Amazon raises shipping fees by 3.5% for some merchants

Amazon will add a new 3.5% “fuel and logistics-related surcharge” for sellers who use its shipping services due to rising oil prices.

The temporary fee hike kicks in on April 17 for sellers in the US and Canada who use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), which merchants have come to rely on to handle storage and shipping.

From May 2, the new surcharge will also apply to items Amazon ships for merchants who sell through their own websites or other retailers. Essentially, merchants enrolled in Amazon’s Buy With Prime and Multi Channel Fulfillment programs will also have to pay the higher fee.

“Elevated costs in fuel and logistics have increased the cost of operating across the industry,” Amazon said in a statement to sellers. “We have absorbed these increased costs so far.”

However, like other carriers, Amazon said it adds temporary surcharges when costs rise to offset increases. To be sure, UPS last week raised its prices by 8% for some packages until early next year due to rising fuel prices.

Amazon maintained its surcharge is “meaningfully lower” than rivals. On average, this equates to 17 cents per unit for US FBA, though this will vary based on the item’s size and dimensions, the company said.

Still, Amazon’s elevated shipping fee puts more pressure on merchants already dealing with heavy tariffs, Sky Canaves, eMarketer analyst for retail and e-commerce, told Retail Brew in an email.

“Amazon’s new surcharges are just the latest blow to sellers who have been struggling to maintain profitability in the wake of the past year’s unprecedented tariff burdens, and comes on top of Amazon fee increases that took effect earlier this year,” Canaves wrote.

In January 2026, Amazon raised shipping fees at FBA by 8 cents on average after keeping costs unchanged in 2025.

“While Amazon’s surcharge is lower than, say, the 8% added by the US Postal Service, the lack of an end date signals an expectation that fuel prices will remain elevated for months,” Canaves added.

Amazon had previously instituted a 5% surcharge in 2022 as a response to rising fuel costs and inflation.