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With inflation laying waste to the American economy, everything today is more costly than it's been in the past. Earlier this month, inflation reached the troubling marker of 8.5%.

At the rate things are going, there's nothing ruling out the possibility of inflation continuing to climb. Therefore, businesses and companies are adjusting accordingly.

In many cases, this means increasing the prices that customers pay. Airlines, for instance, are already doing this, seeing as the costs of jet fuel are more expensive than they've been in the past.

Now, Amazon is making an adjustment in light of inflation; this adjustment comes in the form of putting a surcharge on all purchases.

What to know about Amazon's new surcharge

Going forward, sellers on Amazon will have to cover a 5% fee, cited as a surcharge for fuel expenses and inflation.

Amazon, in a memo, mentioned the "further challenges" the company faces. Likewise came the warning that there's no telling how long inflation is going to be a thorn in the side of the economy.

With that in mind, sellers using Amazon should not hold their breath waiting for the 5% fee to disappear.

Judging from the economy, the surcharge is unlikely to go away anytime soon. However, sellers who forgo the fulfillment benefits won't have to pay a 5% surcharge.

Because sellers are faced with a surcharge, they could very well raise their prices to offset the difference. Naturally, this means customers shopping on Amazon will be forced to pay more money than they would without the surcharge.

Similar action from other companies

Amazon is far from the sole company that's put in place a surcharge stemming from inflation and high gas prices.

Both Uber and Lyft, two prevalent rideshare apps, have a mild surcharge that riders have to pay. This is a strategy of providing relief to rideshare drivers plagued with higher costs of gas.

Delivery service apps have followed the lead of rideshare services and put in place surcharges. Therefore, anyone who orders meals or groceries from Postmates, Instacart, DoorDash, etc., can prepare to pay a surcharge as well.

Multiple surveys of the American public cite inflation as a major concern for most people.