Amazon FBA Fee Changes in 2026: The Complete Breakdown for Sellers Shipping from China
Amazon's 2026 fee structure has been a moving target. Between the January fulfillment rate increases, the rising inbound placement fees, the elimination of FBA prep services, and the upcoming Q4 peak surcharges, sellers are facing the highest per-unit fulfillment costs in Amazon's history.
What changed on January 1, 2026
Amazon raised standard-size fulfillment fees by $0.06 per unit and oversize fees by $0.08 per unit. More significantly, Amazon eliminated all FBA prep and item labeling services in the U.S. marketplace.
Inbound placement fees
| Placement option | Fee per unit |
|---|---|
| Amazon-optimized (5+ locations) | $0.00 |
| Partial split (3–4 locations) | $0.27–1.10 |
| Minimal split (1–2 locations) | $1.50–6.50 |
The optimal strategy for most China-to-U.S. sellers is Amazon-optimized splits with a carrier that can deliver to multiple FCs efficiently. This is exactly what Linktrans was built for. Our instant quote tool lets you upload your FBA shipping labels and get one total price covering all locations.
For a seller shipping 5,000 units at $1.50/unit placement fee, switching to Amazon-optimized splits saves $7,500 per shipment in placement fees alone.
Q4 2026 peak season surcharges
Starting October 15: a $0.32 per unit peak fulfillment surcharge plus a 3.5% holiday peak surcharge, running through January 14, 2027.
Model your total inbound cost at us.link-trans.com/quote, and explore our free seller calculators at us.link-trans.com/amazon-seller-tools.