Mastering Commission Fee Changes: How New Sellers Can Achieve Big Sales

Across major e-commerce platforms like Lazada, TikTok Shop, and Shopee, we observe a clear trend of commission fee increases implemented throughout 2025, with varying adjustment policies for different sites.

	
Lazada Platform: For instance, the Malaysia site increased commissions starting July 18, 2025, with rates for some categories reaching up to 21.5%, plus an 8% service tax. The Thailand site will raise the base commission by 1.5% (pre-tax) from November 1, 2025, although some item fees have decreased.
	
Shopee Platform: Similarly, sites like Malaysia and the Philippines have also seen commission hike policies this year.
	

	
	

Rising commission fees mean sellers face higher costs and expenses while operating the same store. Therefore, amidst continuous adjustments to various platform commissions and fees, ensuring store profits do not decrease – or even increase – requires timely strategic adjustments and response methods.





Let's explore the following coping strategies.

 
Seller Response Strategies to Commission Fee

Strategy 1: Exploit the 120-Day New-Seller Window
Here are the preferential policies for new sellers on three major platforms (Policies may vary; please refer to the latest official platform announcements):

Shopee New Seller Benefits:


	
Commission Waiver: For the first cross-border direct shipping store opened in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Taiwan sites, enjoy a commission waiver for the first 500 orders within the first three months.
	
Free Pickup: Sellers in covered areas can enjoy free pickup services if they meet conditions like a fast shipping rate ≥80%, average daily order volume ≥10, and average preparation time ≤2 days.
	
Shipping Subsidy: Sellers who voluntarily forgo free pickup and maintain an average shipping-to-warehouse time ≤1.2 days can enjoy a shipping subsidy. Sellers outside covered areas meeting the same core conditions can receive a $0.1 per order subsidy.
	

	
	


Lazada New Seller Benefits:


	
Shipping Benefit: 0% free shipping for the first 30 days.
	
Commission Benefit: 0% platform commission fee for the first 90 days.
	
Promotion Benefit: Free promotional vouchers with a 0% commission rate.
	
Marketing Support: Access to extra Seller Coins and a 14-day traffic boost trial.
	
Advertising Support: Receive a certain credit quota for advertising.
	
Training Support: One-on-one incubation support with a personal consultant from Lazada University.


TikTok Shop New Seller Benefits:


	
Commission Waiver: New sellers completing newbie tasks can enjoy platform commission exemption for up to 90 days ($0 platform commission during this period).
	
Logistics Subsidy: Eligible orders can receive up to $5 in logistics subsidy per order; regions like Mexico offer 3 months of free shipping subsidy for new sellers (platform covers logistics costs below $3/kg); free for US local POP sellers.
	
Free ERP: Southeast Asia markets offer free ERP integration for warehouse merchants; dedicated training and manager services.
	

	
	


Maximizing Benefits During the New Seller Period:


	
Avoid adjusting prices or conducting other tests immediately before or during major sales promotions. Schedule test launches at least 15 days before key events (e.g., 11.11, 12.12, Ramadan,Black Friday Sale) to allow the 120-day window to overlap with peak traffic periods.
	
If still within the new seller period, leverage price advantages to gain more orders. As you don't pay commissions, you can absorb discounts while still maintaining or exceeding your target profit margins.
	
After store launch, combine with advertising. The zero or low commission benefits for ads during the new seller period make this an excellent time to test advertising effectiveness.
	

	
	


Strategy 2: Adjust Your Product Pricing or Discounts Based on the New Fee Structure


	
Adjust product investment ratios, doubling down on low-commission niche markets.
	
Bundle high-commission products with low-commission add-ons to increase the average order value without raising the effective commission percentage.
	
Master platform rules clearly. Use the Seller Center for calculations, maintain a clear understanding and plan for your store data, and update store data and status regularly.

	  Example Formula: Target Selling Price = [Product Cost + Shipping Cost + Packaging Cost + Desired Profit] ÷ (1 – All-in Commission % – SST)
	

	
	


Strategy 3: Leverage Platform-Sponsored Subsidies, Discounts, and Promotions


	
Platform-Funded Vouchers: E.g., Lazada offers daily funded vouchers of RM5-RM15. Mark your best-selling items in "Platform Voucher Applicable" activities every Monday to gain extra exposure.
	
LazCoins (1-30% discount, configurable by sellers).
	
Allocate 5% coins for high-traffic SKUs, as buyers appreciate the psychological effect of a "double discount" (coins + voucher + free shipping).
	
If still within the 120-day period, pay for coins from the zero-commission window. Afterwards, treat coins as a 3% marketing cost and factor them into your pricing.
	

	
	


Strategy 4: Refined Store Operations are Key to Explosive Orders


	
Step 1 - Product Selection is Crucial: Either create differentiated products to enhance competitiveness or ensure products have a price advantage. Both aspects are critical for product selection.
	
Step 2 - Choose Suitable Listing Tools: Utilize tools like Bigseller ERP to quickly complete product listing and synchronization, accelerating store setup.
	
Step 3 - Select Appropriate Promotion Methods: Leverage platform policies effectively, conduct ample A/B tests, ultimately choose the methods with low cost and good results, and maintain consistent promotion efforts.
	
Step 4 - Utilize AI Tools like Duoke AI: Automate responses to ~70% of repetitive, basic inquiries, significantly saving manpower costs. Duoke AI features like AI customer service, auto-reply, and order follow-up management help achieve 24/7 accurate responses, ensuring store response rates. By guaranteeing the golden 3-minute response time, it boosts store conversion rates. For example, if a buyer inquires but doesn't place an order, Duoke AI can automatically send reminder messages, prompting the buyer to complete the purchase, thereby greatly increasing order rates and saving labor costs, even when live agents are offline.



Finally, adjustments to platform fee models – whether on Lazada, Shopee, TikTok Shop, or others – are decisions beyond individual sellers' control. As sellers face constantly evolving policies, the only way to thrive and create greater profits amidst change is to adapt, adjust promptly, and formulate effective coping strategies.