One fee is taken on every sale. Everything else depends on how you sell — and the optional costs are usually bigger than the platform fee itself.
Rates last verified: October 30, 2026 · US: 6% official, 8% widely reported · UK / EU: 9%
The short answer: on a $35 sale TikTok Shop takes $2.10 at the official 6% US referral rate — or $2.80 if your settlement is charged the widely reported 8%. That referral fee is the only platform fee taken on every sale. Creator commissions, ad spend and shipping are separate, and you set or choose them yourself.
Referral fee = rate × item price. Four rates apply in the US, depending on who you are and what you sell:
| Item price | 3% · new seller promo | 5% · fine jewelry / pre-owned | 6% · standard (official) | 8% · widely reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10.00 | $0.30 | $0.50 | $0.60 | $0.80 |
| $20.00 | $0.60 | $1.00 | $1.20 | $1.60 |
| $35.00 | $1.05 | $1.75 | $2.10 | $2.80 |
| $50.00 | $1.50 | $2.50 | $3.00 | $4.00 |
| $100.00 | $3.00 | $5.00 | $6.00 | $8.00 |
In the UK and EU the standard referral rate is 9% — £3.15 on a £35 item, €4.50 on a €50 item. The EU has its own new-seller promo at 4% for 60 days; the US promo is 3% for 30 days. The full rate table, and why 6% and 8% both circulate in the US, is on our referral fee page and new-seller promo page.
The referral fee is only one line. Here is the full stack on a $35.00 sale, using the calculator's default example costs — product cost $8.50, shipping $4.50, creator commission 10% ($3.50, seller-set example), ad spend $3.00 (seller-set example). Only the referral rate changes:
| 6% official | 8% reported | |
|---|---|---|
| Sale price | $35.00 | $35.00 |
| − Referral fee | $2.10 | $2.80 |
| − Creator commission (10%, example) | $3.50 | $3.50 |
| − Product cost | $8.50 | $8.50 |
| − Shipping | $4.50 | $4.50 |
| − Ad spend (example) | $3.00 | $3.00 |
| Net profit per sale | $13.40 | $12.70 |
The 6% column reproduces the homepage calculator's default exactly ($13.40) — run your own numbers there to check. And notice the proportions: the referral fee is the smallest cost on this order. A 10% creator commission ($3.50, an example rate you set yourself) already costs more than the platform fee, and at a 20% commission it would be $7.00 — more than triple the 6% referral fee. The stacking math is on our affiliate commission page.
Scale the same $35 product to 100 orders a month ($3,500 in sales):
| 6% official | 8% reported | |
|---|---|---|
| Referral fees per month | $210.00 | $280.00 |
| Gap vs the official rate | — | $70.00 / month · $840 / year |
Refunds add a small expected cost on top. The US refund administration fee is 20% of the referral fee, capped at $5 per SKU — $0.42 on a refunded $35 order at 6% ($0.56 at 8%). At an example 10% return rate that averages $0.042 per order sold at 6%, or $4.20 a month at this volume. Return shipping and unsellable units are separate seller costs, not platform fees. Full explainer on the refund fee page.
Counting the commission as a platform fee. Creator / affiliate commission is money you choose to pay a creator for a sale — you set the rate, and it is $0 on orders with no creator attached. On a $35 sale a 10% example commission is $3.50; the platform fee on the same sale is $2.10. Do not blame the platform for the commission line.
Budgeting on 6% without checking the settlement. Many US sellers report an effective 8% on settlement lines since August 2026 even though the published table still says 6%. The $0.70 gap on a $35 sale is $70 a month at 100 orders. Export your settlement and run it through the settlement checker — it recomputes the rate on every line and flags anything above your category rate.
Forgetting the fee is a percentage, not a flat charge. There is no per-order flat fee in the verified rate table: a $10 sale costs $0.60 at 6%, a $100 sale costs $6.00. Low-price products are not punished by a minimum — but with product cost and shipping fixed in dollars, the referral fee is the least of a cheap item's problems. Price so the product works at 8%, and treat 6% as the upside.
The free FeeFact calculator stacks the referral fee, commission, shipping, product cost and ad spend for your product, compares 6% vs 8% side by side, and audits your settlement file for wrong rates.
Is the referral fee the only fee TikTok Shop charges on a sale?
It is the only platform fee charged on every sale. The other platform charge sellers meet is the refund administration fee — 20% of the referral fee, capped at $5 per SKU — and only on refunded orders. Shipping, creator commissions and ad spend are costs you set or choose, not platform fees.
Does TikTok take a cut of the shipping charge?
No — in the verified rate table the referral fee is calculated on the item price, not on shipping. Whether you charge the buyer for shipping or offer free shipping changes your profit, not the referral fee. The trade-off is on our shipping fees page.
How much does TikTok take on a $10 sale?
$0.60 at the official 6% US rate, $0.80 at the widely reported 8%, $0.30 during the 3% new-seller promo, and $0.50 for fine jewelry and pre-owned items. At low prices the fixed costs — product, shipping, commission — matter far more than the referral fee.
Do new sellers pay less per sale?
Yes, for a short window: eligible new US sellers pay 3% for their first 30 days instead of 6% — $1.05 instead of $2.10 on a $35 sale, saving $105 across 100 orders. The EU promo is 4% for 60 days against a 9% standard. Details on the new-seller promo page.
How do I check what TikTok actually took from my sales?
Export your settlement report from Seller Center and run it through our free settlement checker. It recomputes the referral rate on every line (fee ÷ fee base) and flags anything above your expected rate — if lines come back at 8% when you budgeted 6%, that is the gap to dispute or re-price for.
Stack every fee and see what you keep — per sale and per month. Compares 6% vs 8% side by side.
Why two different rates circulate, and which one your settlement actually uses.
The complete 2026 breakdown for US, UK and EU.
All tools: Profit Calculator + Settlement Checker · Settlement Checker · UK Calculator · EU Calculator · All TikTok Shop Fees · Fee Change Log · Affiliate Commission · Shipping Fees · Refund Administration Fee · New Seller Referral Fee