Amazon Cost and Fee Checklist
A comprehensive checklist of every cost Amazon sellers should account for when calculating profitability. Use this as a reference when building your product P&L.
Watch out for hidden costs that kill margins. Many sellers only budget for referral fees and FBA fees — but aged inventory surcharges, return processing fees, coupon redemption fees, and currency conversion costs can silently erase what looks like a healthy margin. Review every category below before you commit to a product.
Use the FBA Profit Calculator to model your specific product with real numbers. Enter your sale price, COGS, and dimensions to see exactly what Amazon takes before you source.
Many sellers underestimate costs because they only look at a few obvious fees. The checklist below covers six categories of expenses. Review each line item when evaluating a new product or auditing an existing one.
Amazon Fees
Fees charged directly by Amazon for selling on the platform.
| Cost Item | Description | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|
| Referral Fee | Percentage of the sale price paid to Amazon on every unit sold; varies by category | 8 – 15% of sale price |
| FBA Fulfillment Fee | Per-unit pick, pack, and ship fee for orders fulfilled by Amazon | $3.22 – $10+ per unit |
| Monthly Storage Fee | Charged per cubic foot for inventory stored in Amazon warehouses; higher in Q4 | $0.87 – $2.40 per cu ft |
| Aged Inventory Surcharge | Extra fee on inventory stored longer than 181 days (formerly long-term storage fee) | $0.50 – $6.90 per cu ft |
| Professional Seller Subscription | Monthly fee for a Professional selling account (waived on the Individual plan, which charges per-item instead) | $39.99 / month |
| Closing Fee (Media) | Fixed per-unit fee on media items such as books, DVDs, and video games | $1.80 per unit |
| FBA Removal / Disposal Fee | Per-unit fee to return or dispose of unsold inventory | $0.97 – $5.28 per unit |
| Refund Administration Fee | When Amazon refunds a customer, it keeps the lesser of $5 or 20% of the referral fee | Up to $5 per refund |
Product Costs
Costs related to sourcing or manufacturing your product.
| Cost Item | Description | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Manufacturing / Wholesale Cost | The per-unit price you pay your supplier (COGS) | Varies widely; aim for 25 – 35% of sale price |
| Packaging and Labeling | Custom packaging, poly bags, FNSKU labels, and inserts | $0.20 – $2.00 per unit |
| Product Inspection | Third-party quality inspection before shipping from the factory | $200 – $500 per inspection |
| Sample Costs | Pre-production samples from manufacturers for testing | $50 – $200 per sample round |
Shipping and Logistics
Costs to move your product from the supplier to Amazon or the customer.
| Cost Item | Description | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|
| Freight (Ocean / Air) | Shipping from factory to destination port or warehouse; ocean is cheaper but slower | $1 – $8+ per unit (ocean); $4 – $15+ (air) |
| Customs Duties and Import Taxes | Tariffs based on HS code and country of origin | 0 – 25%+ of declared value |
| Customs Broker Fee | Fee for a broker to handle import paperwork and classification | $100 – $250 per shipment |
| Domestic Shipping to FBA | Trucking or small parcel cost from your warehouse to Amazon fulfillment centers | $0.20 – $1.50 per unit |
| Prep Service Fee | Third-party prep center charges for labeling, bundling, and FBA-compliant packaging | $0.50 – $3.00 per unit |
Marketing
Advertising and promotional costs to drive traffic and launch products.
| Cost Item | Description | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon PPC (Sponsored Products / Brands / Display) | Pay-per-click advertising on Amazon; spend depends on category competition | 10 – 30% of revenue (varies) |
| Coupons and Promotions | Discount amount plus a $0.60 redemption fee per coupon clip | Discount amount + $0.60 each |
| Lightning Deals Fee | Fee to participate in time-limited Lightning Deals | $150 – $500 per deal |
| Product Photography / Video | Professional images, infographics, and video for listings | $200 – $2,000+ per listing |
| External Advertising | Facebook, Google, or influencer traffic driven to Amazon or a landing page | Varies; budget-dependent |
Operations
Recurring costs to keep your Amazon business running day to day.
| Cost Item | Description | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|
| Software and Tools | Seller tools for research, keyword tracking, analytics, and PPC management | $30 – $300+ / month |
| Virtual Assistant / Staff | Hiring help for customer service, listing updates, or PPC management | $5 – $25 / hour |
| Brand Registry / Trademark | One-time trademark filing plus potential attorney fees for Amazon Brand Registry | $250 – $1,500 (one-time) |
| Accounting / Bookkeeping | Monthly bookkeeping services or software (QuickBooks, Xero) | $20 – $300 / month |
| Product Liability Insurance | Required by Amazon once you exceed $10K in monthly sales; protects against claims | $500 – $2,000 / year |
Miscellaneous
Costs that are easy to overlook but can add up over time.
| Cost Item | Description | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|
| Returns and Refunds | Lost revenue from returned units plus any restocking or disposal fees | 2 – 10% of revenue |
| FBA Reimbursement Gaps | Lost or damaged inventory that Amazon does not automatically reimburse; requires manual claims | 1 – 3% of FBA revenue |
| Sales Tax Compliance | Software or service to file sales tax across multiple states (e.g., TaxJar, Avalara) | $10 – $50 / month per state |
| Currency Conversion Fees | Fees when selling on international marketplaces and converting disbursements to your home currency | 1 – 3% of disbursement |
| Graphic Design and A+ Content | Professional design for enhanced brand content and storefront pages | $300 – $1,500 per listing |
Pre-Launch Checklist
Tick every box before you commit to a product. If you cannot estimate a line item, you do not yet have enough information to proceed.
- Unit COGS — Manufacturing or wholesale cost per unit confirmed with supplier
- Packaging and labeling — Poly bags, FNSKU labels, inserts costed out
- Freight and duties — Ocean/air shipping plus import tariffs estimated
- Prep and inbound shipping — Prep center and trucking to FBA included
- Amazon referral fee — Category-based percentage looked up and applied
- FBA fulfillment fee — Size tier and weight confirmed; fee looked up in Amazon fee schedule
- Storage fees — Monthly and Q4 aged-inventory surcharge scenarios modeled
- PPC spend — Advertising budget as a percentage of revenue estimated for launch phase
- Returns allowance — Expected return rate applied to revenue based on category average
- Software and tools — Monthly subscription costs spread across units sold
- Target margin verified — Net margin after all costs meets your minimum threshold