A new 3.5% fuel surcharge hits third-party Amazon sellers starting April 17, adding financial pressure to merchants already dealing with thin margins amid rising oil prices from the ongoing Iran conflict. The temporary fee applies to U.S. and Canadian sellers using Fulfillment by Amazon services, averaging about 17 cents per shipped unit based on fulfillment fees rather than item prices.
Starting May 2, the surcharge expands to cover Buy with Prime and Multi-Channel Fulfillment options used by merchants selling both on and off Amazon's platform.
Amazon confirmed the move in a Thursday note to sellers, citing elevated logistics costs across the industry as Brent crude futures climbed more than 6% to $107.35 per barrel this week. The company previously introduced a similar 5% surcharge in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, eventually rolling those costs into standard fulfillment fees.
Approximately two million third-party merchants will absorb the additional costs, with these sellers accounting for over 60% of total goods sold through Amazon's marketplace. The e-commerce giant earned more than $172 billion from seller fees last year alone, an increase of 11% from the previous period.
Amazon isn't alone in passing fuel costs downstream. The United States Postal Service announced last week it will implement an 8% temporary fuel surcharge beginning April 26, set to remain through January 17, 2027 pending regulatory approval. That increase affects Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage and Parcel Select services.
The national average price for gasoline exceeded $4 per gallon at March's end for the first time since August 2022, marking a jump of more than $1 per gallon within one month as conflict near the Strait of Hormuz disrupts crude shipments five weeks into hostilities.
"Elevated costs in fulfillment and logistics have increased the cost of operating across the industry," Amazon stated in its seller notification, adding that like other major carriers it would apply temporary surcharges when those costs stay elevated.
