It’s no surprise that Amazon is one of the most recognizable brands in the world. If you’re selling on Amazon in your country, the next step is expanding internationally. Fortunately, Amazon makes this easy.
The Amazon Global Selling program helps sellers expand to several countries worldwide, making international expansion seamless.
But there’s a catch: this program isn’t free. You’ll need to pay a few Amazon Global Selling fees, which differ depending on the country you’re selling in and your business model. Preparing for these fees is still best, so you’re not hit with any surprises.
So, what are the Amazon Global Selling Fees? Here are a few examples.
How Much It Costs to Enroll in Amazon Global
The cost you pay to enroll in Amazon Global Selling depends on your chosen plan. There are two you can choose from:
- Individual
- Professional
The individual plan doesn’t come with any upfront or recurring costs. Instead, you pay 99 cents per item sold. While this doesn’t seem like a lot, these costs can add up if you get a large influx in sales.
The professional plan costs $39.99/month USD, but Amazon regularly hosts promotions that allow you to save on these fees.
Most sellers will choose the professional plan because it allows them to access more advertising/marketing and other advanced selling tools. If you sell restricted product categories, such as alcohol, you must sign up for the professional plan.
However, the individual plan will suffice if you’re still new to Amazon.
Other Amazon Global Selling Fees
You might encounter other fees when selling on other Amazon marketplaces. The fees you pay and the amounts vary.
Shipping Fees
The shipping fees you and your customers pay depend on your fulfillment method. Most Amazon sellers choose one of two fulfillment methods: self-fulfillment or Amazon FBA.
With self-fulfillment, you handle all storage and shipping yourself. But if you choose FBA, Amazon will store and ship your parcels for you.
FBA comes with additional fees since Amazon will handle more services, such as picking, packing, returns, and customer service. Amazon determines FBA fees by the dimension and weight of your product.
You may also work with another third-party fulfillment provider, which might also provide their shipment rates.
Fees for Amazon Remote Fulfillment
If you use FBA for marketplace expansion, you can access remote fulfillment. This service allows you to offer Prime shipping to international customers without storing your products overseas. This service is only available in Mexico, Canada, and Brazil.
With remote fulfillment, you store your products in Amazon fulfillment centers in the US. Customers in these other countries with a Prime account can get free shipping. However, customers must still pay taxes, duties, or other international fees.
Remote fulfillment has two fees: an FBA and category referral fees. Remote fulfillment FBA fees vary by shipping weight, product size, and cross-border eCommerce fulfillment costs. We’ll discuss referral fees next.
Multi-Channel Fulfillment
If you sell products on channels other than Amazon, you can still go through FBA for all your fulfillment needs. This is called multi-channel fulfillment (MCF). The benefit of this service is it’s available in eight countries, so you can expand all your sales channels internationally.
As with all FBA fees, MCF comes with a cost per item. Your pay depends on the size, number of items, delivery time, and parcel weight. That said, these fees are more expensive than typical FBA fees.
For example, a small parcel may cost as much as $5.85, and these fees may cost more if shipping overseas.
Referral Fee
Referral fees are expenses that Amazon imposes when you sell in a specific category. Amazon includes a referral fee per item purchased, and the amount varies by category.
Most referral fees are between 8% and 15%. It’s important to note that all sellers pay referral fees, regardless of what they sell, fulfillment method, or account type.
Closing Fees
Media items have a fixed cost called the closing fee. The fee is only $1.80, but can add up if you strictly sell media products. Examples of media items include DVDs, books, game consoles, video games, and music.
High-Volume Listing Fee
Let’s say you generate a lot of sales on Amazon but are experiencing a slow period. Unfortunately, there’s a fee for this. The high-volume listing fee applies to items that haven’t sold in 12 months.
Fortunately, the fee isn’t high and doesn’t affect many sellers. Any non-media item that doesn’t sell in a year will incur a $0.005 fee.
Currency Conversion Fees
Amazon offers a Currency Converter for Sellers. This means your customers will pay for your products in their currency, but the amount deposited into your account is in your local currency.
Amazon charges a 4% fee to use this service. You can avoid this fee by setting up a bank account in the other countries where you sell.
Other Fees
While these may not apply to all sellers, some must pay additional Amazon Global Selling fees. Examples include if you invest in advertising, pay for long-term storage, or other premium services. Other third-party tools will also come with additional fees.
What are some examples of services and tools that will benefit an international seller on Amazon? SEND is a market expansion solution that offers cross-border shipping and customs support. While not a requirement, SEND ensures convenience since you and your customers can track shipments.
Brand registry is also a recommended service. This service ensures you protect your branding when selling in other territories. While brand registry itself is free, the program has additional services, such as search tools to find violations and automated protection.
Do You Always Pay Amazon Global Selling Fees?
An Amazon international seller will pay fees regardless of their account type and selling location. For example, every seller will pay a referral fee regardless of what they sell. Amazon itself isn’t a free service, and there are fees associated with different plans.
That said, there are ways to decrease the fees you pay.
For example, let’s say you’re expanding to Europe. Sellers can either pay the European Fulfillment Network (EFN) fee, an expense for each cross-border parcel, or sign up for the Pan-European FBA plan and only pay a fulfillment fee for the territory where they store their items.
This will save you on paying Amazon FBA fees, specifically the EFN fee. Note that this only applies to certain countries.
Are Amazon Global Selling Fees Worth It?
Amazon is the most powerful eCommerce force in the world, making this platform one of the best places to sell your products and expand your business. If you’re ready to sell internationally, global selling on Amazon is the next step in advancing your already successful eCommerce business.
But what are the Amazon Global Selling fees? There are different fees, which depend on your subscription plan, shipping, fulfillment method, and even the products you sell.
If these fees are too intricate, you have another option for global expansion. Our program will help you sell internationally, increasing your sales worldwide. Click here for more information.
Author
Stephanie Jensen has been writing ecommerce content for seven years, and her copy has helped numerous stores rank on Amazon. Follow her on LinkedIn for more insight into freelance writing and creating high-quality content.
