BANGKOK– Thailand’s leading e-commerce platforms, Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop, have raised sales transaction fees and added new service fees, pushing up costs for sellers. The move points to a push for higher profitability, and shows how much sway these platforms hold as they shift more of the financial load onto merchants.
TikTok Shop has also widened access to its Pay Later option for the first time, after a small pilot at the end of last year. Shopee and Lazada have offered similar instalment services for years.
Industry analysts say these e-commerce platforms have moved far beyond simple marketplaces. They now run payments, logistics, advertising, lending, and insurance, powered by behavioural data from more than 30 million users.
On 15 Sept, Shopee lifted its sales transaction fee by 0.6 to 1 percentage point, depending on category, and introduced a Platform Infrastructure Fee of 1 baht per order.
On 28 Sept, Lazada raised seller fees by 2 percentage points for both standard sellers and LazMall shops. From 1 Oct, TikTok Shop adjusted its fee structure as part of a wider investment plan to support a safe, sustainable, and inclusive ecosystem.
The new Commerce Growth Fee sits at 5.35% for electronics and 6.42% for other categories, capped at 199 baht per unit, including VAT. An Infrastructure Fee of 1.07 baht applies, with a waiver for sellers with fewer than 100 orders a month.
TikTok Shop said it remains committed to helping businesses of all sizes. In 2025, the platform plans to invest over US$2 million, about 64.7 million baht, to support Thai companies. It has also launched a TikTok Shop e-commerce curriculum for entrepreneurs with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society.
Pawoot Pongvitayapanu, honorary president of the Thai e-Commerce Association, warned that Thailand’s digital economy faces rising risks as these platforms grow into core commercial infrastructure. With access to purchase habits, payment behaviour, and delivery preferences, platforms can power targeted offers, upsell, and extend into new sectors.
The Thai e-Commerce Association Highlighted Five Areas at Risk:
- Banking and finance: Marketplaces promote lending and instalments at checkout, using real-time payment data to score credit. This can be more accurate than traditional bureau data. Their e-wallets also divert fee income from banks, while banks lose SKU-level insights that help price pre-approved loans.
- Retail and brands: Sellers rely on paid visibility in an increasingly pay-to-play model. Platforms launch private-label lines based on bestsellers, undercut suppliers, and use loyalty tools, such as coupons and points, to lock in shoppers.
- Logistics and warehousing: Marketplaces are building delivery networks and fulfilment centres, setting service standards and prices. End-to-end route and cost data let them optimize beyond the reach of traditional logistics firms.
- Media and advertising: Ad budgets shift into platform ecosystems where closed-loop reporting ties spend directly to sales. First-party data supports precise retargeting and personalized promotions, reducing the role of traditional media.
- Insurance: Platforms sell parcel and accident cover, with scope to move into travel, health, education, telecom, and utilities, any service that can sit at checkout and draw on user data.
Pawoot said the platforms tighten control with a data flywheel. More sales create more data, which improves recommendations and lifts conversion. Reward points and coupons connect products with financial, insurance, and logistics offers, creating a powerful cross-sell engine.
He advised businesses to build first-party data using CRM and owned channels, such as websites, apps, and Line. Marketplaces can help acquire new customers, but brands should convert them into members they can reach directly.
He also urged partnerships with banks and insurtech firms to add financial and insurance services, and collaboration in logistics to secure better service and pricing.
Pawoot called for government action to protect fair competition. Without oversight, dominant e-commerce platforms could keep expanding and put traditional companies at risk across many sectors.
He summed up that marketplaces are no longer just places to sell goods; they are becoming Thailand’s commercial backbone. Businesses that fail to reclaim their data and embed their own services will lose margins, bargaining power, and loyal customers.
