Update to Amazon FBA & US Referral Fees: June 1, 2021

There has been a notable update from Amazon in regards to their referral and Amazon FBA fees for some product categories effective June 1, 2021. 

What a year for Amazon, and the e-Commerce world. In the midst of a global pandemic, online shopping has quickly become “the norm” for a lot of people, who have turned to buying everything from their groceries to gifts and housewares online. No doubt, Amazon has increasingly become a platform that shoppers have migrated towards to find everything that they are looking for.

In reaction to this, Amazon has had to adapt quickly to the shopping demand of customers, as well as the need for their fulfillment services by sellers worldwide. Amazon has stated:

“We increased square footage across our fulfillment and logistics network by 50%, opening dozens of new delivery stations and fulfillment centers around the world. We built more than 250 tools and services to help you manage and grow your business, such as the Growth Opportunities page to help you drive new sales, FBA Liquidations to help you recover value from inventory and improve sustainability, and improved Seller University courses to guide you on how to use all of these new tools and services effectively.” 

Throughout the surge of online shopping, and the need for Amazon’s network in 2020, the company chose to postpone their annual fee adjustment, cutting back on changes to the seller and allowing them to focus on growing their business. Now, as we have completed a quarter in 2021, Amazon has released a notice that they will be updating their referral and FBA fees effective June 1, 2021. These fee changes are going to reflect in the following areas: 

• FBA Fulfillment Fee Changes 
• Amazon Referral and Program Fee Changes 
• FBA Returns Processing Fee Changes 
• FBA New Selection Program Changes 
• FBA Fee Changes for Removals, Disposals, and Manual Processing Fee 
• FBA Small and Light Fee Changes 

Clicking thru the links above will allow you to read the finer details on each fee adjustment. Based on our assessments of these articles, here are the key takeaways: 

• Small Standard Items (non-apparel, that weigh 6oz or less) will be increasing in FBA Fulfillment Fees by $0.20/unit 

• There has also been an additional weight tier added to the Small Standard classification. 

• Small Standard Items (apparel, that weigh 6oz or less) will be increasing in FBA Fulfillment Fees by $0.08/unit 

• There has also been an additional weight tier added to the Small Standard classification. 

• Referral Fee Percentages have changed for Full-Size Appliances, Personal Computers, Veterinary Diets, and the Renewed Program on Amazon. There are no other changes to referral fees for any other categories.  
• The returns processing fee is decreasing for items returned within the Apparel and Shoes category, as well as being eliminated in the Watches, Jewelry, Luggage, Handbags, and Sunglasses categories. 
• Removal and Disposal fees for items removed from FBA Fulfillment Centers is increasing between $0.05-$0.15/unit in most size tiers. 
• The FBA Manual Processing Fee (fee charged for not providing box content labels when sending items to Amazon) is increasing from $0.10 to $0.15 per unit January thru October and from $0.15 to $0.30 per unit November-December. 
• There are specific changes to the Small and Light program that make it more enticing for sellers to join. Some of these are:  

• The weight limit to have an eligible item in the program (10oz to 12oz) 
• The size limit of the product  

 For more information about Amazon’s FBA fees, please refer to Amazon’s official FBA Fees page. and follow our Marketplace Updates page for up-to date Amazon news for Vendor Central and Seller Central users. If you have any specific questions, or need clarification on any of the above, please reach out to the Retail Bloom Team for further clarification.