What Is Amazon FBA? Everything US Sellers Need to Know in 2026

• Register as a seller at Seller Central
• list your products
• and ship your inventory to an Amazon fulfillment center.

Amazon stores your stock, processes orders automatically and handles all shipping and customer service. Your job is to keep your listings optimized and your inventory levels healthy.

How Much Money Do You Need to Start Amazon FBA in the US?

The amount depends on your product type, category and target volume. As a general starting point, we recommend at least $5,000 in startup capital if you are entering Amazon FBA as a growing business aiming for long-term profitability. That figure covers more than just Amazon fees.

• Additional costs to plan for include business registration (cost varies by state and business structure),
• the Professional Seller Account at $39.99 per month (worthwhile if you sell more than 40 units per month, otherwise the Individual plan charges $0.99 per sale),
• advertising costs which typically run 10 to 20% of product value in the early stages,
• product sourcing and manufacturing,
• shipping to Amazon fulfillment centers,
• import duties and your EORI number if importing internationally.

Ongoing costs also include accounting, product photography, Amazon seller tools, samples, licenses, trademark registration and any marketing materials.

Important note: FBA costs in the US vary depending on several factors including product size, weight, price tier and how long items stay in storage. There is no one-size-fits-all number, which is why running the calculator before committing to any product is non-negotiable.

The main fees US sellers pay are:

• Professional Seller Account: $39.99 per month (worthwhile if you sell more than 40 units per month, otherwise the Individual plan charges $0.99 per sale)
• Referral fees: Between 8% and 15% depending on category, with a minimum of $0.30 per item
• Fulfillment fees: Cover picking, packing and shipping, varying by product size, weight and price tier. From 2026 these are organized into three bands: under $10, $10 to $50, and over $50
• Storage fees: Charged monthly based on volume and significantly higher between October and December
• Low-Stock Fee: Applies at the FNSKU level when inventory falls below 28 days of cover, ranging from $0.20 to $0.70 per unit
• Return processing fees: Apply to apparel and shoes on every returned unit, and to other categories above a category-specific return rate threshold
• Fuel surcharge: From April 17, 2026 a 3.5% surcharge applies on top of all fulfillment fees, averaging around $0.17 per unit

All current fees and the official FBA revenue calculator are available directly in your Amazon Seller Central account.

• Good to know: If you ship via FBM instead, the storage and fulfillment fees fall away entirely because you or a third party fulfillment provider like Quivo handle those directly.
   

Current Fee Changes for 2026 at a Glance

• Average FBA fee increase of $0.08 per unit from January 15, 2026, the first increase after a full freeze in 2025
• Products over $50 saw the largest increases: small standard items up by ~$0.51, large standard items up by ~$0.31
• Extra-large items saw an average fee decrease of $2.08 per unit
• Products under $10 benefit from an expanded Low-Price FBA discount averaging $0.86 per unit
• 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge on all fulfillment fees from April 17, 2026
• Storage, aged inventory and return processing fees were selectively increased
• No new fee types were introduced for 2026

To keep your US FBA costs under control, here are the most effective levers:

1. Manage your storage actively

   Use a third party warehouse or prep center for slower moving inventory to avoid Amazon storage fees while keeping your fast-moving lines inside FBA.

2. Keep inventory above 28 days of cover 

   Staying above the Low-Stock threshold at the FNSKU level avoids an unnecessary per-unit charge on every affected item.

3. Optimize your packaging

   Compact, lightweight packaging reduces your size tier and therefore your fulfillment fee. Small dimension changes can move a product into a cheaper bracket.

4. Price strategically around the $10 threshold

   Products under $10 qualify for significantly lower Low-Price FBA rates, saving an average of $0.86 per unit.

5. Enter your manufacturing costs in Seller Central

   This protects you if Amazon loses or damages your stock. Without it, Amazon estimates the value, typically 20 to 30% below your actual cost.

6. Optimize listings for AI discovery

   Sellers who structure their titles, bullets and descriptions for Amazon's Rufus AI are seeing 20 to 25% sales increases, which directly reduces the relative impact of fees on your margin.

Amazon FBA Revenue Calculator:

Before launching any product, always run a full cost calculation first.

• Use either the official FBA revenue calculator in Seller Central or one of the many third party FBA calculators available online. A thorough cost analysis is the foundation of every profitable Amazon business.