Dive Brief:
- Amazon will levy higher fulfillment fees during the peak holiday shipping season, the company announced to third-party sellers last week.
- The elevated charges, which vary by a product’s size tier and shipping weight, will be active from Oct. 15 to Jan. 14, 2026. They apply to Fulfillment by Amazon, as well as Remote Fulfillment with FBA for Canada and Mexico, Multi-Channel Fulfillment and Buy with Prime.
- FBA fulfillment fees are calculated and charged when shipments leave fulfillment centers. "If a product is ordered before October 15, 2025, but is shipped on or after that date, the peak fulfillment fees indicated to start on October 15, 2025, will apply," the company said on its website.
Fulfillment by Amazon fees to increase during peak season
| Product | Size tier | Non-peak fulfillment fee | Peak fulfillment fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile device case | Small standard | $3.15 | $3.34 |
| T-shirt | Large standard | $4.67 | $5.00 |
| Baby cot | Large bulky | $12.27 | $13.31 |
| Monitor | Extra large 50-70 lbs. | $51.37 | $54.18 |
Source: Amazon
Dive Insight:
The heightened fulfillment fees help Amazon cover elevated operating costs during the busy holiday shopping stretch, according to the company. The increase for this year's peak season is equivalent to the one Amazon implemented during the 2024 holidays.
Amazon didn't elaborate in its announcement on why it maintained the same holiday fee increase instead of bumping up its seasonal charges more like other carriers will this year. However, CEO Andy Jassy noted on a July 31 earnings call that the company made strides in Q2 on lowering its overall cost to serve customers. For example, Amazon increased the share of orders moving straight from fulfillment to delivery without extra stops and made progress on consolidating items into fewer boxes.
"Taken together, these improvements are making the network faster and structurally more efficient," Jassy said.
Amazon's decision to keep peak season fees level with 2024 rates also comes as the e-commerce giant competes with Walmart in the e-commerce fulfillment services space. Walmart recently informed sellers it will waive peak season storage fees from October through Dec. 31, and it is also offering discounts for its Multichannel Solutions fulfillment service.
Amazon's announcement advised sellers to induct inventory into the e-commerce giant's network by October to ensure Prime delivery speeds for Black Friday and Cyber Monday orders. The precise deadline depends on if the seller is bringing inventory into Amazon Warehousing and Distribution or FBA, along with the seller’s inbound shipping plan.
