Amazon selling fees for used items: plan, referral and closing fees

Amazon fees depend on three choices you make before listing

An Amazon payout can look generous or thin for the same item, depending on which selling plan you pick, which fee category the item falls in, and whether you ship it yourself or send it to Amazon. Used-item sellers feel this most, because they often sell lower-priced goods where a fixed charge or a minimum fee takes a bigger bite.

This guide lays out Amazon's selling fees from its pricing page, checked November 8, 2026, then works three used-item sales through them.

The plan fee

The break-even is simple arithmetic: $39.99 ÷ $0.99 is about 40.4. If you regularly sell more than about 40 items a month, the Professional plan costs less in plan fees alone. Amazon's own FBA page makes a similar point, saying Professional "might be more cost-effective if you sell 40 items or more per month". Below that, Individual is cheaper, though it lists one product at a time and has fewer tools.

The referral fee

Amazon charges a referral fee on each sale, set by fee category. A selection from the pricing page:

Two details matter. First, Amazon says an item's total sales price, which the percentage applies to, includes shipping and gift wrap charges. Second, Amazon notes that a product's fee category may not match the category shoppers see in the store, so check the fee category guidelines for anything unusual.

Worked examples

These are chosen examples on the Individual plan, sold and shipped by you (Fulfilled by Merchant), with no other fees.

A used paperback. It sells for $12.00 and the buyer pays $3.99 shipping, so the total sales price is $15.99.

The $1.80 closing fee is the reason many sellers avoid very cheap used books on Amazon. On a $4 book, it can exceed the referral fee.

A used board game. It sells for $25.00 with free shipping. Fees: $0.99 + 15% × $25 = $0.99 + $3.75 = $4.74.

A used Bluetooth speaker. Consumer Electronics at 8%. It sells for $40.00 with free shipping: $0.99 + 8% × $40 = $0.99 + $3.20 = $4.19.

In each case you still pay for the label, packaging and the item itself. The profit tool puts all of those in one place.

Referral-fee incentives: Amazon's pricing page advertises incentives for new sellers, including referral-fee waivers. Read the current terms on Amazon's site; this guide doesn't assume any.

Fulfillment fees, if you use FBA

If you send items to Amazon's warehouses through Fulfillment by Amazon, you also pay fulfillment fees based on price, weight and dimensions, monthly storage fees, and charges such as aged inventory, returns processing, removal or disposal, and inbound placement. Those are covered in the FBM vs FBA guide. FBA is available on either plan.

Step 1: Find the fee category

Search the product in Seller Central and note its fee category, not just the store category. If it's media, remember the $1.80 closing fee.

Step 2: Add shipping to the price base

If the buyer pays shipping, the referral percentage applies to item plus shipping. Don't calculate 15% of the item price alone.

Step 3: Add the plan cost

On Individual, add $0.99 per item. On Professional, spread $39.99 across your expected monthly sales: at 60 sales, that's about $0.67 each; at 20 sales, about $2.00 each.

Step 4: Check the minimum

For low-priced items in categories with a $0.30 minimum referral fee, the minimum may be higher than the percentage. A $1.50 item at 15% would owe $0.23, so the $0.30 minimum applies.

Common mistakes

• Comparing Amazon's percentage to another site's without adding the $0.99 or the closing fee.
• Applying the referral fee to the item price only.
• Assuming the store category is the fee category.
• Moving to Professional at low volume, where the monthly fee outweighs the per-item savings.
• Forgetting FBA's separate fees when estimating an FBA payout.

The fee options tool compares fee structures side by side.

Three numbers per sale

Plan fee, referral fee and, for media, the closing fee: put those on every Amazon price before you list. Then add fulfillment only if you're using FBA.