The referral fee is a percentage of your selling price, set by the category your listing sits in — and in 2026 that percentage ranges from 8% to 45%. Get the category right at launch and every later pricing decision starts correct; get it wrong and the whole margin estimate is fiction.
| Rate | Where it applies | Example on a $30 item |
|---|---|---|
| 15% | Home, tools, toys, sports, office, pets, lawn & garden, footwear, luggage — most categories ($0.30 minimum) | $4.50 |
| 8% | Consumer electronics, computers, appliances, video games | $2.40 |
| 12% | Automotive & powersports, business & industrial supplies | $3.60 |
| 10% | Tires | $3.00 |
| 8% → 15% | Beauty & baby (8% at or below $10, 15% above); groceries (8% at or below $15, 15% above) | $3.75 at $25 beauty |
| 5% → 10% → 17% | Clothing: up to $15, up to $20, then above | $4.25 at $25 garment |
| 15% → 8% | Electronics accessories up to $100, then 8% | $15.00 at $100 accessory |
| 45% | Amazon device accessories — the outlier | $9.00 at $20 |
| 15% + $1.80 | Media (books, music, video) — closing fee per item | $6.30 at $30 |
The minimum matters more than the headline rate for cheap items. Most categories floor referral at $0.30, so a $2.99 gadget pays an effective double-digit percentage even though its row looks tame. Media sits at the other extreme: 15% plus a $1.80 closing fee per item, which quietly doubles the take on a paperback.
When you source a new product, check the category row first. A product that fits two browse nodes should be modeled in both — the gap between 8% and 15% on a $25 item is $1.75 a unit, every unit, for the life of the listing.
The calculator applies the correct tiered referral rate for all 30+ categories automatically, including the $10, $15, $20, $100 and $200 thresholds:
It depends on category: 15% for most categories (home, tools, toys, sports, office, pets), 8% for consumer electronics, computers and appliances, 12% for automotive and business products, and 45% for Amazon device accessories. Tiered categories switch mid-price — beauty and baby pay 8% at or below $10 and 15% above it. A $0.30 minimum applies to most categories.