In this guide · 7 sections
Short answer
On a S$50 sale in a general category, Shopee's standard fees for a non-Mall seller are about S$8.73 (17.44%) before shipping. A Shopify Basic store pays about S$2.10 in card fees plus S$29 to S$39 a month. The marketplace is cheaper only if it brings sales you would not otherwise get.
Shopee seller fees in Singapore (October 2026)
Shopee's seller fees article (updated 15 October 2026) lists four kinds of fee: commission, transaction, service (only if you join a programme) and shipping. All percentages below include 9% GST.
- Commission: as of October 2026, non-Mall sellers in 'all other non-electronics' categories pay 14.17%, or 10.90% if they join the Promo Xtra Programme (PXP). Mall sellers pay 17.44% or 14.17%. Electronics have their own rates and caps, and from 28 August 2026 some essentials such as food staples and books are 1 point lower.
- Transaction fee: 3.27% of the final payment amount, including buyer-paid shipping, on every successful order.
- Service fee: only for PXP sellers; a percentage that varies by category, plus campaign fees during campaign periods.
- Shipping fees: charged by the logistics channel you use.
- New sellers: eligible new sellers get a 120-day base commission waiver, and a 30-day PXP service fee waiver if they join PXP.
Commission is calculated on the price after your own discounts and vouchers. Shopee's fee calculation page shows a full worked example, including affiliate (AMS) commission if you use Shopee's affiliate programme.
Lazada seller fees in Singapore
Lazada's Seller Centre help pages give the structure, while the full category rate card is shown as a table image in Seller Centre:
- Payment fee: from 8 May 2025, 3% before GST (3.27% with GST) of the final payment amount, including buyer-paid shipping, according to Lazada's payment fee article.
- Commission: charged by category on the item price minus your own promotions, with separate Marketplace and LazMall rate cards. Lazada's own worked example uses 7.085% (including GST) for a Marketplace seller and 9.81% for LazMall. Rates also depend on whether you join its Seller Promo+ Advantage (SPA) programme.
- New sellers: Lazada says Marketplace sellers new to e-commerce pay no commission for the first 3 months, with commission starting on day 91.
- Returns: commission is only charged on delivered orders and is reversed for returns.
Check your exact category rate in Seller Centre before pricing. Rates change, and both platforms revised theirs during 2026.
Worked example: what you keep from a S$50 sale
A S$50 item in a general, non-electronics category, no discounts, buyer pays no shipping, before your own shipping costs. Marketplace figures use the published rates above; Shopify uses Basic with Shopify Payments, as listed on Shopify's Singapore pricing page.
| Channel | Fees on S$50 | You keep | Fixed monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopee non-Mall, not on PXP | S$7.09 commission + S$1.64 transaction = about S$8.73 | about S$41.27 | None |
| Shopee non-Mall, on PXP | S$5.45 commission + S$1.64 transaction + PXP service fee | Less than S$42.91, depending on the service fee | None |
| Lazada Marketplace (rate from Lazada's example) | S$3.54 commission + S$1.64 payment = about S$5.18 | about S$44.82 | None |
| Shopify Basic, card payment | 3.2% + S$0.50 = S$2.10 | about S$47.90 | S$39 (S$29 if paid yearly) |
At 200 orders a month of S$50 (S$10,000 in sales), Shopee's standard non-Mall fees come to about S$1,744, while the Shopify store's card fees are about S$420 plus the plan. The S$1,300 gap is what your own store has to spend on ads, content and apps to win the same sales.
Marketplace or your own store: which suits you
Marketplace makes sense if
- You are new and need buyers who already search there
- Your products are commodity items compared on price
- You want the 90 to 120 day commission-free start
- You rely on platform campaigns like 11.11 and 12.12
Your own store makes sense if
- You have repeat customers or a following on social media
- Margins are thin and 15% or more in fees hurts
- You want the customer's email and to market to them again
- You sell bundles, subscriptions or made-to-order items
Many Singapore sellers do both: the marketplace for discovery, the website for repeat buyers, bundles and higher-margin sales. If you go that way, our guide to what a Shopify store costs adds up the plan, apps and theme.
Running both: keep stock and prices in sync
Selling the same stock in two or three places only works if a sale on one channel reduces stock everywhere. Otherwise you oversell and get cancellation penalties on the marketplace.
Multichannel set-up
On your own site, PayNow is often the cheapest way to get paid; our guide to accepting PayNow on your website compares the options, and HitPay vs Stripe covers card fees. If you are GST-registered, see our Shopify GST set-up guide.
Do it yourself or get help?
Opening a Shopee or Lazada shop is free and quick; their Seller Centres walk you through it. A website takes more set-up, but you own the customer list and keep more of each sale.
Our Shopify Store package (S$1,890) builds a store on your own Shopify account with payments, shipping and policies set up. Online Store Pro (S$3,490) adds more products, custom sections and integrations such as marketplace stock sync.
Frequently asked questions
As of October 2026, a non-Mall seller in a general non-electronics category pays 14.17% commission, or 10.90% on the Promo Xtra Programme, plus a 3.27% transaction fee on every successful order. PXP sellers also pay a category-based service fee, and shipping is charged separately. Eligible new sellers pay no base commission for 120 days.
Lazada charges a payment fee of 3% before GST, or 3.27% including GST, on the final payment amount, plus a commission that depends on your category, Marketplace or LazMall status and SPA membership. Lazada's own worked example uses 7.085% including GST for Marketplace. New Marketplace sellers pay no commission for their first 90 days.
Per order, usually yes. On a S$50 sale, Shopify Basic card fees are about S$2.10 compared with about S$8.73 in Shopee's standard non-Mall fees. But your own store has a monthly plan cost and you must pay to attract visitors, so it is only cheaper overall once you have steady traffic or repeat customers.
Yes, and many Singapore sellers do. The key is syncing stock so a sale on one channel updates the others, using a single system as the source of truth and matching product codes. Without this you risk overselling and marketplace cancellation penalties.
Shopee states its commission and transaction fee rates as GST-inclusive. Lazada quotes its payment fee as 3% before GST, which is 3.27% including GST, and says its commission rates are subject to 9% GST. If you are GST-registered, the GST on these fees may be claimable as input tax; check with your accountant.