Referral Fee
Also known as: Amazon Commission
The referral fee is the commission Amazon takes on each sale — a percentage of the total sale price (typically 8–15%, most categories 15%) charged to every seller regardless of fulfillment method.
The referral fee is Amazon's commission for providing the marketplace and is charged on every sale, whether you fulfill via FBA or FBM. It is a percentage of the total sale price — item price plus shipping and any gift wrap — not of your profit. Most categories are 15%, but rates range roughly from 8% (some electronics) to 17% (jewelry above a threshold), and some categories use tiered rates by price.
Many categories also carry a per-item minimum referral fee (commonly $0.30), so very low-priced items pay the floor rather than the percentage. The referral fee is separate from and stacks on top of the FBA fulfillment fee, storage fees, and any ad spend.
Because the referral fee scales with price while the fulfillment fee is flat, it is the dominant fee on higher-priced items and a primary input to every margin calculation. Knowing your category's exact rate is essential before setting price or evaluating a sourcing deal.
A home-goods item sells for $40 in a 15% referral-fee category. Referral fee = 40 × 0.15 = $6.00. That $6 is deducted in addition to the FBA fulfillment fee before the seller sees net proceeds.