Amazon Implements 3.5% Fuel and Logistics Surcharge on FBA Seller Fees

Sellers utilizing Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) services will soon face an additional 3.5% charge, designated as a "fuel and logistics-related surcharge," on their fulfillment fees. This new fee is slated to take effect on April 17, 2026. Amazon has indicated that for U.S. FBA orders, this change will translate to an average increase of approximately 17 cents per unit. The announcement, made on April 2, 2026, follows closely on the heels of a similar move by the USPS, which declared an 8% surcharge on packages commencing April 26, 2026. Reports from CNBC also highlight that UPS and FedEx have similarly introduced higher fuel surcharges in response to the ongoing Iran war.

Amazon’s communication on April 2nd further clarified that the 3.5% surcharge will also be applied to Buy with Prime and Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) transactions, beginning May 2, 2026.

The introduction of this surcharge has been met with skepticism from sellers, who question its temporary nature as described by Amazon. On the industry discussion board "Sellers Ask Sellers," one seller expressed a common sentiment: "The real problem is – has anyone ever seen a surcharge go away before on Amazon – even if the problem that causes it does? The answer is no – so this is the new FBA fee, until it goes up again." This sentiment was echoed on LinkedIn by Jon Derkits of the Amazon agency Color More Lines, who described the surcharge as "tempermanent."

Further reflecting seller concerns, a response on Amazon’s announcement post stated, "These fees are never temporary. Please advise how long we should plan them to be part of our cost structure." An Amazon moderator addressed this by stating, "This surcharge will be in place until further notice, and we’ll reassess as conditions evolve."

In response to a seller’s concern about Amazon’s expenses potentially exceeding seller income, another Amazon moderator provided a detailed explanation:

"We know you’re navigating economic pressures in your own business, and we take the impact of any cost change seriously. This surcharge is separate from our annual fee updates – it’s a direct response to persistently elevated costs impacting our operations as well as the broader industry. We have absorbed these increased costs so far.

However, similar to other major carriers, when costs remain elevated, we implement temporary surcharges on our fulfillment fees to recover a portion of the actual cost increases we are experiencing. Due to the work we have already done together to lower costs, this surcharge is meaningfully lower than other major carriers, and we will continue to evaluate this surcharge as conditions evolve.

To help you plan, we’ve updated the Revenue Calculator, Profit Analytics, and Fee and Economics Preview reports, so you can see the specific impact on your business."

One seller posed a direct challenge to Amazon’s policy, framing it as a "what’s good for the goose is good for the gander" situation:

"Seeing as Amazon is increasing it’s fees due to current real-world events, will you be allowing Sellers to increase their item and reimbursements costs as we too have to deal with the same real-world events.?

1) If yes – How is Amazon facilitating that change and helping Sellers to do so?
2) If no – Why not? Why do you get to cover additional costs but we don’t?"

Amazon’s official announcement regarding the surcharge detailed the following:

Fuel and logistics-related surcharge: FBA, MCF, and BWP in US and CA

Elevated costs in fuel and logistics have increased the cost of operating across the industry. We have absorbed these increased costs so far. However, similar to other major carriers, when costs remain elevated, we implement temporary surcharges on our fulfillment fees to recover a portion of the actual cost increases we are experiencing.

Starting April 17, 2026, a 3.5% fuel and logistics-related surcharge will be applied to fulfillment fees across Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) in the US and Canada as well as to Remote Fulfillment with FBA from the US into Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. Starting May 2, 2026, this surcharge will take effect for Buy with Prime in the US and Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) in the US and Canada. Due to the work we have already done together to lower costs, this surcharge is meaningfully lower than other major carriers.

The surcharge will be calculated on your fulfillment fees, not on the sale price of your items. On average, this equates to $0.17 per unit for US FBA, though this will vary based on your item’s size and dimensions. The Revenue Calculator, Profit Analytics, and Fee and Economics Preview reports have been updated to reflect the surcharge and provide both the per-unit impact and the full business impact for your FBA products.

We know this impacts your business. The tools above are available to help you plan, and we will continue to evaluate this surcharge as conditions evolve.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership.

This current surcharge follows a similar imposition by Amazon in 2022, when the company introduced a 5% fuel and inflation surcharge on FBA fees.