Amazon to charge sellers 3.5% fuel and logistics fee

Amazon will introduce a temporary 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge for third-party sellers using its platform later this month, citing a surge in fuel prices linked to the ongoing war in Iran.

The charge will take effect on April 17 for many sellers utilising Amazon’s Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) services, the company confirmed to The Associated Press in an email on Thursday, April 2.

“Elevated costs in fuel and logistics have increased the cost of operating across the industry,” Amazon said in its statement. “We have absorbed these increases so far, but similar to other major carriers, when costs remain elevated, we implement temporary surcharges to partially recover these costs.” The company emphasised that the new surcharge is “meaningfully” lower than those applied by other major carriers.

“We remain committed to our selling partners’ success and to maintaining broad selection and low prices for customers,” Amazon added.

The surcharge will initially apply to U.S. and Canadian sellers using FBA. Starting May 2, it will also apply to sellers using Amazon’s Buy with Prime and Multi-Channel Fulfilment options.

Amazon joins a growing list of carriers introducing surcharges to offset rising energy costs amid the ongoing Iran conflict. United Parcel Service (UPS) and FedEx have already raised their fuel surcharges, and the United States Postal Service announced last week an 8% fuel surcharge on packages shipped beginning April 26, which is set to remain in effect until January 17, 2027.

By Tamilla Hasanova