Amazon Seller Tools
Amazon FBA vs FBM Calculator
Compare Amazon FBA and FBM profit after referral fees, fulfillment fees, shipping cost, storage, prep, packaging, labor, refunds, PPC, and seller workload.
Comparison inputs
Enter shared product assumptions, then compare Amazon FBA costs against FBM shipping, packaging, handling, and seller time.
Shared order assumptions
FBA assumptions
FBM assumptions
Shared extra costs
Results
Estimated Amazon FBA vs FBM profitability.
FBA monthly profit
$1,480.00
FBA profit per order multiplied by monthly orders minus extra storage
FBM monthly profit
$2,060.00
FBM profit per order multiplied by monthly orders minus time cost
Monthly profit difference
$580.00
Difference between estimated FBA and FBM monthly profit
Better option
FBM Leads
Higher estimated monthly profit under entered assumptions
FBA profit per order
$6.25
FBA revenue minus product cost, referral fee, fulfillment, storage, PPC, and refund costs
FBM profit per order
$9.25
FBM revenue minus product cost, referral fee, shipping, packaging, handling, PPC, and refund costs
FBA margin
17.9%
FBA profit per order divided by FBA revenue
FBM margin
23.1%
FBM profit per order divided by FBM revenue
FBA cost per order
$28.75
Product cost, referral fee, FBA costs, PPC, refunds, and other costs
FBM cost per order
$30.75
Product cost, referral fee, shipping, packaging, handling, PPC, refunds, and other costs
FBA break-even price
$27.65
Approximate FBA item price needed before profit starts
FBM break-even price
$24.12
Approximate FBM item price needed before profit starts
FBA ROI on item cost
52.1%
FBA profit per order divided by product cost
FBM ROI on item cost
77.1%
FBM profit per order divided by product cost
FBM shipping gap
-$1.00
Buyer-paid shipping minus FBM shipping label cost
FBM time cost
$160.00
Monthly FBM time multiplied by hourly time value
What this means
Under the current assumptions, FBM Leads. Estimated FBA monthly profit is $1,480.00, while estimated FBM monthly profit is $2,060.00.
FBA profit per order is $6.25. FBM profit per order is $9.25.
FBA may be better when labor, shipping complexity, delivery expectations, and scale matter. FBM may be better when the seller can ship cheaply, avoid storage drag, or maintain more control.
Order volume comparison
| Orders | FBA profit | FBM profit | Difference | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | $292.50 | $429.17 | $136.67 | FBM |
| 100 | $605.00 | $858.33 | $253.33 | FBM |
| 250 | $1,542.50 | $2,145.83 | $603.33 | FBM |
| 500 | $3,105.00 | $4,291.67 | $1,186.67 | FBM |
| 1,000 | $6,230.00 | $8,583.33 | $2,353.33 | FBM |
How to use this Amazon FBA vs FBM Calculator
Enter shared costs
Add sale price, product cost, referral fee rate, monthly order volume, PPC, and other costs.
Add FBA costs
Include FBA fulfillment fee, inbound shipping, prep, labels, storage, and refund allowance.
Add FBM costs
Include shipping charged, label cost, packaging, handling, refunds, and seller time.
Compare options
Review monthly profit, profit per order, margins, break-even price, and workload before choosing.
FBA vs FBM cost breakdown
Compare the major fulfillment costs affecting each method.
FBA referral fee
$5.25
Key cost used in the fulfillment method comparison.
FBA fulfillment fee
$5.50
Key cost used in the fulfillment method comparison.
FBA inbound / prep / storage
$2.50
Key cost used in the fulfillment method comparison.
FBM referral fee
$6.00
Key cost used in the fulfillment method comparison.
FBM shipping / packaging / handling
$9.25
Key cost used in the fulfillment method comparison.
FBM time cost
$160.00
Key cost used in the fulfillment method comparison.
Common FBA vs FBM mistakes
- ×Comparing FBA and FBM without including seller time.
- ×Ignoring FBA inbound shipping, prep, labels, storage, and aged inventory risk.
- ×Ignoring FBM packaging, shipping zones, handling time, support, and carrier issues.
- ×Assuming FBA is always better because Amazon handles fulfillment.
- ×Assuming FBM is always better because it avoids FBA fees.
- ×Choosing a fulfillment method before checking buy box competitiveness, delivery expectations, margin, and scale.
When FBA may make sense
Higher order volume: FBA may become more attractive when manual packing and shipping would consume too much time.
Simple fulfillment: Standardized products with predictable dimensions may work well with FBA fulfillment.
Faster delivery expectations: FBA may support stronger delivery promises and reduce seller fulfillment workload.
Operational scale: FBA may help sellers manage more orders without personally packing every shipment.
When FBM may make sense
Low shipping cost: FBM may work well when the seller can ship cheaply and reliably.
Slow-moving inventory: FBM may avoid storage pressure when products sell slowly or unpredictably.
More control: FBM can give the seller more control over packaging, inserts, handling, and carrier choice.
Special products: FBM may be better for fragile, oversized, customized, or unusual inventory.
Ways to improve FBA vs FBM profitability
Reduce FBA drag
Review storage, inbound shipping, prep, labels, dimensions, and aged inventory pressure.
Reduce FBM drag
Improve package size, shipping rates, handling workflow, and carrier choices.
Raise profit per order
Improve sourcing, pricing, bundles, coupons, and refund prevention.
Test both methods
Compare actual order data before making a long-term fulfillment decision.