Amazon India adds Rs. 5 marketplace fee, mirrors e-comm rivals

Amazon India has introduced a Rs. 5 marketplace fee on each customer order placed through its platform. The charge, inclusive of taxes, will apply uniformly across transactions with a few category-level exemptions.

This development brings Amazon in line with other e-commerce and quick commerce players like Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart, all of which have rolled out similar per-order fees in recent months. Flipkart, Amazon’s closest rival, began levying a Rs. 3 fee per order from mid-2024.

The Rs. 5 fee is positioned as a flat, transparent charge collected by Amazon to help sustain its marketplace infrastructure—enabling it to offer a vast range of products from a wide network of sellers. It will be visible to users as a separate line item at checkout, and in post-order communications like emails and invoices.

All Amazon customers, including Prime members, will be subject to the fee per transaction. The charge will apply regardless of the number of items in the cart. However, certain categories and services are exempt. These include:

• Gift card purchases (digital or physical)

• Orders made through Amazon Business (B2B), Bazaar, Amazon Now, and Amazon Fresh

• Digital services like mobile recharges, bill payments, insurance, app purchases, and subscription services

Additionally, in cases where there is already an existing offer processing fee or exchange fee, the marketplace fee will not appear as a separate line item—for now.

The fee is refundable under certain conditions:

• Full Order Cancellation Before Shipment: Full refund of the Rs. 5 fee

• Partial Cancellation: A proportional refund based on the cancelled item’s value

• Full Rejection at Doorstep: Full fee refund

• Partial Rejection: Partial refund of the fee

• Returns After Delivery: No refund of the marketplace fee

Amazon says customers will be able to view this fee clearly before completing their purchase. The fee will appear on the order summary page, confirmation emails, and in the invoice under ‘Your Orders’ section.

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