Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop Cut Fees for Eligible Thai Sellers for Six Months, but Not Ad Fees

Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop will cut the mandatory seller fees that Thai sellers call "GP" back to their 1 January 2026 level for six months, from 1 December 2026 to 31 May 2027, after an agreement with Thailand's Commerce Ministry announced on 28 October 2026. The cut covers commission, infrastructure service fees and transaction fees for eligible registered sellers. It does not cover the advertising or product promotion services sellers choose to buy, so marketplace ad spend stays at full price while the fee taken from each order shrinks. That combination changes the break-even point for sponsored listings a seller runs over the 12.12 period and the first five months of 2027.

What the Commerce Ministry announced on 28 October 2026

According to PPTV's report of 28 October 2026, the Commerce Ministry, overseen by Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Supaji Suthumpun, reached agreement with three major e-commerce platforms in Thailand to reduce mandatory fees for small sellers who meet the criteria. The details were announced by a deputy spokesperson of the Office of the Prime Minister.

The three platforms will charge the mandatory fee rates they were charging on 1 January 2026. The measure runs for six months, from 1 December 2026 to 31 May 2027. The government expects it to reduce costs and increase income for sellers by about THB 1,930 million in total over that period.

The background is a run of fee increases earlier in the year. PPTV reported that between January and August 2026 the platforms raised fees three times, and that sellers complained the changes to fees and selling conditions made it hard to manage costs and plan their businesses. The government responded by seeking cooperation from the platforms.

The fee ranges before and after the cut

Each platform has a range rather than a single rate, because fees differ by product category. The figures below are the ranges reported by PPTV; the exact rate a given seller pays depends on the category of each item.

Two details in this table matter for planning. First, Shopee's lower bound does not move: it is 8.03% before and after. Second, the top of each range falls by roughly 4 to 6 percentage points (Shopee 5.35 points, Lazada 5.90 points, TikTok Shop 4.28 points). Those point differences are simple arithmetic on the published ranges, not ministry figures, and they describe the extreme ends of each range, not the average seller.

What the cut covers, and what it does not

PPTV reported that the fee cut covers the mandatory charges a seller must pay to sell on the platform: commission, infrastructure service fees and transaction fees. It explicitly excludes optional add-on services a seller chooses to use, and gives advertising or product promotion as the example.

In practice, that means the part of a marketplace's revenue that comes from paid visibility is outside the deal. The source does not name individual ad products, and it does not say whether any platform plans separate changes to its ad pricing. Sellers should assume ad costs are unchanged unless their platform tells them otherwise.

This split is the reason the announcement matters to anyone who runs marketplace ads. The fee taken from each order goes down, ad costs do not, and the profit each order leaves after fees goes up. A higher profit per order lowers the return on ad spend (ROAS) a campaign needs just to break even.

Who qualifies

The cut does not apply to every shop. PPTV reported that eligible sellers must be registered businesses, split into two groups:

• Individual sellers with annual sales of no more than THB 1.8 million. Individuals who have not registered are being asked to do so: in Bangkok at a district office, and in other provinces at the municipality or subdistrict administrative organisation.
• Juristic persons (registered companies), which register through the Department of Business Development or its online channels. Thai press reports differ on the annual sales ceiling for this group, so sellers trading as a company should check the exact figure in their platform's notice before assuming they qualify.

Across the three platforms there are about 1.02 million individual sellers and about 180,000 juristic persons, roughly 1.2 million sellers in total, according to PPTV. Each seller has to pass an eligibility check against the conditions. The platforms will publish details and conditions before the measure starts on 1 December. Sellers who believe they have been charged unfairly can complain to the Department of Internal Trade hotline, 1569.

How the ad-fee exclusion moves your ROAS break-even

Break-even ROAS is the revenue each baht of advertising has to generate before the ad stops losing money. The formula is the selling price divided by the profit left on that sale before advertising. When a platform takes a smaller fee, the profit before advertising rises and the break-even ROAS falls.

The numbers in this section are illustrative only. They are not from the ministry or any platform, and they are not a forecast for any real shop. They show the mechanics so a seller can redo the sum with their own costs.

Illustrative example: one product, two fee levels

• Selling price: THB 500 per unit.
• Cost of goods: THB 250. Packaging and other per-order costs: THB 30.
• Mandatory fee before the cut: 18% of the price, or THB 90. Profit before ads: 500 minus 250, 30 and 90, which is THB 130. Break-even ROAS: 500 divided by 130, about 3.85.
• Mandatory fee after the cut: 12% of the price, or THB 60. Profit before ads: THB 160. Break-even ROAS: 500 divided by 160, about 3.13.

In this made-up case, a sponsored listing that returned 3.5 baht in sales per baht of ad spend was losing money in November and becomes profitable in December, without any change to the ad itself. A campaign that was already above break-even keeps more of each sale. The fee rates used here (18% and 12%) were picked because they sit inside the published Shopee and TikTok Shop ranges, not because any particular category is charged those rates.

Three ways to use the extra margin

Once the break-even point moves, a seller has three broad choices, and the right one depends on stock, competition and cash flow rather than on the fee cut itself.

1. Keep the margin. Hold ad budgets and bids where they are and treat the lower fee as profit. This is the conservative option for sellers who were thin on margin through 2026 or who expect the rates to rise again after 31 May 2027.
2. Lower the target ROAS. Accept a lower return per baht on campaigns that were previously cut for being below break-even. Where a marketplace ad tool lets the seller set a target return, lowering it lets the platform bid on more traffic. The extra margin pays for the less efficient clicks.
3. Pass some of it to the buyer. Use part of the saving for vouchers or a lower price during 12.12 and the New Year sales, which may lift conversion rate and therefore ROAS.

Whichever route a seller takes, the target should be set per category. The fee ranges are wide, so a single shop-wide break-even figure can be wrong for many of its products.

Timeline and what happens after 31 May 2027

The agreement sits alongside a separate measure. The Trade Competition Commission of Thailand (TCCT) has already ordered a freeze on fee increases for six months, from 27 August 2026 to 27 February 2027, while it studies the platforms' cost structures and service charges with other agencies. PPTV described the fee cut as separate from that freeze.

For the longer term, the government is working with the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) to review a draft Digital Platform Economy Act so that it fits current market conditions and technology. PPTV did not report any draft provisions. Fee rates after the measure ends on 31 May 2027 will be assessed and discussed again, which means there is no commitment yet on what sellers will pay from June 2027.

• 27 August 2026: TCCT freeze on fee increases begins.
• 28 October 2026: fee-cut agreement announced.
• Before 1 December 2026: platforms publish details and conditions.
• 1 December 2026: lower mandatory fees take effect for eligible sellers.
• 27 February 2027: TCCT freeze period ends.
• 31 May 2027: fee-cut period ends; future rates to be reassessed.

What the source did not say

Several things are missing from the announcement, and sellers should not fill the gaps with guesses:

• It did not say whether eligible sellers are enrolled automatically or must opt in, beyond the eligibility check and the platforms' coming notices.
• It did not give a category-by-category rate table. Only the ranges were published.
• It did not mention ad products by name or any change to how marketplace ads are priced.
• It did not say what rates will apply after 31 May 2027.
• It did not give a per-platform split of the THB 1,930 million estimate.

What this means for Thai marketers and sellers

For brands and sellers running e-commerce marketing on Thailand's marketplaces, the practical work starts now, before the new rates apply. Check whether the business is registered in the way the scheme requires. Pull a fee report for the last full month and note which categories sit at the top of each platform's range.

Then recalculate break-even ROAS by category with the December rates and compare it with what each campaign actually delivered in October and November. Campaigns sitting just below break-even today are the ones most likely to move into profit. If the shop also buys TikTok ads that point to a TikTok Shop listing, the same margin logic applies: a lower fee on the order raises the cost per order the shop can afford.

Finally, plan for the end date. The cut is temporary, and the rates from June 2027 are open. Budgets and target ROAS settings set for December should carry a review date in late May, so a shop does not keep bidding at a level that only made sense under the lower fee.

Frequently asked questions

When do the lower Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop fees start?

The lower mandatory fees apply from 1 December 2026 and run until 31 May 2027. Platforms are expected to publish their details and conditions before the start date.

Does the fee cut reduce the cost of Shopee, Lazada or TikTok Shop ads?

No, the cut does not cover advertising or product promotion services, which PPTV reported are excluded as optional add-ons. It covers commission, infrastructure service fees and transaction fees only.

Do I have to do anything to get the lower fee?

Yes, you need to be a registered business that meets the sales conditions and passes the platform's eligibility check. Individual sellers can have annual sales of up to THB 1.8 million; companies should confirm the ceiling for their group in their platform's notice, because reports differ.

How much will sellers save?

The government estimates total savings and added income of about THB 1,930 million across roughly 1.2 million sellers over six months. What one shop saves depends on its categories, since fees vary widely within each platform's range.

What happens to fees after May 2027?

The source does not say; rates after 31 May 2027 will be assessed and discussed again. A draft Digital Platform Economy Act is also under review with ETDA.

Recalculating break-even ROAS by category is a short exercise that can change which campaigns deserve budget in December. If you want a second pair of eyes on your marketplace fees, ad targets and off-platform traffic before 1 December, the Relevant Audience team can help you plan it.