FBA Referral Fees by Category – Full Table
The referral fee is Amazon’s commission on every sale. It comes off the top before you see a dollar. It applies to FBA and FBM. It applies to the item price and any shipping you charge the buyer. And unlike fulfillment fees, which vary by size and weight, the referral fee is determined entirely by the category your product is listed in.
One clarification before the table: referral fees did not change in 2026. The rates below are the same as 2025. What changed in 2026 were fulfillment fees, storage fees, and inbound placement fees covered in detail in Amazon FBA Fees Explained. The referral rate is the one predictable element in an increasingly complex fee structure.
Full Referral Fee Table by Category – 2026
| Category | Referral Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Most categories | 15% | Default rate |
| Electronics | 8% | All price points |
| Computers | 8% | All price points |
| Camera and Photo | 8% | All price points |
| Cell Phones and Accessories | 8% | Phones only; accessories 8% |
| Consumer Electronics | 8% | All price points |
| Video Game Consoles | 8% | All price points |
| Personal Computers | 6% | Lowest rate on Amazon |
| Automotive | 12% | All price points |
| Industrial and Scientific | 12% | All price points |
| Clothing and Accessories | 5% under $15, 10% $15-$20, 17% over $20 | Tiered |
| Shoes and Handbags | 5% under $15, 10% $15-$20, 17% over $20 | Tiered |
| Grocery under $15 | 8% | Price-based tier |
| Grocery over $15 | 15% | Price-based tier |
| Health and Personal Care under $10 | 8% | Price-based tier |
| Health and Personal Care over $10 | 15% | Price-based tier |
| Jewelry under $250 | 20% | Tiered |
| Jewelry $250-$1,000 | 15% | Tiered |
| Jewelry over $1,000 | 5% | Tiered |
| Fine Art under $100 | 20% | Tiered |
| Fine Art $100-$1,000 | 15% | Tiered |
| Fine Art $1,000-$5,000 | 10% | Tiered |
| Fine Art over $5,000 | 5% | Tiered |
| Books | 15% + $1.80 closing fee | Per unit |
| Music | 15% + $1.80 closing fee | Per unit |
| DVDs | 15% + $1.80 closing fee | Per unit |
| Video Games | 15% + $1.80 closing fee | Per unit |
| Software | 15% + $1.80 closing fee | Per unit |
| Amazon Device Accessories | 45% | Highest rate |
| Gift Cards | 20% | All price points |
Minimum referral fee: $0.30 per unit for most categories. If the calculated percentage produces a fee below $0.30, you pay $0.30. This matters significantly for low-priced items more on that below.
Tiered Referral Fees – The Categories Where Price Changes the Rate
Several categories use tiered referral fees where the percentage changes based on the sale price. Sellers in these categories need to model fees at their exact price point, not use a flat rate.
Clothing and Accessories restructured its tiers to benefit lower-priced items:
- Under $15: 5%
- $15 to $20: 10%
- Over $20: 17%
A $10 shirt pays $0.50 in referral fees. The same shirt at $25 pays $4.25. The tier jump at $20 is the most impactful pricing threshold in apparel after the $50 fulfillment fee threshold.
Jewelry rewards high-ticket items:
- Under $250: 20%
- $250 to $1,000: 15%
- Over $1,000: 5%
A $5,000 piece of jewelry has an effective blended referral rate of approximately 8.7% lower than electronics on a percentage basis, despite the high nominal rate at entry level.
Grocery and Health and Personal Care both use simple price-based tiers:
- Under threshold (varies): 8%
- Over threshold: 15%
Sellers in these categories should check whether pricing just below the threshold ($14.99 vs $15.00 for Grocery) changes the referral fee meaningfully enough to affect net margin.
The Minimum Fee Trap – What $0.30 Costs You at Low Price Points
Every category has a minimum referral fee of $0.30 per unit (with a few exceptions). If the calculated percentage fee is below $0.30, you pay $0.30 regardless.
At what price point does the minimum kick in?
For a 15% category: $0.30 ÷ 15% = $2.00. Any product priced below $2.00 pays the minimum.
For an 8% category: $0.30 ÷ 8% = $3.75. Any product priced below $3.75 pays the minimum.
The minimum fee is a regressive cost. A $2.00 accessory in a 15% category pays the minimum $0.30 an effective rate of 15%. A $1.50 accessory in the same category also pays $0.30 an effective rate of 20%.
For sellers with products priced under $5 in any category, the minimum fee deserves specific attention in your margin model. The FBA Fee Calculator applies the minimum fee automatically when the calculated percentage drops below the threshold.
Media categories Books, Music, DVDs, Video Games, Software add a $1.80 variable closing fee per unit on top of the 15% referral fee. A $5 used book pays $0.75 in referral fees plus $1.80 closing fee $2.55 in combined fees on a $5 sale. That is 51 percent of the sale price in fees before FBA fulfillment, storage, or COGS.
Referral Applies to Shipping – The Cost Most Sellers Miss
The referral fee is calculated on the total amount the buyer pays item price plus any shipping charges. It does not apply to sales tax.
If you list a product at $19.99 with $4.99 shipping, the referral fee is calculated on $24.98, not $19.99.
At 15%: $24.98 × 15% = $3.75 versus $19.99 × 15% = $3.00. That is $0.75 extra in referral fees per order from the shipping charge alone.
FBA sellers typically offer free shipping (Prime covers delivery). The referral fee on a Prime listing with free shipping applies only to the item price. But FBM sellers who charge shipping need to include the shipping amount in their referral fee calculation or their margin model understates the cost.
Category Choice as a Margin Decision
The referral fee is set at listing. The browse node you assign determines the category. The category determines the rate. Category misassignment intentional or accidental costs real money.
A product correctly listed in Electronics at 8% versus incorrectly listed in Home and Kitchen at 15% on a $30 sale:
Electronics: $30 × 8% = $2.40
Home and Kitchen: $30 × 15% = $4.50
$2.10 difference per unit. At 500 units per month: $1,050 per month from the wrong browse node assignment.
Amazon audits category assignments. Deliberate miscategorization to access a lower referral rate violates seller policies and can result in listing removal or account suspension. The rate difference needs to come from legitimate category eligibility not misassignment.
Where legitimate opportunity exists: products that genuinely qualify for multiple categories. A smart speaker could qualify as Consumer Electronics (8%) or Amazon Device Accessories (45%) depending on how it is positioned. A fitness tracker could be Sports and Outdoors (15%) or Consumer Electronics (8%). When a product legitimately belongs in multiple categories, choose the one with the lower referral rate.
The GO/NO-GO impact of category choice is significant. For the same product at $24.99 with $8.00 COGS and $5.00 fulfillment costs, the full margin comparison is in FBA Profit Margin Benchmarks by Category which maps referral rates to realistic margin ranges across 10 categories.
Pricing Floor by Category – The Minimum Price to Not Lose Money
The referral fee creates a category-specific pricing floor. Below that floor, every unit sold loses money before COGS and fulfillment are even counted.
Pricing floor formula:
Minimum Price = (COGS + FBA Fee + Fuel Surcharge + Inbound Shipping) ÷ (1 − Referral Fee %)
Example: product with $6.00 COGS, $4.30 small standard fulfillment fee, $0.15 fuel surcharge, $0.50 inbound shipping.
Total costs: $10.95
At 15% referral (Home and Kitchen): $10.95 ÷ 0.85 = $12.88 minimum price
At 8% referral (Electronics): $10.95 ÷ 0.92 = $11.90 minimum price
The electronics category allows a $0.98 lower minimum price before breaking even or equivalently, $0.98 more net profit at the same selling price.
For a product priced at $14.99 in both categories:
At 15%: Net before PPC = $14.99 − $2.25 referral − $10.95 costs = $1.79 per unit
At 8%: Net before PPC = $14.99 − $1.20 referral − $10.95 costs = $2.84 per unit
$1.05 per unit difference from category choice alone. At 1,000 units per month: $1,050 per month.
The FBA Fee Calculator calculates your exact pricing floor and net profit at your category’s referral rate alongside all other 2026 fees. The full step-by-step profit calculation including how referral fee feeds into the break-even formula is in How to Calculate FBA Profit.
Rates verified June 19, 2026. See changelog.
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Check My Savings →FAQ
Q: What are Amazon referral fees by category in 2026?
A: Most categories charge 15%. Electronics, Computers, Camera, Cell Phones, and Consumer Electronics charge 8%. Personal Computers charge 6% the lowest rate. Amazon Device Accessories charge 45% the highest. Clothing charges 5% under $15, 10% from $15-$20, and 17% over $20. Jewelry charges 20% under $250, 15% from $250-$1,000, and 5% above $1,000. Referral fees did not change in 2026.
Q: Does Amazon referral fee apply to shipping charges?
A: Yes. The referral fee is calculated on the total amount the buyer pays item price plus any shipping charges collected. It does not apply to sales tax. FBA sellers with Prime free shipping pay referral only on the item price. FBM sellers who charge shipping must include the shipping amount in their referral fee calculation.
Q: What is the minimum Amazon referral fee?
A: The minimum referral fee is $0.30 per unit for most categories. If the calculated percentage fee is below $0.30, you pay $0.30 regardless. Media categories Books, Music, DVDs, Video Games, Software add a $1.80 variable closing fee per unit on top of the 15% referral fee.
Q: How does category choice affect FBA profit margin?
A: The referral fee is determined by the category your product is listed in. The same product at 8% versus 15% referral saves $2.10 per unit on a $30 sale. At 1,000 units per month that is $2,100 per month difference from category assignment alone. When a product legitimately qualifies for multiple categories, choose the one with the lower referral rate. Use the FBA Fee Calculator to model the margin impact of category choice on your specific product.