Rising international oil prices driven by the prolonged U.S.-Iran conflict are spreading cost pressures across the global retail and logistics industry. Amazon, the world's largest e-commerce company, has moved to raise logistics fees for sellers in response.
Amazon notified sellers in the United States and Canada using its Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) service that it will impose a 3.5% "fuel and logistics-related surcharge" starting June 17, the Wall Street Journal and CNBC reported Monday.
"Logistics and shipping costs have risen significantly across the industry, and we have been absorbing these increases internally," Amazon said in a notice. "As the high oil price environment persists, we are introducing a temporary surcharge to recover a portion of the actual cost increases." The company added that the surcharge is "meaningfully lower than those of other major carriers."
The surcharge is calculated based on logistics service fees, not product sale prices. While the amount varies by product size and weight, Amazon estimates the charge will average approximately 17 cents per item for FBA fulfillment orders.
The scope of the surcharge will expand in phases. Sellers using Amazon's Buy with Prime and Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) services — which handle deliveries for orders placed on external platforms — will face the same surcharge starting July 2.
Amazon hosts approximately 2 million sellers on its platform, raising the possibility that the measure could lead to higher prices for end consumers. However, the decision on whether to pass the costs on to retail prices is left to individual sellers. Amazon did not specify an end date for the surcharge.
The move comes amid surging oil prices triggered by instability in the Middle East. Tensions have escalated as U.S. President Donald Trump signaled a hardline stance toward Iran, fueling concerns over potential disruptions to crude oil supply.
As of Monday, Brent crude futures, the international benchmark, rose 7.8% from the previous session to $109.03 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures surged 11.4% to $111.54 per barrel. In some trades, Brent exceeded $107, continuing an upward trend.
Concerns over a potential blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for crude oil shipments from the Middle East, have further intensified upward pressure on logistics costs, analysts said.
The trend extends well beyond Amazon. The global logistics industry is broadly passing fuel-driven cost increases on to consumers and sellers. UPS and FedEx have already raised their fuel surcharges. The United States Postal Service (USPS) also announced it will introduce a surcharge equivalent to approximately 8% of parcel delivery costs from April 26 through January 17 of next year.