After a year of relatively stable fees in 2025, Amazon is adjusting its cost structure for 2026. While the headline figure is a modest $0.08 average increase per unit, the reality for many sellers will be more complex due to new size tiers, granular weight brackets, and stricter inventory rules.
Effective January 15, 2026, here are the critical updates every FBA seller must prepare for.
1. Fulfillment Fee Increases
Amazon is moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach, applying different increases based on product price and size.
- Items Under $10: Small standard-size products will see a fee increase of roughly $0.12 per unit. However, Amazon is increasing the "Low-Price FBA" discount to $0.86 (up from $0.77), helping to offset this for some ultra-cheap items.
- Standard Items ($10–$50):
- Small Standard: Fees will increase by approximately $0.25 per unit.
- Large Standard: A smaller increase of roughly $0.05 per unit.
- Items Over $50: Premium products face the steepest hikes. Expect increases of $0.51 per unit for small standard items and $0.31 per unit for large standard items, as Amazon attributes this to the higher cost of faster processing and enhanced services for expensive goods.
2. New "Bulky" Size Tiers
In a major structural change, Amazon is splitting the "Large Bulky" tier into two distinct categories:
- Small Bulky
- Large Bulky
This change aims to offer more precise pricing for items that are heavy but not necessarily massive. However, products in these tiers that are not enrolled in the Ships in Product Packaging (SIPP) program will incur a new packaging fee (averaging $2.07 per unit) to cover the cost of Amazon boxing them. If your bulky items ship in their own box, ensure you are SIPP-certified to avoid this charge.
3. Inbound Placement & Defect Fees
The cost of getting inventory into Amazon’s network is rising and becoming stricter.
- Inbound Placement: Fees for "Minimal Shipment Splits" (sending to just one warehouse) are increasing by an average of $0.05 per unit for standard items. To avoid this, sellers must use the "Amazon-Optimized" split option (sending to 5+ locations), which remains fee-free.
- Defect Fees: A new consolidated Inbound Defect Fee of roughly $0.60 per unit will penalize shipments with labeling errors, missing barcodes, or routing mistakes. This replaces the previous patchwork of smaller fines, making compliance errors significantly more expensive.
4. Low-Inventory & Storage Updates
Amazon is tightening the screws on inventory efficiency.
- Low-Inventory Fee Update: The controversial fee for holding too little stock will now be calculated at the FNSKU level (seller-specific) rather than the parent-ASIN level. This prevents you from being penalized just because other sellers of the same product are out of stock. The threshold remains at 28 days of historical supply.
- Storage Fees:
- Aged Inventory: Items aged 12–15 months will see surcharges rise to $0.30 per unit.
- AWD (Upstream Storage): Storage fees for the Amazon Warehousing & Distribution (AWD) West region will increase to $0.57 per cubic foot, incentivizing sellers to use East or South region facilities (which remain cheaper).
Navigating the new 2026 "Bulky" tiers and Inbound Placement fees can be overwhelming. Linktrans specializes in optimizing supply chains for the modern FBA landscape. Contact us today to discuss how we can help you avoid placement fees and streamline your shipments for the new year.
29 Dec, 2025
