Amazon Sets 2026 Holiday Fulfillment Fees at $0.32 Per Unit Above Standard Rates

Quick Facts

Holiday peak fulfillment fees average $0.32 per unit above non-peak rates, running October 15, 2026, through January 14, 2027.
A 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge, added in April, will stack on top of holiday peak fees and has no set expiration date.
Amazon advises sellers to ship Black Friday and Cyber Monday inventory to FBA by October 28 to avoid capacity limits.

Amazon announced this week that holiday peak fulfillment fees for 2026 will mirror last year’s structure, averaging $0.32 per unit above standard rates. The fees apply to Fulfillment by Amazon, Remote Fulfillment with FBA, Multi-Channel Fulfillment, and Buy with Prime from October 15, 2026, through January 14, 2027.

Fees are calculated when shipments leave fulfillment centers. Any product shipping on or after October 15 will carry the peak-season charge.

The per-unit cost pressure does not stop there. Amazon’s 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge, which took effect April 17, will apply on top of holiday peak fees. That surcharge averages $0.17 per unit for U.S. FBA orders, though the amount varies by item size. Amazon said it will remain in effect until further notice.

The surcharge was introduced citing disruptions tied to the Iran conflict, which affected transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Crude oil reached $112 per barrel in early April, up from roughly $60 in early February. Amazon has levied similar charges before, including a 5% fuel and inflation surcharge on FBA in 2022.

Noah Wickham, VP of sales and marketing at Amazon seller agency My Amazon Guy, said on LinkedIn that he expects Amazon will keep the surcharge regardless of whether fuel prices fall. Amazon said on Seller Central that it implements surcharges to recover a portion of actual cost increases, similar to other major carriers.

Q4 storage fees will also climb. Standard-size products stored from January through September cost $0.78 per cubic foot per month. That rate jumps to $2.40 per cubic foot during October through December.

Amazon warned sellers to expect lower capacity limits at fulfillment centers during November and December, when those facilities shift focus to processing outbound customer orders. To manage overflow inventory, Amazon recommends its Amazon Warehousing and Distribution service. Sellers enrolled in AWD during Q4 2025 saw a 13% increase in shipped units and a 30-plus percent reduction in out-of-stock days.

Inventory deadlines for Black Friday and Cyber Monday are tight. AWD shipments must arrive by October 14. FBA shipments using the minimal shipment splits option must arrive by October 21. The most popular option, Amazon-optimized shipment splits, carries an October 28 deadline.

Deal submissions for Prime Big Deal Days are open July 8 through September 8. Submissions for Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday run July 8 through October 20. Sellers who submit Prime Big Deal Days deals by August 5 or holiday deals by September 5 save $50 on the upfront promotion fee.

Amazon also announced a new Global Warehousing and Distribution center in Shanghai opening July 16, joining a Shenzhen facility that opened April 9. Amazon says the Shenzhen location cuts storage costs by up to 45% compared to U.S. AWD rates and gets inventory to U.S. fulfillment centers up to seven days faster when paired with Amazon Global Logistics.

Peak-rate fees for FBA and Remote Fulfillment with FBA are now visible in the Revenue Calculator, Profit Analytics dashboard, and Fee and Economics Preview Report, allowing sellers to compare costs across fulfillment types ahead of the season.

Amazon said it did not raise U.S. referral or FBA fees and did not add new fee types for 2026. The company lowered some fees and added benefits to support new product selection growth, though it did not specify which fees were reduced.