For a Home & Kitchen product priced at $30, FBA typically takes about $8.41 before ad spend — a $4.50 referral fee plus a $3.91 small-standard fulfillment fee. Home sits at a flat 15% referral rate with a $0.30 minimum, and most small kitchen gadgets land in the cheapest small-standard tier.
| Fee line | How it is computed | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Referral fee (Home & Kitchen, 15%) | 15% x $30.00 | $4.50 |
| Fulfillment, small-standard, 12 oz, price tier 1 | Base rate $3.78 | $3.78 |
| Fuel & inflation surcharge (3.5%) | 3.5% x $3.78 = $0.1323 | $0.13 |
| Total Amazon fees | Referral + fulfillment + surcharge | $8.41 |
| Factor | What it means for your product |
|---|---|
| Referral rate | Flat 15% of selling price, $0.30 minimum — no mid-price tier flips like beauty or clothing |
| Typical return rate | Around 8% for most home goods; budget a return haircut rather than assuming zero |
| Common size tier | Small-standard for thin gadgets under 1 lb; bowls, pans and utensils often push into large-standard |
| Main watch-out | Anything thicker than 0.75 in or heavier than 1 lb leaves the $3.78 row behind — re-measure the packaged box, not the loose item |
The flat 15% is friendly to estimate and unforgiving at low prices. A $12 spatula still pays $1.80 referral plus roughly $3.91 fulfillment, which is why cheap home goods need either volume, bundles or a price closer to $25–$30 where the fee percentage relaxes.
The calculator applies the 15% Home & Kitchen rate, the correct small- or large-standard row, the 3.5% surcharge and an 8% return assumption automatically:
Home & Kitchen pays a flat 15% referral fee with a $0.30 minimum. A $30 cutting board costs $4.50; a $2 kitchen tool computes to $0.30 because the rate times price falls under the floor. Compare this against beauty's tiered 8%/15% and clothing's 5%/10%/17% before you assume 15% applies everywhere.
Small-standard requires longest side at most 15 in, median side at most 12 in, height at most 0.75 in, and weight at most 1 lb. An 8 x 6 x 0.5 in, 12 oz gadget qualifies. A mixing bowl, a cast-iron pan or anything over 1 lb or thicker than 0.75 in steps into large-standard, where the price starts near $5.00 instead of $3.78.
Plan on about 8% returns for most home goods, similar to beauty and grocery but far below clothing's 25%. Returns still cost you the outbound fulfillment fee, the referral is refunded but the return processing on the way back is not, so build an 8% haircut into your net profit rather than into your headline margin.
On a $30 item that is 8 x 6 x 0.5 in and 12 oz: referral 15% equals $4.50, small-standard fulfillment at price tier 1 is $3.78, plus the 3.5% fuel surcharge of $0.13, for $8.41 total in Amazon fees. Subtract your product cost, ad spend and storage, and you have the realistic net.