How TikTok Shop fees work in 2026
TikTok Shop charges US sellers a flat 6% referral fee on most categories (5% on select jewelry), and unusually, that single fee already includes payment processing — there's no separate transaction charge. New sellers can get a promotional 3% rate for 30 days after their first sale, if that first sale lands within 60 days of onboarding.
Why the affiliate commission is the real story
The 6% referral is the smallest part of your cost. TikTok Shop is a content-driven marketplace, and most sales come through creators you pay an affiliate commission — a rate you set yourself, typically 10–20%. Stack that on the referral fee and an affiliate-driven sale costs roughly 18–28% before fulfillment, ads and returns. That's why this calculator puts the affiliate rate on a slider: it's the number you actually control, and the one that moves your margin most.
The fees sellers forget
When an order is returned, TikTok refunds the referral fee but charges a Refund Administration Fee of 20% of the original referral fee, capped at $5 per SKU. As of 2026, US sellers must use Fulfilled by TikTok, Upgraded TikTok Shipping or Collections by TikTok rather than their own carrier labels — fulfillment starts around $2.86–$4.28 per unit. Together with ad spend, the all-in platform-plus-channel take on a typical order can reach about 30% of the sale price.
Selling outside the US?
Rates differ by market: the UK charges 9%, and the EU5 markets (Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Ireland) moved to 9% in January 2026. This calculator uses US rates — check your market's Seller Center for the exact structure.
What's the difference between referral fee and affiliate commission?
The referral fee is TikTok's flat platform cut (6% US), charged on every completed sale. The affiliate commission is what you pay a creator who drives a sale — you set the rate, and it only applies to affiliate-driven orders. A sale from your own organic content costs just the referral fee; a sale from a creator costs referral plus commission.
Is TikTok Shop cheaper than Amazon?
On base platform fee, yes — 6% vs Amazon's 8–15%. But once you add affiliate commissions, content production and ads, TikTok Shop's total cost of selling often matches or exceeds Amazon. The advantage is built-in discovery; the cost is that you usually have to pay creators or ads to trigger it. Compare on the Amazon calculator.
What this calculator doesn't include
Content production cost, chargeback fees, storage beyond the free window, and your actual return rate aren't modeled by default — add ad cost per order and adjust fulfillment to approximate them. Figures use TikTok's published 2026 US schedule and are estimates, not financial advice. Confirm exact fees in TikTok Shop Seller Center before pricing.