price) |
| Uhren | 15% on the part up to €250.00, 5% on the part above €250.00 |
amazon.de: categories with one rate
| Rate | Categories |
|---|---|
| 45% | Amazon-Gerätezubehör |
| 15% | Rucksäcke und Handtaschen, Bücher, Materialien für Unternehmen, Industrie und Wissenschaft, Kompaktgeräte, Fahrradzubehör, Brillen, Schutz für Brillen, Schuhe, Küche, Heimtextilien und Teppiche, Rasen und Garten, Gepäck, Zubehör für Gepäck, Matratzen, Musik, Video und DVD, Bürobedarf, Verpackungsmaterial, Haustierbedarf, Software, Sport und Outdoor, Spielzeug und Spiele, Videospiele und Gaming-Zubehör, Alles andere |
| 13% | Zubehör für Möbel, Werkzeuge und Heimwerkerbedarf, Tür-, Fenster- und Duschzubehör, Klebstoffe und Kabelbinder für den Privatgebrauch |
| 12% | Gewerbliches Elektro- und Energiezubehör, Handgemachte Produkte, Musikinstrumente und AV-Produktion |
| 10% | Bier, Wein und Spirituosen |
| 8% | Videospielkonsolen |
| 7% | Computer, Unterhaltungselektronik, Großgeräte, Reifen |
The Prime rule for clothing on amazon.de
For "Kleidung und Accessoires", Prime items (FBA or seller-fulfilled Prime) above €45.00 use rates on parts of the price instead of one rate for the whole item. A €60.00 item costs €9.00 as a normal offer and €7.80 as a Prime offer.
amazon.com: categories with tiers and rates
"Media (Books, DVD, Music, Software, Video)" additionally has a closing fee of $1.80 per item.
| Category | Referral fee |
|---|---|
| Appliances - Compact | 15% on the part up to $300.00, 8% on the part above $300.00 |
| Baby Products | 8% if the total price is at most $10.00, 15% otherwise (of the whole price) |
| Beauty, Health, and Personal Care | 8% if the total price is at most $10.00, 15% otherwise (of the whole price) |
| Clothing and Accessories | 5% if the total price is at most $15.00, 10% if the total price is at most $20.00, 17% otherwise (of the whole price) |
| Electronics Accessories | 15% on the part up to $100.00, 8% on the part above $100.00 |
| Furniture | 15% on the part up to $200.00, 10% on the part above $200.00 |
| Grocery and Gourmet | 8% if the total price is at most $15.00, 15% otherwise (of the whole price) |
| Jewelry | 20% on the part up to $250.00, 5% on the part above $250.00 |
| Lawn Mowers and Snow Throwers | 15% on the part up to $500.00, 8% on the part above $500.00 |
| Watches | 16% on the part up to $1,500.00, 3% on the part above $1,500.00 |
| Amazon Device Accessories | 45% |
| Backpacks, Handbags, and Luggage, Eyewear, Footwear, Home and Kitchen, Lawn and Garden, Mattresses, Media (Books, DVD, Music, Software, Video), Musical Instruments and AV Production, Office Products, Pet Supplies (except veterinary diets), Sports and Outdoors, Tools and Home Improvement, Toys and Games, Video Games and Gaming Accessories, Everything Else | 15% |
| Automotive and Powersports, Base Equipment Power Tools, Business, Industrial, and Scientific Supplies | 12% |
| Tires | 10% |
| Appliances - Full-size, Computers, Consumer Electronics, Video Game Consoles | 8% |
FBA fees
Fulfilment and storage fees depend on size, weight and season and change often, so we do not copy them. Take them from Amazon's FBA pages (sell.amazon.de/versand-durch-amazon, sell.amazon.com/fulfillment-by-amazon) or the revenue calculator in Seller Central, and enter them in the Amazon calculator.
Worked examples: €29.99 kitchen product on amazon.de, Professional plan, 200 sales a month
Customer price incl. 19 % VAT, no Prime, no FBA and no advertising – only the fees Amazon charges for the sale.
- Referral fee
- €4.50
- Referral fee as share of the customer price
- 15.0%
- Professional plan per sale (€39.00 ÷ 200)
- €0.20
- Amazon fees per sale
- €4.69
- Same sale on the Individual plan
- €5.49
- Professional is cheaper from
- 40 sales a month
Calculate the referral fee on the price the buyer pays, including VAT – and add FBA fees and advertising before you judge the margin.