Amazon will charge European selling partners additional transport costs as a result of the war in the Middle East. In principle, the measure is temporary, the company says, and applies to both Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) and Multi-Channel Fulfilment (MCF).
Amazon informed partners via Seller Central. The company does not explicitly mention the war in Iran and the wider region, but refers to “elevated costs in fuel and logistics that have increased operating costs across the industry”.
So far, Amazon has absorbed the additional costs itself. However, it will soon raise its transport fees “to recover a portion of the actual cost increases we are experiencing”, the company stated. According to the ecommerce market leader in Europe, this follows the example set by other major carriers.
1.5 percent surcharge
Starting Friday, April 17, Amazon will add a fuel- and logistics-related surcharge of 1.5 percent to shipping costs for Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) in ten countries with a dedicated webshop domain: top market Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Ireland and Belgium.
‘Significantly lower than other major carriers’
Just over two weeks later, on Saturday, May 2, the same surcharge will be introduced for Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain. In all five of these major European markets, Amazon is the market leader. “Thanks to the collective efforts we have already made to reduce costs, this surcharge is significantly lower than that of other major carriers”, Amazon stated.
Additional cost varies
The surcharge is calculated on shipping costs, not on the selling price of the items. The exact increase varies depending on product dimensions. On average, the surcharge amounts to 5 eurocents per item for FBA shipments within the EU, according to Amazon. “We will reassess the surcharge as the situation evolves.”
Amazon more frequently introduces temporary increases to FBA fees, for example during the holiday season at the end of the year. This time, however, the reason is different. Incidentally, late last year the company announced a structural change to seller fees in Europe.
Higher surcharge in the US
Amazon has also announced a fuel- and logistics-related surcharge in other markets starting next week. In the United States and Canada, selling partners will pay an additional 3.5 percent – significantly higher than in Europe.
