The short answer
TikTok Shop charges one fee per order, with no listing fee and no separate payment fee. In the US it is called the referral fee and is 6% for most categories. In the UK it is called commission and is 9%, with VAT already inside it.
The table shows a US order at five price points, with $4.99 shipping charged to the buyer and the same amount paid for the label. The last two columns add a 15% affiliate commission.
| Item price | Referral fee | You keep | Fees with affiliate | You keep with affiliate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $0.90 | $9.10 | $2.40 | $7.60 |
| $25 | $1.80 | $23.20 | $5.55 | $19.45 |
| $50 | $3.30 | $46.70 | $10.80 | $39.20 |
| $100 | $6.30 | $93.70 | $21.30 | $78.70 |
| $250 | $15.30 | $234.70 | $52.80 | $197.20 |
Computed by the TikTok Shop calculator. Fees only, with no item cost and no discounts. Affiliate commission is your choice, 15% is only an example.
What the fee is charged on
TikTok Shop's formula is the customer payment plus any platform discount, minus tax. Buyer-paid shipping is included. A discount you fund lowers the base, and a discount TikTok Shop funds does not, because it is added back.
On a $50.00 item, shipping lifts the fee from $3.00 to $3.30. A $10.00 discount you fund brings it to $2.70, and a $10.00 platform discount leaves it at $3.30.
| Case | Fee base | Referral fee |
|---|---|---|
| No shipping charged | $50.00 | $3.00 |
| $4.99 shipping charged | $54.99 | $3.30 |
| $10.00 you fund | $44.99 | $2.70 |
| $10.00 TikTok Shop funds | $54.99 | $3.30 |
A $50.00 item at 6%. Buyer tax is never part of the base.
The US rate, and the 8% reports
TikTok Shop's US category page, last revised 8 Oct 2026, lists 6% for most categories and 5% for the listed jewelry sub-categories and Pre-Owned. Collectibles and Pre-Owned drop to 3% on the part of a sale over $10,000.
A $12,000.00 pre-owned item with no shipping pays $560.00, against $720.00 at the standard rate.
Affiliate commission and Smart Promotion
Affiliate commission is set by you for each product, from 1% to 80%, and comes out of your payout. We charge it on the price after discounts, with no shipping. TikTok Shop's UK pages say so, and its US page does not define the base, so for the US that is our assumption.
Smart Promotion is optional but needed for platform campaigns. It is 3.5% of shop sales outside campaigns, and 1 to 2 points more during them. We use 4.5% for campaigns.
| What you pay | Total fees | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Referral fee only | $3.30 | $46.70 |
| Plus 15% affiliate | $10.80 | $39.20 |
| Plus Smart Promotion 3.5% | $12.55 | $37.45 |
| Smart Promotion in a campaign, 4.5% | $13.05 | $36.95 |
A $50.00 item with $4.99 shipping, no item cost. The sales base for Smart Promotion is also our assumption.
UK commission
The UK commission is 9%, inclusive of VAT, so nothing is added on top. It drops to 5% for household appliances, most phones and electronics, most computers and office equipment, and electrical beauty devices. Reductions do not stack.
TikTok Shop's own example is a £100.00 item with a £10.00 seller discount, a £10.00 platform discount and £5.00 shipping. The base is £95.00 and the commission £8.55. The calculator gives the same.
| Category | Rate | Commission | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most categories | 9% | £4.95 | £45.05 |
| Electronics, appliances, beauty devices | 5% | £2.75 | £47.25 |
A £50.00 item with £4.99 shipping charged and the same paid for the label, no item cost. New seller reduced rates are not published, so they are not modelled.
Refunds
In the US, TikTok Shop returns the referral fee on a refunded order minus a Refund Administration Fee of 20% of that fee, capped at $5.00 per SKU. On the $50.00 example that is $0.66 kept. On a large order the cap bites: a $500.00 order pays a $30.00 fee, and the admin fee is $5.00 rather than $6.00.
In the UK, the commission on refunded items is returned in full. Affiliate commission already paid to a creator cannot be recovered in either market.
What to list at for the amount you want
Work backwards from what you need to keep. The table gives the US item price that leaves you the amount shown, with $4.99 shipping charged and the same label cost.
To keep $50.00 you list at $53.51, which is $3.51 more than the amount you want.
| You want to keep | List price | Price above what you want to keep |
|---|---|---|
| $10.00 | $10.96 | $0.96 |
| $25.00 | $26.91 | $1.91 |
| $50.00 | $53.51 | $3.51 |
No item cost, no discounts, no affiliate commission. Add them in the calculator.
What the tables leave out
- Shipping rate cards. Enter your own label cost in the calculator, because rates depend on weight, size and season.
- Fulfilled by TikTok fees, ad spend, settlement reserves and payout timing.
- Sales tax on the referral fee for sellers based in West Virginia and Texas.
- Any new seller promotion. TikTok Shop does not publish a current rate we could confirm.