In its latest effort to combat soaring inflation, Amazon plans to raise fulfillment fees for the holiday season, passing some of its increased costs on to the millions of sellers who sell their products through the site. From the report: Starting Oct. 15 and ending Jan. 14, third-party sellers using Fulfillment by Amazon, or FBA, will have to pay 35 cents per item sold in the U.S. or Canada, the company said in an email to sellers on Tuesday. For sellers who use FBA, Amazon handles the process of picking, packing, and shipping the items. The vacation fee is in addition to the existing fees that sellers pay for using FBA services. These costs vary depending on the size, category and weight of the product.
Amazon said it was introducing the holiday surcharge for the first time as “costs hit new highs,” making it harder for the company to cover the costs associated with the peak shopping season. “Our selling partners are incredibly important to us, and we did not make this decision lightly,” Amazon said in an email. Amazon’s third-party marketplace has become the center of its dominant e-commerce business, as it now accounts for more than half of online retail sales. Because of Amazon’s global reach and large customer base, many retailers rely on the company for most, and in some cases, all of their business.
