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Amazon FBA fees UK, with a worked example
The referral fee, the FBA fulfilment fee, storage and VAT, explained with Amazon's February 2026 UK rates and a worked example on a £12.99 product.
On a typical small product selling for £12.99 through Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA), Amazon's fees come to about £4.07 per sale, or £4.88 if you're not VAT registered. That's before your product cost, the monthly plan fee and any advertising. Most of it is two fees: the referral fee (a percentage of the price) and the FBA fulfilment fee (a fixed amount based on size and weight).
Below is each fee with Amazon's current UK rates, then a full worked example.
The fees at a glance
| Fee | What it is | Typical amount |
|---|---|---|
| Referral fee | A percentage of the sale price, by category | 15% in most categories |
| FBA fulfilment fee | Picking, packing and delivering each order | £1.83 to £3.58 for most small items |
| Monthly storage | Space your stock takes up in Amazon's warehouses | £0.76 per cubic foot a month (Jan to Sep) |
| Selling plan | Professional plan, or a fee per item on Individual | £25 a month, or £0.75 per item |
| VAT on the fees | 20% on Amazon's fees for UK sellers | Reclaimable only if VAT registered |
1. The referral fee
The referral fee is a percentage of the sale price, set by product category. Most categories are 15%, with a £0.25 minimum per item. Some categories have lower rates on cheaper items (Amazon UK pricing):
| Category | Referral fee |
|---|---|
| Pet Supplies | 15% |
| Kitchen | 15% |
| Sports and Outdoors | 15% |
| Toys and Games | 15% |
| Home Products | 8% up to £20, 15% above |
| Baby Products | 8% up to £10, 15% above |
| Beauty, Health and Personal Care | 8% up to £10, 15% above |
| Everything else | 15% |
Amazon's pricing page describes the fee as a percentage of the total sales price, including any delivery charge. Its FAQ also says "excluding any taxes", so check the exact figure for your product in Amazon's revenue calculator. In the example below we've worked it out on the price the customer pays, which is the cautious choice.
2. The FBA fulfilment fee
This is a fixed fee per unit sold, based on the packaged size and weight. Envelopes are charged on the actual weight. Parcels are charged on the actual weight or the "dimensional weight" (length × width × height in cm ÷ 5,000), whichever is higher.
Amazon's UK rates from 1 February 2026 for the most common small sizes (Amazon FBA rate card):
| Size tier | Maximum size | Weight | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light envelope | 33 × 23 × 2.5 cm | up to 100 g | £1.83 to £2.08 |
| Standard envelope | 33 × 23 × 2.5 cm | up to 210 g | £2.10 |
| Standard envelope | 33 × 23 × 2.5 cm | up to 460 g | £2.16 |
| Large envelope | 33 × 23 × 4 cm | up to 960 g | £2.72 |
| Small parcel | 35 × 25 × 12 cm | 150 g to 3.9 kg | £2.91 to £3.27 |
| Standard parcel | 45 × 34 × 26 cm | 150 g to 11.9 kg | £2.94 to £3.58 |
Oversize items cost more, from £3.49 upwards. Clothing, footwear and a few other categories have their own parcel rates, so check the rate card if you sell those.
Tip: a few millimetres can move a product into a cheaper tier. Something packed 2.6 cm thick pays the large envelope rate instead of the standard envelope rate, about 60p more per sale.
3. Storage fees
Amazon charges for the space your stock takes up each month. For standard-size items in most categories, it's £0.76 per cubic foot a month from January to September, rising to £1.51 from October to December. A cubic foot is about 28 litres.
For small products, this is usually pennies per unit, as long as stock sells within a few months. Stock that sits for a long time can attract a storage utilisation surcharge, from £0.42 per cubic foot a month once your stock-to-sales ratio passes 22 weeks.
4. The selling plan
To use FBA you'll want the Professional plan: £25 a month plus VAT. The Individual plan has no monthly fee but charges £0.75 per item sold, so it only makes sense below about 33 sales a month.
5. VAT on Amazon's fees
Amazon adds 20% VAT to its fees for UK sellers. If you're VAT registered, you reclaim it. If you're not, it's a real cost that makes every fee 20% higher. Our guide to import VAT when you're not VAT registered covers this in more detail.
Worked example: a £12.99 product
A silicone dog lick mat, 20 × 20 × 1 cm and 160 g in its packaging, in Pet Supplies, selling for £12.99. It fits the standard envelope tier (up to 33 × 23 × 2.5 cm and 210 g).
| Per sale | VAT registered | Not VAT registered |
|---|---|---|
| Referral fee (15% of £12.99) | £1.95 | £1.95 |
| FBA fulfilment fee (standard envelope) | £2.10 | £2.10 |
| Storage (about two months) | £0.02 | £0.02 |
| VAT on those fees (20%) | reclaimed | £0.81 |
| Amazon's fees | £4.07 | £4.88 |
| Shipping your stock to Amazon (example) | £0.20 | £0.20 |
| VAT on the sale, paid to HMRC | £2.16 | none |
| Left from £12.99 before the product cost | £6.56 | £7.91 |
From that, take off the landed cost of the product: £1.73 if you're VAT registered or £2.01 if not, as worked out in our landed cost guide. That leaves £4.83 or £5.90 profit per sale.
Then allow for the £25 plan fee. At 100 sales a month, that's another 25p a sale (30p if you're not VAT registered).
What's not included
- Advertising. Most new listings need some sponsored ads to get seen. Budget for it per sale.
- Returns. Refunds and damaged returns cost money in most categories.
- Low-inventory and other surcharges. Amazon charges extra in some situations, such as running very low on stock. Check the rate card for the current rules.
DealDetective includes these in every Amazon analysis. You can set your own advertising and returns allowance in Settings.
Sources
Checked on 13 October 2026.
- Amazon UK: Selling on Amazon pricing (plans and referral fees)
- Amazon: FBA rate card, fees effective 1 February 2026
- Armstrong Watson: New Amazon VAT charges, what UK sellers need to know
Fees, tax rates and rules change. Figures were checked on 13 October 2026 against the sources listed above. This guide is general information, not tax or financial advice.