Amazon's peak FBA fees are back on 15 October. Here is what actually moves.
From 15 October, Amazon’s festive peak fulfilment fees apply again in the UK and Germany, and they run until 14 January 2027. On 15 January the rates drop back to where they are today.
Per unit the increase is small. It is also uneven, and a good part of most catalogues is not touched at all.
What actually goes up
Peak pricing hits parcels hardest, and Germany harder than the UK. The rates come straight from Amazon’s European FBA rate card:
| Item | UK now | UK from 15 Oct | Germany now | Germany from 15 Oct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small parcel, 400 g | £3.00 | £3.11 | €3.39 | €3.60 |
| Standard parcel, 1.4 kg | £3.26 | £3.38 | €3.93 | €4.18 |
| Standard parcel, 3.9 kg | £3.54 | £3.67 | €5.09 | €5.42 |
| Large envelope, 960 g | £2.72 | £2.79 | €3.04 | €3.04 |
A German standard parcel at 3.9 kg costs 33 cents more per unit; the same parcel in the UK costs 13 pence more. If you sell the same catalogue in both stores, the German side absorbs roughly twice the increase.
What does not change
The festive peak fee excludes oversize items, Low-Price FBA items and apparel, and the smaller envelope tiers are unchanged. A light or standard envelope costs the same in December as it does today.
So a seller whose catalogue is mostly small envelopes and oversize furniture will barely notice. A seller shipping mid-weight parcels into Germany will notice on every unit. Averages published in seller newsletters hide that difference. Your own size-tier mix decides which of the two you are.
The surcharge underneath it
Peak fees are not the only thing stacked on a fulfilment charge this quarter. Since 17 April a 1.5% fuel and logistics-related surcharge applies to FBA fulfilment fees in Europe, and the rate card is explicit that it sits on top of the peak rates rather than replacing them.
It is a small percentage of a fee that is itself a few euros, so it rarely changes a decision on its own. It does mean the number to plan against is the base fee, plus peak, plus 1.5%, rather than the peak figure alone.
What to do before 15 October
Three weeks is enough time to do this properly, and the work is per-SKU rather than per-account.
Pull your units by size tier and marketplace, apply the peak rate that matches each one, and see which products fall below the margin you are willing to sell at during the quarter you make most of your money. Products sitting on thin margins in Germany are where this shows up first. The options are the usual ones: adjust the price, change the pack, or accept the thinner margin for the season as a decision rather than a surprise.
What you are looking for is true profit per unit after the fulfilment fee, the referral fee, returns and cost of goods, not gross margin on the sale price. If you already track landed cost per SKU, you have most of what you need. If you do not, this is the quarter when guessing costs the most. Selin shows true profit per product with COGS and FBA fees carried through, across every Amazon Europe marketplace, which is the view this exercise needs.
Peak fees revert on 15 January 2027. Whatever you change for the season, set a reminder to change it back.