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.
