Amazon is implementing a 3.5% "fuel and logistics-related surcharge" on fees collected from third-party sellers who use its Fulfillment by Amazon services in the U.S. and Canada, with the charge set to take effect on April 17. The move pushes higher operating costs deeper into the platform economy, where approximately 2 million sellers rely on Amazon's marketplace and the majority use Fulfillment by Amazon for fulfillment.
Who Pays
The surcharge is calculated on sellers' fulfillment fees, not on the sale price of items, and averages an additional 17 cents per unit for Fulfillment by Amazon shipments, with the amount varying by item size and dimensions. Amazon said in a notice to sellers that "Elevated costs in fulfillment and logistics have increased the cost of operating across the industry," and that while it has "absorbed these increased costs so far," it is now imposing "temporary surcharges on our fulfillment fees to recover a portion of the actual cost increases we are experiencing," similar to other major carriers.
Amazon spokesperson Ashley Vanicek said the surcharge is "meaningfully lower" than levies applied by other major carriers. She also said, "We remain committed to our selling partners' success and to maintaining broad selection and low prices for customers."
War, Fuel, and Logistics
The decision comes as the Iran war continues into its fifth week, a conflict that has helped drive up oil prices. On Thursday, June futures for international benchmark Brent crude rose by more than 6% to $107.35 per barrel as investors weighed the possibility that the conflict could disrupt crude shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. The surcharge is being introduced in the same period that the cost of moving goods is rising across the shipping system.
The U.S. Postal Service announced in March 2026 that it planned to impose a fuel surcharge on packages starting April 26. UPS and FedEx have also implemented higher fuel surcharges since the beginning of the Iran war. Amazon's move places its sellers into the same cost environment now affecting other major carriers and delivery systems.
The Platform Economy
Amazon's marketplace hosts approximately 2 million sellers, and the majority use Fulfillment by Amazon for storage, packing, and shipping. The surcharge therefore lands on a large base of merchants dependent on Amazon's logistics network to reach customers in the U.S. and Canada. The company said the charge is intended to recover a portion of the actual cost increases it is experiencing.
An image accompanying the report shows an Amazon employee fulfilling same-day orders during Cyber Monday on December 2, 2024. The report places the surcharge inside a broader logistics system already under pressure from rising energy prices and war-related fuel costs, with the burden now passed through to sellers operating on Amazon's platform.