IncomeWikiAmazon FBA
Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) lets sellers send inventory to Amazon fulfillment centers, where Amazon stores products and handles picking, packing, shipping, customer service, and returns. Sellers earn the difference between product revenue and costs such as inventory, Amazon selling fees, FBA fees, advertising, and other operating expenses.
Quick Facts
Item | Typical figure |
|---|---|
Individual selling plan | US$0.99 per item sold |
Professional selling plan | US$39.99/mo |
Seller startup spending | 64% started with less than US$5,000 |
Seller monthly sales | 40% reported US$1,000–25,000 |
Profit margin | 57% reported margins above 10% |
Time commitment | 71% reported less than 20 hours/week |
The startup, revenue, profit-margin, and time figures above come from Jungle Scout's 2024 survey of Amazon sellers and businesses and should not be interpreted as guaranteed FBA outcomes.
Earnings
Amazon FBA does not pay sellers a fixed rate. Revenue depends on the products sold, selling price, sales volume, and demand, while profit depends heavily on product cost, Amazon fees, fulfillment costs, advertising, returns, and inventory management.
A 2024 Jungle Scout survey found the following monthly sales distribution among Amazon sellers:
Monthly sales | Sellers |
|---|---|
Under US$500 | 31% |
US$501–1,000 | 17% |
US$1,001–5,000 | 22% |
US$5,001–10,000 | 11% |
US$10,001–25,000 | 7% |
US$25,001–50,000 | 5% |
US$50,001–100,000 | 4% |
US$100,001–250,000 | 1% |
US$251,000–500,000 | 1% |
These figures measure sales revenue, not take-home income.
Profit margins
The same survey reported the following profit margins among small and midsize Amazon sellers:
Profit margin | Sellers |
|---|---|
1–5% | 12% |
6–10% | 16% |
11–15% | 13% |
16–20% | 15% |
21–25% | 15% |
26–50% | 13% |
51–100% | 1% |
Not currently profitable | 13% |
Overall, 57% reported margins above 10%, while 28% reported margins above 20%.
These results cover Amazon SMB sellers rather than only FBA sellers, so they are useful marketplace benchmarks rather than an FBA-specific earnings guarantee.
Minimum Entry Setup
There is no fixed inventory investment required to become an Amazon seller. The cheapest practical entry depends heavily on whether a seller develops a private-label product or resells existing products.
Requirement | Minimum option | Cost | Priority | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Amazon seller account | Individual plan | US$0.99/item sold | Essential | No fixed monthly subscription |
Product inventory | Small test inventory | Variable | Essential | Depends on sourcing model |
Product research | Manual Amazon research | Free | Recommended | Paid research software is optional |
FBA fulfillment | Pay per unit sold | From US$2.50/unit | Essential for FBA | Small-standard items start at this fulfillment cost |
Advertising | Organic launch | US$0 additional | Optional | Paid ads can become a major operating expense |
Amazon recommends the Individual plan for sellers expecting fewer than 40 sales per month. The Professional plan costs US$39.99 per month and provides additional selling, advertising, reporting, and brand-management tools.
Actual seller startup spending is substantially higher when inventory is included. Jungle Scout's 2024 survey found:
16% started with less than US$500.
9% spent US$500–1,000.
16% spent US$1,001–2,500.
23% spent US$2,501–5,000.
18% spent US$5,001–10,000.
17% spent more than US$10,000.
Overall, 64% reported starting with less than US$5,000.
How It Makes Money
A typical FBA transaction works like this:
The seller sources or manufactures a product.
Inventory is shipped to an Amazon fulfillment center.
The product is listed in the Amazon store.
A customer purchases the product.
Amazon picks, packs, and ships the order.
Amazon deducts applicable selling and FBA costs.
The remaining proceeds are paid to the seller.
A simplified unit economics calculation is:
Profit per unit = Selling price − product cost − Amazon referral fee − FBA fulfillment cost − storage − inbound shipping − advertising − other costs
For example, two products selling for the same price can have very different margins because FBA fulfillment costs depend on packaged size and shipping weight.
Costs
Selling plan
Amazon offers two US selling plans:
Plan | Price | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
Individual | US$0.99/item sold | Low-volume sellers |
Professional | US$39.99/mo | Higher-volume sellers |
Amazon generally positions the Individual plan for sellers below 40 units per month and the Professional plan for sellers above that level.
Referral fees
Amazon charges a referral fee when a product sells.
The percentage varies by product category and is generally calculated from the total sales price. Some categories also have minimum referral fees or different percentages at different price levels.
This fee is separate from FBA fulfillment costs.
FBA fulfillment
FBA charges a fulfillment cost for each unit shipped. The cost covers services including picking, packing, shipping, customer service, and returns handling and depends primarily on product dimensions and shipping weight.
Selected current US rates include:
Size tier / shipping weight | Fulfillment cost |
|---|---|
Small standard, ≤4 oz | US$2.50 |
Small standard, 4+–8 oz | US$2.65 |
Small standard, 8+–12 oz | US$2.95 |
Small standard, 12+–16 oz | US$3.21 |
Large standard, ≤4 oz | US$3.48 |
Large standard, 1+–1.5 lb | US$5.13 |
Large bulky, ≤1 lb | US$8.84 |
For large bulky products above the first pound, Amazon adds US$0.38 for each additional pound interval.
Because fulfillment cost rises with size and weight, product dimensions can materially change the economics of an FBA product.
Inventory storage
Amazon charges monthly storage based on the daily average volume occupied by inventory in its fulfillment centers.
Inventory | Jan–Sep | Oct–Dec |
|---|---|---|
Standard size | US$0.78/cu ft/mo | US$2.40/cu ft/mo |
Oversize | US$0.56/cu ft/mo | US$1.40/cu ft/mo |
The sharp increase during October through December makes slow-moving inventory more expensive during the holiday period.
Aged inventory
Inventory stored in an Amazon fulfillment center for more than 181 days can incur an aged-inventory surcharge.
This creates an additional cost for sellers who over-order products or whose sales fall below expectations.
Other possible FBA costs
Depending on the product and inventory situation, sellers can also incur:
returns processing costs;
inventory removal or disposal costs;
liquidation costs;
FBA inbound placement costs;
additional storage-related charges.
Advertising through Amazon Ads is another optional but potentially significant expense.
Software & Tools
FBA can be operated using Amazon's own seller tools, while third-party software is commonly used for product research, keyword research, inventory analysis, and profitability estimates.
Tool | Price | Level | Difficulty | Main use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Included with seller account | Beginner | Moderate | Listings, orders, inventory, reports | |
Free | Beginner | Easy | Estimate fees and product economics | |
Pay per advertising activity | Intermediate | Moderate | Product advertising |
Before sourcing inventory, Amazon's Revenue Calculator can be used to compare estimated Amazon fulfillment costs with seller fulfillment for a specific product.
Requirements
Sellers need an Amazon selling account before using FBA.
Individual products and categories can also have selling restrictions. Amazon advises sellers to check whether a product is eligible before creating a listing, with additional requirements potentially applying to areas such as hazardous materials and products with expiration dates.
Sellers sourcing existing branded products may also need documentation such as supplier invoices to demonstrate that products are legitimate or satisfy Amazon's selling requirements.
International sellers must additionally account for the customs, tax, import, and regulatory requirements of the markets in which they sell.
Risks / Things to Know
Inventory risk. Unlike businesses that sell digital products, FBA sellers can have significant capital tied up in physical inventory. Products that sell slowly continue generating storage costs and can eventually incur aged-inventory charges.
Margins can be fee-sensitive. Referral fees, fulfillment, storage, inbound shipping, advertising, returns, and product costs all come out of the same selling price. A product with healthy gross margin before Amazon expenses can have much lower net profitability after them.
Size and weight matter. FBA fulfillment pricing is directly affected by packaged dimensions and weight. Small changes in packaging or product design can therefore change per-unit economics.
Advertising costs can pressure profitability. Jungle Scout's 2025 survey of Amazon sellers and businesses found growing advertising expenses were a concern for 32% of respondents, alongside higher shipping and product costs.
Unsold inventory becomes progressively more expensive. Standard-size storage rates are substantially higher from October through December, and inventory stored longer than 181 days can face additional charges.
Sources
Amazon — Selling plans and standard selling fees: https://sell.amazon.com/pricing
Amazon — Fulfillment by Amazon: https://sell.amazon.com/fulfillment-by-amazon
Amazon — FBA fees guide, July 24, 2026: https://sell.amazon.com/blog/fba-fees-guide
Amazon — Fee and revenue estimation tools: https://sell.amazon.com/pricing/estimate
Amazon — Amazon selling FAQ: https://sell.amazon.com/learn/faq
Jungle Scout — How Much Money Do Amazon Sellers Make? 2024 seller survey: https://www.junglescout.com/resources/articles/how-much-do-amazon-sellers-make/
Jungle Scout — State of the Amazon Seller 2025: https://www.junglescout.com/resources/reports/amazon-seller-report-2025/