TikTok Shop Fee Calculator

How does the TikTok Shop referral fee work?

TikTok Shop charges sellers one fee, the referral fee, on every completed order. TikTok works it out as the rate for your category times the customer payment, plus any discount TikTok paid for, less tax. In plain terms: the item price and the postage the buyer pays, but never the sales tax. Its own page says this fee covers every TikTok Shop fee except shipping and tax, which is why there is no separate payment processing charge.

Say you sell a $40 item and the buyer pays $5 postage. In most categories the fee is 6% of $45, which is $2.70, and you receive $42.30 before your own costs.

Which categories pay a different rate?

Almost every category pays 6%. These fine jewelry sub-categories pay 5%: Diamond; Gold; Jade; Platinum, Carat Gold; Ruby, Sapphire & Emerald. Pre-Owned items (bags, watches, shoes, trading cards, coins and more) pay 5%.

Collectibles and Pre-Owned items also get a lower rate on big sales: 3% on any part of the sale over $10,000. A $12,000 trading card pays 6% on the first $10,000 and 3% on the last $2,000, so $660.00 in all. Pick your category in the calculator; the full table is under the fee list.

What does TikTok keep when an order is refunded?

TikTok gives back the referral fee, less a Refund Administration Fee of 20% of that referral fee, capped at $5 for each item. On a refunded $40 item in a 6% category, the referral fee was $2.40 and TikTok keeps $0.48. On a $500 item it would be $6.00, so the cap of $5 applies. TikTok does not charge it when an order is cancelled automatically before it ships.

What about creator commission?

If a creator sells your item through their video or LIVE, you pay them the commission rate you set. It is not a TikTok fee, but it comes out of your money all the same, and on many sales it costs more than the referral fee. TikTok works it out on the price the buyer actually paid. Put your rate in the calculator to see your real profit: at 15% commission, the $40 item above leaves you $36.30 instead of $42.30.

Is there a lower rate for new sellers?

TikTok has run a reduced referral fee for new sellers in the past, but the page that set it out has been withdrawn, and we could not find a current one. So a new-seller rate is not included yet. If your Seller Center shows you one, your fee will be lower than the calculator’s for that period. We check TikTok’s pages every month.