How to use the tiktok shop fee calculator
- 1Enter the price the customer pays for the item and any shipping they pay.
- 2Enter what the item cost you and your shipping cost.
- 3Check the referral fee. It starts at TikTok’s published rate for most US categories; change it if your category or account has a different rate.
- 4If a creator sold the item through TikTok Shop Affiliate, enter their commission rate. Then read your fees and profit.
How TikTok Shop fees work
TikTok Shop charges US sellers a referral fee on each order. TikTok’s published category table sets it at 6% for most categories, with lower rates in some, such as certain jewelry. There is no fixed per-order fee.
The fee is charged on what the customer pays, including shipping, but not sales tax. Discounts that TikTok funds are added back in, while discounts you fund yourself reduce the amount the fee is charged on.
Some third-party reports in 2026 say the standard US rate rose to 8%, but we could not find an official TikTok notice confirming it, and TikTok’s published table still showed 6% when we checked. Check the rate in your Seller Center and enter it in the calculator.
Referral fee = (Item price + Shipping the customer pays) × Referral rate Sales tax is not included
Affiliate creator commission
When a creator sells your product through TikTok Shop Affiliate, you pay them the commission rate you set, on top of the referral fee. Even a modest commission can cost more than the referral fee itself, so an affiliate sale can cost several times as much as a direct one.
Work out the most you can pay a creator before you set the rate. Enter your price and costs, then raise the commission until profit reaches the lowest amount you would accept.
Affiliate commission = Item price × Commission rate
New sellers and refunds
TikTok has offered new US sellers a reduced referral fee for a limited period after their first sale. The terms change, so check Seller Center for any offer on your account and enter that rate if it applies.
When an order is refunded, TikTok returns most of the referral fee but keeps an administration fee of 20% of it, capped at $5 per item.
Profit and margin
Your payout is the item price and shipping the customer paid, minus the referral fee and any affiliate commission. Profit then subtracts the item cost and your shipping cost.
Payout = Item price + Shipping − Referral fee − Commission Profit = Payout − Item cost − Shipping cost
eBay vs Poshmark vs Mercari vs Depop vs Etsy vs TikTok Shop fees
The table below runs one US sale through each marketplace’s standard fees: a $40 item with $8 shipping paid by the buyer and no sales tax, no ads or promotions. It counts only the fees the seller pays.
The cheapest platform on paper is not always the one that leaves you the most profit. Poshmark’s buyer pays a flat shipping label that is not commissioned, Depop charges its buyers a separate marketplace fee, and a platform with more buyers for your item may sell it faster or for more.
Depop (US) $2.03 3.3% + $0.45 processing, no selling fee TikTok Shop $2.88 6% referral fee Mercari $4.80 10% of item + shipping Etsy $5.01 listing, 6.5% transaction, 3% + $0.25 processing eBay (most categories) $6.93 13.6% + $0.40 per order Poshmark $8.00 20% of the item price
Where these rates come from
The default comes from TikTok Shop’s US Seller University referral fee table, checked in November 2026. Rates vary by category and change from time to time, and this calculator covers the US only. Your Seller Center shows the exact fees on each order.
Worked example
A seller sells a phone stand for $40, and the customer pays $8 shipping. It cost $12 to make and $7.50 to ship. A creator earned it a 15% commission.
| Item price + shipping | $48.00 |
| Referral fee (6%) | $2.88 |
| Affiliate commission (15% of $40) | $6.00 |
| Payout | $39.12 |
| Item and shipping costs | $19.50 |
| Profit | $19.62 (40.9% margin) |
Without the creator, the seller would keep $25.62. At an 8% referral fee, the fee would be $3.84 instead of $2.88.