Do you know if your products are considered part of the Amazon oversize dimensions category?
Amazon’s criteria for the oversize category is not always clear, and sellers may not be aware of this information and get surprised with extra fees.
This article will go over Amazon’s criteria for the oversize category, its associated FBA fees, and how sellers can use this information to help them decide about products to sell.
Keep reading to learn what factors to consider when thinking of selling an oversized item!
Related Reading: What is Amazon FBA: Complete Amazon FBA Guide in 2023
What are Amazon Product Dimensions?
Amazon product dimensions are a set of measurements that define the full size of a product. The standard Amazon product dimensions format is length x width x height in inches.
It can be found under Product Information on a product listing.
Product Dimensions are mainly useful for customers to know because it helps them find the right size of the product they’re looking for.
Without Amazon requiring that sellers provide product dimensions, a full-grown adult may for example accidentally buy a product that is sized for children, and that would bring in a lot of negative reviews!
Sellers, on the other hand, often have to think about package dimensions more.
How are Product Dimensions Different from Package Dimensions?
Amazon is more concerned about package dimensions, which is very different.
The two terms are often interchangeably used, and sellers should be as concerned about package dimensions as Amazon is.
This is because the box of products is always larger than a single unit product itself, and sellers are most likely to include several units of their products in a single package.
Packaging dimensions are how Amazon determines how to charge sellers for storage space, and it also determines other FBA fees.
If a seller is sourcing products overseas, they have to think about how package dimensions affect freight forwarding costs as well.
Are you a seller who is trying to save as much as you can on FBA fees?
I have a video for 6 Ways to SAVE MONEY on Your Amazon FBA Package Dimensions!
What is Considered Oversized in Amazon?
Since you won’t always be selling oversized items, for starters, you should first be aware of what standard sizes are on Amazon.
Amazon’s criteria for Standard size:
- The actual product weighs 20 pounds or less
- The longest side (length) of the product is less than or equal to 18 inches
- The median side (width) of the product is less than or equal to 14 inches
- The shortest side (height) of the product is less than or equal to 8 inches
Therefore, anything exceeding the above is in the Oversized category.
Products that are oversized in comparison to Amazon’s standard product dimensions will incur extra FBA fees.
Then, you’ll need to take into account the dimensions of your products and how they will fit into Amazon’s packaging guidelines.
Read Seller Central’s Help article on the correct way of packaging products when sending inventory to fulfillment centers here.
These fees are an aspect that sellers need to be strategic about when they are thinking about how much money they want to save in the long run.
Always check Seller Central’s Help articles, because Amazon periodically changes their fees and their guidelines on product and packaging dimensions.
Other Product Tiers
It does not end there, because there are several layers to product tiers on Amazon.
For Standard-sized items, there are small and large sizes.
For Oversized items, there are small, medium, large, and special sizes.
See the table below to understand the criteria as of January 2022.
Notice that unit weight, as well as length + girth are also factors taken into consideration when categorizing a product under a tier.
The criteria is subject to change, so always check Seller Central’s Product Size Tiers article for the most updated information.
FBA Fees for Oversized Items
As of writing in January 2022, Amazon has recently announced changes to FBA fees which will take effect on January 18, 2022.
Again, since you won’t always be selling Oversized items, you should be aware of fees for all sizes of items.
The Fulfillment fees per unit are displayed on the right-side column.
Core FBA Fulfillment Fee Changes (Excluding Apparel category)
Core FBA Fulfillment Fee Changes (Apparel category only)
You may read Amazon’s letter regarding these changes here.
Sellers may be subject to other kinds of fees. For more information on all kinds of fees Amazon sellers are charged, check out their Pricing page on the Sell on Amazon website.
Dangerous vs. Non-Dangerous Items
Dangerous Items (also called hazmat) are substances or materials that may pose a risk to Amazon during the storing, handling, or transporting of items. This is due to the possibility of the item containing flammable, pressurized, corrosive, or otherwise harmful substances.
There will also be changes for FBA fees of Dangerous Goods, which will take effect on January 18, 2022.
I Am Thinking of Selling an Oversized Product. What Else Do I Need To Know?
Competition
Most sell smaller items because the FBA fees are much lower. It’s also much easier to source smaller items from overseas.
This is mainly because new sellers who are doing research on how to start selling on Amazon are always advised to sell smaller items.
According to Marketplace Pulse, around 2,000 new sellers join Amazon USA daily.
With these facts in mind, have you considered that maybe selling an Oversized product could be an option because of reduced competition?
Just be sure to do your proper product research before deciding.
Do Proper Product Research
With proper product research to choose the right product, selling oversized items isn’t too bad of an idea!
It takes a decent amount of time investment, but it could be a telling factor of your success or failure with a product launch.
I personally use Helium 10 for my product research! I find it essential to have this tool as an Amazon seller, because it helps you determine the profitability of the niche that you are viewing, and you get a good look at the competition.
Think about Packaging
I can also recommend that for selling oversized items, it’s best if they are foldable, collapsible, inflatable, or would need to be assembled.
It may be more difficult for sellers to send inventory to fulfillment centers if they are oversized in packaging aside from the product itself. It can be tiring to handle and expensive to hire help.
Why? When a customer is looking for a larger item, it is generally more encouraging for them to order it if it arrives in smaller packaging.
On the other hand, you as a seller should also think about what would be more convenient for you. With larger items that come in smaller packaging, you can order more units in one shipment and save money on freight forwarding.
Also, Amazon has a limit to the storage space that they will allow you in their fulfillment centers. If you are selling other products, you have to think about how to use your allotted space wisely.
Pricing
Larger items typically can bring in bigger profit margins than smaller items. This really depends on the type of product.
As a seller, you would still need to be mindful of FBA fees, which can be significantly larger than fees for standard-sized items.
Use an FBA calculator to see if it’s worth it in the long run. If you find the right product, the larger profit margin can be something to consider when selling an oversized item.
Conclusion
I hope that this blog post has helped you be prepared for the new FBA fees, whether or not you decide to sell an oversize product!
Always do your own due diligence before making big decisions for your business, and frequently check Seller Central Help articles for updated information.
What kind of oversize product are you thinking of selling? Tell me about it in the comments below! Do you also need help scaling your Amazon FBA business? Check out my in-depth Amazon FBA course to find out how I can help you!