Every time something sells on Amazon.co.uk, Amazon takes a referral fee — its commission on the sale, worked out as a percentage of the total sale price. It's usually the single biggest fee you pay, bigger than fulfilment on most mid-priced items, and it varies a lot by category. Here's what Amazon takes per sale in 2026, category by category, what changed in 2026, and how to build the fee into your numbers before you buy.
How Amazon referral fees work
A few rules apply across the board:
- The fee is a percentage of the total sale price, including the item price and any delivery charged to the customer (not VAT-exclusive tricks — work off the price the customer pays).
- There's a minimum referral fee of £0.25 per item in most categories. On very cheap products this minimum, not the percentage, is what you pay.
- The rate is set by the product's category, and some categories use tiered rates — a lower percentage up to a price threshold and a higher one above it.
- Referral fees are separate from FBA fulfilment fees (the per-unit pick-and-pack charge) and storage fees. Don't confuse them.
Amazon UK referral fees by category (2026)
The table below shows Amazon UK's published 2026 rates (checked against Amazon's UK pricing page on 13 October 2026). Confirm your exact category in Seller Central before committing — Amazon adjusts these, and several categories are price-tiered.
| Category | 2026 UK referral fee |
|---|---|
| Books, Music, Video, DVD | 15% + £0.50 closing fee (no £0.25 minimum) |
| Most default categories (Toys, Kitchen, Garden, DIY, Office, Pet Supplies, etc.) | 15% |
| Clothing & Accessories | 5% up to £15; 10% £15–£20; 15% above. FBA items above £40: 15% on the first £40, 7% on the rest |
| Home Products (new 2026 tier) | 8% up to £20; 15% above |
| Consumer Electronics | 7% |
| Computers | 7% |
| Video Game Consoles | 8% + £0.50 closing fee (no £0.25 minimum) |
| Electronic Accessories | 15% on the portion up to £100; 8% on the portion above |
| Beauty, Health & Personal Care | 8% up to £10; 15% above |
| Grocery & Gourmet Food | 5% up to £10; 15% above (no £0.25 minimum) |
| Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements | 5% up to £10; 15% above |
| Pet Clothing & Food | 5% up to £10; 15% above (Pet Supplies: 15%) |
| Watches | 15% on the portion up to £225; 5% on the portion above |
| Jewellery | 20% on the portion up to £225; 5% on the portion above |
| Furniture | 15% on the portion up to £175; 10% on the portion above |
| Amazon Device Accessories | 45% |
Amazon Device Accessories is the outlier — 45% — which is why third-party accessories for Amazon's own devices rarely make sense for arbitrage. For everything else, the practical takeaway is: most things are 15%, electronics/computers are much lower, and 2026 added several low-price discounts.
What changed in 2026
2026 brought one of Amazon's largest-ever fee reductions, averaging roughly £0.15 less per unit across European stores. On the referral side, the notable UK cuts were Clothing from 15 December 2025, and Home, Pet, Grocery and Vitamins from 5 January 2026:
- Home Products — reduced from 15% to 8% on items up to £20.
- Clothing & Accessories — reduced to 5% on items up to £15, and to 10% on items between £15 and £20.
- Grocery & Gourmet and Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements — reduced to 5% on items up to £10.
- Pet clothing and food — reduced to 5% on items up to £10.
These cuts mostly target lower-priced items, which pairs with Amazon's push on Low-Price FBA to make cheaper products more viable. For the fulfilment-fee side of the 2026 changes — including the 1.5% fuel surcharge — see Amazon UK FBA fee changes in 2026.
Why the category rate matters for your profit
Get the category rate wrong and every downstream number is wrong. Here's the same £24.99 sale at three different referral rates:
| Referral rate | Referral fee on £24.99 | Difference vs 15% |
|---|---|---|
| 7% (electronics) | £1.75 | +£2.00 in your pocket |
| 8% (home, ≤£20 tier) | £2.00 | +£1.75 |
| 15% (default) | £3.75 | — |
On a product where you're aiming for a couple of pounds of net profit, a mistaken 15%-vs-7% assumption is the entire margin, before fulfilment or VAT are even counted (see how VAT works for Amazon sellers). This is exactly why guessing fees in a shop aisle is dangerous, and why the full fees guide and a proper ROI/BSR benchmark matter.
Do not choose the cheaper rate based on what the product resembles on the shelf: Amazon applies its listing category and sometimes price bands or per-item minimums. Confirm the actual listing in Seller Central and preview fees using Amazon's calculator.
The percentage is not the whole charge. FBA fulfilment and fuel, optional storage, selling-plan fees and any seasonal uplift can exceed the referral difference. If two similar ASINs display different estimated charges, check their precise category, VAT-inclusive selling price, size tier and pack count. A sourced referral table is useful for screening, while a listing-specific fee preview is the sounder basis for deciding what to pay in a shop.
Work the fee in before you buy
You don't need to memorise the table — you need the right number applied to the right product at the moment you're deciding. The free Axivelo FBA calculator lets you pick the category referral rate and see net profit, ROI and margin instantly, and the Axivelo app applies the fees to a scanned barcode in-store and shows your net profit and maximum buy price on one screen. New to all this? Start with how Amazon FBA works.
Apply the right rate to the right product
The free UK FBA calculator lets you set the category referral rate and shows net profit, ROI and margin in seconds. Axivelo does it from a barcode scan in the aisle. iPhone users can join the waitlist.
FAQ
How much does Amazon take per sale in the UK?
Amazon takes a referral fee that's a percentage of the total sale price, with a £0.25 minimum per item. Most categories are 15%, but several are lower — consumer electronics and computers are around 7%, and 2026 introduced reduced rates in categories like Home Products (8% up to £20) and Clothing (5% up to £15). On top of the referral fee you'll pay FBA fulfilment and storage fees if you use FBA.
Is the referral fee Amazon's commission?
Yes. The referral fee is the commission Amazon takes on every sale: a percentage of the total sale price, set by category, with a £0.25 minimum per item in most categories. FBA fulfilment and storage fees are separate charges on top.
What is the Amazon referral fee for most UK categories?
The default referral fee across most Amazon.co.uk categories is 15% of the sale price. Notable exceptions include consumer electronics and computers (around 7%), several 2026-reduced low-price tiers, and Amazon Device Accessories (45%). Always confirm your specific category in Seller Central.
Is there a minimum Amazon referral fee?
Yes. In most categories a minimum referral fee of £0.25 applies per item. On very low-priced products this minimum can be more than the percentage would be, so it's the figure that actually applies.
Did Amazon cut referral fees in 2026?
Yes. From 15 December 2025 (Clothing) and 5 January 2026 (Home, Pet, Grocery and Vitamins), Amazon reduced referral fees in several UK categories, mostly on lower-priced items — for example Home Products to 8% (up to £20), Clothing to 5% (up to £15), and Grocery and Vitamins/Supplements to 5% (up to £10). It was part of one of Amazon's largest-ever overall fee reductions.
UK Amazon FBA sellers — we built Axivelo after one too many trips juggling Keepa, a calculator and a spreadsheet halfway down a B&M aisle. Now it shows profit, ROI, MAX PAY and demand on every in-store scan.