Understanding (and verifying) marketplace commission structures
Fixed percentage, category-based tiers, per-order minimums, and fees that just barely avoid being called commissions: here is how to verify what a marketplace is actually deducting.
The building blocks of a commission
Almost every marketplace commission is built on a percentage of the selling price, often supplemented by a fixed amount per order or per item. On top of that come separate cost types: shipping contributions, payment processing fees, advertising and campaign contributions.
The percentage differs per category — and that is where things frequently go wrong. A product that the marketplace classifies under a different category silently receives a different rate.
Minimum amounts and tiers
Many marketplaces apply a minimum commission per item. For low-priced products, the effective commission can therefore far exceed the agreed rate: a 15% commission with a €1 minimum on a €4 item is effectively 25%. Anyone checking only on percentage will miss this.
How to verify a settlement
Take each order line: selling price × agreed percentage, plus fixed amounts, and compare with the commission deducted. Explicitly check whether the percentage was applied to the VAT-inclusive or VAT-exclusive amount — the difference is exactly the VAT factor and reveals the most common calculation error.
- Record the agreed percentage, minimum, and permitted cost types per marketplace.
- Test every settlement against those rules, not against 'what it was last time'.
- Investigate structural deviations per category: one incorrect category assignment affects all your orders in that category.
Let the checks run automatically from now on.
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