Amazon Shipping rolls out higher Peak Season fees for 2025 holidays
Summary
Amazon Shipping has announced peak season surcharges running from 26 October 2025 through 17 January 2026, with the highest fees between 23 November and 27 December. The charges include a per-package demand surcharge and steeper fees for parcels that are large, heavy or require extra handling. Overall surcharges are higher than in 2024, although Amazon did not reintroduce a volume-based surcharge this year.
Key price points: demand surcharges are $0.40 per package before Thanksgiving, rise to $0.60 through the end of December, and revert to $0.40 in January. Extra handling charges go up to $10.80, large-package fees reach $107, and extra-heavy parcel surcharges can be as high as $540.
Key Points
- Peak season surcharge window: 26 October 2025 – 17 January 2026, with the peak period 23 November – 27 December.
- Demand surcharge: $0.40 per package before Thanksgiving, $0.60 through end of December, then $0.40 in January.
- Extra handling surcharges increase to a maximum of $10.80; large-package fee at $107; extra-heavy parcel surcharges up to $540.
- Surcharges are higher than 2024, but Amazon did not list a volume-based surcharge this season (unlike 2024).
- Implication for shippers: higher fulfilment costs over the busiest weeks of the holiday season — plan pricing, promotions and carrier strategies accordingly.
Context and Relevance
Amazon’s peak season fees directly affect third-party sellers, retailers and 3PLs that rely on Amazon Shipping for parcel delivery. The higher surcharges concentrate cost pressure on the core holiday window, when order volumes and consumer expectations are at their highest. With Amazon removing a named volume-based surcharge this year but raising per-package and special-handling fees, the net impact will vary by shipper based on parcel mix and dimensional/weight profiles.
This matters against a broader backdrop of tight margin control across e-commerce and logistics. Companies that ignore these fee changes risk unexpected costs during the busiest weeks — while those who proactively adjust freight strategy, pricing or promotional timing can reduce margin erosion.
Why should I read this?
Short version: if you ship with, sell through or price for Amazon, this directly hits your wallet over the holidays. These aren’t tiny sticker prices — think hundreds on oversized or heavy parcels. Read it so you can tweak promotions, carrier mixes or fulfilment flows before Black Friday madness starts. We’ve done the skimming for you — this is the bit that actually matters.