Amazon has introduced a new 3.5 per cent fuel surcharge for merchants that use its distribution and fulfillment network in response to rising fuel expenses.

The war in Iran has sent shockwaves through global oil markets, driving up crude prices and triggering a spike in United States gasoline costs, with ripple effects across the transportation and logistics sectors.

Amazon stated that the measure will remain in effect for the foreseeable future, according to TechCrunch.

However, the company said it will continue to monitor market conditions and evaluate potential policy adjustments as fuel prices fluctuate.

“Elevated costs in fuel and logistics have increased the cost of operating across the industry,” a spokesperson said. “We have absorbed these increases so far, but similar to other major carriers, when costs remain elevated we implement temporary surcharges to partially recover these costs.”

The spokesperson added that the fee is “meaningfully lower than surcharges imposed by other major carriers.”

The move is expected to increase operating costs for thousands of third-party sellers that rely on the e-commerce giant’s logistics infrastructure to reach customers.

The surcharge adds pressure on online sellers already navigating higher supply chain and shipping costs, raising concerns that some merchants may pass the additional expense on to consumers.

Bloomberg first reported the development.

The new policy will take effect on April 17 and will apply to merchants using Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon service, Bloomberg reported.

Under FBA, sellers ship their products to Amazon’s warehouses, where the company handles storage, packaging, and delivery to customers.