TikTok Shop fee calculator: referral fee, commission and what you keep
TikTok Shop charges one platform fee per order, but the rate and the base are different in every market — and a discount TikTok funds does not lower the fee. This works it out properly, then adds the creator commission and fulfilment.
Rates are TikTok's published figures as of November 2026: US 6% (5% on fine jewellery and pre-owned), UK 9% VAT-inclusive (5% on eligible electronics and beauty), EU 9% (7% electronics). US base = buyer payment + platform discount − tax. UK/EU base = net sales + buyer-paid shipping + platform discount − refunds. Confirm your own rate and base on a recent settlement before you price on it.
The base is the part sellers miss
The headline number — 6% in the US, 9% in the UK — is not applied to what lands in your account. It is applied to a base that includes amounts you never keep. Two cases make the point:
| Situation | What TikTok charges on | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok funds a discount and the buyer pays less | The pre-discount price | The platform discount is added back, so a self-funded cut from you lowers the fee but TikTok's own discount does not |
| Buyer pays shipping (UK/EU) | Net sales plus the shipping charge | Charging the buyer £5 for postage adds 9% of £5 to the commission, so shipping is fee-bearing |
One fee is not the whole cost
The platform fee is the cheapest line. The creator commission you set — 1% to 80% of the order, averaging about 13% in the US — is usually larger, and on an order shipped by TikTok the per-unit fulfilment fee does not shrink with a cheaper item, so low-priced products quietly return nothing. Put a real creator rate in the box above and watch the margin move.
Three things that catch TikTok Shop sellers out
- No separate payment fee — unless your settlement shows one. TikTok's US fee pages list a single referral fee and no processing line. If a settlement shows a second deduction, that is your real cost, not the guide's.
- The reported August 2026 US increase is not official. Some guides report the US rate rose to 8% on 4 August 2026; TikTok's own fee page still shows 6%. Divide the referral fee on a recent order by its value to read your true rate.
- Returns cost again in the US. A refunded order carries a refund administration fee of 20% of the referral fee, capped at US$5 per item, plus the return postage — so a returned sale is a loss, not a wash.
Knowing the fee is step one; knowing which of your products is quietly losing money is the part that changes the month. Or run one export free, no signup.
Creator commission on top of the referral fee is what sinks most TikTok shops — the US$49 audit reads yours line by line.
Etsy, Amazon, Walmart and TikTok change their fee tables without announcing it, and the Canadian tax deadlines move. I check and send one short email when something real changes. No sequence, no selling you something every Tuesday.
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