Amazon Prime Day Fee Structure Overhaul: Flat Rate Replaced by 'Advance Fee + Commission' - Will Seller Costs Rise or Fall?

[Ebrun Exclusive] Amazon has recently opened the submission channel for the 2026 Prime Day promotion and announced a new fee structure. Notably, this year's Prime Day promotion submission began on March 24, significantly earlier than the usual April-May timeframe of previous years. Simultaneously, the fee structure for seller participation has shifted from a flat rate to a model of "fixed advance payment plus a percentage of sales."

According to Amazon's official announcement, the main promotional tools for the 2026 Prime Day include "Z Best Deal," "Lightning Deals," and "Prime Exclusive Discounts." Specifically, for the US marketplace, the fee is a $100 advance payment plus 1.5% of sales, capped at $5,000. For Canada, it's a CAD 10 advance fee plus 1% of sales, capped at CAD 350. The UK marketplace requires a ￡12 advance fee plus 0.75% of sales, capped at ￡600. Germany has a ?16 advance fee plus 0.75% of sales, capped at ?1,000. For France, Spain, and Italy, the fee is a ?10 advance payment plus 0.5% of sales, capped at ?300.

In comparison, the 2025 Prime Day promotion utilized a flat fee mechanism. Using the US marketplace as an example: "Z Best Deal" charged a flat fee of $1,000, "Lightning Deals" charged $500, and "Prime Exclusive Discounts" charged $100.

Promotion Type	2025 Fee	2026 Fee (US Marketplace)	Change
Z Best Deal	Fixed $1000	$100 fixed fee + 1.5% of sales (capped at $5000)	Significantly lower entry barrier, but higher cost for high sales volumes
Lightning Deals	Fixed $500	$100 fixed fee + 1.5% of sales (capped at $5000)	Same as above
Prime Exclusive Discounts	Fixed $100	$100 fixed fee + 1.5% of sales (capped at $5000)	First introduction of variable fee

Shifting from last year's relatively high flat fees to this year's lower advance payment plus a sales commission, Amazon's new Prime Day promotion fee model impacts sellers differently. Calculating the costs for sellers of different sales volumes participating in "Lightning Deals":

If a seller's sales are $10,000, the 2025 cost was $500, while the 2026 cost is $250 ($100 + $10,000*1.5%), a 50% decrease. If sales are $30,000, the 2025 cost was $500, but the 2026 cost is $550 ($100 + $30,000*1.5%), a 10% increase. If sales reach $100,000, the 2025 cost was $500, but the 2026 cost surges to $1,600 ($100 + $100,000*1.5%), a 220% increase.

Furthermore, compared to 2025, Amazon has introduced stricter discount requirements for sellers this year, indicating a tightening of promotion eligibility. For the US and Canada marketplaces, the promotional price must be less than or equal to the lowest price in the past 60 days and offer at least a 5% discount from the lowest price in the past 30 days. For European marketplaces, a discount of at least 5% from the lowest selling price in the last 30 days is required.

Amazon stated that under the new fee model, "regardless of the promotion type sellers choose, it ensures fees are linked to promotional performance." The increased eligibility requirements are intended to "ensure promotions offer tangible value to customers, thereby increasing customer engagement and driving more sales."

Regarding these changes, some sellers commented frankly that every adjustment—from flat fees to sales commissions, and from lenient discount policies to stricter reference pricing—tests sellers' accounting skills and risk management awareness. "The ability to keep pace with the platform's rhythm and formulate effective promotion strategies will become a key factor determining the success of major sales events."