For businesses selling on Amazon, using the company’s fulfillment services instead of other carriers will no longer shield them from added peak season shipping costs. As Amazon noted in its announcement, the fee is similar to the surcharges or price hikes major delivery providers — such as FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service — implement during the holidays. UPS is expected to announce its peak season surcharges soon.
The new fee is another example of Amazon passing on the elevated operating costs it has seen this year to independent sellers leaning on FBA. The company implemented a 5% fuel and inflation surcharge for FBA in April after already hiking fees in January. The fuel and inflation surcharge applies to both peak and non-peak fulfillment fees, according to Amazon.
