Amazon Affiliate Commission Rates Explained
Amazon doesn't pay one flat rate — commission varies significantly by category. Here's the current breakdown.
Commission is category-based, not flat
Amazon pays a different percentage depending on what category the purchased product falls into — not one flat rate across everything you promote. Rates are set by Amazon and can change, so treat the table below as a snapshot rather than a permanent reference, and check Associates Central for the current live rate card before relying on it for a major decision.
Standard commission rates by category
| Category | Rate |
|---|---|
| Luxury Beauty, Luxury Stores Beauty, Amazon Explore | 10.00% |
| Digital Music, Physical Music, Handmade, Digital Videos | 5.00% |
| Physical Books, Kitchen, Automotive | 4.50% |
| Amazon Fire/Kindle/Echo/Ring devices, Luxury Stores Fashion, Apparel, Watches, Jewelry, Luggage, Shoes, Handbags & Accessories, All Other Categories | 4.00% |
| Toys, Furniture, Home, Home Improvement, Lawn & Garden, Pet Products, Headphones, Beauty, Musical Instruments, Business & Industrial Supplies, Outdoors, Tools, Sports, Baby Products | 3.00% |
| PC, PC Components, DVD & Blu-Ray | 2.50% |
| Televisions, Digital Video Games | 2.00% |
| Amazon Fresh, Physical Video Games & Consoles, Grocery, Health & Personal Care | 1.00% |
| Gift Cards, Wireless Plans, Alcohol, Kindle subscriptions, Vehicles, Restaurant Food | 0.00% |
Why this matters for what you choose to promote
Two products at the same price, in different categories, can pay meaningfully different commission — a $100 item at 4% pays $4; the same $100 spent in a 1% category pays $1. This doesn't mean ignoring what your audience actually wants in favor of whatever pays best, but it's a genuinely useful factor when you have a choice between comparable products to feature.
"All Other Categories" matters more than it sounds
Amazon's rate card has a catch-all "All Other Categories" rate (currently grouped at 4.00%) that applies to anything not explicitly listed elsewhere — useful to know so an unfamiliar product category isn't a mystery.
A note on accuracy
These rates come from Amazon's own published Standard Commission Income Rates and can be revised — Amazon has changed category rates before, sometimes with little advance notice. Confirm the current rate in Associates Central before making a decision that depends heavily on a specific percentage.