How Commission Works (VAT, Service Fee, Withholding)
Marketplace commission is a percentage of the VAT-included sale price. The most critical and most overlooked point: commission is itself a service, so its invoice carries 20% VAT. The seller pays the commission and then pays VAT on that commission too — this double layer is frequently forgotten in net-profit math. On some platforms a fixed service fee (a flat amount per order) is also deducted and weighs disproportionately on low-priced items. Trendyol additionally applies 1% withholding tax. The real commission burden is the sum of these: category commission + commission VAT + service fee (plus its VAT) + withholding. Even when a category shows "18% commission", the real deduction often climbs to 22-26%.
The most overlooked point is the "double layer": commission is itself a service, so its invoice carries an extra 20% VAT. You pay the commission and then VAT on that commission. Even when a category shows "18% commission", the real deduction often climbs to 22-26%.
Trendyol Commission Rates and Service Fee
On Trendyol, commission ranges by category from roughly 7% (smartphones) to 27% (phone parts); clothing is around 21%, footwear 23%, cosmetics 16-17%. Since September 2024 a fixed service fee is charged per order — this erodes margin sharply on low-priced items and matters less on expensive ones. A 1% withholding tax is also deducted. Shipping is calculated separately by the volumetric-weight (desi) table and is passed to the seller below a certain basket value. Store tier (Premium, Pro) and campaign periods make commission discounts negotiable. It is important to check whether the commission deducted on each order matches your category contract; Ecomiro's commission-control module compares each order against the reference rate and produces an objection report when there is an overcharge.
Hepsiburada Commission Structure
On Hepsiburada, commission ranges by category from roughly 4% (gold, some digital goods) to 22% (cosmetics, some accessories); electronics 6-12%, clothing 14-20%. Commission is again taken on the VAT-included price and its invoice carries VAT. Shipping runs mandatorily through HepsiJET, priced by volumetric weight, generally close to or a little below Trendyol. A "Hepsiburada Premium" membership can secure a commission discount and promotion advantages, but it has an annual fee and a minimum revenue requirement. Because Hepsiburada's API does not directly expose buybox data, competitor price tracking needs additional methods. Commission and cost control is critical here too; small percentage differences turn into large amounts at volume.
Amazon TR Referral Fee and Subscription
On Amazon, commission is called the referral fee and ranges by category from roughly 3% (some jewellery) to 20%; electronics and computers 6-8%, clothing and footwear around 15%. The referral fee is calculated on the total amount including the product price plus any shipping. Amazon has two account types: Individual (free to register but a fixed per-order fee) and Professional (a monthly subscription, unlimited orders). For anyone selling regularly, a professional account is more economical. If you use FBA (fulfilment from Amazon warehouses), storage and fulfilment fees are added on top. Because Amazon's fee structure has many line items, to see a product's real profit you must combine the referral fee, the subscription share and any FBA fees.
Platform Comparison: Which Is More Profitable?
There is no single "cheapest" platform — profitability depends on the category. The same product may face 8% on one platform and 15% on another; Trendyol's fixed service fee makes it pricier on low-value items and less impactful on expensive ones. The right approach is to evaluate every product per channel with a separate net-profit calculation: put in the category commission, VAT, service fee, withholding, shipping and subscription share, and see how many lira remain net on each channel. This is why most sellers list the same product across platforms at different prices and manage margin per channel. Ecomiro's analytics module shows each channel's real net profit side by side, so which product should sell on which marketplace becomes a data-driven decision.
| Platform | Commission range | Fixed/extra fee | Withholding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trendyol | ~7-27% | Per-order service fee (+VAT) | 1% |
| Hepsiburada | ~4-22% | Mandatory HepsiJET shipping | None |
| Amazon TR | ~3-20% (referral) | Professional monthly subscription | None |
Rates are a general early-2026 list; they vary by category, store tier and campaign. The exact rate is in your category contract in the seller panel.
Compare your product across platforms: commission calculatorLowering Commission and Objecting to Overcharges
There are several legitimate ways to reduce the commission burden: raising your store tier (by meeting revenue and performance criteria) to move to a lower rate, using the commission discounts platforms offer during campaigns, correcting a wrong (higher) category by listing in the right one, and keeping the price in a band where the fixed service fee does not weigh disproportionately. Another important matter is overcharged commission: marketplaces sometimes deduct more than the contract due to wrong category mapping or system errors. These amounts look small individually but can be high in monthly total. You must automatically compare each order's deducted commission with the category contract and prepare an objection file where there is a deviation — Ecomiro's commission-control module does this automatically and reports the recoverable amount.