If you sell online in Indonesia, the marketplace is where most people first find you. It is also where a surprising slice of every sale quietly disappears. This is not a case against Shopee or Tokopedia. It is a clear look at what they actually charge in 2026, what running your own store costs instead, and how the smartest sellers use both without bleeding margin.
What a marketplace really takes per sale
A marketplace fee is rarely a single number. It is a stack. On a typical sale you can pay an admin or commission fee, a payment-processing fee, a service fee, and then optional ads on top if you want to be seen at all. Each layer is small on its own, but together they add up fast on thin margins.
Through 2025 and into 2026, those layers got heavier. According to Nikkei Asia, both Shopee and Tokopedia raised seller fees as they pushed toward profitability, with Shopee adding fee increases in several Southeast Asian markets and Tokopedia adjusting logistics and service charges. The direction of travel is one way: up.
The part that matters most is not even the percentage. It is who owns the relationship.
The hidden cost: you do not own the customer
When someone buys from you on a marketplace, they are the marketplace's customer, not yours. You usually cannot export their contact, message them directly, or tell them about your next drop without paying for an ad or hoping the algorithm shows your listing again.
So every sale costs you twice. Once in stacked fees, and again because you have to re-acquire the same buyer next time. For a business built on repeat customers — food, fashion, digital products, coaching — that second cost is the expensive one.
What your own store costs instead
Running your own store flips the model. Instead of renting space and an audience, you own both. On Kilat (kilat.bio) you get a storefront link that holds your whole catalog, takes payment directly, and turns every buyer into a contact you keep.
The pricing is deliberately simple. Kilat is Free at Rp0 to start, and PRO is Rp229.000 a month (Rp137.000 a month billed yearly). Payments in Indonesia run through Mayar with QRIS, e-wallet, virtual account, and card, and Kilat's own fee is 0% on PRO and 4% on Free, plus payment-method fees and a Rp5.000 transfer fee per bank payout. On PRO there is no per-sale commission skimming each order, and no ad auction deciding whether your own customers can find you.
A fair side-by-side
Here is the honest comparison. Marketplaces are strong at one thing your own store is not: cold discovery. Millions of people browse them every day. Your own store wins on margin and ownership.
| What matters | Marketplace | Your own store on Kilat |
|---|---|---|
| Cold discovery | Strong — built-in traffic | You bring the traffic |
| Per-sale fees | Stacked commission, service, payment, ads | Kilat fee 0% on PRO (4% on Free), plus payment-method fees |
| Who owns the customer | The marketplace | You |
| Repeat orders | Pay again to reach them | Message your WhatsApp list directly |
| Local payments | Yes | Yes (QRIS, e-wallet, transfer, card) |
| Your branding | Limited, looks like everyone else | Fully yours |
Neither column is a trick. They are good at different jobs.
The move most smart sellers make: use both
The winning play in 2026 is not to abandon marketplaces. It is to treat them as what they are — a discovery channel you pay for — and to move repeat business to a store you own.
In practice that looks like this. Let a marketplace introduce you to a new buyer. On delivery, include a small card or QR code that points to your Kilat link with a reason to come back: a member price, a restock alert, a bonus. The next time that customer buys, they buy from you directly, you keep the margin, and you keep the contact. Over a year, the difference between paying full marketplace fees on every order and paying them only on first orders is enormous.
How to set this up this week
You do not need a developer or a big launch. Start small.
- Create a free Kilat page and add your three or four best products with clear prices.
- Turn on QRIS and your other payment methods so buyers can pay in seconds.
- Add a WhatsApp follow-up (WhatsApp automation is a PRO feature) so first-time buyers become repeat buyers you can reach directly.
- Print a QR code to your Kilat link and slip it into every marketplace order you ship.
- Keep selling on the marketplace for discovery — nothing to lose there.
Where Kilat fits in
Kilat is built for exactly this: Indonesian sellers who want marketplace reach without giving up margin and ownership forever. You market on WhatsApp and one bio link, buyers pay instantly through Kilat checkout, and Kilat's own fee is 0% on PRO (4% on Free). When you are ready, create your free Kilat page, see the pricing, or read the full Kilat vs Shopee & Tokopedia comparison.
The takeaway
Marketplace fees are not a scandal — they are the price of borrowed traffic. The mistake is paying that price on every single sale forever, including to customers you already won. Use marketplaces to get discovered, use your own Kilat store to keep the relationship and the margin, and the math quietly tips back in your favor.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do Shopee and Tokopedia charge sellers in 2026?
Marketplace fees in 2026 are a stack rather than a single rate: an admin or commission fee, a payment-processing fee, a service fee, and optional ads on top. Per Nikkei Asia, both Shopee and Tokopedia raised seller fees through 2025 and into 2026 as they pushed toward profitability. The exact rate depends on your category and program, so check your current Seller Centre, but the trend has been upward.
Is selling on my own store cheaper than a marketplace?
On a per-sale basis, usually yes. On PRO, Kilat (kilat.bio) takes no cut of your sales (4% on the Free plan), on top of payment-method fees and a Rp5.000 transfer fee per bank payout, versus the stacked commission, service, payment, and ad fees a marketplace takes. The trade-off is discovery: a marketplace brings you cold traffic, while on your own store you bring the audience. That is why many sellers use both.
Should I stop selling on marketplaces and only use Kilat?
Not necessarily. Marketplaces are excellent at cold discovery, which your own store cannot replicate overnight. The smart approach is to keep using marketplaces to get found, then move repeat customers to a store you own on Kilat so you keep the margin and the customer relationship. Use the marketplace as a paid discovery channel, not as your only sales channel.
How do I move marketplace buyers to my own store?
Include a small card or QR code pointing to your Kilat link in every order you ship, with a reason to come back such as a member price, restock alert, or bonus. When that customer buys again, they buy from you directly through your Kilat page, you keep the margin, and you capture them as a WhatsApp contact you can reach for future drops without paying for an ad.
What does Kilat cost and how do payments work?
Kilat pricing is simple: Free at Rp0 to start, and PRO at Rp229.000 a month (Rp137.000 a month billed yearly). Payments in Indonesia run through Mayar and support QRIS, e-wallet, virtual account, and card, so Indonesian buyers can pay in seconds. Kilat’s own fee is 0% on PRO and 4% on Free, plus payment-method fees and a Rp5.000 transfer fee per bank payout, which compares well with stacked per-sale marketplace commissions.
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