Amazon Europe Adjusts Referral Fee Calculation for Cross-Border Orders
From August 1, 2026, certain Amazon Business EU cross-border purchase orders will have referral fees calculated based on the Fee Base Amount rather than actual sales proceeds.
What are the key facts?
- 1Referral fees for certain orders will be calculated using the Fee Base Amount
- 2The new rule applies from August 1, 2026
- 3The rule mainly affects cross-border orders involving different VAT-rate countries
- 4Certain promotional orders are excluded
What happened?
Under amendments to Amazon’s previously announced Business Solutions Agreement, from August 1, 2026, referral fees for Amazon Business EU purchase orders will be calculated using the Fee Base Amount, rather than actual Sales Proceeds. The change mainly covers cross-border orders where a product is listed on one European marketplace, shipped from a warehouse in another country, and sold to a buyer in a country with a different VAT rate.
For example, if a product is listed on the German marketplace for €119 including 19% German VAT and the order is shipped to Italy or Luxembourg, the referral fee will no longer simply be recalculated based on the destination country’s different VAT rate. Instead, it will be based on the original Fee Base Amount. The rule does not apply to all Amazon Business entity purchases and does not apply to orders containing promotions such as Lightning Deals. Affected sellers should review VAT rates, inventory locations, the share of Amazon Business orders, and fee-calculator results by country.
What does this mean for cross-border sellers?
From August 1, 2026, referral fees for certain Amazon Business EU cross-border purchase orders will be calculated using the Fee Base Amount instead of actual Sales Proceeds. Sellers using PAN-EU, multi-country FBA, or local European warehouses may see changes in fees and profitability. Recheck fees by listing marketplace, inventory location, buyer country, and VAT rate, and distinguish orders covered by promotions.
What should sellers do now?
- 1This week, export Amazon Business orders using PAN-EU, multi-country FBA, or local European warehouses. Tag each order by listing marketplace, shipping country, buyer country, and VAT rate, then create and review a list of affected orders.Profit calculator
- 2Enter affected listings into the fee calculator using both Sales Proceeds and Fee Base Amount. Check the €119 example including 19% German VAT and orders to Italy and Luxembourg, then prepare a referral-fee difference table.
- 3Update profit models for affected listings. Separate standard orders, Amazon Business purchase orders, and orders containing promotions such as Lightning Deals; flag exclusions and have operations confirm pricing and margin results item by item.