The referral fee is Amazon's commission on a sale: a percentage that Amazon keeps for referring the sale to you. It applies to every sale, regardless of who ships the item.
How high is the referral fee?
The rate depends on the product category. In many categories it is around 15%; some categories sit below or above that. In addition, a minimum fee per item sold usually applies, which kicks in at very low prices.
The fee is calculated on the total sales price of the order line. If you charge shipping, it usually counts towards that total, a point on which the marketplaces differ and one that is easily missed in a rough calculation.
How does it differ from the FBA fees?
The referral fee is the fee for the sale; FBA fees are the fees for storage and fulfilment. If you use FBA, you pay both; if you ship yourself, you pay the referral fee and carry your own shipping costs. On top of that comes the monthly selling plan fee for your seller account, which is charged regardless of orders.
What happens on a refund?
On a refund, the referral fee is normally credited back. However, Amazon usually retains a refund administration fee, and with FBA the fulfilment fee for the original shipment remains. A return is therefore never cost-neutral.
Fees per SKU from the settlement
profitkonsole for Amazon takes the booked fee items from your Amazon settlement data and assigns them to the orders, instead of applying one category rate across the board.
Contribution margin, not revenue
Every sales channel in one dashboard: marketplace data and your own costs brought together, per item and per channel.