New sellers get a cheaper referral rate for a short window. It is real money — but only if you price for the rate that comes after it.
Rates last verified: October 30, 2026 · US promo: 3% for the first 30 days · EU promo: 4% for the first 60 days
The short answer: eligible new US sellers pay a 3% referral fee for their first 30 days instead of the standard 6% — on a $35 sale that saves $1.05 per order. In the EU the promo is 4% for 60 days against a 9% standard. When the window ends, the standard rate applies, so price for that rate from day one.
| Market | Promo rate | Window | Standard rate after |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | 3% | First 30 days | 6% (5% fine jewelry & pre-owned) |
| EU | 4% | First 60 days | 9% |
| UK | No verified promo | — | 9% |
The promo rate is for eligible new sellers — TikTok decides eligibility, and the exact start date for your shop is shown in Seller Center. We have no verified UK new-seller promo rate, so UK sellers should model the 9% standard and treat any promo as a bonus, not a plan. The full verified rate table is on our complete fees breakdown.
Referral fee = rate × item price. The saving is simply the rate gap — 3 points in the US — times the price:
| Item price | At 3% (promo) | At 6% (standard) | Saved per order |
|---|---|---|---|
| $20.00 | $0.60 | $1.20 | $0.60 |
| $35.00 | $1.05 | $2.10 | $1.05 |
| $50.00 | $1.50 | $3.00 | $1.50 |
| $100.00 | $3.00 | $6.00 | $3.00 |
At 100 orders a month on a $35 product, the promo is worth $105 a month — $105 over a 30-day window at that volume. In the EU the gap is bigger: on a €35 item, 4% is €1.40 against 9% at €3.15, saving €1.75 per order, or €175 across 100 orders.
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 (8.57%, seller-set example). Only the referral rate changes:
| 3% promo | 6% standard | 8% reported | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sale price | $35.00 | $35.00 | $35.00 |
| − Referral fee | $1.05 | $2.10 | $2.80 |
| − Creator commission (10%, example) | $3.50 | $3.50 | $3.50 |
| − Product cost | $8.50 | $8.50 | $8.50 |
| − Shipping | $4.50 | $4.50 | $4.50 |
| − Ad spend (example) | $3.00 | $3.00 | $3.00 |
| Net profit per sale | $14.45 | $13.40 | $12.70 |
Two things to notice. First, the promo is worth $1.05 a sale — real, but small next to the $3.50 commission and $4.50 shipping on the same order. Second, the 6% column reproduces the homepage calculator's default exactly ($13.40), so you can check this table against the tool. Run your own numbers with the promo preset in the profit calculator ("New seller · 3% promo").
Pricing for 3% forever. The most common one. A product that only works at 3% stops working on day 31, when the rate doubles to 6% — and the referral fee is the smallest line in the stack. Price so the product still works at 6%, and treat the promo month as extra margin, not as the business model.
Forgetting the promo does not cover anything else. Creator commissions, ad spend, shipping and product cost are all unchanged during the promo — only the referral fee drops. A 20% affiliate commission (example — you set your own rate) costs $7.00 on a $35 sale, nearly seven times what the promo saves. The stacking math is on our affiliate commission page.
Assuming the settlement matches the table. Many US sellers report an effective 8% on settlement lines since August 2026 even though the published table still says 6%. If your account is charged the reported rate, the promo window is the time to find out — run your first settlement through the settlement checker and confirm the rate you were actually charged, line by line. The refund administration fee (20% of the referral fee, capped at $5 per SKU) also scales with the referral rate, so it is smaller during the promo — $0.21 per refunded $35 order at 3%, against $0.42 at 6%.
The free FeeFact calculator has a "New seller · 3% promo" preset — run your product at 3% and at 6% side by side before you list it. If it only works at 3%, the price is wrong, not the fee.
Who qualifies for the 3% new-seller rate?
Eligible new sellers, as TikTok defines them — the published table lists the promo without publishing a full eligibility checklist. Your shop's promo status and start date are shown in Seller Center; that is the authoritative answer for your account, not any third-party list.
When do the 30 days start?
The promo window is the first 30 days as a new seller in the US (60 days in the EU). The exact start date is tied to your shop, so confirm it in Seller Center rather than assuming it starts on your first sale — the clock may already be running while you are still setting up listings.
What happens when the promo ends?
The standard rate for your category applies from then on — 6% for most US categories (5% for fine jewelry and pre-owned), 9% in the UK and EU. Nothing else changes; commissions, shipping and ad costs were never discounted. If your price only worked at 3%, raise it or cut costs before day 31, not after.
Does the promo change the refund administration fee?
Only indirectly. The US refund administration fee is 20% of the referral fee, capped at $5 per SKU — so a lower referral fee during the promo means a lower admin fee on refunded orders too ($0.21 instead of $0.42 on a refunded $35 order). The 20% rule itself does not change. Full explainer on the refund fee page.
How do I check I am actually being charged 3%?
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 6% or 8% during your promo window, open a Seller Center ticket with the flagged lines attached.
Stack every fee and see what you keep — per sale and per month. Includes the 3% new-seller preset.
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 · New Seller Referral Fee