TikTok Shop ConsultantWhat do TikTok Shop fees take out of each sale?
TikTok's own fee is 6% on most sales, and once you add shipping, creator commission, ads and returns, about 47 cents of each dollar on a $40 product is gone before you pay for the product. So a brand needs a much higher gross margin than that 6% suggests.
What is the TikTok Shop referral fee right now?
TikTok's seller page says 6% on each sale with no setup fee, and its category table lists 6% for most categories. We read both on November 1, 2026. Some jewelry and pre-owned categories pay 5%.
- TikTok works it out as the rate times the customer payment plus any platform discount, less tax. Shipping a customer pays counts in that base.
- If an order is refunded, you get the fee back less 20% of it, capped at $5 per SKU.
- TikTok can change the rate at its own discretion, and tells you by email or in Seller Center.
Source: TikTok Shop US, seller page
Source: TikTok Shop Academy, referral fees by category, dated October 8, 2026
Source: TikTok Shop Academy, referral fee updates
Source: TikTok Shop Seller Terms
One thing we couldn't confirm. beBOLD Digital reported in September 2026 that independent guides say the rate rose to 8% for most non-food categories on August 4, 2026. TikTok's public pages above don't show that, and beBOLD says so too. Check your own rate in Seller Center before you build a budget on either number.
Source: beBOLD Digital, TikTok Shop's reported 8% fee
Where does the rest of a $40 sale go?
To shipping, creators, ads and returns, and those four take far more than TikTok's fee. This is Eightx's base case for a first year $40 product.
| Line | Rate | On a $40 sale |
|---|---|---|
| Referral fee | 6% | $2.40 |
| Fulfilled by TikTok, one unit | $3.58 | $3.58 |
| Creator commission | 13% | $5.20 |
| Ad spend | 15% | $6.00 |
| Returns | 3.7% | $1.48 |
| Total taken | About 47% | $18.66 |
| Left for product and profit | About 53% | $21.34 |
Source: Eightx, TikTok Shop's take rate
Source: The dollar column is our own arithmetic on Eightx's rates
The 6% referral fee is the entry price, not the exit price.Matt Putra, managing partner at Eightx, Eightx, July 2026
Shipping hits cheap products hardest, because it's a set dollar amount. That same $3.58 is 14% of a $25 sale and 24% of a $15 one. FastMoss puts the range at about $2.86 to $4.28. Eightx says independent shipping ended on March 31, 2026. TikTok's rate card is dated October 27, 2026 and shows changes as recent as November 1, but its dollar table is an image we couldn't read, so check your own weight tier there.
Source: FastMoss, TikTok Shop seller costs
Source: TikTok Shop Academy, FBT rate card
Are there fees you only pay if you opt in?
Yes, and the big one is Smart Promotion, TikTok's promotion program. It charges a fixed 3.5% of your store's sales outside campaigns and more during them, and TikTok says it's required to join major platform campaigns and Flash Sales. It isn't in the table above, so add it if you plan to enroll.
Source: TikTok Shop Academy, Smart Promotion
What do samples and ads cost at scale?
More than most budgets allow for. AmpliSell, using Finaloop's data, shows the median brand doing $1M+ on TikTok Shop, as a share of net sales.
| Line | Share of net sales |
|---|---|
| Discounts | 51% |
| GMV Max ads | 34% |
| Creator commissions | 10% |
| Refunds | 6.9% |
| Samples | 1.9% |
| Contribution margin left | About 11% |
Source: AmpliSell, citing Finaloop
- AmpliSell says its own clients land at 12% to 18% on GMV Max.
- Samples look small in that table, and they can still go badly. Swoveralls and DudeRobe shipped 4,752 samples at 12% to 20% commission from April to July, and spent more than $2 for every $1 of sales, before the cost of goods.
Source: Net Influencer, Swoveralls and DudeRobe
What gross margin do you need?
On Eightx's numbers, you need more than about 47% to break even, so the common 40% rule won't clear it unless ads or commission come in lower. Evolve Media says at least 40% before fees, and it reports Branvas saying 60%+.
| Product cost on a $40 sale | Gross margin | Left after the table above |
|---|---|---|
| $12 | 70% | 23% |
| $16 | 60% | About 13% |
| $21.34 | About 47% | Break even |
| $24 | 40% | About 7% loss |
Source: The $12 and $16 lines are Eightx's, the other two are our arithmetic on its table
Source: Evolve Media, TikTok Shop guide
How do you find your own number?
Put your price, weight and product cost into the table, then swap in the rate shown in your Seller Center. If you'd like a second look, add it to the rest of a TikTok Shop audit. An agency's fee would sit on top of all of this, so ask about it. We get compensated only through commission, with no retainer and no setup fee. That's what we do as TikTok Shop consultants. Join the 55+ brands growing their TikTok Shop with us.