2026-06-11 · 14 min read
Amazon FBA Fees in 2026: Complete Breakdown of Every Charge
Every Amazon FBA fee explained for 2026, including fulfillment fees, storage fees, inbound placement fees, and the new surcharges that went into effect this year.
Amazon raised FBA fees again in 2026. Fulfillment fees increased by $0.08 to $0.31 per unit depending on size tier. Storage fees added a new non-peak monthly rate. And the inbound defect program, which used to charge $0.02 to $0.07 per unit, now charges $0.32 to $5.72 per item for shipments that arrive damaged or mislabeled. If you have not recalculated your margins in the past six months, you are probably underestimating your costs.
Fulfillment fees by size tier
Amazon charges fulfillment fees per unit shipped based on the product's size and weight. The 2026 rates:
Small standard (16 oz or less): $3.06 to $3.68. Large standard (up to 20 lbs): $4.75 to $10.88. Large bulky (up to 150 lbs): $9.61 to $13.58 plus $0.38 per lb over 2 lbs. Extra-large: $26.33 and up. Apparel and dangerous goods have different schedules and generally cost more.
Amazon also added a low-inventory surcharge in 2024 that carried into 2026. If your inventory level is consistently below 28 days of supply, you pay an additional $0.32 to $1.11 per unit. Keeping inventory in stock reduces fees here.
Storage fees
Monthly storage fees are charged on the 7th to 15th of the following month. The 2026 rates: January to September, $0.78 per cubic foot for standard-size, $0.56 per cubic foot for oversize. October to December (peak season): $2.40 per cubic foot for standard-size, $1.40 for oversize.
Q4 storage costs three times more than the rest of the year. Sellers who send in too much inventory in October pay for that mistake through November and December. Use the FBA inventory planning tool in Seller Central to match supply to projected demand.
Long-term storage fees kick in on any unit that has been in a fulfillment center for more than 365 days. The rate is $6.90 per cubic foot per month or $0.15 per unit, whichever is greater. These fees used to apply only twice per year; now they are assessed monthly.
Inbound placement fees
Amazon now charges for how your shipment gets distributed across fulfillment centers. If you send everything to one location (minimal placement), you pay $0.21 to $1.32 per unit for the freight Amazon needs to move your inventory to demand regions. Distributing your shipment to multiple fulfillment centers yourself (optimized placement) reduces or eliminates this fee.
The practical tradeoff: shipping to one location is simpler, but inbound placement fees eat margin on high-volume SKUs. For items you sell more than 200 units per month, run the math on whether multi-destination shipping saves money.
Inbound defect fees
New in 2025 and carried through 2026: inbound defect fees apply when your shipment arrives at a fulfillment center with problems. The main defect types are unexpected items (product not on the shipment manifest): $0.32 per unit. Unscannable barcodes: $0.16 per unit. Prep problems (not poly-bagged, not bubble-wrapped as required): $0.32 per unit. Damaged product: up to $5.72 per item for items that are unsellable on arrival.
These fees are charged per defective unit. A single shipment of 500 units with 10% prep errors costs $16 in defect fees on top of your normal fulfillment costs. At scale, this adds up fast. The fix: audit your prep process, use a 3PL that knows Amazon's requirements, and review the inbound problem report in Seller Central after every shipment.
Referral fees
Referral fees are a percentage of the selling price paid on every sale. These are separate from FBA fees. Most categories run 8% to 15%. Jewelry and fine art run 20%. Kindle accessories pay 45%. Referral fees do not change with FBA fee adjustments, but they apply to the full sale price including any shipping you charge.
How to calculate your true landed cost
True landed cost per unit equals: product cost + shipping to Amazon + inbound placement fee + fulfillment fee + storage fee (estimated days in warehouse divided by 30 multiplied by monthly rate multiplied by cubic footage) + referral fee. Add any expected inbound defect fees if your prep is imperfect.
Most sellers only calculate product cost plus fulfillment fee plus referral fee. The other charges, especially storage and inbound fees, are what makes a product that looks profitable on paper break even or lose money in practice.
The April 2026 surcharge update
Amazon added a temporary peak-period surcharge in April 2026 for large and extra-large items. The surcharge adds $0.20 to $0.40 per unit on items shipped between mid-April and late June. If you sell heavy or bulky products, check whether this applies to your size tier and adjust prices accordingly.