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Amazon Raises Seller Fees; Walmart Expands Drones

Amazon is changing its fulfillment fees and storage rules for sellers, while Walmart adds 300 U.S. drone delivery sites through a new agreement with Zipline.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Retail

Isometric editorial illustration of stacked shipping containers beside a distribution building, with a small drone on the rooftop, in muted oxblood, teal, and mustard.
Amazon will raise fulfillment fees for sellers and consolidate storage charges starting January 15, 2027, while Walmart adds 300 U.S. drone delivery sites with Zipline. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you think big retailers' faster delivery is worth the higher fees?

Amazon is raising fees for sellers using Fulfillment by Amazon, with most changes taking effect January 15, 2027. Walmart announced a multiyear agreement with Zipline to add 300 U.S. drone delivery sites.

Why it matters

Fee changes shift costs for the independent merchants who account for more than 60% of sales in Amazon's store. Walmart's expansion reflects continued competition over faster delivery, where purchase rates rise sharply as wait times shrink.

Amazon's average Fulfillment by Amazon fee increase equals about 0.8% of the average item's selling price, while Walmart's drone program has completed more than 2 million deliveries. The source does not detail how these figures vary across product categories or seller sizes.

The players

Amazon

Amazon is the online retailer operating the marketplace and Fulfillment by Amazon program affected by the fee changes.

Walmart

Walmart is the largest U.S. retailer expanding its drone delivery network through a new agreement.

Zipline

Zipline is a drone delivery company partnering with Walmart on the multiyear expansion to 300 U.S. sites.

The details

Amazon will drop its storage utilization surcharge effective February 1, 2027, and fold its aging inventory charge into one monthly storage rate based on time in warehouses. Sellers can use a new dashboard to see how storage changes affect individual products, while Walmart's drone deliveries can arrive in as little as 30 minutes at eligible addresses.

Timeline

  1. November 2, 2026: Amazon issues its Thanksgiving meal press release.

  2. November 26, 2026: Amazon's Thanksgiving meal offer ends, while supplies last.

  3. January 15, 2027: Most Amazon seller fee changes take effect.

  4. February 1, 2027: Amazon's storage rules and low-inventory fee assessment change.

Market Landscape

The purchase-rate research showing that cutting delivery waits from more than four days to two lifts conversion by over 20% helps explain why both retailers are investing in faster fulfillment. Walmart's drone network and Amazon's storage and fee restructuring are competing on that same delivery-speed axis.

Sellers using Fulfillment by Amazon should review the new storage dashboard to see how the February 1 changes affect individual products. Shoppers may see faster delivery options as Walmart's drone sites expand, with some eligible addresses receiving orders in about 30 minutes.

The takeaway

Sellers and shoppers both face a retail environment where fees and delivery speed are shifting quickly. Tracking the January and February 2027 changes will clarify how marketplace costs and convenience evolve.

What happens next

Amazon's most seller fee changes take effect January 15, 2027, and its storage rule changes take effect February 1, 2027.

Further reading

Explore more Retail coverage for context on how marketplace fees and delivery speed are reshaping the industry.

Source note: This article includes information reported by PYMNTS.

Live Poll

Do you think big retailers' faster delivery is worth the higher fees?