Real Amazon FBA profit: from sale price to money in the bank

The example product

We use one product throughout. Try your own in the same order in the profit calculator; the link opens with this example filled in.

Cost 1

Referral fee

Amazon takes a percentage of the sale price: 15% in most categories, with a $0.30 minimum per item.

$25.00 × 15% = $3.75

The rate depends on the category: 8% in consumer electronics, 20% on the first $250 in jewelry. Clothing is tiered by price: 5% at $15 and below, 10% from $15 to $20, 17% above $20. Beauty and health: 8% at $10 and below, 15% above. Picking the wrong category moves your profit without warning.

Cost 2

FBA fulfillment fee and dimensional weight

On the 2026 card the fee depends on three things: size tier, billable weight and price band (under $10, $10–50, over $50). Billable weight is the greater of the packaged weight and the dimensional weight.

Dimensional weight = (10 × 8 × 3) ÷ 139 = 1.73 lb

The product weighs 1 lb, but the box bills it as 1.73 lb. The fulfillment fee is $5.57. Since April 17, 2026 a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge comes on top: $0.19. Total $5.76.

In the smaller box the same product pays $1.00 less per unit. At 300 units a month that is $3,600 a year.

From October 15, 2026 to January 14, 2027 the peak card applies. The same product in the 10 × 8 × 3 box then pays $6.10 with the surcharge; the calculator switches to the peak card in that window too.

Cost 3

Monthly storage

Storage is charged on the volume the product takes up: $0.78 from January to September and $2.40 from October to December (per cubic foot, per month, standard size).

(10 × 8 × 3) ÷ 1728 = 0.139 ft³ → 0.139 × $0.78 = $0.11 / month

If a unit waits 2 months on average before it sells, that is $0.22 per unit. The same months in October–December cost $0.67: storage is three times dearer in Q4. From day 181 in storage an aged inventory surcharge starts as well.

Cost 4

Advertising: TACoS, not ACoS

ACoS only looks at ad-attributed sales. What moves profit is ad spend divided by total sales (TACoS). Advertising cost per unit:

Ads per unit = TACoS × price = 10% × $25.00 = $2.50

Break-even ACoS equals your margin before advertising. Here that is 34.0%; every ad order above it loses money.

Cost 5

Returns

When a customer returns an item, Amazon refunds the referral fee minus a refund administration fee: 20% of the referral, capped at $5.00. The original FBA fee is not refunded.

Loss per return = $5.76 + ($3.75 × 20%) = $6.51

At a 5% return rate with units coming back sellable, each sold unit carries $0.33. Unsellable returns add the product cost. Products above their category's return-rate threshold also pay a returns processing fee.

Costs 6 and 7

Account fee and bringing the money home

The Professional plan is $39.99 a month: $0.13 per unit at 300 units a month.

Converting Amazon's dollar payout into your home currency costs a conversion fee. Amazon's own converter starts at 1.50% and falls to 0.75% with volume. We measured 0.29% for USD→TRY at a transfer service that uses the mid-market rate (September 25, 2026), plus a fixed $2.23 per bank payout.

Payout per unit $15.27 × 1.50% = $0.23 | × 0.29% = $0.04

Putting it together

Most profit calculators stop at the subtotal. The real net only shows up in the lines after it.

Storage time, TACoS, return rate and monthly units are example assumptions; replace them with your own. Income tax is not included.

Five ways to win the margin back

1. Shrink the box. When dimensional weight beats real weight, every inch costs money. Here it is $1.00 per unit.
2. Watch the price-band edges. The FBA fee jumps at $10 and $50. For a 1 lb large standard item, $50.00 versus $50.01 changes the fee by $0.26.
3. Plan Q4 stock. October–December storage costs three times as much. Don't leave excess stock in FBA at the end of September.
4. Track TACoS, not ACoS. If ads grow organic sales, TACoS falls; if they don't, ads only eat margin.
5. Compare currency conversion. On $100,000 of payouts a year, 1.50% versus 0.29% is $1,211 (fixed payout fees excluded).

Checklist

• Is the category right, and the referral rate with it?
• Did you enter box dimensions and account for dimensional weight?
• Is the price just above the $10 or $50 edge?
• Is the 3.5% fuel surcharge included?
• Is storage based on how long units actually sit in FBA?
• Are ads deducted per unit through TACoS?
• Are the return rate and the loss per return included?
• Are currency conversion and the account fee spread per unit?

Free tools

• Amazon FBA profit calculator — dimensional weight, fuel surcharge and "Show the math"
• FBA storage fee calculator
• TACoS calculator
• Landed cost calculator
• Multi-currency profit calculator

Sources

• Amazon — 2026 US FBA fulfillment fee changes
• Amazon — Monthly inventory storage fees
• Amazon — Selling fees (referral)
• Amazon Currency Converter for Sellers

Published September 27, 2026. Figures come from the fee tables our calculators use; when a table changes, this page changes with it.