What the 2026 holiday peak fee adds to each Amazon FBA unit
By Felix S. Pavel · Published · Figures checked · 5 min read
Key takeaways
- From October 15, 2026 to January 14, 2027, Amazon's FBA fees rise by an average of $0.32 a unit, with the 3.5% surcharge on top.
- On a $29.99 Home and Kitchen item of 1 to 2 lb, the FBA fee goes from about $6.02 to about $6.37, an estimate from third-party rate cards.
- With a $6.90 landed cost, that item's break-even ACoS falls from about 41.9% to about 40.7% in peak, so an ACoS of 41% stops paying.
- The real increase depends on size and weight: check Fee Preview or the Revenue Calculator in Seller Central for your own items.
From October 15, 2026 to January 14, 2027, Amazon charges higher FBA fees, on average $0.32 a unit more, with its 3.5% surcharge on top. On a $29.99 Home and Kitchen item weighing 1 to 2 pounds, the FBA fee goes from about $6.02 to about $6.37. With a $6.90 landed cost, the break-even ACoS for Sponsored Products falls from about 41.9% to about 40.7%.
The dates and the $0.32 average come from Amazon's own announcement, read on October 21, 2026. The fee for a given item is an estimate: Amazon's tables by size and weight sit in Seller Central, so the per-unit figures here come from third-party 2026 rate cards and a third-party peak table, and are marked "about". Fee Preview in Seller Central shows your real fee.
The peak window
+$0.35more FBA fee on each unit, about, from October 15, 2026 to January 14, 2027
- Outside peak
- FBA fee $6.02Kept before ads $12.57Break-even ACoS 41.9%
- In peak
- FBA fee $6.37Kept before ads $12.22Break-even ACoS 40.7%
When the peak fee applies
Amazon announced the fee on July 7, 2026, in a Seller Forums post from its News_Amazon account. It runs from October 15, 2026 to January 14, 2027, "the same dates as last year". It covers Fulfillment by Amazon, Remote Fulfillment with FBA, Multi-Channel Fulfillment and Buy with Prime. Orders you ship yourself aren't among them.
What counts is the day a unit ships to the buyer. Supply Chain Dive reported that FBA fees are charged when shipments leave the fulfillment center, so units shipped on or after October 15 pay the peak rate. AMZ Prep, a third-party prep company, says the same: the fee is set when a unit leaves the building, not when the order is placed. The season is already under way, and units shipped from January 15 go back to the regular rate.
What it adds to each unit
Amazon says the increase over non-peak rates is the same as last year, "averaging $0.32 per unit". The 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge applies on top of the peak fee. An average hides a spread. In a table Supply Chain Dive sourced to Amazon, a mobile device case goes from $2.49 to $2.68 in peak, and a T-shirt from $6.14 to $6.53.
Our engine starts from the non-peak fee on a third-party rate card (GOAT Consulting's 2026 card), adds the peak amount for the item's size and weight row from AMZ Prep's third-party peak table, then the surcharge. The rows run from $0.19 a unit for the smallest items to $0.54 for large standard items over 3 pounds, and more for bulky and extra-large ones. Amazon's two examples land on those rows. For a large standard item of 1.75 to 2 pounds, the row adds $0.33 before the surcharge, close to the average. Treat every figure below as an estimate.
- Sale price
- $29.99
- Referral fee (15%, official)
- −$4.50
- FBA fee in peak, with the 3.5% surcharge (about, estimate)
- −$6.37
- Left before your cost and ads, in peak (about)
- $19.12
Outside peak the FBA fee is about $6.02, fees come to $10.52 and $19.47 is left. In peak, fees come to about $10.87. Worked out with the site's Amazon fee calculator; the FBA figures are estimates.
What it does to profit per unit
Take the site's example seller, whose unit costs $6.90 delivered to Amazon. Before ads, each unit keeps about $12.57 outside peak and about $12.22 in peak. That leaves out storage, returns and the plan fee. Amazon's announcement also mentions an off-peak storage rate, so storage is a second seasonal cost to check.
| Outside peak | In peak | |
|---|---|---|
| Referral fee (official) | $4.50 | $4.50 |
| FBA fee with surcharge (about) | $6.02 | $6.37 |
| Amazon fees in all (about) | $10.52 | $10.87 |
| Landed cost (example) | $6.90 | $6.90 |
| Kept before ads (about) | $12.57 | $12.22 |
| Break-even ACoS (about) | 41.9% | 40.7% |
How it lowers your break-even ACoS
ACoS is ad spend divided by the sales the ads bring. Amazon Ads says your ACoS "needs to be lower than your profit margin" to stay profitable. The break-even ACoS is that line: what a unit an ad brings keeps before the ad, divided by the price. Here it is about 41.9% outside peak and about 40.7% in peak. The peak fee comes out of what each unit keeps, so the line moves down.
| Your ACoS | Outside peak | In peak |
|---|---|---|
| 30% | about $397 more than the ads cost | about $358 more than the ads cost |
| 41% | about $22 more than the ads cost | loses about $6.17 |
| 55% | loses about $238 | loses about $259 |
The middle row is the one to watch. An ACoS of 41% pays for itself outside peak and stops paying in peak, at these numbers. A seller at 30% still comes out ahead, a little less so. A seller at 55% was already losing money and loses a bit more.
Cheaper items feel it more
Here is the same 1 to 2 pound item at three prices, with the same $6.90 landed cost. All three sit in the same $10 to $50 band of the FBA rate card, so the FBA fee and the peak fee are the same on each. The fee takes a bigger share of the cheaper item.
| Price | Kept before ads, outside peak | Kept before ads, in peak | Break-even ACoS, outside peak | Break-even ACoS, in peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $19.99 | $4.07 | $3.72 | 20.4% | 18.6% |
| $29.99 | $12.57 | $12.22 | 41.9% | 40.7% |
| $49.99 | $29.57 | $29.22 | 59.2% | 58.5% |
The $19.99 item has the least room. Its ads must stay under about 18.6% in peak, against about 20.4% before. The $49.99 item barely moves.
What to check during the season
- Your own peak fee. Amazon's announcement says peak rates are in the Revenue Calculator, the Profit Analytics dashboard and the Fee and Economics Preview Report.
- Your break-even ACoS with the peak fee in it, for each item you advertise. Our break-even ACoS calculator shows both seasons side by side.
- Items whose ACoS sat a little under the line before October 15. They are the ones that can turn from a small gain into a loss.
- Low-priced items, where the same fee takes a bigger share of the price.
- Your targets again after January 14, when units ship at the regular rate.
For the full list of what selling on Amazon costs, including storage and returns, see what selling on Amazon costs a seller in 2026. The fee calculator shows any item in and out of peak.
Sources
- Holiday 2026: Same fees, same eligibility, earlier deadlines · Amazon Seller Forums (News_Amazon) · July 7, 2026
- Amazon announces 2026 holiday fulfillment fees, advises early shipping · Supply Chain Dive · July 13, 2026
- 2026-2027 Holiday Peak FBA Fulfillment Fees for USA and Canada · AMZ Prep · August 20, 2026
- 2026 Amazon FBA Fee Changes: What Sellers Need to Know · GOAT Consulting · April 10, 2026
- What is advertising cost of sales (ACOS)? Calculation and tips · Amazon Ads · October 21, 2026
Money figures are worked out by the same engine as our calculators, at the fees checked on October 21, 2026. Platforms change their fees; every rule we use, with its source and date, is on the fee rates page.
How this post was made: drafted with AI help. Every figure and rule in it was checked against the sources above and worked out by the site’s own engine before it went up. Written by Felix S. Pavel.
