Amazon Inbound Placement Fee: 2025 Guide

As Amazon continues to refine its fulfillment processes, it has introduced changes to the Amazon inbound placement fee structure in 2025 to optimize warehouse efficiency and reduce shipment splits. 

These changes impact sellers using Fulfillment by Amazon FBA, particularly those dealing with standard-size and large bulky-size products. 

Starting January 15, 2025, Amazon inbound placement fee for high-volume and bulky products were reduced by $0.58 per unit, helping sellers manage logistics costs more efficiently. However, understanding Amazon placement fees, FBA inbound placement service fees, and how to avoid Amazon placement fees is important for optimizing profitability. 

What is the Amazon Inbound Placement Fee?

The Amazon inbound placement service fee is a cost incurred by FBA sellers when sending inventory to Amazon fulfillment centers. 

These fees help Amazon cover the expenses associated with distributing products across multiple warehouses for optimal storage and faster customer delivery. 

Amazon’s fulfillment network is strategically designed to reduce shipping time and costs. However, when sellers ship products to a single fulfillment center, Amazon redistributes the inventory internally, increasing handling costs. To offset these expenses, Amazon applies FBA inbound placement service fee based on shipment splits, product size, and weight. 

Sellers can choose from different Amazon inventory placement service options, affecting how fees are calculated. 

Inbound Placement Options

Amazon offers three inbound placement options that determine how Amazon placement fees are applied. 

These options impact shipping costs and the number of fulfillment centers where products are initially sent. 

Minimal Shipment Splits 

This option allows sellers to send inventory to a limited number of Amazon fulfillment centers, minimizing shipment splits and reducing Amazon inventory placement fees. However, Amazon may charge a higher inbound placement service fee to cover the internal redistribution of inventory. 

Partial or Amazon-Optimized Shipment Splits 

With Partial or Amazon-Optimized shipment splits, Amazon dictates where inventory should be sent, leading to multiple shipment destinations. 

This results in lower placement fees but higher shipping costs, as sellers need to manage multiple inbound shipments. While it reduces Amazon’s internal handling costs, sellers need to evaluate if splitting shipments is cost-effective for their business. 

Factors Affecting Inbound Amazon Inbound Placement Fee

Several factors influence Amazon placement fee and determine the final FBA inbound placement service fee: 

Large and bulky items lead to higher Amazon inventory placement fees due to storage and handling complexity. 

The more fulfillment centers required, the higher the Amazon inbound placement service fee. 

Using Amazon Partnered Carriers may offer reduced Amazon FBA inbound shipping cost, compared to third-party carriers. The distance between the seller’s warehouse and Amazon’s fulfillment centers affects shipping expenses. 

How Does Amazon Calculate Inbound Placement Fee?

Amazon calculates FBA inbound placement service fees based on the number of fulfillment centers receiving shipments, the size and weight category of the product, and the shipment split type chosen by the seller. 

Amazon assigns three placement fee categories: 

  1. Minimal Shipment Splits, which demand higher Amazon inbound placement service fee. 
  2. Partial Shipment Splits, where there’s moderate placement fee with some fulfillment center distribution. 
  3. Amazon-Optimized Shipment Splits, where there’s lower FBA placement fees, but higher shipping costs due to multiple shipment destinations. 

How to Choose Your Preferred Amazon Inventory Placement Service in Seller Central?

To manage Amazon inventory placement service preferences, Adjusting these settings allows sellers to control Amazon FBA inbound shipping costs while ensuring efficient inventory distribution.  

  1. Log in to Amazon Seller Central
  2. Navigate to Fulfillment Settings under Settings. 
  3. Select Inbound Placement Preferences. 
  4. Choose between Minimal Shipment Splits or Amazon-Optimized Shipment Splits. 
  5. Review estimated Amazon inventory placement fees before finalizing the selection. 

Amazon Inbound Placement Fee Rates 2025

Amazon’s FBA inbound placement service fees are categorized based on product size and weight. 

Standard-Size Product Fees

For standardized-size products, Amazon inbound placement service fees range from $0.21 to $0.44 per unit. The exact fee depends on shipment splits and product weight.  

Large Bulky-Size Product Fees 

For large bulky-size products, fees are higher, typically ranging from $1.50 to $2.10 per unit, reflecting increased handling and storage costs. 

Amazon’s 2025 update reduces high-volume bulky product fees by $0.58 per unit, helping sellers manage logistics costs more efficiently. 

4 Tips to Reduce Amazon Inbound Placement Fee

1. Shipment Breakdown: Standard vs. Oversize Items 

Separating standard-size and oversized items into separate shipments can lower Amazon inbound placement service fees by ensuring optimized distribution. 

2. Analyze Item Size and Weight 

Understanding Amazon FBA inbound shipping costs by evaluating product size and weight helps sellers choose the best placement options and reduce FBA placement fees. 

3. Explore Alternative Fulfillment Options 

Sellers can reduce Amazon placement fee by using Fulfilled by Merchant FBM for slow-moving inventory while using FBA for high-demand items. 

4. FBM More of Your Stock 

For some products, switching to Fulfilled by Merchant FBM can eliminate Amazon inbound placement fees and provide more control over shipping and inventory costs. 

Key Takeaways

By choosing the right Amazon inventory placement service, separating shipments strategically, and using alternative fulfilment options like FBM, sellers can reduce their overall Amazon FBA inbound shipping costs and maintain cost-effective logistics operations. 

With Amazon’s 2025 fee update, sellers dealing with high-volume bulky products benefit from reduced placement fees, making inventory management more efficient. 

For long-term success, sellers need to regularly analyze FBA placement fees, adjust their shipment preferences, and explore new strategies to optimize their Amazon inventory placement fee costs.