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TikTok Shop Fee Calculator
TikTok Shop's 6% referral fee includes payment processing, which makes it look like the cheapest marketplace on the internet. The creator commission you set yourself is what actually decides your margin — and it can be three times the platform fee.
How TikTok Shop fees are structured
TikTok Shop differs from Etsy and eBay in one structural way: the referral fee already contains payment processing. There is no separate 2.9% + 30¢ line, no listing fee and no monthly subscription. On a standard US order that makes the platform take one of the lowest percentages of any marketplace.
| Charge | Rate | Charged on |
|---|---|---|
| Referral fee (most categories) | 6% | Customer payment incl. shipping, excl. tax |
| Referral fee (fine jewellery, pre-owned) | 5% | Same base |
| New-seller promotion | 3% | First 30 days after your first sale |
| Payment processing | included | Already inside the referral fee |
| Creator / affiliate commission | you set it | Customer payment; commonly 10–20% |
| Refund administration fee | 20% of referral, max $5 | Refunded orders |
| Withdrawal fee | $0.05 or ~0.9% | Each payout to bank or PayPal |
The 6% is not your cost of sale — 21% is
TikTok is a discovery platform. Almost none of its volume arrives from someone typing your product name into a search box; it arrives because a creator put it in a video. That creator takes a cut you choose, typically 10–20%. Add that to the 6% referral fee and the platform take lands around 21% — higher than eBay, and higher than Etsy without Offsite Ads.
This is not an argument against TikTok Shop. It is an argument for pricing against the 21% case rather than the 6% case, because a product priced on 6% will look profitable for three weeks and then stop being profitable the moment a creator-driven sale lands.
Returns cost more than the refund fee
When an order is refunded, TikTok returns the referral fee minus 20% of it, capped at $5 per SKU. That penalty is small. The real loss is the ad spend, which is not returned, and the return shipping you may share. On an impulse-driven channel, a 15% return rate is normal — build it into the price, not into hope.
TikTok Shop Fee Calculator — FAQ
How much does TikTok Shop take per sale in 2026?
The US referral fee is 6% of the customer payment for most categories, 5% for fine jewellery and selected pre-owned categories, and 3% for new sellers during their first 30 days after an initial sale. Payment processing is included in that percentage — there is no separate processing fee.
Does TikTok Shop charge a payment processing fee?
No. Unlike Etsy, eBay or Shopify, TikTok Shop bundles processing into the referral fee, so 6% is close to your all-in platform cost on an organic sale. The costs that sit outside it — creator commission, ads, fulfilment and returns — are usually far larger than the referral fee itself.
What commission should I offer TikTok creators?
Most categories clear at 10–20%. Below 10% few creators accept the sample; above 20% you need a product with a very high gross margin to survive. The practical approach is to set the rate your unit economics allow, then check that the product still profits at the top of that range.
Is TikTok Shop cheaper than Etsy or eBay?
On platform fees alone, yes — 6% against Etsy's ~10% all-in and eBay's ~14%. Once a 15% creator commission is included, TikTok's total take is around 21%, which makes it the most expensive of the three. You are paying for distribution rather than for a cheaper checkout.
What happens to fees when an order is refunded?
TikTok returns the referral fee to you minus a refund administration fee of 20% of that fee, capped at $5 per SKU. Creator commission is reversed on a refund, but ad spend is not — so a refund costs you the traffic you bought to generate it.
Sources & last checked. Rates reflect TikTok Shop's published US seller schedule as last openly published: 6% referral for most categories, 5% for fine jewellery and pre-owned, 3% new-seller promotion, refund administration fee of 20% of the referral fee capped at $5 per SKU, and a $0.05 or ~0.9% withdrawal fee. TikTok now publishes its current rate card inside Seller Center; confirm your category there before pricing. Last reviewed October 2026.