What Amazon takes from your book?
Referral fee, closing fee, FBA fulfillment: the full breakdown of Amazon fees on a used book, and what actually lands in your pocket. Free, no sign-up.
What the book cost you — unlocks profit, ROI and margin-scheme VAT.
Fee breakdown
EstimateEnter a selling price to see the breakdown.
Estimate based on Amazon’s published rate cards (checked 2026-08-14). Actual fees depend on the catalog weight and dimensions of each ASIN — link your Amazon Seller account for the exact figure.
VAT and the margin scheme
Your real net also depends on how you handle VAT. Almost no FBA calculator models this — this one does.
A simplified model for guidance only: the exact margin-scheme conditions (no deductible input VAT, invoice wording) are a question for your accountant.
Exact fees, to the cent
These amounts are estimates. Create a BiblioScan account and link your Amazon Seller account: the calculator then queries Amazon’s official Product Fees API and shows the exact breakdown — referral, closing, real FBA fee — for any book.
Create my free accountNow, which books should you buy?
The calculator shows what Amazon takes. BiblioScan shows what a book is worth: photograph a whole shelf and get price, demand and a verdict for every book in seconds.
Try BiblioScanHow Amazon fees on a book add up
Three lines stack up on every book sale: the 15% referral fee on the full price, a closing fee specific to media products ($1.80 in the US, €0.61 in France, €1.01 in Germany and Spain), and — with FBA — a fulfillment fee driven by weight and size. On a $15 book fulfilled by Amazon in the US, total fees run around $7.50: half the sale.
That is the structural reason cheap books have thin FBA margins: the fixed fees don’t shrink with the price. This calculator shows every line separately, so you can see where the money goes and at what price a book is worth sending in.
What this calculator covers
- Five marketplaces: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de and Amazon.es, on the 2026 rate cards (January US price bands, April fuel surcharge).
- The FBA fulfillment fee estimated from the book’s format — mass-market, paperback, hardcover — or its exact weight in grams.
- A one-click FBA / FBM comparison, to spot the books where Amazon fulfillment eats the whole margin.
- Profit and ROI when you enter your purchase cost — the break-even price shows up instantly.
The margin scheme, the blind spot of every FBA calculator
A reseller buying used books from private individuals can apply the EU margin scheme (articles 311–315 of the VAT directive): VAT is only due on the difference between selling price and purchase price. On a book bought for €1 and sold for €15, that changes everything — yet US calculators ignore VAT entirely and European ones assume the full rate. Here you pick your regime and the final net reflects it.
Frequently asked questions
Which Amazon fees apply to a used book?
Three main ones: the 15% referral fee on the selling price (with a $0.30 minimum), the media-only closing fee ($1.80 in the US), and the FBA fulfillment fee if Amazon ships for you — roughly $3.40 to $6 depending on weight. Monthly storage fees come on top for slow movers.
What is the closing fee?
A flat per-item fee charged only in media categories (books, DVDs, music). It always stacks on top of the referral fee: $1.80 on Amazon.com, €0.61 on Amazon.fr, €1.01 on Amazon.de and Amazon.es, £0.50 in the UK. It is the fee that sinks low-priced books.
FBA or FBM for a book under $10?
Often FBM: the fixed FBA fees (closing + fulfillment) swallow nearly all the margin on a cheap book. FBA still wins for fast-moving titles, where the Prime badge lifts conversion, and Low-Price FBA softens the fee below the threshold.
Are the amounts shown exact?
They are faithful estimates of Amazon’s published rate cards, but the exact FBA fee depends on the weight and dimensions Amazon’s catalog holds for each ASIN — data that is often wrong for books. For the to-the-cent figure, link your Amazon Seller account: the calculator then queries the official Product Fees API.
What VAT applies to used books in Europe?
The reduced book rate: 5.5% in France, 7% in Germany, 4% in Spain, 0% in the UK. And if you buy stock without deductible VAT (from individuals), the margin scheme limits VAT to your margin alone — a decisive edge this calculator can model.
Is the calculator really free?
Yes: no sign-up, no limit. BiblioScan makes its living on its shelf scanner and profit analysis — the FBA calculator is an open tool for everyone.