Operator glossary
Referral fee
Amazon's commission per sale — 15% of the item price for most categories, lower for a few (consumer electronics at ~8%), with a $0.30 minimum — the fee every margin model starts from.
The referral fee is charged on every sale as a percentage of the total sales price (item plus shipping charged to the buyer). Most categories pay 15%; some pay materially less (consumer electronics ~8%) or carry tiered schedules where the rate drops above price thresholds — apparel and jewelry have their own structures.
It is the first line of break-even math and the most commonly mis-modeled one: sellers apply 15% flat across a mixed catalog and mis-price the exceptions in both directions. Pull your actual category rates from the fee schedule once, encode them per SKU, and let the true numbers set your break-even ACoS.
The numbers
- Standard rate: 15% for most categories; consumer electronics ~8%; minimum referral fee $0.30 per item.
- Charged on the total sales price including buyer-paid shipping; several categories carry tiered or category-specific schedules.
Primary sources: Amazon selling fees (official)
Related terms