How a marketplace commission is calculated
A worked example, line by line, of what a shop keeps on a €149 sale.
CF
Camille Ferrand
17 July 2026
6 min read
464
Commission is the only line many sellers look at, while the real margin depends on four. Here is the full breakdown of one sale.
The example
A product sold at €149.00, marketplace commission of 10 %, standard shipping charged at €4.90 to the buyer.
- Product amount: €149.00
- Marketplace commission: −€14.90
- Vendor revenue: €134.10
- Shipping collected: €4.90, passed to the carrier
What the commission covers
Listing hosting, inbound traffic, payment methods, buyer protection, first-line customer service, dispute handling. A standalone shop would pay for each of these separately, usually for more.
The three lines sellers forget
- Return cost. At a 3 % return rate on €149 products, the loss equals €4.50 per sale.
- Packaging cost, rarely under €2 on a bulky product.
- Preparation time, which is working time even when it is not invoiced.
Negotiating your rate
The commission rate is not fixed: it varies by category and by volume. A shop above a certain monthly revenue can ask for a review. You have to ask; it is never offered spontaneously.
This advice comes from the marketplace
Browse products from the shops our guides talk about.
−14 %
−18 %
New
−17 %
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