Tool · Investor Sam Biz

Amazon FBA Profit Calculator

June 30, 2026 • By the Investor Sam Editorial Team • Reviewed by Berly Sam Varghese, Editor
Selling on Amazon FBA looks simple until the fees stack up: a referral fee on every sale, a fulfillment fee per unit, inbound shipping, and the product cost itself. Many sellers price a product that looks profitable and discover the margin has been eaten alive. This calculator subtracts all of those from your selling price to show the net profit per unit, your profit margin, and your return on the product cost. Run it before you order inventory, not after.

Example: Selling price: 30 $ · Product cost (landed): 8 $ · Amazon referral fee: 15 % · FBA fulfillment fee per unit: 5.5 $ · Inbound shipping per unit: 1 $

Net profit per unit$11
Total fees per unit$11
Profit margin36.67%
Return on product cost137.50%

Worked example

Sell a product at $30 that costs you $8 landed. Amazon takes a 15% referral fee ($4.50), a $5.50 FBA fee, and $1 of inbound shipping, for $11 in fees. Net profit is $30 minus $8 minus $11, which is $11 per unit, a 36.7% margin and a 137.5% return on the $8 product cost. That fee load, over a third of the price, is why FBA pricing has to be modeled, not guessed.

Frequently asked questions

How is the Amazon referral fee determined?

It is a percentage of the sale price that varies by category, commonly 8 to 15%, with some categories higher. Check the referral fee for your specific category rather than assuming a flat rate.

What is the FBA fulfillment fee?

It is a per-unit fee Amazon charges to pick, pack, and ship your product, based on size and weight. Larger and heavier items cost more, which can quietly erode margins on bulky goods.

What costs are not included here?

Long-term storage fees, returns, advertising (PPC), and account subscription costs are not in this per-unit view. Factor them into your overall margin, since they can meaningfully reduce real profit.

What margin should I aim for?

Many FBA sellers target at least a 25 to 35% margin and a strong return on cost to absorb advertising and returns. A product that only breaks even after fees leaves no room for the costs this per-unit view omits.

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Sources

Berly Sam Varghese · Editor, Investor Sam

Berly Sam Varghese is an engineer who treats money the way he treats any hard problem — something to be engineered, not gambled on. He funded years of education and built real financial stability the patient way, by living below his means and investing rather than borrowing. He writes for the person building something and trying to keep the finances sane. He reviews and approves every article on Investor Sam and checks the figures against primary sources before anything is published. More about our standards.