Amazon's $7.20 includes fulfilment, customer traffic, and returns handling. Shopify's $0.85 is payment processing — everything else the seller builds and pays for separately. Add self-fulfilment (illustratively $4.50/unit) and the cost of acquiring each customer, and Shopify's total can exceed Amazon's. The "cheaper" platform may cost more.
A straight fee comparison would be dishonest. This page maps what each side actually includes and where the crossover sits.
This isn't "which is cheaper." It's "which business model fits how you operate." Amazon sells reach and services for a fee. Shopify sells infrastructure and leaves the rest to you. The answer depends on YOUR costs — and most sellers don't know their Shopify-side costs until they're already running.
On Amazon, each product has a predictable fee stack from published rates. On Shopify, each product's cost depends on how you fulfil it, how you acquire the customer, and what payment method they use. Variance is higher. The analysis maps the published components and flags where your inputs change the comparison.
Many sellers use Amazon for reach and Shopify for margin. The analysis runs your catalogue across both, but the Shopify side needs your cost inputs for the lines Shopify doesn't control — fulfilment, acquisition, returns. We tell you exactly what's needed and what each input changes.
Shopify's payment processing rates vary by country and currency. Amazon's fee structure varies by marketplace — and UK-established sellers pay a 2% Digital Services Tax on their Selling on Amazon and FBA fulfilment fees. Different costs, different triggers.
This is not a fee-vs-fee comparison. It shows which costs exist on each platform, and who controls them. Amounts are for a $18.99 Vitamin D Supplement.
| What Amazon (FBA) charges | What Shopify (Basic) charges |
|---|---|
| Referral fee (15%) — $2.85Fixed | Payment processing (2.9% + $0.30) — $0.85Fixed |
| FBA fulfilment — $4.20Configurable | Plan subscription ($39/mo)Fixed |
| Fuel surcharge (3.5%) — $0.15Conditional | — nothing else charged by the platform — |
| Monthly storageConditional | |
| Professional plan ($39.99/mo)Fixed | |
| The seller provides — and pays for — separately | |
| Included in the fee: 300M+ marketplace audience, returns handling, Prime eligibility | Fulfilment |
| Customer acquisition | |
| Returns handling | |
| Customer service | |
Amazon: 5+ fee lines, platform-controlled — the rest is included. Shopify: 1–2 fee lines, platform-controlled — the rest is yours to build and pay for.
Amazon controls most of the cost stack. The seller pays more — and gets fulfilment, storage, customer traffic, returns handling, and Prime eligibility as part of the fee. The seller's main decisions are configuration-based: FBA vs FBM, shipment routing, programme enrolment.
Shopify controls payment processing. Everything else is the seller's. Lower platform fees — and full responsibility for fulfilment, customer acquisition, returns, and customer service. The seller has more control. The seller also carries more cost uncertainty.
This means a direct fee comparison is misleading. Shopify's $0.85 and Amazon's $7.20 are not the same kind of number. The real comparison is below.
Amazon's $7.20 already includes fulfilment. Shopify's $0.85 doesn't — so to compare like with like, add the cost of getting the product to the customer.
| Cost line | Amazon (FBA) | Shopify (Basic) |
|---|---|---|
| Referral / commission (15%) | $2.85 | $0.00 |
| Payment processing (2.9% + $0.30) | $0.00 | $0.85 |
| FBA fulfilment + 3.5% fuel | $4.35 | — |
| Self-fulfilment (illustrative) | — | $4.50 |
| Platform + fulfilment | $7.20 | $5.35 |
Amazon figures verified from published Seller Central rate cards. Shopify self-fulfilment is illustrative — your actual number replaces it.
We compute Amazon's full fee stack from published rate cards — no input needed. For Shopify, we compute payment processing from published plan rates. Then we flag exactly what inputs complete the comparison: your fulfilment cost, your customer acquisition cost, your payment mix. Each input you add makes the crossover sharper. Your real numbers replace the illustrative ones.
Every published fee in this comparison is computed from the rate card — not from what the platform's API reports. That's how we check your actual charges too →
"Shopify costs 2.9% + $0.30" is the headline rate. The actual cost depends on your payment mix — premium and international cards carry a higher rate.
| Payment method | Rate | Cost on $18.99 |
|---|---|---|
| Standard domestic card | 2.9% + $0.30 | $0.85 |
| Premium / international card | 3.5% + $0.30 | $0.96 |
A seller with 30% of transactions on premium or international cards pays approximately $360/year more than the headline rate (at ~880 units/month). Every payment method rate Shopify publishes is in the database — so the Shopify side of the comparison uses your actual payment mix, not "about 3%."
Source: Shopify pricing, verified via shopify.com/pricing · Every Shopify fee →
Amazon's side needs no input from you — the full fee stack is computed from published rate cards. Shopify's side starts with published payment processing, then flags exactly what completes it:
Your fulfilment cost. The illustrative $4.50/unit is a placeholder. Amazon's FBA equivalent for this product is $4.35 — so if you self-fulfil for less, Shopify's advantage widens; for more, it narrows. Your real per-unit cost replaces the estimate.
Your customer acquisition cost. This is the line that moves the answer. Below $1.85/customer, Shopify stays cheaper. Above it, Amazon wins on total cost. Your CAC decides the crossover.
Your payment mix. Standard, premium, and international cards each carry their own published rate. The more premium and cross-border volume you run, the higher your true processing cost climbs above the $0.85 headline.
Your product. Both platforms. Every published fee sourced. Your Shopify costs determine where the crossover sits. Launching September 2026.
Upload your settlement report. Every fee line checked against the published rate card. How it works →
Every Amazon fee → · Every Shopify fee →
Amazon vs eBay → · Amazon vs Walmart → · eBay vs Shopify → · Amazon UK vs US vs EU →
Amazon figures computed from published Seller Central rate cards, verified 25 Jun 2026. Shopify figures from published pricing, verified 27 May 2026. Self-fulfilment and customer acquisition costs are illustrative — FineMargins uses your actual costs when provided.