Amazon Referral Fees by Category: Complete 2026 Guide

Every time you sell a product on Amazon, you pay a referral fee — essentially Amazon's commission for connecting you with buyers. The percentage varies significantly by category, from as low as 5% to as high as 45%. Knowing your category's referral fee is essential for pricing your products correctly and understanding your true margins.

This guide provides the complete 2026 referral fee table for all Amazon US product categories, explains tiered pricing structures, and shows you how to check the exact fee that applies to your products.

What Is Amazon's Referral Fee?

The referral fee is a percentage of the total sales price that Amazon charges on every item sold. The "total sales price" includes the item price, any shipping charges, and any gift wrap charges. It does not include sales tax.

Key things to understand about referral fees:

• Charged on every sale, regardless of whether you use FBA or ship the product yourself (FBM)
• Category-specific — rates range from 5% to 45% depending on the product category
• Some categories have tiered rates, where the percentage changes based on the sale price
• Minimum referral fee of $0.30 applies in most categories — you pay whichever is greater, the percentage or the minimum
• Applied per item, not per order

Complete 2026 Referral Fee Table

Below is the comprehensive referral fee table for all product categories on Amazon US. Categories marked with an asterisk (*) have tiered pricing explained in the next section.

Understanding Tiered Referral Fees

Several categories use a tiered pricing structure where the referral fee percentage changes based on the item's sale price. This is important because the tiers split at the price point — they don't switch entirely from one rate to another.

How Tiered Fees Work

Take the Jewelry category as an example: the referral fee is 20% on the first $250 and 5% on any amount over $250.

For a $400 piece of jewelry:

• 20% on the first $250 = $50.00
• 5% on the remaining $150 = $7.50
• Total referral fee = $57.50 (effective rate: 14.4%)

Compare that to a flat 20% rate, which would be $80.00. The tiered structure benefits sellers of higher-priced items in these categories.

Categories with the Most Impactful Tiers

Category	Lower Tier	Upper Tier	Impact
Jewelry	20% (up to $250)	5% (over $250)	Major savings on luxury items
Watches	16% (up to $1,500)	3% (over $1,500)	Huge savings on premium watches
Fine Art	20% (up to $100)	Down to 5% (over $5K)	Four tiers, lowest for high-value art
Furniture	15% (up to $200)	10% (over $200)	Moderate savings on higher-priced furniture
Electronics Accessories	15% (up to $100)	8% (over $100)	Almost halves the rate above $100

The Minimum Referral Fee Explained

Most categories have a minimum referral fee of $0.30. This means Amazon charges whichever is greater: the percentage-based fee or $0.30.

This minimum primarily affects very low-priced items. For example, in the Home & Kitchen category (15% referral fee):

• A $5.00 item: 15% = $0.75, which is above the minimum, so you pay $0.75
• A $1.99 item: 15% = $0.30, which equals the minimum, so you pay $0.30
• A $0.99 item: 15% = $0.15, which is below the minimum, so you pay $0.30

If you sell products priced under $2, the minimum referral fee significantly increases your effective referral rate. For a $0.99 item, $0.30 is effectively a 30% referral fee — double what the percentage rate would suggest.

Media Closing Fee

Media categories (Books, DVD, Music, Software, Video Games) have no minimum referral fee but do have an additional closing fee of $1.80 per item. This is on top of the 15% referral fee. For a $9.99 book, you'd pay $1.50 (referral) + $1.80 (closing) = $3.30 total, or an effective rate of 33%.

How to Check Your Product's Referral Fee

The table above covers broad categories, but Amazon has hundreds of sub-categories, and the referral fee can sometimes vary at the sub-category level. Here's how to verify the exact fee for your product:

Method 1: Revenue Calculator in Seller Central

1. Log into Seller Central
2. Search for your product (or a competitor's ASIN)
3. Go to the Revenue Calculator (under "Pricing" in the menu)
4. Enter the sale price and it will show you the exact referral fee breakdown

Method 2: Fee Preview in Listings

1. In Seller Central, go to your listing
2. Click "Edit" on the listing
3. Go to the "Offer" tab
4. The fee breakdown will show referral fee percentage and amount

Method 3: Amazon Fee Schedule Page

Amazon publishes the official fee schedule in Seller Central under Help > Fee Schedule. This is the authoritative source and is updated whenever rates change.

Method 4: Use a Third-Party Calculator

Our free FBA calculator lets you input your product details and see the exact referral fee along with all other FBA fees across 21 Amazon marketplaces.

Category Choice and Its Impact on Profitability

The category your product is listed in directly affects your bottom line. A 7-percentage-point difference between an 8% and 15% category fee means significantly different margins, especially at scale.

Example: Same Product, Different Categories

Consider a smart home device that could reasonably be listed in either Consumer Electronics (8%) or Home & Kitchen (15%). On a $49.99 product:

	Consumer Electronics (8%)	Home & Kitchen (15%)
Sale price	$49.99	$49.99
Referral fee	$4.00	$7.50
Difference	$3.50 per unit
Annual impact (1,000 units/month)	$42,000/year

That's $42,000 per year in additional profit just from the category assignment. However, you can't just pick any category — your product must legitimately fit the category you choose. Amazon can reclassify products that are listed in the wrong category.

Low-Fee Categories Worth Exploring

If you're in the product research phase, these categories offer the lowest referral fees and can be good starting points for margin-conscious sellers:

• Consumer Electronics (8%) — Bluetooth speakers, smart home devices, cables
• Computers (8%) — Peripherals, accessories, components
• Video Game Consoles (8%) — Console accessories
• Full-Size Appliances (8%) — Major kitchen and laundry appliances
• Tires (10%) — Specialty, niche category
• Automotive (12%) — Car accessories and parts
• Business & Industrial (12%) — B2B supplies and equipment

Referral Fees on International Marketplaces

Referral fee rates are not identical across all Amazon marketplaces. While the structure is similar, the exact percentages and category definitions can vary between the US, UK, EU, Japan, and other marketplaces.

Some general differences:

• UK and EU marketplaces often have slightly different rate tiers and thresholds
• Japan (amazon.co.jp) has its own fee structure with different percentage breakpoints
• Some categories that exist on the US marketplace may not exist (or may be merged with other categories) on international marketplaces
• Currency differences mean the absolute dollar amounts of minimum referral fees vary

For EU-specific fee details, see our Amazon FBA Fees UK & Europe 2026 guide. The Reevy FBA calculator supports all 21 Amazon marketplaces and applies the correct referral fee for each one.

Common Referral Fee Mistakes to Avoid

1. Calculating the fee on the item price only — Referral fees apply to the total sale price including shipping and gift wrap charges, not just the item price.
2. Ignoring tiered pricing — If your product is in a tiered category, calculating the fee at the wrong tier will give you incorrect margins.
3. Using outdated rates — Amazon updates fees periodically. Rates from 2024 may not match 2026 rates. Always verify.
4. Forgetting the minimum fee on low-priced items — The $0.30 minimum can dramatically increase your effective rate on items under $2.
5. Not checking sub-category rates — Some sub-categories have different rates than the parent category. Always verify in Seller Central.