Returns Processing Fee
Also known as: Return Processing Fee, High Return Rate Fee
The FBA returns processing fee is a per-unit charge Amazon applies to products with high return rates (and to all apparel/shoe returns), introduced June 1, 2024.
Effective June 1, 2024, Amazon charges a returns processing fee on FBA products whose monthly return rate exceeds a category-specific threshold. The fee applies per returned unit above that threshold and is sized like a fulfillment fee — by product category, size, and weight (rates broadly ranging from about $2 to over $11 per unit).
Apparel and Shoes are treated differently: they have no return-rate threshold, so a fee is charged on every returned unit in those categories regardless of how high or low the return rate is. Products that ship fewer than ~25 units per month are generally exempt, and the fee is billed on a delayed schedule (months after the returns occur).
The returns processing fee turns high return rates into a direct, escalating cost, making it a strong incentive to fix the root causes of returns — inaccurate sizing, misleading images, poor quality, or wrong expectations set by the listing. It is separate from the loss of the unit itself and from any returnless refund.
A clothing SKU sells 500 units and gets 60 returns in a month. Because apparel has no threshold, Amazon charges the returns processing fee on all 60 returned units, on top of the lost margin on those orders.